In the average Christian’s mind, a summer mission trip is first and foremost a construction project in a cross-cultural setting padded with a lot of tourist-type site-seeing. Then, secondly, the participants get to learn about and observe some of the resident full-time Christian workers’ ministries. While not wishing to belittle trips that fit such a description, it is because of this common view of summer missions, many Christians question if the fruit of such labor is of eternal significance.
Is building a dorm in a missionary compound, or a house for a peasant, or a church in a village, missionary work? Or, is it just work for a missionary? In an age where missionary support personnel are also viewed as missionaries, and thus their support work as missionary work, “missionary” and “missions work” has a much broader meaning than it did in Hudson Taylor’s day.
Christians are called to address both physical and spiritual needs. Traditionally, a church service project is one that is designed to directly address a physical need. All churches have them and all who participate know they are not trying to reach anyone with the gospel. They are cleaning, or cooking, or repairing, or building something. They are extending a helping hand and hopefully are being a good example of Christian love in action to those they come in contact with. Yet, there is no expectation of the participants on a service project to make an effort to address people’s spiritual needs. This is acceptable on a service project. However, is it acceptable on a missions project?
This is not the same question as, “Is it acceptable on the mission field?” For, a village in Ecuador has need for service projects just as much as every town in the U.S. does. If putting a new roof on a church in the U.S. is a service project, isn’t the same job in Mexico still a service project?
The goal of missions is Christ’s Great Commission: to preach the gospel and make disciples among all the peoples of the earth. If the apostle Paul’s missionary journeys are the example of biblical mission work, then the proclamation of the gospel is both the purpose and goal of missions. A mission project, if it is to be truly “missions”, should have the same purpose and goal. If putting the roof on the church in Mexico is all the missions group did, then they conducted a service project. That particular service project just happened to be in Mexico. Such project work is commendable service unto the Lord and much needed on the mission field. Yet, it does not have the purpose and goal of missions. It didn’t fulfill Christ’s commission when no one on the team shared the gospel.
Those who object say, “But what we built will be used by others in furthering the gospel.” True, and God was glorified in your service. Yet, it is those “others” who will be doing the missions work. For, it is they who will be communicating the gospel, fulfilling the “mission” as commanded in the commission of Christ.
Mission work that fails to present the gospel is not truly “missions.” “Friendship Evangelism” is not friendship evangelism if one never shares the gospel with that friend. It is just a friendship. “Lifestyle Evangelism” that never shares the gospel as an explanation for the lifestyle is not any kind of evangelism. Regardless how far a baseball player hits a ball, if he does not run around the bases and touch home plate, it is not a home run. Even if the ball is in the bleachers, then the batter touches all three bases and heads for the dugout, he has not scored. Much that the church calls “missions” does a lot of base running, but never reaches home plate.
Reaching people with the gospel requires communicating the gospel message to them. Missionaries around the world are using a variety of means to this: crusades, radio, television, film, and the arts. Summer missionaries may be able to be involved in some of these means of evangelism. However, for most summer missionaries, the doors of opportunity God will open the most will be for personal one-on-one sharing. The problem most summer missionaries have is recognizing a potential open door of opportunity.
Sometimes, God just drops the opportunity in your lap. Once I was standing outside of a church in a fishing village on the coast of Mexico. The evening service had already started and I was watching for any more American stragglers that hadn’t arrived yet. A man from the village walked up to me and said, “I want to know how to get saved.”
I was so surprised, I just said, “What?”
He said, “My nephew is a changed man today. He says it is because he got saved yesterday. I want to be changed too. How do I get saved?”
That kind of open door of opportunity to be a witness for Christ is not hard to recognize. However, that is not the typical open door God presents to summer missionaries. In a cross-cultural setting, it typically requires building relationship bridges with the people whereby one may win an open door to present the gospel message. If in the process of a work project the team builds relationships in order to win a hearing for the gospel, it is no longer just a service project. It is truly a missions project.
Cross-cultural bridge building means to establish a caring and understanding relationship with a person of a different culture and who often speaks a different language. Americans who travel to other lands, including summer missionaries, often come back telling about one particular individual, native to that country, that was a delight to be around and made them feel at home in the foreign land. Such a person is a successful cross-cultural bridge-builder. That person was a gracious, understanding, and often humorous, individual that really seemed to care about the welfare of the American visitors. Attitude and effort is all this native individual had to put forth in order to build the cross-cultural bridge whereby the American and non-American met and developed a relationship of mutual respect despite their obvious cultural differences.
