Not a Mission Trip

As I prepared to leave for my summer internship in Guatemala, I had many people say to me, "Have fun on your mission trip!" or "I'll be praying that your mission trip goes well!" While I am touched by the thoughts and prayers offered on my behalf, I always found these phrases slightly troubling, and after a lot of thinking and reflecting, I finally am able to put into words my discomfort.

First, I do not define this summer experience as a mission trip in the traditional sense. Let me explain.  Every time someone tells me, "I hope God uses you to touch the lives of many people in Guatemala" or "I hope you are blessing during your time there," somehow implies that the people of Guatemala need me in some way. Don't get me wrong, there definitely are deep needs here: financially, medically, and spiritually. However, I don't necessarily think that I am in the position to offer to the people of Guatemala what they are in need of. I am not rich. I cannot single-handedly raise any one person or group of people out of poverty during my two month stay here. I have no medical experience. Sure, I am a pre-medical student in college, but I have no real clinical experience that makes me a valuable asset in a clinical environment. Similarly, I am not in a position to speak into the spiritual lives of everyone I encounter. I do not fluently speak the language and am not a native of Guatemala, and therefore I do not have the relationships or level of intimacy needed to spiritually transform lives in a two month period. In other words, the people that I encounter daily here in Guatemala do not really need me for anything that I can offer. In fact, the physicians and pastors here are more than capable (and are doing an amazing job) of caring for the physical and spiritual needs of those in their communities.

If I didn't think I could transform lives, then why did I choose to come to Guatemala? There are many reasons. One, I knew that this would be a growing experience for me in many aspects: relationally, spiritually, and academically. Second, someday I hope to use my skills as a physician to serve the Lord in a foreign country, and spending a summer in Guatemala is a preparatory experience for what the Lord will do in my future. Does this mean that I came down here with primarily selfish motives? That I did not expect to share the gospel with anyone or form new relationships with those I would encounter? Does this mean that I did not expect God to do things through me during my time here? Absolutely not!

You see, I believe that every trip, whether it be a trip to school, the grocery story, your job, across campus, or a foreign country, classifies as a mission trip. There is nothing inherently special about what I did this summer. I could have gained many of the same experiences by shadowing physicians in the United States and by forming relationships with those whom I already shared a common language and cultural background. One thing I have become aware of during my time in Guatemala is that the brokenness I have seen is not tied to a specific people group or country. The hurt I have seen is a result of sin – the same sin that is found in me, in you, and those we encounter day after day. There are just as many people with broken relationships, broken bodies, and broken spirits right down the street from us, if only we should choose to see it.

And that's why I have difficulty calling this a mission trip in the traditional sense of the phrase. For me, the term "mission trip" brings to mind images of young people surrounded by orphan children they met only days before, or an impoverished family standing next to their dilapidated houses holding food provided by a high school mission team. I'm not saying that these people do not need help; as Christians we are called to share the love of Christ with everyone we encounter! However, when we restrict the use of the phrase for situations such as this, we adopt a myopic view of the world. We limit the working of the Holy Spirit to certain places or experiences. When we view mission trips solely as overseas projects, we fail to recognize to the power we have to change the world wherever God has placed us. I know this because those young people used to be me.

A poignant example of this distressing problem was presented to me by a friend here in Guatemala. We were sitting in the park eating ice cream, when she mentioned something about a friend of hers who was planning on going to the States for a mission trip. What?! Something is seriously wrong with our global system of evangelism. Rather than ministering to those in their communities, young people choose to travel abroad for the cultural experience. Rather than effectively sharing the gospel with those from a common language and cultural background, young people are choosing to spend a week or two with those whom they will fail to form long-term relationships.

Bottom line: mission trips are more than a week or two experience in another country. A mission trip is what we have been on ever since Christ has called us to follow Him. When we view the way we live and interact with those around us in this light, it has the power to transform communities, countries, and the world. What if we treated the kids in our church and communities like we treat the cute kids we encounter in other countries? What if we regarded our coworkers and strangers in the grocery store the same way we regard strangers abroad? What if we acted with the same courage and confidence: a willingness to share the gospel with all those we encounter? Suddenly, the homeless man on the street is no different than the poor woman selling necklaces on the street corner of Guatemala. The abandoned orphan girl is no different than the neglected foster boy living in our home city. Living in this way shatters our innate feelings of superiority: we become aware that everyone is in need of the undeserved grace of the gospel, just like you and I. Poverty levels, language barriers, and country borders become irrelevant as we view all people as they are: sinful and broken souls, thirsty and in need of for the life-giving, eternally-satisfying power of the cross.

Whether it be my college campus or the streets of Guatemala, my prayer is that I will be a light for Christ wherever I journey in the dark places of this world.

I pray this is your motivation as well, as we embark on this mission trip of life together.