Comments on: Short term Missions (thoughts inspired by Jamie, the Very World Missionary) https://anitamathias.com/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/ Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art Thu, 14 Nov 2013 01:18:13 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 By: Anita Mathias https://anitamathias.com/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16476 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:21:50 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16476 Hi Sarah, How was your week in Haiti? David asked, “Why should I offer the Lord a gift which costs me nothing?” When people get the whole cost of a mission trip/adventure paid for by others, that verse comes to mind.

]]> By: Sarah https://anitamathias.com/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16475 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:32:11 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16475 This is one reason why I hated all the meetings I went to this spring in which we “prepared” to go to Haiti for a week by having endless discussions about fundraisers. In which if certain people in our group had spent as much time earning their own money as they did on plotting how to get other people's money, they could have earned just as much or more. And this is why I self- (really self, above and beyond my tithe) funded my trip…

I am excited to see what God will do next week.

]]> By: Anita Mathias https://anitamathias.com/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16474 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:04:04 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16474 Louise, self-financed trips , i.e. holidays which bless other people, rather than gawk at beauty are absolutely amazing and commendable. I should have made that clear. I guess I was referring to trips financed by churches or other Christians, and wondered about whether the money should have been directly invested in the third world.
And of course, I'm guessing all long-term workers in the three-quarters world started out as short-term workers.
Just a few random thoughts I threw out there, no offence meant.
I am sure your trip to SA will be a great blessing to you and others.

]]> By: Louise https://anitamathias.com/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16473 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:07:19 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16473 Also depends on where the money comes from- if you are funding yourself to go out there ( albeit with a Church group perhaps) to share your skills and love of Jesus with a community,then I think it is another example to take into account. When I say funding yourself, I mean literally out of your own pocket.

Perhaps people on short term- test the water to see if long term is for them?

]]> By: Anita Mathias https://anitamathias.com/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16472 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:11:36 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16472 I suppose when churches end up financing short-term missions for members and their kids it's ultimately a form of “tithing to ourselves” Larry Burkett's phrase, I think.
Self-financed mission trips of course are laudable, but they are often financed from church budgets or from parishioner's tithing budget with the very money would could have gone to the poor.
Of course, all money is God's–and I should not forget that. It was just interesting that Jamie's thoughts echoed my own quite closely!

]]> By: Anonymous https://anitamathias.com/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16471 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:01:31 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/07/04/short-term-missions-thoughts-inspired-by-jamie-the-very-world-missionary/#comment-16471 This raises some interesting questions that I have faced myself. I have done a short term mission – and it was life changing for me. At least one other adult who went w/ me is now full time in the field, helping orphans in Ukraine. But we do spend a lot of money for results like this. I think each situation should be evaluated individually, and the goals of the mission should be clearly thought through. We should not kid ourselves about how much good we do “over there”, but we should not under appreciate how life changing it can be for those who go.
– Shae

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