The same is necessary for the summer missionary to do cross-cultural bridge-building. Attitude and effort is all the summer missionary needs to meet the national residents of a mission field and develop a relationship of mutual respect despite the obvious cultural differences. The effort to go up and introduce yourself is not that difficult. It’s the attitude that usually needs the most attention.
Notice the attitude traits mentioned above in the native cross-cultural bridge-builder: gracious, understanding, humorous, and caring. Americans are typically self-centered and self-serving. These are barriers to cross-cultural bridge-building. The American summer missionary must put off the “self” mindset and humbly seek to put the interests of the other first. This is not just a good idea for the American summer missionary in foreign lands, but also for the American Christian anywhere.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil. 2:3-4 NIV)
Humility includes being able to laugh at yourself. For, in a cross-cultural context, you are going to unintentionally say and do things that those of other cultures are going to find funny. Laughter, rather than being offended or defensive, is another brick in the bridge-building process. Laughing together as you learn about each other makes the whole process more enjoyable for both you and the national. A second visit is much more likely if the first was laced with humility and humor.
Thus far the discussion of cross-cultural bridge building has been laid out in words of black and white. Let’s take a look at one example and see if we can’t add a little color to the picture.
Five Days in El Derramadero
It’s your first full day up in the mountains of Mexico. Prior to the trip, you were told your team of thirteen was going to be doing repair work on three homes in a village. Those three families alone would have enough children to hold a VBS. Your team even memorized the names of everyone in the three homes. But now, upon your arrival you are sent to the edge of a different village to build a church that three previous teams have worked on.
In this village of nearly 1,000 people, there are only two known believers who make up this church. The rest of the village appears to be staunch Roman Catholic. Many people despise the fact that a Protestant church is being established in the village for the first time in its history. To make matters worse, a bunch of Americans are coming in to build it. The villagers avoid going anywhere near this church. The nuns in the village have assured everyone that all the recent unfortunate and tragic occurrences that have happened to people are due to the building of that church. Fortunately, due to its location at the edge of the village, few people need to pass by it.
You begin to wonder if the summer mission agency deceived you. You never got a satisfactory explanation of why you can’t pursue the original ministry in the other village. The project leader can’t tell you why and doesn’t seem too interested in trying to find out the answer. You are already sick of hearing the word “flexibility”, which you suspect is an excuse for “disorganization”. Everyone on your team wants an explanation from you about the change, and it is both embarrassing and frustrating that you don’t have one.
From what you have been told of this new village, you aren’t so sure if you will be able to have a VBS now. You certainly don’t want to butt heads with the nuns. Well, maybe you can keep everyone busy building on the church. That’s it! Maybe your team can finish in this one week what the previous teams couldn’t. That would be a great accomplishment! So, on the way to the village that morning, you sold the team on the idea and they are perking up to the new challenge.
Now, looking at the church, you are feeling a little better. There’s plenty of work to be done. Only the four cinder block walls are up. No corner posts have been poured. No roof. No floor, windows or door. You wonder why the previous teams didn’t get further than this. “Probably,” you tell yourself with great confidence, “the other teams weren’t very hard workers.”
You have two native Mexicans, who speak no English, overseeing the construction. You also have two translators, to help you in your week of summer missionary ministry. “A piece of cake,” you hear your boys saying. So, after a quick group prayer, your team jumps in to build this church.
An hour later, you have discovered why the church building is going up so slowly. Your two Mexican men work at only two speeds: (1) extremely slow; and, (2) even slower. They can only keep, at best, five, but usually, three of your team members busy. The rest of the team follows the few working, watching and waiting their turn to try their hand. By the end of that first hour boredom has set in most of your team.
Since it is too windy to play with the frisbee, the boys are playing catch with their hammers. Since they obviously won’t use them at all that week, they are finding other uses for them: carving initials and names in smooth cactus plants; “beheading” the flower pods off the beavertail cactus; throwing the hammers, knife-like, embedding them into the plump spiny cactus. The girls are clustered together muttering to each other and rolling their eyes. Your other leaders are trying to keep a lot of positive chatter in the air. But everyone’s eyes, when they catch yours, are pleading, “Surely there’s something else besides this all week!”
Frustration! The mission agency has given you a raw deal.
If you expected a service project, it IS a raw deal. But you came on a mission trip. Welcome to missions work!
What do you do now?
