Recently I read an article that really upset me. It was titled something like, “Why Your Two-Week Trip to Uganda Doesn’t Matter: Calling BS on ‘Service Trips.’” It unsettled me for a couple of reasons: one, that the author made valid points about the adventure I’d just signed up for, but also because the article put “service trips” as a whole into a box that they just don’t fit into. I believe that there is a right way and a wrong way to do missions. I have seen and experienced and heard about both. This is something I wrestle with often, because the last thing I want to do is bring harm to communities while on the World Race. The article brought up a lot of valid points that are important to think about when preparing for any kind of mission trip. For this blog, I’ve decided to reflect on some common questions and concerns and compile some responses:
“But there’s so much work to be done here in the United States.”
Yes. This is true. There is poverty and racism and lack of education and unrest all over this country as well as many others. I think missions are important and necessary (when done well) both locally and internationally. We need people to do both. I promise that just because I’ve taken an interest in international missions, that doesn’t mean I will never again serve locally or take an interest in the issues that plague the many different places and cultures we have here in the States.
“Why 11 different countries?”
This is an excellent question that I often ask myself. For years I went back and forth between doing something like The World Race or doing a mission that led me to one place for the entire year. I definitely see the benefit of going to one community and living and serving there for an entire year or more. It allows you to build long-lasting, deep, meaningful relationships with the people you meet. It allows you to more fully immerse yourself in the culture, language, and local religion. However, I’ve decided to do this trip that only allows me to spend one month in each country. Why?
1) I want to see the world and experience different cultures. More and more the Lord has put different places and regions on my heart and I’m excited for the opportunity to serve in many of them, while at the same time expanding my worldview.
2) I’m still figuring out my vocation. One of my favorite aspects of the World Race is that in each country, we’ll be serving alongside a different organization to meet a different need. When it comes to ministry and serving, I don’t know just yet what lights my soul on fire. I don’t know what my heart burns for. I know people who have gone to serve in one place long term and found themselves in a type of ministry that they can’t find passion in. I’m thankful that I get to explore so many different areas.
3) To see how God is working in different areas of the world. What He is doing in Nepal may look vastly different than what He is doing in Argentina. By serving on 3 different continents, I’ll be able to more fully understand the breadth of His power—how neat is that?
“Sounds like a glorified vacation to me.”
Listen, I get it. I really do. And you may still think this at times when I’m gone, because my photos won’t tell the whole story. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this will be the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. I know from my mere two months in Kenya that assimilating into new cultures is not easy. Missing family holidays and weddings and babies is not easy. Getting endlessly sick in squatty potties and feeling completely alone in that misery is not easy. I’ll be spending the vast majority of my nights in my 2 person tent (my tent mate will be my backpack and probably a dozen spiders and/or mosquitos) on my sleeping pad that I can only pray doesn’t spring an unfixable leak along the way. My days on the World Race will rarely be filled with adventure. More often, they will be filled with the mundane: being a friend to the girl that’s caught in prostitution and inviting her to hang out with my team, praying over the countless people that find out I’m a missionary and simply ask for my prayers, and doing my best to live life alongside the people that have called these places home for years. And yes, once a week or so I will have a day off and plan to take advantage of some pretty cool things—mountain climbing in Patagonia, swimming with sharks in South Africa, getting henna tattoos in India—don’t worry, these things will come out of my own bank account. YOLO.
“How much does something like that cost?”
$16,961. It’s a crazy number. It’s a lot of money that for a long time kept me from applying for the World Race. I’m not comfortable asking people for this kind of money. I’m reminded though that fundraising, both for the giver and receiver, is spiritual. On my end, it’s incredibly humbling. I have to trust God that since He called me to this, He won’t let money stand in my way. I have to ask Him to provide and have faith that He will. On the giver’s end, not only do they get to invest in the work God is doing, but it’s also a lesson in letting go. Our culture is so driven by money and materialism, but the reality is that nothing in this world is ours. We’re only stewards of the things the Lord has given us, and you can’t take it with you when you go.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
“What will you be doing?”
The short answer is, I’m not really sure. I have these vague ideas of what ministry will look like from stalking other World Racer’s blogs, but I won’t know specifically what I’ll be doing for that month until just before I arrive. What I do know, is that we’ll be partnered with local ministries that already have a presence in the community. This is key when it comes to effective missions. I can not barge into a new place and know just what they need and how to help. What I can do is walk alongside people that have been there long-term, that know the people and the language and the culture. The majority of these organizations have been partnered with World Race teams for many years. And yes, sometimes I may be asked to do something that I disagree with or that I think isn’t helpful to the community in the long run. There will be other times when I’m blown away by the good that is happening right before my eyes. Either way, the only thing I can do is say what’s on my mind, be true to myself, and put my trust in the Lord.
Hold on. Let’s get real for a second. Here I am explaining and justifying what I’m doing when it
Just.
Doesn’t.
Matter.
Even when I think it does, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about the World Race. And I understand that not everyone reading this or supporting me is a Christian, and it can be difficult to identify with the language that I’m using and the things that I’m saying. Here is my truth about going:
It’s about Jesus, & the life He has to offer every single one of us.
Because He told us to go.
Because He very specifically put The World Race on my heart, over and over again.
This is not about doing things. It’s about loving people and building relationships and showing them truth and grace and love in ways and areas that they may have never experienced those things.
Romans 8 tells us that God works everything together for good. This means that when I mess up, when my team messes up (because that will happen, we’re only human,) God’s got it. Seriously, you guys. With God on my team, we can not fail.
Yes, I will be changed, and I can only pray that some of the people I meet along the way will be changed as well. But this trip isn’t about me, and it’s not about the people my team will be helping. It’s about Jesus, and that is the beginning and the end of it. I am learning that someone will always have a reason to criticize what He is calling me to do. He never told us that following Him would be easy. How lucky I am to serve a God that leads well, and that through the endless questions and doubts is still right there with me to tell me “well done” and promise me that this life with Him is worth it all.
With love,
Samantha.
