My life was changed on a trip to Kiev in 2002. It was actually one of several events that moved me more and more toward giving my time and energy to caring for orphaned children. Three months after we were married, Julie and I went to Kiev with Great Commission Ministries to teach English to college students. We supported the work of two local churches, Almaz and City on a Hill. We also visited Father's House, an orphanage outside the city that we were sponsoring through CRY. On the flight home, I looked at my wife somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean and said, 'I don't know when or how, but I know that everything changes now.'
Short Term Mission trips do change lives - my life was changed and I know that others have been served, encouraged, and empowered. However, there is great possibility for harm when rich Westerners come into poor setting in the East or South without the proper posture.
The Chalmers Center published an article last month that is honest and helpful. If you are involved in short term missions, this article is a must read. It's called 'Doing Short Term Missions Without Doing Long-Term Harm.' For another great resource on this topic, read Serving With Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore.
A few points that really stood out to me...
*be aware of principles, culture, need, and context
*focus on the gifts, abilities, and assets of the people you are serving
*avoid perspectives and activities that highlight the inferiority of the poor and the superiority of short term mission teams
*be less on the front stage and more supportive of indigenous leadership
*understand the difference between monochronic (time) and polychronic (event) cultures
*focus less on doing and more on being
At Children's HopeChest, we seek to connect communities of faith here in the States with orphan communitites overseas. Short term mission trips are part of this equation, but we find that it becomes part of holistic, long-term relationship when people from the same church visit children at the same orphanage year after year. I visited Furmanov orphanage in Ivanovo, Russia in May 2004. When I came back in March 2005, an energetic little boy named Andrey ran up to me and said, 'Daniel, you came back!.' Those words spoke volumes to me about the need for me and for Andrey to have a long-term relationship.
...good informative blogs
...thanx!
...keep them coming
Posted by: Wes | May 10, 2008 at 06:24 PM