You are in a trial that can quickly become a temptation, a temptation to become very angry and find somebody to blame. That “somebody” who gets to be the first to feel your wrath will be the project leader. And you will be a thorn in his side the whole week if he leaves you at this site. Then, even if he moves you to a different village, your anger over this chain of events will probably stay with you all week. You won’t be able to wait to get the mission agency on the phone and let them know what a bunch of boneheads they are. You will probably tell many people back home what a bum deal the trip was. It was all the agency’s fault. You will have ample opportunities to sow seeds of anger, bitterness, and distrust in regards to summer missions. And Satan will have posted another victory in your life and the life of your church.
Others in such a situation will try to make the best of it. If they are bold, they may try to have the VBS anyway. Or, just find the nearest kids around and play with them all day, showing them Christ’s love.
But what would you do?
You are attempting a missions ministry. Yes, it is only for one week, but still a missions ministry. Everything has gone “wrong” so far. What if you were going to be there three months? Or three years? What if you were a REAL missionary and the first day started out like this? Well, guess what? You ARE a real missionary, even if it is for one week. It’s your first day on the field. So, what do “real” missionaries do the first day? They start building bridges...relationship bridges...cross-cultural bridges of understanding and acceptance...in order to win a hearing...in order to reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. You only have one week, but you also have two translators. The process must be sped up. You want to be sharing the gospel before you leave this village. Here’s how one group in the above scenario responded to that summer missions challenge.
MONDAY
Since it was obvious they were not going to keep everyone busy with construction, rather than panic, they gathered around for prayer...prayer for wisdom, prayer for boldness, prayer for compassion, prayer for the ability to communicate God’s love, and prayer thanking God for granting them so much “free” time in that village to begin building bridges with the people.
The group made the construction site their home base. They would only leave as many people at the site as could be kept working, which proved to be usually two. With a translator, they discovered from the Mexican workers what the day’s work would be. Then set up who would work at what time in construction. That approach would be used each day, making sure the site never lacked the necessary workers for each stage of the work.
After having gained the day’s construction goals through a translator, both translators would be utilized elsewhere for the rest of the day. Those on the site communicated and worked quite well without a translator present all the time. If a communication need arose, the translators would be stopping by throughout the day as ministry teams traded off.
Two team members would work at the church. That left eleven others with two translators. They split in two groups and toured the village. They wanted to see just how “despised” their presence was. Taking different routes they got a feel for the layout of the village as well as a feel for the receptiveness of the people concerning their presence. While there were those that were rude, who went into their houses, or ignored their greetings of “Hola” and “Buenas dias”, the majority appeared friendly
During the first walk through they noted where the “warm” spots were, and where people were engaged in activity that might generate lengthy discussions to explain to these visiting Americans. “Warm spots” are locations, homes or other places people were found, that appeared to respond in a friendly manner to the initial appearance of the team members. The team selected a VBS location, keeping in mind which “warm” spots had children. They also noted where the “cold” spots were, which grew colder the closer they were to the Roman Catholic church. Fortunately, the construction site and the Catholic church were on opposite sides of the village. They never saw the priest or the nuns the entire week.
Four or five team members and a translator are too many people to mob around a villager. So, care was taken to be sure that only two with a translator would do the approaching while the others lingered behind. After initial greetings, the villager would often invite the others to come closer. If not, the others would remain back to pray for the village and the current witnessing opportunity. This first day of meeting people was focused on learning about life in the village and explaining we had come to work on the church. This usually brought out some opinion of the new church’s presence. No attempts to move the conversation toward a gospel presentation were made. If there were children present, invitations to attend the open air “Bible school” in the dirt field “plaza” that afternoon.
While none of the Americans were fluent in Spanish, some knew a few Spanish words and were willing to approach the villagers on their own, without a translator present. This reduced the numbers with the translators and put a third group out mingling with the people. The Mexican people usually gained great amusement through the bumbling, piece-meal Spanish speakers. Picture the scene: three American teenagers and their leader standing around two young men sitting on their small donkeys. They are centering their conversation around the donkeys because they all at least know “burro”. Every time they finally piece a question together, with horrible accents, horrible grammar, wrong word order, and a few wrong words, the men smile or laugh. Then they rattle off the answer or explanation so fast that the Americans just look at each other, hoping someone understood it. The Mexicans smile. They repeat more slowly. While doing so, each of the Americans are repeating out loud various words, debating their meaning. Much sign language is used by both parties. One of the four Americans only knows restaurant Spanish. So when the subject of what the burro eats comes up, he offers: burrito, taco, tortilla, enchilada.
