I have read several things lately concerning short term missions and to be honest some of the things I have read kind upset me. They are calling them “voluntourism” and I have to strongly DISAGREE!! If it had not been for a short-term mission trip in March 2010 our lives would be much different.
You see I never intended on any of this happening, after the earthquake of 2010 I felt a strong urge to go to Haiti and help. I didn’t know what would look like, I just knew I had to do something. I searched the web and found an organization that had a short-term mission trip in March and called to make plans. That trip not only changed my life, it changed my families life forever.
People who say short-term mission trips are just you going on vacation to make yourself feel “good” need to talk to Kerby and Kerlandy and see how that worked out for them. They need to talk to the 50+ kids what have been at Voice of the Children Orphanage or the children at Jehovah-Jireh School. You see when you go on a short-term mission trip it’s not what you GET its what you GIVE. It’s serving others who can’t give you anything in return. It’s feeding, changing and loving on babies at a hospital run by volunteer nuns, it’s sorting clothes all day at a malnutrition clinic on the mountain so the staff can tend to the needs of the children, it’s sitting around a wash tub scrubbing cloths and singing songs to give the staff at a nearby orphanage a break. It’s Sunday night home church service with a yard full of kids. It’s being able to baptize 16 children in the Caribbean Sea, its giving HOPE, LOVE and GRACE. That’s what a short-term mission trip is!!!
From what I have read this sounds a lot like how the early church was founded by people like Peter and Paul “GOING” on a short-term mission trip.
