Seven Reasons Why I Was All Wrong about International Missions
Jesus told us to "Go into all nations and make disciples."
So, with genuinely innocent intentions, we go. We send our students, take our families, and spend a week in another culture. We plan all sorts of projects, events, and outreach opportunities and do our best to share the love of Christ. We pass out goodies to children, give medicine to the sick, build homes for the homeless, and do all kinds of good work.
But if we aren't careful....we could be doing it all wrong.
I'll be the first to admit that I did it all wrong.
Here's proof: On our first trip to Haiti, we had a church service where a few of us sang "Revelation Song" and then acted out a skit. That evening, there was a powerful, amazing move of the Holy Spirit. Many lives were changed as we saw dozens of beautiful Haitian people kneeling and worshiping at the altar. Unfortunately, I too quickly took the credit for it. Boasting, I claimed, "Those Americans really know how to BRING IT!" {File that statement under: dumbest things Katie has ever said.} I've played that moment over in my mind so many times, and frankly, I am ashamed that my heart was ever so self-absorbed. Clearly, I once thought that it was all about me.
Mercifully, since then, God has given me the privilege of spending countless hours with people who have devoted their lives to fulfilling the Great Commission. And despite my ignorance, He continues to provide for me to go back and back again, deepening my love for the country and refocusing my attention on the real meaning of Jesus' command. Through all these experiences, I've soaked up wisdom from those who have gone before me, and God has exposed in my heart many false beliefs that I once had about the mission field. Here is a short list:
False belief #1--our goal is to Americanize them. I don't know if I could have verbalized this motive at first, but God revealed it to me as the inevitable conversation began about adoption. "We have plenty of seats in our van," we joked. "If we just brought him here and gave him food and clothes, his life would be so much better," we reasoned. I slowly began to see that my "rescue" mentality was akin to someone rescuing a poor abandoned dog in a kennel: motivated by pity. Over time, God has shown me that in some ways (NOT all ways), the children in Haiti are happier than my American children. (And alas, my American children seem happier in Haiti!) They are content to chase goats and play hand-clapping games. They kick around tennis balls with bare feet and go for the goal between two sticks and a string--and feel like they're the superstars of the World Cup. They still delight in dum-dum suckers and smiley face stickers. They understand simple joys...and I believe this is because they have not yet been poisoned by a culture of self-entitlement and the demand for constant digital entertainment. My wise mentor once said, "the increasing access to media in Haiti is going to breed discontentment." In many ways, the Haitian people remain content with their circumstances because they don't know any other way. They simply don't know what they don't have---and that is not always a bad thing. [Please don't think that I'm ignoring the real suffering of hunger, illness and abandonment. Goodness knows that there are intense physical needs in Haiti and all over the world. People need food and orphans definitely need the love of a mother and a father. Scripture is clear that true faith is demonstrated when we care for orphans, widows and the least of these. However, sometimes there's a fine line between helping and hurting. God's Word does caution us against materialism, covetousness, and greed of things that we don't truly NEED. We start down a slippery slope when we start introducing these modern conveniences into a culture when they are not actually necessary.] My point is this: if we truly care about the indigenous people of the country, we will not force "the American way" on them. It's not our job to introduce to them the latest and greatest new thing. Instead, we should focus more on the beauty of their culture and work within it rather than try to deliver them from it.