Such bantering is pouring a foundation for bridge building. For these four will visit with these men later with a translator, having already made initial contact and establishing a positive rapport. Meanwhile, those with the translators are starting several bridges with other villagers.
One group visited with a man who was adding a room to his house. He gave them a tour of his home, explaining in great detail how he had built the whole house years ago and about the construction process he was now involved in. He points out that in America people buy their houses or have money to have rooms added, but there they must build with their own hands. Through the translator, he is told, “Yet, you have knowledge and skills money cannot buy. None of us could do what you are doing.” The man smiles and nods his head in appreciation.
The other group finds a woman hitting bundles of grain with a stick. With the translator, they discover she is threshing wheat. They ask if she would teach them. That is less work for her. She gladly explains and guides each of them at their turn. They spend a couple of hours working at the threshing floor.
The first day was used strictly for making contact with the villagers, getting to know more about them. The VBS that afternoon was well attended. Older youths and young men watched from a distance. While one translator was used in the VBS, the other was used to visit with the teenage boys and young men on the perimeter. They work with their flocks in the mornings and, basically, are free in the afternoons. Would they be interested in a soccer game with a bunch of clumsy Americans? A time is set for Tuesday afternoon. The children, and watching adults, were told VBS would be held in the mornings the rest of the week.
Another appointment for Tuesday was with a woman who would teach how to make tortillas from the freshly ground wheat taken from the threshing floor. Children were played with, a cow was milked, and frisbee games with older boys were all a part of Monday. The church looks about the same. The two Mexican nationals (who are Christians) say it has been a good day. “Much accomplished!”
TUESDAY
The group decided that for the rest of the week they should begin their day in the village with a short worship time together. They had devotions back at the compound before coming to the village. This was to be different. The villagers are curious about this group of young Americans, always watching them from safe distances. They see the Americans conduct the VBS, hoping to teach their children about God. Yet, what do the villagers see about this group’s relationship to the God they represent?
So, Tuesday through Friday, the group met at the VBS location for a ten-minute worship time. It included testimonies, singing, a verse or two from Scripture, prayer requests, and prayer. Each day included the singing of “Sing Alleluia to the Lord” both in English and Spanish. That way, for the curious, they would know one way these Americans relate to God. There was, of course, a concern whether they might be practicing their piety before men. While they were hoping to be seen, it was not so that others would think them as very pious or spiritual. It was to give the villagers a glimpse of the reality of their relationship with God. The hope was that it would be a good testimony before both God and the villagers.
Esperanza, the woman at the threshing floor, was ready and waiting for the return of the willing workers. She had four times the amount of wheat as the day before. She also had rounded up two more sticks, a metal rod, and two table legs to put more to work at threshing the wheat. Not only did they thresh it all, they learned now to separate the chaff. Everyone on the team took their turns throughout the day. Everyone also heard how much Esperanza disliked the church-building project.
The VBS and church construction continued. The older boys and young men drew in a little closer to hear the VBS better. The lesson in making scratch tortillas was amusing to both Mexicans and Americans due to the language barrier. Yet, cooking over a stone hearth in a cast iron Dutch oven produced bread-like tortillas that melted in the mouths of those bold enough to taste them. (No one got sick, either.)
The translators were kept busy with the visiting teams, going door to door just visiting people. No gospel presentations were attempted. A young woman from Honduras was there visiting in-laws for the first time. Even though she spoke Spanish, being a foreigner and university educated, she felt nearly as out of place as the Americans.
The soccer game was a big success, even though no translator was available until after the game. At one point, one young man pulled a knife with a six-inch blade, jokingly (the Americans hoped) desiring to cut the heavy boots off the one who kicked him in a skirmish for the ball. The Mexicans, of course, defeated the Americans by a wide margin. After the game, two of the American players shared their testimonies with the players through the translator.
WEDNESDAY
After two days of primarily building relationship bridges, it was now time to cross those bridges carrying the message of the gospel. After the morning worship, each translator went out with three team members to share the gospel. Two would go and speak while the third stayed some distance back praying for both those speaking and those hearing. The other team members continued to work on bridge building.
Several of the girls were good at cutting hair. So they set up a free barber shop at the VBS site. Armed with scissors, combs, and spray water bottles, they gave about forty haircuts to children and adults of all ages in three hours. Other team members were back at the threshing floor, picking out twigs and other foreign material too big to be blown away by the wind in the separating the chaff from the wheat process. All team members rotated between construction, bridge building, and evangelism.
