Missions and Helping

"If you have come to help me,
you are wasting your time,
But, if you have come
because your liberation is bound to mine,
let us work together"
-Lila Watson, Aboriginal Australian Activist

What a quote to start off my first day of May Term. I'm taking a three week Spanish course entitled "Latino Immigration and Community Service". Besides the time we spend in class learning about pertinent issues, we also complete 30 additional hours of community service within the Latino Community. While i was nervous and a little overwhelmed with the amount of time this class will take, I can not WAIT. The above statement and even the discussion from this first day have inspired me. Ah, i LOVE when the Lord provides words, an event, a person, etc. that gives you so much passion and desire to learn more or do MORE. I have a heart for missions. But this is a prompting and definitely awakening me to the STIRRING and restructuring i feel the Lord doing in my life - regarding my mindset, my heart, and how i view missions.

After giving my opinion about what i thought this quote meant, my teacher pointed to my summer mission plans (representing missions in general) as an example of potential ignorance - when we go to "help" people, what does that say about how we view them? I think the word 'help' may sound innocent, from the perspective of the missionaries and people reaching out. But what about those we reach out to? Is it saying that we perceive them as lesser or weaker than us? That they need our help? That we are in a place to offer help and they are not? Think about it. We ask God for help because He is significantly greater, All-powerful and bigger than us. We cry out for help when we are in distress and in our moment of need. Asking God for help acknowledges His greatness and our dire need for Him. It also emphasizes that He is more than us. Could this perhaps be the outlook of those we reach out to - that we are reaching out to them because we think we are "greater" than them or know better than them? That we are superior?

I have much, much more praying and meditating to do. I ask that the Lord will open up my eyes during this course and during my travels and missions this summer. After the class and throughout work, my mind was exploding with questions and countless, interconnected thoughts. My heart was brimming with joy and God-given passion. I crave to know more and see more and experience more so i can better know 'missions'. Here is where I'm at, for now. I am looking for and asking for feedback, thoughts, questions, ideas, and where you see God's hand in the following places:

1) My coworker is from Mexico. A few months ago, he ranted about how stupid short term mission trips are. He claimed that mission trips seem to be a place for missionaries to 'feel good about themselves' and increase their self-esteem by taking pictures of themselves holding a kid at an orphanage or building a house. In some ways, his views are valid. I so appreciate his outlook, as it takes on a similar perspective to Watson's quote. It is true, short term mission trips can only do so much (in relation to long term mission trips. However, i am not undermining God's power and ability to work in His timing :)) - there is a time constraint as far as building relationships, serving the community and reaching out goes. However, short term mission trips, if sought out with the appropriate state of mind and heart can be extremely powerful and good. Even one day in another country reveals the needs of others, affirms the abundance of blessings we have as Americans in the United States, breaks down walls of ignorance and feeds a deeper passion and calling. I truly believe the Lord works in short term mission trips. He is there before us, working in the hearts of those we meet; we are merely His instruments. And the biggest visible change may take place in the hearts of the missionaries, as we become aware of Christ and the dire needs of this world. Had we not ventured out of our comfortable teeny-weeny part of the world - with fast food available on every corner, the security we have and the excess amount of..stuff available to us - how could we know of our ignorance, our wealth and our blessings? It is necessary to open our eyes to the needs of the world. It is essential that we thank the Lord for all He has given us. BUT, we can not stop there. When we are made aware to the needs of those around us, when our eyes are OPENED to the depravity, we must ACT. And, if our hearts seek the Lord in the missionary field, short term missions shatter the walls of ignorance in front of our eyes and stir the passion to serve everybody everywhere.

2) Is there a difference between 'helping' and 'serving'? When i say i want to serve others, does it still come off as, "I'm better than you?" Being a servant requires you to go lower, to take a spot of inferiority, to devote your life to serving others. I think the root issue of 'helping', 'serving' and other words is the condition of the heart. When we reach out to others, is it because we feel we are 'better' and 'superior'? Or do we acknowledge our own depravity and serve others with a humble heart? Do we reluctantly give because we feel pressured based on our wealth? Or do we give with a glad heart, knowing the Lord has blessed us abundantly and wanting to bless others instead of hoarding what He has given us? Our actions and serving will glorify God if we acknowledge that we are not 'better', but rather in the same state of need and dependence on God - in a moment, our comfortable way of life could be stripped away. That is, I think, what Watson means when she says, "let us work together" because "your liberation is bound to mine". We are all one body, our lives are bound to one another.

3) Another question - what is the best way to share the love and salvation of Christ as a missionary? Can we merely interact with a community and serve them by building houses and doing more hands-on labor? Should we solely be sharing the word of the Lord? Or must the labor and God's word be shared together? Are building relationships necessary in sharing the Good News? Should we build houses and communities and/or equip peoples with the skills to help themselves? What of the saying, "Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime"? There probably isn't one right or wrong answer. Mm, but my prayer is that we lean not on our understanding and seek the Lord as we serve and reach out.

One thing i am certain of - as we give, we receive. The Lord moves in us - He breaks down our misconceptions, demolishes prejudices and humbles our hearts. Missions teach everyone involved. We are exposed to a new way of life and living. For those of us that are going on mission trips, whether internationally or locally, short term or long term, this summer or eventually, may we learn to BEHOLD the Lord and His hand. May we enthusiastically embrace the new cultures, ways of life and traditions of those we serve. May we excitedly LEARN just as much as we teach and share. May we look past the obvious and the seen and delve into the unseen - learn what is behind the cover. And may Christ be the center of it all.