False belief #2--we will realize how blessed we are when we return home to the good ole USA. Okay, NO. Just no. Look, I'm a fan of a cheeseburger and a hot shower as much as the next person, but once my eyes were truly opened to the exciting, vibrant life of serving the Lord in Haiti, I realized how completely distracted we are by modern conveniences in America. Indeed, blessed are those who are meek. Stand at the back of the cinder block and tin roof church and watch the people. See how they worship wildly with all their heart, unashamed by what the person next to them might think. Listen as they shout praises in a different language, and even though we don't exactly understand, we still GET it. Feel the energy and the passion in the sanctuary, an offering of worship that is fragrant and pleasing to the Lord. Watch them as they walk back down the rocky mountainside, still proclaiming God's goodness as they embark on their long journey home. Now, step back into to our designer worship centers here in our homeland, with cushy theater-style seating, a coffee bar, weekly multi-media presentations, and even fireworks and confetti cannons on the 4th of July. Watch as the people parade in as if it's a fashion show. Listen as the pastor practically begs for an "Amen"--or any sign of life--from the crowd. Observe the people trying to decide if they should stand for this worship song just because some other people have started to stand. Pay attention to all the people who rush out after the service is over to beat the crowd to the restaurant for lunch. Do you feel the anemia in our praise? Do you sense the distraction in our worship? [Here's my next disclaimer: I LOVE our church and the people there. I respect our church leadership and all those who work tirelessly to lead us to the foot of the throne. The Holy Spirit is alive and well at Cross Church, and I've experienced His move many times in that place. It's more the condition of our hearts--indeed, MY heart--that concerns me.] It seems to me like somewhere along the way, we've given in to the need for comfort and entertainment, and it's sucked the life out of our whole-hearted worship. We now stand in awe of the big production, the elaborate set on stage, and the flashy display--and all this distracts us from truly standing in awe of the Great I Am, the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator, the Almighty God. In some ways, we're not truly blessed in America. We are DISTRACTED.
False belief #3--we just need to give them more money and more things. If I've learned one thing, it's this: indiscriminately passing out material items to the people often times causes more problems than it solves. Not only does it nearly cause a riot, it teaches them dependence on someone else. Yes, there are hungry people who need food. Should we simply provide them with a bag of rice that feeds them for a week? Or would it be better to gift them with the skills to plant a garden and grow their own food? Yes, there are naked people who need clothes. Should we simply hand down our left-over t-shirts so they would at least be covered? Or could we show them how to turn a piece of fabric into a dress? [Disclaimer #3: I'm NOT saying don't give money. By all means, Give! Give! Give! It's a necessary part of any ministry. And God will bless your obedience as you sew generously into Kingdom work.] However, we can't just stop at giving monetarily. The investment of time and the gifting of skills and encouragement will make an eternal difference in a person's life. Over time, as we work alongside each other, learning from each other, building a beautiful relationship, and sharing life together...this is a picture of discipleship. When we are faithful to invest into the life of one man, equipping him with skills and knowledge to continue the work, he then can pass along what he has learned to another, and so the cycle continues. It's so much more rewarding than tossing ten bucks into the offering plate.
False belief #4--we think we can fix their problems. Spend ten minutes in Port-au-Prince, and you'll realize that the depths of the problems are far too great for us to fix. The same is true in inner city Los Angeles, the slums of Detroit, or the party scene in Miami. It's easy to spend a week in a culture and see all the bad things about it. It's also our natural tendency to want to find a quick and easy remedy for the depravity. "If only...we could give every kid a toothbrush..." "If only...we could provide free health care..." "If only...we could pass out buckets full of food..." Out of the despair in our hearts, we desperately want to help in any way we can. However, it's often a band-aid solution to a bigger problem...one that we can't possibly solve. So....YES, let's provide them with vitamins. YES, let's bring them shoes. YES, let's help them build chicken coops. But let's not forget to consistently give them Jesus--as the central focus and the primary purpose of EVERYTHING that we do. We are powerless to bring change. But He can change a community, one life at a time. We are incapable of feeding the masses. But He is able to provide for their every need. Christ and Christ alone is the solution to it all. We fail miserably if we neglect their soul in a short-sighted attempt to provide for their body.