The first ones an evangelism team visited were the nine young men who watched the mini-worship service as they leaned against a wall about 30 yards away. Most of them had played in the soccer game the day before. One was one of the men on the donkeys Monday. Forty-five minutes later, after much discussion and answering many questions, two of those young men, in front of their peers, prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. One of those two was the donkey rider, laughing with the Americans on Monday about life in the mountains, praying with them on Wednesday about eternal life in Christ.
Spanish New Testaments were given out. Another soccer game was scheduled. Team members traded roles, giving others a turn at going out with the translator to share Christ. Most of the evangelistic efforts planted seeds, just as is the case in America. Still, by the day’s end, two others had prayed to receive Christ as their Savior.
At the VBS, the young men also attended, thoroughly enjoying coloring the picture handed out, debating whose picture was the best. The gospel was presented through the VBS almost daily. Yet, when all the children volunteer for salvation each time, it is impossible to gauge what fruit is really being harvested. Thankfully, the Lord of the harvest knows.
As service to one of the two Christians in the village, two of the American boys carried water in five gallon buckets two miles, from the well to the house, so she could do her laundry. Then one of the American ladies helped wash the clothes by hand.
The soccer game that afternoon was a closer contest. The Americans felt that it was due to their superior athletic ability. The Mexicans contributed the improvement by their giving two of their better players to be on the American team. The teasing debate continued. The two Mexican players weren’t any better than the two on the team the day before. The proof being that the Americans still lost. True, the villagers replied. Yet if two of Mexico’s finest soccer players were given to the Americans, the rest of the team is so bad they would still lose. “Ah, then,” said the Americans, “If we win tomorrow, then you cannot say it is because we had two of your best players.”
Thus the bridge building on the soccer field goes. Again, two testimonies were given. A brief gospel presentation was given. An invitation to pray was not. An uncomfortable silence followed. Let the Holy Spirit work. Thursday’s game was scheduled.
THURSDAY
This was a heavy construction involvement day. A lot of concrete was mixed and poured. It reduced the bridge building activity. Yet the door-to-door evangelism teams continued to go out across the bridges established over the first three days. In one visit, the team was sharing the gospel with two twelve-year-old boys. It was in the home in which the woman from Honduras was visiting. She sat with her baby on the other side of the room, behind the Americans, watching and listening. When the invitation to respond was given, the boys rejected the gospel. The team stood to leave when they heard from the woman behind them, “I would like Christ to save me.”
Another team shared with a young man named Jesus (which is not uncommon in Mexico), who admitted he knew very little about the One he was named after. Jesus had heard the gospel at the VBS, as one of the nine at the wall, and at the soccer game. He had questions. For the fourth time that week, he heard the Good News of the Jesus he was named after. Jesus met Jesus that day.
One young couple in the village, took several team members up to their fields in the mountains. The wife is one of the Christians. There, they proudly showed their 200 acres that they farm with a bull-pulled plow and harvest by hand with a sickle. They work year-round, three crops a year, rotating corn, pinto beans, and wheat. They also have plum, peach, and apple groves. They are successful farmers. Yet, they live in a two room sod house with a dirt floor. They have a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling in the kitchen and one electric outlet. Neither are used much because electricity is too expensive. Water is at the well.
After the soccer game, two more testimonies were given, followed by a lengthy gospel presentation with a question and answer time. Some questioners were curious, some challenging, some searching. The discussion ended with one man saying, “We have had many Americans come play soccer with us, but you are the first to talk to us about Jesus.”
FRIDAY
About twenty adults were now showing up to listen to our morning worship times. They really liked our singing. Because they were catching rides back to their homes, one translator left that morning. The other would be with the team until noon. VBS was already in the mornings. The soccer game was moved up to 10:30. After the VBS, the translator went with evangelism teams while the soccer game was played. One of the twelve year-old boys, who had earlier rejected the gospel, was talked to again by the girl who had befriended him all week. God’s grace prevailed as he placed his trust in Christ to be forgiven for his sins. However, Esperanza, at the threshing floor, appreciated our help all week, but had no interest in the gospel.
After the soccer game, a testimony and gospel presentation was given. An invitation was given. Two stepped forward, declaring before the others they wanted forgiveness and a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. One of those was the knife-wielder on Tuesday. Spanish New Testaments were given out to all who wanted one. (And not everyone wanted one. The team only gave out half of the fifty they brought.) They advised the people to begin reading in the Gospel of John.
