Christian mission trips – its impact (2)

Yesterday, I wrote on some negatives of mission trips. If we are aware of these dangers and do our part to neutralize them then there are great benefits from mission trips. For example, we should go in smaller groups that are more manageable for the missionary to organize, and we should avoid stumbling the locals by living in the church or more modest accommodations (ie, modest by their standards not ours). Churches should also be clear that organizing a trip does not free them from their part of the Great Commission.

Most importantly, we should be clear that we are on a trip. And the purpose of a trip is to see, learn and be impacted by what we have seen and learned. Therefore, if we look at a mission trip as mission work, then we will feel that our work is done when the trip is over and we will not learn as much as if we look at it as a trip.

If we go on a mission trip with the right attitude, God can do the following things in our lives:

1. We will be more thankful for the many blessings that we take for granted, eg. our country, our daily bread, our freedom to worship. This will cure us of a murmuring attitude (Philippians 2:14) which is endemic among most Christians. Christians who come from affluent countries and who have grown up in an affluent generation will benefit most.

2. We will realize that great numbers of people have never heard of the Gospel and unless we do something about it, they will humanly-speaking die without the Gospel. Matthew 9:37 “the harvest truly is plenteous” becomes more real in the mission-field.

3. We will be more conscious of the struggles and needs of the missionaries and their ministries after we return home. When we hear of a prayer request from them, we will be more likely to pray for them. When we hear of a need of theirs and their converts, we will be more likely to respond. Very few people are so spiritual that they can pray for people they have never seen or known. So whenever mission prayer requests are made, very few people actually pray for them because they are too “remote”.

Since real mission work is a spiritual battle, prayer support is vital. But most missionaries do not get much prayer support because their “supporters” have not seen their ministries and are not praying for them. This is probably the main reason why most missionaries struggle along with little success.

Let’s visit them and then be their prayer supporters!