For the past week, I have been working with a Work and Witness team from the United States. This particular type of Work & Witness team is called a “Maverick” team because they come from various places in the United States; there are a couple from San Diego, Los Angeles, and one from New York state. All of these people have come together to spend the week with the people of the Central Paraguay District – helping with a Bible School, hosting a medical clinic, showing the Jesus film, and hosting a puppet workshop. Their central concern is to bring resources in order to equip the leaders who are already involved in the churches here in this district.
Spending time with this group has made me think about the motives and reasons behind coming and being a part of a Work and Witness group. Having never participated in an official “Work & Witness” trip through the Church of the Nazarene, I am basing these questions and speculations based on my interactions with this particular group. I do not want to criticize this particular group, but my interactions with this group have brought forth some questions about short term missions trips in general. First, how do short term missions trips have an impact on local communities in the United States? Is this different when the group is made up of people from various churches? How can we keep the experience from being only an individual experience?
Another question – What should be the purpose of the Work & Witness group/trip? Should the group solely work with equipping local leaders, providing resources that are not currently available? Is the primary purpose forming relationships and learning from the local people? Is it the place of the group to focus primarily on converting and making sure that everyone can “go to heaven”? And, if this is the case, then what needs to be in place after the group leaves? One of the most positive elements that I have witnessed is the building of relationships between individuals and groups. Even though these groups of people do not speak the same language, there is great meaning in a shared smile, laugh, hug, song, meal, and much more. When we all sit together as a group, North Americans and Paraguayans – at morning devotionals, meals, and games of soccer – I am reminded of how much we all have in common. Perhaps this is one of the greatest lessons that can be learned in short term missions – the love of God for God's creation and our response to this love brings us together. It is our privilege to have the opportunity to sit at the same table with our brothers and sisters in other countries and share a meal, or a smile, or a testimony.
I am sure that many of you all have been on Work & Witness trips or even led them – I'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts about this growing trend of short term missions. I'm definitely not trying to say that I have any correct answers – just a lot of thoughts. What do you think should be the purpose of Work & Witness trips, both for the sending and receiving congregations? From your experience, what should be the relationship between short term missions and evangelism?
Posted on
Mon, September 15, 2008
by Sarah Voigt