Why not just send over money?

When you've seen how much short-term mission trips cost, perhaps you've pondered the question, "Why not just send over money?" It is perhaps the most common question I get, and it is a logical, legitimate question. After all, how many orphans could we support in a year for the amount of money it takes our team to get there for just two weeks? There's no arguing that in a simple trade, it's hard to see how the trip makes financial sense.

I'd like to offer a few thoughts:

One of the things the teams do is simply to visit with and pray with various people. We meet with the guardians (who care for the orphans), we meet with church members, we meet with Bible students, and we meet with church leaders. We learn from them, perhaps we teach them something, and we develop relationships and pray with them. You cannot imagine how grateful and encouraged people are that someone would come all that way to spend time with them. It's one of the ways they are encouraged to endure the hardships of ministry in a tough place.

We also develop relationships at the institutional level, connecting Kenyan churches and ministries with US churches and ministries. These relationships are crucial for being able to maintain long-term ministry partnerships, which provide framework for that orphan sponsorship that we want to dollars to ultimately go toward. So in a way, the money spent on the trip does go to orphan sponsorship.

By working Bible students and church leaders, we help them to multiply the ministry. The more pastors and other leaders who are trained, the more the churches can move forward with excellence, and the more churches that can be planted. By bringing teaching and encouragement, we have a part in the multiplication of the church, which in turn affects all kinds of ministry. We've already seen several churches planted by the graduates of the Ahero Evangelical School of Theology.

By sending at least one person per year, we also can update all the biographical information of all the orphans for their sponsors, including current pictures. All this data is crucial for the sponsorship program to proceed. Furthermore, regular visits provide a regular form of accountability, so that the ministry never falls victim of any accusation of malfeasance.

Our teams who work at the orphanage also provide a bit of a break for the teachers, who work so tirelessly day in and day out. Often, we can minister to them directly and encourage them as we do the Bible students.

Perhaps the greatest evidence that short-term missions are financially responsible is that our friends in Kenya think it's worth it. They know it's expensive. They know is a long, arduous trip. They know that we give up relative comfort in order to come. And they think it's worth it. So, I'm inclined to believe it's worth it, even for reasons I may not be aware of or even be able to comprehend.

The fact that our Kenyan friends have so much to teach us about faith and worship, endurance, standing up to the real enemy, and even true joy is a fantastic side benefit. It doesn't justify the expense by itself, but it helps the conclusion that it's worth it. Plus, it keeps us from thinking we're the experts who have come to save the day.

The best way to look at this is not to think that money for the trip is being spent instead of supporting orphans directly, but rather that money well-spent on a short-term trip is an investment for the long-term health, success, and growth of the ministry to orphans, students, and the Kenyan church.

Asking to Pray for Someone

One of the easiest, least-threatening ways I've found to open up avenues to safely talk about spiritual matters with someone is to offer to pray for them about something specific. It's very simple - after you've had a chance to have a little dialog, just ask, "Is there anything specific that I can pray for you?" That's it.

It's a non-threatening request, because 1) you're not asking them to agree with you on spiritual matters, and 2) a lot of people are open to prayer as a concept, even if they are not warm the the offer that Christ gives them. People of other faiths often will appreciate you offering to pray for them. Skeptics aren't often put off by the offer to do something nice for them.

The offer also communicates care and concern. You're not trying to make them take something - you're offering to do something positive for them. You're not requiring them to do anything in order for you to be on their side about something important to them.

If someone doesn't really want it, it's not a big "rejection" if they say, "No, thanks." It doesn't kill the conversation, and it doesn't force anything on to anyone. You've put the question in their hands, and they can choose what to do with it. But since you've not drawn any lines in the sand (yet), turning down your offer is not a form of rejecting you or your beliefs.

Most people, I've found, take you up on the offer, regardless of their belief system. They may share something relatively safe, or even sometimes something very important and personal. Either way, it's a privilege to advocate to the Lord on their behalf.

Almost everyone appreciates being asked, even if they don't accept the offer. Very few people will have a strong negative reaction, and in most of those cases, you already have an idea they might be hostile against something like this. But by and large, people appreciate the offer.

The offer also identifies you as a person who believes. That can open up deeper conversations, if even months down the road. I've known people who made this offer, and then much later, that person came back to them with spiritual questions. The offer can help a friendship reach more depth, getting beyond, "How's the weather?"

If they say "no," then simply say, "OK. Just let me know if you ever do want me to pray for something - I'd be happy to." And the go on with whatever else you want to talk about. Don't make a big deal of it.

