Short-term Trip, Long-term Impact

by Sidney Meriweather

In 2012 I made one decision that changed the trajectory of my life forever: I decided to go on a short-term mission trip. 

I had just turned sixteen and was finally old enough to go on a trip with Volunteer Student Missions. I wish I could say that I made an extremely prayerful decision, but honestly, I just thought that it sounded fun to visit a new place, with new people, and experience new things. 

I had no idea how radically the Lord would change my heart. 

I signed up, fundraised, and was trained to go to Romania and work with missionaries who were spreading the gospel in gypsy villages. We spent our time putting on mini-VBS camps for the children, and I experienced things I never anticipated. 

My VSM trip had long-term effects for me in the areas of culture, the gospel and continued support.

CULTURE 

I can’t imagine life today without the perspective of culture. Culture matters. It puts words, actions, and behaviors of other people into context. 

I hadn’t truly experienced a drastically different culture from my own until my trip to Romania. I had eaten international foods at restaurants in central Arkansas, but is that really cultural in comparison to full immersion in another country?  

Culture shapes people’s worldview and affects everything from relationships to self, so how much more important is it for us as Christians to learn about culture: the differences, the similarities, and everything in between? 

We also know that when we study God’s Word, we should study it in the context of the original audience the book was intended for. We can’t begin to understand Paul’s letters to the church in Rome or the book of Esther without an appreciation of the culture of the original audience. 

How much more important is it for us to understand the culture we live in today? We can’t do ministry effectively in another country or even in another state in the U.S. if we don’t respect and learn the culture.

Culture, I learned, isn’t to be feared but embraced. 

THE GOSPEL 

My short-term mission trip to Romania was the first time I can remember being asked to share my testimony in front of a large group. I remember writing everything down word for word in my journal and having the missionaries read through it before I spoke. 

As I was writing and re-writing and praying that I didn’t mess up, I remember the gospel message begin to convict me. It felt heavier than anything I had done before. 

It was maybe the first time in my life that I had to relay the gospel to someone else. How did I articulate the acts on the cross, the unconditional grace of Jesus, and the life changing power of salvation?

I began to read my own salvation experience in a new light, one that was both humbling and empowering. I felt a renewed energy to share the Word of God not just in Romania, but I felt a burning desire inside of me begin to grow for my own friends and family. 

I’ll never view the gospel the same. Every time I share the good news with the lost, I think back to that first time in Romania. 

THE MISSION DOESN’T STOP

Yes, short-term mission trips can change the lives of the people in the country you’re going to. However, the local missionary is the one that carries that burden every day. They’re the ones building the relationships, serving, and ministering to the community when you leave. 

I realized that a short-term mission trip creates advocates for that people group, that missionary, and that church back in the U.S. My support doesn’t have to stop when I leave. 

Pray, pray, pray. The missionaries and people that you build relationships with on a trip really need you to continue to pray for the Lord to move in mighty ways. They know first hand and have experienced the unmatched power of prayer. 

You should start with prayer, but you can continue to encourage with physical resources or financial support. Stay in touch with the missionaries and the individuals you came to love. It’s comforting for them to know they have people who care about them all over the world. 

A short-term mission trip isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s for most. Be prayerful about choosing to go, but don’t let the fear of cost, unknowns, or inexperience stop you. Choose the right organization to go through (VSM is great!) and allow the Lord to help take care of the rest. 

It might be a short trip, but it’ll undoubtedly have a long-term impact.