Short-Term Mission

Why bother with it anyway??

By Karen S

What is the point of short-term mission?  Who really benefits?  With all the talk of the credit crunch, can I really afford to go overseas on a short-term trip??

These are all valid questions, each with many valid answers!  We asked a youth group what they thought about Mission, and here are some of their answers:

- spreading the word of God

- doing something in a different country

- an adventure

- doing something someone told me to do

- letting people know about God

- going to another country to tell people about God

Imagine… a special night out with your friends.  You get all dressed up in a new outfit you bought for the occasion; make up done (girls!), hair, the works.You drive into town and meet up at the restaurant where you all sit down to a lovely meal at one of the restaurants. A couple of hours later, after a nice meal and great craic, you lean back in your chair, too full to think about moving! You pay the bill and leave the restaurant.  Some of your friends decide to go on to the bowling alley afterwards but you head back to the car-park and pay the car-park charges (or maybe you were smart, and pre-paid on your way in!) and head home.

So… how much did you pay for this night out?

- New Outfit                                       £30.00 (approx!)

1. -Parking                                            £3.00 (pre-pay)
   

- Dinner                                             £20.00/£25.00 each

- Bowling                                           £4.30 per person

- Petrol                                              Various

Total Average cost of this night out - £100.00+

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Imagine… you decide to spend 6 weeks overseas helping workers at an orphanage in India.

The same £100 (approximately 7,300INR) would buy:

- 7 complete Salwar-kameez (ladies outfit)

- Rent of a 1-bedroom flat for 1 month

- 14 cartons of milk

1. -50 kilos of potato
   

2. -100 kilos of onions
   

3. -20 kilos of fruit
   

4. -100 loaves of bread
   

A long-term missionary in India can live on that £100.00 for one month

Of course you will have to pay the costs to get to India in the first place, and at the time of writing this, flights cost around £600.00 return.  Then there are visa costs, vaccinations and insurance but what you will gain is significantly greater than anything you will lose. You will have done something really worthwhile and the joy, encouragement, deeper love for and knowledge of God that you will experience, well that priceless! 

This isn’t intended to make you feel guilty about having a celebratory night out with your friends, it is simply intended to help you get some perspective about how much money we spend in the West, on life and how much further that money can go in the East and other developing countries. 

What is the point of short-term mission?  Who really benefits?  With all the talk of the credit crunch, can I really afford to go overseas on a short-term trip??  If you want to know first hand, how your money, time, passion and your particular skills can be of use to people in Asia and the Middle East; then please contact Interserve Ireland and see what opportunities there are for YOU! 

IS SHORT-TERM MISSION WORTHWHILE?

SHORT-TERM MISSION - DOES IT REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?