But if they say "yes," then listen attentively, either write down the request or repeat it back to them to let you know that you understand it, and then, if the situation is right and they are open to it, pray right then with them. "I'll pray for" is one of the most broken promises in the world. If you can't pray for them right then, or they are not comfortable with that, let them know when you will pray for it. "I'll pray for that tonight," or, "I'll pray for that tomorrow during my prayer time," or, "I'll pray for that once a day until you get the doctor's report back."

Then pray! And then wait to see what God does. If possible, check back with the person to see how things are going. Whether they got what they asked for or not, you might have a chance to explain more about your faith. A large revival occurred a few decades ago in South America in large part through people simply committing to pray for others.

Quick note: If what they are asking for is not appropriate in any way, then simply change the request and tell them what you'll pray for. "Yeah, please pray that I'll win the lottery." "I'll tell you what - I'll pray that God will supply your needs and provide you with good work opportunities." But never promise to pray about something that you won't actually pray about.

A Bold Question

A couple of weeks ago, we had a visitor named Frank Fear. Odd name, because Frank appears to be fearless. I had lunch this week with this retired KC policeman to talk primarily about his ministry in evangelism.

When Frank visited one of our Sunday school classes, he boldly asked the question (as a visitor!), "How many people have shared their faith in the last month?" I won't report how many responded, but certainly it was not 100%. He wasn't being judgmental - it's a passion of his for believers to be sharing their faith. He also asked me how many people in our church I thought had done this in the last month. I know some who have, and I'm sure I don't know all instances.

Frank wants to help churches evangelize more, and he shared with me a number of things. He's trying to visit as many churches in the area as he can this summer to offer free materials to assist them. We will be looking through what he has to see what's appropriate for us as we challenge ourselves to have a greater impact for the Kingdom.

As the elders discussed his Sunday school question and the response it generated, plus considering our vision for Grace, we realized that a better question for us is, "How many people have done something to intentionally cultivate relationships to evangelize or disciple someone in the last month?" That's more to our vision and how we want to look at evangelism. Progress is measured more by "loosening the lid" toward the goal of sharing one's faith, rather than merely measuring progress by whether or not you had the "conversation" in the last month. We want to get to that question with those who are receptive, but there's more to success than posing the question.

That's a question we should be asking ourselves frequently, as individuals and as a church. It's a more appropriate question for us, but not necessarily for all churches. I told Frank as much, so I'm not disparaging him or his question.

I also read something this past week that caused me to self-examine: "What if your church evangelized like you do?" If the pastor evangelizes well, it's a wonderful question, and the church thrives. If he does not evangelize well, it's a tough question, and the church will stagnate. I, too, have much room for growth in engaging our culture with Christ's claims in a loving, truthful, winsome way.

Let's grow in this together.

The Story of Baby Colby

My first trip to Kenya was in 2006. We were a team of nine, with the rest of the team working primarily at the orphanage, and me spending my time teaching at the seminary. Even though we had received very experienced training to prepare us for the Kenyan culture, we were still tripped up at almost every turn with something new and unexpected. We often misunderstood the situation, what was said, or what something meant.

Most of the cultural differences were just plain interesting, even fascinating. One of the most interesting ended up being one of the most painful.

If there is a guest visiting when a baby is born, it is the custom in this part of Africa to name the child after the guest. The guest is then expected to pay special attention to the child, even help out financially, if possible. It's a tremendous honor, and a responsibility.

The pastor of the orphanage, Chris, and his wife had their second baby just as we were leaving. The named the baby "Colby." I was humbled by the privilege.

Months later, we heard that Baby Colby had some sort of skin disease. Lots of kids there have skin diseases, so we didn't think much of it. But it wouldn't go away, and the sparse emails we got seemed to slowly grow more concerning. However, we never had a proper diagnosis.

Lynne and I considered sending some money over for them to afford to take the baby to the doctor. As we were considering it, we got word that Baby Colby had died. We had no clue it was that serious. We still don't know what disease it was - they could never afford to visit the doctor once.

We were crushed, and went through no little guilt. If we had only sent money sooner, maybe it all could have been avoided. We didn't know it was life-threatening, but we might have been able to make a difference.

The great honor had become a great shadow. The following year, I finally met Pastor Chris' wife. When she heard my name, you could see the pain in her eyes. I was the namesake of their tragedy. But she and I ended up with a good friendship - she's an amazing woman of faith, and now with two more children.

Don't hesitate. I'm not just talking about our personal projects in Kenya, but whenever needs are brought to you, don't hesitate. You can't do everything, but if you can do something, and it seems like you're the one to do it, don't hesitate. Don't rationalize. Don't be selfish. Don't be lazy. Don't miss out on helping someone when God has enabled you to be the one to help.

As an act of grace, a baby was born during my third trip to Kenya. They named the baby after Lynne (whom they have never met).