Aug 30, 2018

If you’ve done short-term missions or considered doing it, you may have heard some of these myths in the surrounding conversation. But while myths travel because they’re intended to highlight the possible downfalls of missions, that doesn’t make them universally true. Here are a few myths and why you shouldn’t let them affect your desire to do missions!

It’s too expensive!

My first response to this myth isÑwas the temple tax too expensive for Peter when Jesus told him a fish would provide it? If you want to serve God and place that as a high priority in your life, it will happen. The great thing about throwing our efforts into working for the Master of the universe is that the Master is in control. We know God’s resources are endless and His longing for us to be involved is similarly endless. The only missing element remaining in the equation is our level of commitment. Maybe it will take a sacrifice on our part, maybe it will take getting out of our comfort zone to seek support, maybe it will take a little bit of time, but if you make it your mission to do missionsÑreally, what can stop you?

It’s just a vacation

The thing about this myth is that your mission experience is just thatÑyour mission experience. If you go into it expecting it to be a vacation and now allowing it to be anything else, you can make it a vacation. You can do almost any ministry or service from a selfish place and miss out on the blessing of real, selfless service. BUTÑif you go into the mission field with an attitude of giving and willingness to let God lead, I promise it won’t be a vacation. It will be an exhausting, difficult, stretching, growing, rewarding, inspiring, unforgettable transformation from who you were, to being one step closer to who God created you to be.

If you’ve been on one, you’ve been on them all

Many people, when they start doing missions, discover that they’re hooked for life and want to continue serving every chance they get. But if you’re not convinced and still think that one mission is just like the next, let me ask you thisÑif you’ve met one person, have you met them all? Considering there are more than 7 billion people on earth and each one is unique, I think I can guess your answer. Missions is about people. The goal isn’t to go to the same places and do the same things over and over, it’s to meet individuals who have never met Jesus and show them who He is! Only when you run out of new people to meet will you run out of new mission experiences.

You’re hurting more than helping

Many arguments can be made for whether short term missions is as effective as we, who do it, want it to be. But the truth about this myth is that if you are aware of what can be more hurtful than helpful, and you work to ensure that you are being helpfulÑyou can avoid the pitfalls of misplaced good intentions. The way QHM does missions ensures that we work closely with local partners to make the most impact and avoid hurting. We also set up local involvement before and after our team is on the ground so that what we start grows into a real, local ministry after we’re gone.

Emily Weber
QHM Marketing