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Join the Team

by Elesha Hodge

"Go!"

With that one word, Jesus sent out the first large-scale, short-term missions team. (He had already sent a smaller team of 12.) Soon 72 hand-picked missionaries set out in all directions, two-by-two, carrying nothing.

That's right: no money, no bags, no sandals—nothing. The missionaries were told to rely solely on the kindness of people they met on their travels. Talk about roughing it!

6 Great Reasons to Do Summer Missions by Greg Speck 1. You'll learn to trust God. It's so easy to go through life trusting in what you can do. A missions experience can show you just how much God can do—and just how much you need to depend on him. 2. You'll grow spiritually. As you're "stretched" by your missions experience, you're gonna grow in ways you never thought possible. And to help you grow, missions experiences stress regular prayer, Bible study and devotional times. You'll come home with some good "spiritual habits" that will help you strengthen your walk with Christ. 3. God will do amazing things. You've no doubt heard missionaries talk about the wonderful things God's done through missions work. Here's your chance to see those wonderful things first-hand. 4. It's a chance to get away. Do you feel like you're in a rut? Is your life just kind of boring? Summer missions is your opportunity to, well, get away from it all—and gain a whole new perspective of what God wants to do in your life. 5. You'll build some incredible friendships. You and your fellow team members will work together, play together, sweat together, struggle together, cry together, pray together, sing together—and together you'll build some awesome friendships. 6. You'll have fun! Yes, summer missions are tough. You'll get dirty and you'll get tired. There will be moments of frustration and maybe even a little homesickness. But along with all that, you'll have loads of laughs and plenty of great times! Greg Speck is on staff with Reign Ministries, a missions organization for teenagers. For information about Reign Ministries, call Greg at (815) 399-0680.

But the Bible gives us no record of grumbling or doubting. We don't know for sure what hardships each of the missionaries endured, because we don't catch up with them again until they get back. And by that time, all the frustrations and tense moments have been forgotten. We are simply told they "returned with joy" (Luke 10:17).

They also learned some pretty powerful lessons—lessons that are still important for anyone who wants to join a short-term missions team:

1) Missions trips are tough. You can't take along all the comforts of home. You might have to walk for miles on unpaved roads or ride in a rickety old bus. You might have to sleep on a cot and eat food you don't like. You will have to depend on other people—your teammates, your team leaders, and the people you meet wherever you're going. You won't always get a warm reception. You will get discouraged.

The fact is, Jesus made that first missions trip tough for a reason. He wanted to show the missionaries that, when the comforts and securities of life were stripped away, God's strength would be enough to get them through anything.

2)Missions trips are exciting. If you've ever been on a missions trip, or if you've ever heard from someone who has, you know that the stories people bring back are truly amazing. Most missionaries' eyes light up as they talk about their experiences and the people they've met. The 72 were certainly stoked when they got back. They had seen things on their journeys they never would have believed otherwise. They had experienced God's power in incredible ways. They had changed people's lives.

And missions trips aren't just exciting for us down here on earth. You think Jesus doesn't still feel joy when he sees Christians taking his gospel to the world? He feels it all right.

3) Missions trips can succeed and fail at the same time. On the surface, a missions trip is a "success" if the missionaries complete whatever project they set out to do. The 72 people Jesus sent had a lot of this type of "success." If they'd gotten all caught up in their successes, the trip would have been a failure. Which is exactly what Jesus wanted to prevent.

So, when the 72 missionaries came home, Jesus held off on congratulating them. Instead, he shifted their focus back to God. This is no time to pat yourselves on the back, he told them. You have a lot to rejoice about, but first of all, "rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20).

Ultimately, missions trips aren't about how many Bibles you hand out or how many churches you build. The key to missions, like the key to the Christian life, isn't success but salvation. And salvation—enjoyed in our hearts and shared with the world—is definitely something to rejoice about.

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail clmag@CampusLife.net.
January/February 1999, Vol. 57, No. 6, Page 42

Read more from 'Witness & Missions'

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