False belief #5--we will feel better about ourselves once we've checked the "short term mission trip" off our Christian "to-do" list. I do believe that everyone should take mission trip at least once in their life. Go somewhere that takes you out of your comfort zone. Go somewhere that you've never been before. Go somewhere that is a radically different culture than your own and learn as much about it as you possibly can. However, there are two problems with this mentality of feeling better about ourselves after completing a "short term mission trip". First, as Great Commission Christians, our lives should be spent on mission, and there's nothing SHORT about it. It's an every day thing. Every hour of the day. Not just for a week in the summer when we sign up to be a missionary with our church. Our mission doesn't stop when we step foot back on US soil. Our mission is the same in the line at Starbucks as it is in the orphanages of Ethiopia: be an ambassador for Christ. Furthermore, the more you serve The Lord and see His mighty hand at work, you'll realize that anything we have to offer Him is filthy dirty rags compared to His glory. We should boast in His works and not our own.
False belief #6--only Americans go on mission trips. This may shatter your image of the scene in Matthew 28, when Jesus told the disciples to "Go and make disciples of all nations"...but Jesus wasn't just talking to Americans. He didn't just intend this commandment to be exclusively for someone holding a US Passport. Call me ignorant, but I had never thought about this before. I always just thought: WE go to help THEM. This is not true. Jesus intended for ALL of his disciples to be disciple-makers, no matter what country they were born in. Our sweet Haitian friend, Pastor Benito, has just returned from a trip to India to minister to the needs of their people. Think about that!
False belief #7--Americans really know how to "BRING IT". Okay, we may totally rock "Revelation Song", but that is SO not the point. No-one but me probably remembers our Grammy award-worthy performance that night. [can you sense my sarcasm?] I confess: I was SO wrong to ever think that my purpose in that place was to exalt myself. How could I ever be so self-centered to think that my singing this one song would ever accomplish anything good for the Kingdom? Katie didn't BRING anything that night. But praise Him, praise Him! God still brought in His Holy Spirit. This has been a profound lesson for me: God was already at work there, long before we showed up. In fact, He is already at work in every country on the face of this planet, at this very moment! We just get to join in His move. This is an AWESOME privilege--and an incredible miracle, I might add. Don't you find it amazing that God chooses to use regular, broken-down, messed-up, self-centered, short-sighted people like me and you to do His Kingdom work? And in the midst of us trying to work for Him, He teaches us far more than we could ever teach another.
I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm so grateful to be on this journey of grace with Him.
So, with genuinely innocent intentions, we go. We send our students, take our families, and spend a week in another culture. We plan all sorts of projects, events, and outreach opportunities and do our best to share the love of Christ. We pass out goodies to children, give medicine to the sick, build homes for the homeless, and do all kinds of good work.
But if we aren't careful....we could be doing it all wrong.
I'll be the first to admit that I did it all wrong.
Here's proof: On our first trip to Haiti, we had a church service where a few of us sang "Revelation Song" and then acted out a skit. That evening, there was a powerful, amazing move of the Holy Spirit. Many lives were changed as we saw dozens of beautiful Haitian people kneeling and worshiping at the altar. Unfortunately, I too quickly took the credit for it. Boasting, I claimed, "Those Americans really know how to BRING IT!" {File that statement under: dumbest things Katie has ever said.} I've played that moment over in my mind so many times, and frankly, I am ashamed that my heart was ever so self-absorbed. Clearly, I once thought that it was all about me.
