Heather and Ryan bring Lisa Weaver, Outreach Administrative Assistant at WC, back to talk about short-term missions.

Sometimes you go into short term missions with the idea that "I am going to change the world"...in two weeks or 4 days. You think you know all of this stuff and that you are going to tell everyone what you know. Most people are not going to sign up to go to (Sierra Leone) forthe next 3 years. That is a huge jump to ask. But when you have these small intros to missions, most of the time it is not the people that we are going to to minister to but the poeple that go that are changed. They realize they don't know how much they really know, they realize I am actually more prideful than I though, those people were nicer than I thought they would be, or Jesus probably loved people different than how I try to love people.

What do we do to set up kids well when going on a mission trip? In the Bible is says, "and Jesus live among them" - They need to know that we are going to go and serve the people that are living there full time. We are going to do whatever they need us to do. Not what we plan or want to do. Come in with an attitude to serve. The community knows the people from the ministry and not us, and they don't need to know us. We need to serve them.

The problem with missions is that  it is difficult to find people who want to live there for 3 years. Often poeple will commit to go for 4 days, but not for years. The idea is that God does the work. We often go thinking we are going to "save Mexico". Sometimes what sticks with us has little to do with the stuff that is done there. It is difficult to know the long term effects though that is will have on those going. WC has strong bonds with YWAM Juarez. Like our relationship to Mary Beth Maifield who created a foundation for kids transitioning out of foster care at the YWAM base there. That was with the help of an offering that WC took last year for our global partners. That came out of relationship, we have been sending teams there for years. What is great it that it is not a focus on Worship Center when we go to serve. Like Paul in the New Testament, it is like, "hey I am not there but what can I do". But maybe if people know there is a larger, long term partnership it would make a difference in their willingness to serve.

Trips are a highlight for kids. But in 2020 Converge wasn't able to do trips and it was a loss. It can change the trajectory of your life. (Like it did for Lisa. Listen to previous episode.) God does the work.

Who should go on a trip? Sometimes the people that we least expect to go or we don't think maybe should go, are the ones that benefit the most from it.  Jesus changes the world and sometimes you are there. Sometimes you get to be there. Look at who God chose to use in the Bible.

We can serve people right here, locally. Like at Converge's Summer Serve - we serve our local community. It is not always trips to Jamaica, Hawaii, etc. It is not always glamorous. It is harder to get people to go some place "risky".

Want more information on trips?
Message us @Converge or Worship Center Outreach