If you have ever been involved with a short term missions trip, then you know the first rule of missions trips??!!
FLEXIBILITY!!!!
This came into play last week as long time friends brought a medical missions team to Guatemala, and I had the privilege of joining for the week.
I often hear people question the value of short term missions trips. They ask why people don’t just send money directly to ministries instead of spending on short-term mission trips. It’s a valid question and an important one to address!
While financial support is absolutely crucial for long-term ministry, short-term trips play a unique and powerful role in God’s work. They aren’t just about what teams bring; they’re about what God does through them and within them.
Here’s why short-term missions are so valuable, especially for local ministries in Guatemala:
- Paving the Way for Long-Term Impact: Short-term teams often lay the groundwork for deeper, more effective long-term ministry. They can help with specific projects, surveys, or even just building initial relationships that our long-term partners can then nurture and grow. They are a vital part of the sustainable solutions we strive for.
This week, that was reinforcing the relationship of the local partner’s mission in these communities by bringing medical care to the community through them. - God at Work in the Team: These trips are incredibly transformative for the individuals who come. God moves in powerful ways, encouraging, enriching, and challenging team members. They see firsthand the realities, the joys, and the challenges here, deepening their faith and understanding of global needs. This isn’t just a trip; it’s a discipleship journey.
AND THEN! they take those experiences back home and share first hand stories with all who will hear. Folks are impacted by God’s work who didn’t even get to see it first hand! - Building Bridges of Connection: When people come and share their time and hearts, it builds incredible bridges of connection and understanding between cultures. It fosters empathy and a shared sense of purpose in advancing God’s kingdom.
- Encouragement to long term folks: When teams come and invest, it directs encourages the folks who stay behind after that week is up. It revives the passion for this country and our mission when we get to spend a week seeing this country and this work through fresh eyes. We return to our normal mission with fresh energy and passion.
So yes, short-term missions are an investment, but they are an investment where God undeniably does big things – for the communities we serve, for the hearts of those who come to serve, and for the workers who remain after the trip. They truly are valuable!
FLEXIBILITY!!!
A word that took on a whole new meaning for our team last week!
The road to one clinic site was cut off for constrution– meaning carrying in loads of suitcases filled with medical supplies…. On the rough dirt road!
Our plan was to hold medical clinics in two locations, but God had a different, even more impactful, path in mind.
First, this meant everyone on the team was able to go out on home visits- a rarity in medical teams who have such long lines waiting to be seen.
Second– He firmly closed one door on the first location and opened another in a completely unexpected area.
This new location was overflowing with patients in need of medical care, but what truly touched our hearts was how many of them, after we prayed with them, began to pray for us as a team, or for their own spiritual well-being alongside their physical health.
It was a powerful and deeply impactful experience for every one of us. We are so incredibly blessed to witness God’s hand at work, guiding our steps and opening doors we never even imagined.
This week was a beautiful blend of my passions here in Guatemala!
One moment I was translating, the next I was back in nurse mode, and it felt so good to feel competent in both. So often we see only what we lack.
I could go on about how my Spanish was less professional than the university students trained in translating. Or about how my medical terminology is rusty and I forget many things US nurses utilize daily. Basically highlight all the ways I think I am less than.
But God has placed me here. He has equipped me for just this.
Where I lack now, I learn. And he has empowered me to serve in just this way.
This is true of all of use who feel we are not good enough. When we speak against ourselves in harsh ways, we limit God’s ability to use what he created— us.
There’s something truly encouraging about collaborating with US medical professionals – it brings me back to the medical culture I was trained in, and I always learn so much from them.
I joined another nurse, and together we had the incredible opportunity to teach public health and prevention to local camp counselors at a Christian camp.
Our students were so attentive, and it was deeply encouraging to share medical knowledge and empower them with preventative measures, rather than just treating problems after they’ve already happened.
It’s all about equipping communities to thrive, and I loved this!
During our team time here, each morning and evening devotions were shared, then testimonies. You know, these moments are so impactful because every experience shared, especially the hard ones, truly enriches and helps others grow. I learned a great deal listening to the testimonies and heart cries of other team members.
I was particularly struck by a teammate who shared how much it meant to her when I prayed after one of the testimonies. She felt God used my words to impact her.
This really resonated because, honestly, so often I feel completely inadequate in the words I speak, the prayers I pray, and even just in my day-to-day interactions.
I think sometimes we really need someone outside of ourselves to offer that encouragement, to remind us that, yes, God IS using us!
The words we speak are powerful, even if in the moment we don’t always feel they are. It’s a humble reminder that we should always share what God puts on our hearts, even if it seems insignificant to us at the time. We often don’t fully understand our own impact, and God truly uses us when we obey Him.
I was profoundly impacted by everyone else’s testimonies – what a gift it is to hear how God is moving in each other’s lives!
God is so good to let me in on this little Bonus Mission!!!
And… It’s always lovely to get another angle on my volcanoes!!!
If interested, the local partners mentioned above are AMG Guatemala https://amg.org, and the US based medical missions group my friends represented is GHO https://gho.servicereef.com.