Mercifully, since then, God has given me the privilege of spending countless hours with people who have devoted their lives to fulfilling the Great Commission. And despite my ignorance, He continues to provide for me to go back and back again, deepening my love for the country and refocusing my attention on the real meaning of Jesus' command. Through all these experiences, I've soaked up wisdom from those who have gone before me, and God has exposed in my heart many false beliefs that I once had about the mission field. Here is a short list:
False belief #1--our goal is to Americanize them. I don't know if I could have verbalized this motive at first, but God revealed it to me as the inevitable conversation began about adoption. "We have plenty of seats in our van," we joked. "If we just brought him here and gave him food and clothes, his life would be so much better," we reasoned. I slowly began to see that my "rescue" mentality was akin to someone rescuing a poor abandoned dog in a kennel: motivated by pity. Over time, God has shown me that in some ways (NOT all ways), the children in Haiti are happier than my American children. (And alas, my American children seem happier in Haiti!) They are content to chase goats and play hand-clapping games. They kick around tennis balls with bare feet and go for the goal between two sticks and a string--and feel like they're the superstars of the World Cup. They still delight in dum-dum suckers and smiley face stickers. They understand simple joys...and I believe this is because they have not yet been poisoned by a culture of self-entitlement and the demand for constant digital entertainment. My wise mentor once said, "the increasing access to media in Haiti is going to breed discontentment." In many ways, the Haitian people remain content with their circumstances because they don't know any other way. They simply don't know what they don't have---and that is not always a bad thing. [Please don't think that I'm ignoring the real suffering of hunger, illness and abandonment. Goodness knows that there are intense physical needs in Haiti and all over the world. People need food and orphans definitely need the love of a mother and a father. Scripture is clear that true faith is demonstrated when we care for orphans, widows and the least of these. However, sometimes there's a fine line between helping and hurting. God's Word does caution us against materialism, covetousness, and greed of things that we don't truly NEED. We start down a slippery slope when we start introducing these modern conveniences into a culture when they are not actually necessary.] My point is this: if we truly care about the indigenous people of the country, we will not force "the American way" on them. It's not our job to introduce to them the latest and greatest new thing. Instead, we should focus more on the beauty of their culture and work within it rather than try to deliver them from it.
False belief #2--we will realize how blessed we are when we return home to the good ole USA. Okay, NO. Just no. Look, I'm a fan of a cheeseburger and a hot shower as much as the next person, but once my eyes were truly opened to the exciting, vibrant life of serving the Lord in Haiti, I realized how completely distracted we are by modern conveniences in America. Indeed, blessed are those who are meek. Stand at the back of the cinder block and tin roof church and watch the people. See how they worship wildly with all their heart, unashamed by what the person next to them might think. Listen as they shout praises in a different language, and even though we don't exactly understand, we still GET it. Feel the energy and the passion in the sanctuary, an offering of worship that is fragrant and pleasing to the Lord. Watch them as they walk back down the rocky mountainside, still proclaiming God's goodness as they embark on their long journey home. Now, step back into to our designer worship centers here in our homeland, with cushy theater-style seating, a coffee bar, weekly multi-media presentations, and even fireworks and confetti cannons on the 4th of July. Watch as the people parade in as if it's a fashion show. Listen as the pastor practically begs for an "Amen"--or any sign of life--from the crowd. Observe the people trying to decide if they should stand for this worship song just because some other people have started to stand. Pay attention to all the people who rush out after the service is over to beat the crowd to the restaurant for lunch. Do you feel the anemia in our praise? Do you sense the distraction in our worship? [Here's my next disclaimer: I LOVE our church and the people there. I respect our church leadership and all those who work tirelessly to lead us to the foot of the throne. The Holy Spirit is alive and well at Cross Church, and I've experienced His move many times in that place. It's more the condition of our hearts--indeed, MY heart--that concerns me.] It seems to me like somewhere along the way, we've given in to the need for comfort and entertainment, and it's sucked the life out of our whole-hearted worship. We now stand in awe of the big production, the elaborate set on stage, and the flashy display--and all this distracts us from truly standing in awe of the Great I Am, the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator, the Almighty God. In some ways, we're not truly blessed in America. We are DISTRACTED.
False belief #3--we just need to give them more money and more things. If I've learned one thing, it's this: indiscriminately passing out material items to the people often times causes more problems than it solves. Not only does it nearly cause a riot, it teaches them dependence on someone else. Yes, there are hungry people who need food. Should we simply provide them with a bag of rice that feeds them for a week? Or would it be better to gift them with the skills to plant a garden and grow their own food? Yes, there are naked people who need clothes. Should we simply hand down our left-over t-shirts so they would at least be covered? Or could we show them how to turn a piece of fabric into a dress? [Disclaimer #3: I'm NOT saying don't give money. By all means, Give! Give! Give! It's a necessary part of any ministry. And God will bless your obedience as you sew generously into Kingdom work.] However, we can't just stop at giving monetarily. The investment of time and the gifting of skills and encouragement will make an eternal difference in a person's life. Over time, as we work alongside each other, learning from each other, building a beautiful relationship, and sharing life together...this is a picture of discipleship. When we are faithful to invest into the life of one man, equipping him with skills and knowledge to continue the work, he then can pass along what he has learned to another, and so the cycle continues. It's so much more rewarding than tossing ten bucks into the offering plate.