The lone translator left at noon. By 12:30 rain began to pour down. Villagers retreated to their homes. The construction halted. The Americans stood in the rain, looking at the deserted surroundings, looking at the church site, which didn’t look much different from when they arrived on Monday. It had corner posts poured. Yet, it still had no roof, no windows, no floor, no door.
The young farmer couple, with their two children, came out in the rain to say good-bye. The wife, wearing a clean white church dress, presented the group with a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of freshly ground whole wheat flour. She had mentioned the day before she was having wheat ground for them. The group in return had purchased two freshly killed and plucked chickens in Galeana, the nearby town where the team stayed. The chickens, too expensive for everyday eating, were presented, head, feet, and insides intact.
Not much progress could be seen on the church. The slide show back home won’t be very impressive. Progress with the gospel fared better: Eleven people responded to the door-to-door and sports evangelism efforts. Rain and no translators. Now what? The two Mexican workers gathered up their tools and loaded them on the bus. “We go,” they said with smiles. “Much accomplished! Praise the Lord!” That was the first English we heard from them all week.
A summer missions week like the one recorded above is not a rarity for teams prepared for cross-cultural bridge-building. Many things were left out of the story, like the evening rallies, water shortages in the missions compound that affect shower availability, having “Ugly Americans”* from a different church stop by the village and embarrass the ministering team.
Every mission project has its hassles and distractions. To hope a trip will not have these trials is to ignore the fact the team is entering a spiritual warfare zone.
There are other ministry approaches a team may utilize that were not used by the team described, like puppets, skits, and mime. Whatever the tool or approach, it must be used to either
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* ”Ugly Americans” are loud inconsiderate visitors to another culture. It is an image produced by American tourists when they visit other lands. Self-centered, materialistic, and proud, Americans are often viewed as arrogant buffoons in other cultures, be it in a far away country or on an Indian reservation in our own country. Unfortunately, many American summer missionaries behave the same way.
build relationship bridges, share the gospel, or both. It is a sad commentary that the team above was the fourth week of Americans to play soccer in that village, yet the first to share the gospel. It is a sad commentary when a team spends a week playing with the children in a village “showing them the love of Christ” yet never gets around to telling them about the Christ that loves them. “VBS is supposed to do that,” is a poor excuse to avoid individually sharing testimonies and the gospel with others.
Proclaiming the gospel is the mission of missions. It is the mission of summer missions as well. The summer missionary must look at all he does on the mission field as a means by which to build cross-cultural relationship bridges to the people. Then once the bridges are built, cross them carrying the gospel of Christ. As seen in the El Derramadero story, bridges are built many ways. The challenge to the summer missionary is to look at his field and find creative ways to build relationships with the local people. He must pray for God to open his eyes to the many possibilities. Then he must seek God’s help to have the courage to begin building, being prepared the whole time to present the gospel when the bridge is suddenly completed and the door of opportunity is open.
The rest of the El Derramadero story…
The native Mexican missionaries we worked with weren’t even allowed in the village while we were there that week. The villagers had stoned them the last time they showed up. But they figured they wouldn’t hurt the American teams. Praise the Lord that was true.
People wonder about building a church where there are only two believers. People wonder if the team really had a lasting impact. The missionaries promised to follow up on those eleven that prayed to receive Christ. I returned to this village a year later. When I stepped off the bus, I heard someone shout, “Miquel!” It was Pablo. He was one of the two, out of the nine young men leaning against the wall, that trusted Christ with the team the year before. He pointed to the still unfinished church, “This is my church!”
“How many attend now?”
With a big smile, “Thirty-five!”
I returned again the following year. The completed church now held services twice a week, averaging attendance of 70. Over 100 were crammed in this one room church the night of our evangelistic service. Did summer missionaries make a difference in that village? Ask those who attend the church up in the mountain village of El Derramadero. They will tell you, “Si!”
Paul and Barnabas ministered in Pisidian Antioch for one week, from Sabbath to Sabbath (Acts 13:14, 44-51). Many believed, receiving eternal life (Acts 13:48). God is still the same God. He can still use missionaries that come to town for only one week to make an eternal difference. He did it with the team in the mountains of Mexico. He has done it with other teams in other places. He can do it with your team. One week is plenty of time to build bridges and share the gospel.
You just have to have a discipleship program in place that equips the summer missionaries to do the work of summer missions ministry.
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