Why do people go on short-term mission trips? Is it because they believe they can make a difference in the lives of those they meet? Is it because they think they have something to offer those living in other countries? Or is it perhaps a powerful opportunity to experience personal change?
Many participants join mission trips with a goal, purpose or desire — for many it is one of the reasons listed above. Many students want to change the world, and mission service is the first step on a path that allows them to fulfill a life of purpose.
Faculty or staff members may desire to apply their skills in an area where they can see tangible results of their work. Whatever the reason, the fact is that many people return from mission trips revived and motivated.
Just recently, two teams from Loma Linda University Health participated in short-term mission projects organized by Students for International Mission Service (SIMS) — one to Malawi and the other to Peru.
Jan Lloren, a School of Public Health student, shared upon her return from Malawi that after nearly two weeks of working in Africa, she felt that her perception of mission work had changed.
“Short-term missions may not necessarily give you the time to be down in the ditch and let God work a miracle unless you are willing to plead for God to allow that,” she shares. “But short-term missions do leave lasting impressions. Short-term mission trips may not always give you a million-dollar story, but they can bring about a change of mind, a change of purpose and the stabilizing of a commitment.”
Lloren adds, “I know these types of trips can strengthen faith so that it can [withstand] rougher places and tougher times.”
It is testimonies like Lloren’s that show the impact of short-term mission service in one’s own life. Through short-term mission trips, faculty, students and staff have the opportunity to travel, experience a foreign way of life and, just maybe, find their calling.
To learn more about SIMS and see how you can get involved in the future, visit lluglobal.com/SIMS.