False belief #4--we think we can fix their problems. Spend ten minutes in Port-au-Prince, and you'll realize that the depths of the problems are far too great for us to fix. The same is true in inner city Los Angeles, the slums of Detroit, or the party scene in Miami. It's easy to spend a week in a culture and see all the bad things about it. It's also our natural tendency to want to find a quick and easy remedy for the depravity. "If only...we could give every kid a toothbrush..." "If only...we could provide free health care..." "If only...we could pass out buckets full of food..." Out of the despair in our hearts, we desperately want to help in any way we can. However, it's often a band-aid solution to a bigger problem...one that we can't possibly solve. So....YES, let's provide them with vitamins. YES, let's bring them shoes. YES, let's help them build chicken coops. But let's not forget to consistently give them Jesus--as the central focus and the primary purpose of EVERYTHING that we do. We are powerless to bring change. But He can change a community, one life at a time. We are incapable of feeding the masses. But He is able to provide for their every need. Christ and Christ alone is the solution to it all. We fail miserably if we neglect their soul in a short-sighted attempt to provide for their body.
False belief #5--we will feel better about ourselves once we've checked the "short term mission trip" off our Christian "to-do" list. I do believe that everyone should take mission trip at least once in their life. Go somewhere that takes you out of your comfort zone. Go somewhere that you've never been before. Go somewhere that is a radically different culture than your own and learn as much about it as you possibly can. However, there are two problems with this mentality of feeling better about ourselves after completing a "short term mission trip". First, as Great Commission Christians, our lives should be spent on mission, and there's nothing SHORT about it. It's an every day thing. Every hour of the day. Not just for a week in the summer when we sign up to be a missionary with our church. Our mission doesn't stop when we step foot back on US soil. Our mission is the same in the line at Starbucks as it is in the orphanages of Ethiopia: be an ambassador for Christ. Furthermore, the more you serve The Lord and see His mighty hand at work, you'll realize that anything we have to offer Him is filthy dirty rags compared to His glory. We should boast in His works and not our own.
False belief #6--only Americans go on mission trips. This may shatter your image of the scene in Matthew 28, when Jesus told the disciples to "Go and make disciples of all nations"...but Jesus wasn't just talking to Americans. He didn't just intend this commandment to be exclusively for someone holding a US Passport. Call me ignorant, but I had never thought about this before. I always just thought: WE go to help THEM. This is not true. Jesus intended for ALL of his disciples to be disciple-makers, no matter what country they were born in. Our sweet Haitian friend, Pastor Benito, has just returned from a trip to India to minister to the needs of their people. Think about that!
False belief #7--Americans really know how to "BRING IT". Okay, we may totally rock "Revelation Song", but that is SO not the point. No-one but me probably remembers our Grammy award-worthy performance that night. [can you sense my sarcasm?] I confess: I was SO wrong to ever think that my purpose in that place was to exalt myself. How could I ever be so self-centered to think that my singing this one song would ever accomplish anything good for the Kingdom? Katie didn't BRING anything that night. But praise Him, praise Him! God still brought in His Holy Spirit. This has been a profound lesson for me: God was already at work there, long before we showed up. In fact, He is already at work in every country on the face of this planet, at this very moment! We just get to join in His move. This is an AWESOME privilege--and an incredible miracle, I might add. Don't you find it amazing that God chooses to use regular, broken-down, messed-up, self-centered, short-sighted people like me and you to do His Kingdom work? And in the midst of us trying to work for Him, He teaches us far more than we could ever teach another.
I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm so grateful to be on this journey of grace with Him.
This is incredible.. Wow... Soaking it all in.
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