Thirteenth Confession

Short Term missions trips are, more often than not, supposed to change the people who go on them.  It gives them a whole new appreciation for the lives they lead and the things they take for granted.  It usually doesn't have a long term effect on anyone except for the people who went, and the people who they met (if the short-term vacationers - sorry, missionaries - keep in contact with them).

Church culture has a very "sunshine patriotism" vibe about missionaries.  Maybe once a month we hear about the families who have left the church to go elsewhere, to faraway places to preach the gospel.  We are sometimes stirred to give, hearing about those who have "loved not their lives to the death."  These stories make us think, "what am I doing with my life that is so important that I can't go die for Jesus?"

Of course, there is a specific grace for people to do specific things.  Teachers who are great teachers do it out of a sense of love, and are motivated more deeply than I can work up.  Doctors who operate with skills and make it look like art.  Lawmakers who are passionate about people legislate well - of course, there hasn't been one since about 1823, but still...

I suppose that the take-away SHOULD be to do what you love with all your heart; unfortunately, their situations sometimes become church sales pitches via guilt trip: "Come on, folks, give some money.  Can't you see they're DYING?  FOR JESUS!!!???  Can't you give a dollar for that?"  I can see the same thing on television in between late night.  But of course, every dollar I give to church goes to a real person.  Minus the overhead for sending it over. 

If I want to support a foreign mission, I want to see where the money goes.  So that's why I went to Cagayan de Oro, to the school we supported when our daughter died.  But we didn't stop there: we keep in contact with the teachers at the school.  And it's not stopping there:  someday, when I become a rich and successful business owner, I'm going to open a bank account in Cagayan, and funnel a percentage of the profits directly to the account.

But for now, I do what I can.