I read an article recently in the Tulsa World titled “Happy faces, fat wallets don’t always jibe.” In a nutshell, people from 148 different countries were polled regarding their happiness and positive outlook on life. The poll found that the happiest people live in the some of the poorest countries, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Panama being among the top 10. Can you guess where the United States was ranked??
The answer is number 33. As you can see from my previous posts, I recently went to Guatemala on a mission trip. Like most mission trips, I felt the happiest in those countries. I felt spiritually in-tune while I was there. Many would argue that “short-term mission trips are an excuse for us to experience God and get on one of those spiritual highs.” That, “there are plenty of places for us to serve in our own back yard in the U.S. and plenty of people who need our help.”
While all of that that may be true in most cases, here is the truth and reasoning that I believe is behind short-term mission trips and their importance as Christ followers.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:19 to “go and make disciples of ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The Christian organizations that are serving other nations know this. They don’t care about bringing people in so they can experience God. They care about bringing people in to serve those they are already serving. Casas Por Cristo doesn’t just build houses. They build relationships, with the people and the local pastors. They connect people with God and the Church. A team may come and build a house for a week and leave. But trust me, there is more going on than just a house being built. Their mission is God’s mission and it is sustainable. They just need some people to put a few nails in some boards.
We should already be serving in our back yard day and day out just as those organizations are serving in their own.
So, then why are these countries the happiest? It is the same reason why we tend to get a greater spiritual high out of serving there. If you are familiar with Matthew 25:31-46 and helping the “least of these” then you might understand that God is with the poor. This is where America has a “Hole in Our Gospel.” When we travel on short-term mission trips to serve those in need, Jesus is already there in the faces of those who we are serving.
James 2:5 says, “Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?
The majority of these countries are the happiest because they are rich in faith. Not monetarily. They understand their powerlessness and need for a savior. We in the United States typically don’t and that is why we are sitting at number 33. Our pride is our weakness. The point in all of this is simply to serve where God leads….It doesn’t matter if is 1 mile from home or 10,000 miles. The gospel isn’t described by some grand action by some amazing church. It is described by every day people doing every day things for the glory of God.
