After almost 24 hours of traveling and transiting, I finally arrived on the "mission field". I was tired but excited to have made it. I was eager to explore this closed country and its people. I joined the queue at customs and was glad that there were only a handful of people before me. A few minutes later, I stepped up and handed over my passport. The official flicked through it but he didn't look very impressed. He called his superior over and they had a short discussion. Then they turned to me and said, "Your visa isn't valid. You need a proper visa sticker, not a letter from the consulate saying 'No stickers in stock'. We'll have to send you back."
In these moments, one might start doubting the value of short-term mission trips. Are the long-flights really worth it? Are short-term missions worth all the money for just a week or two away? Are they worth all the time and energy? Can short-termers really make a difference? Don't short-termers just cause more trouble, like getting stuck in the airport?!
As I sat and waited for the next few hours, I learnt two very significant lessons. First, I learnt how to depend more on God. The whole situation was out of my control. There wasn't much I could do, as I waited for my friend outside to sort things out. But I could pray and rely on God. I sent out an email asking for supporters back home to pray for the situation. So often we think that mission is about our hard work but we were reminded that prayer is work itself. Going on a short-term mission is a great way of growing our faith in God as we no longer feel in control of the everyday things that we are so used to back home.
The second lesson I learnt was that I needed to be a learner before being a doer. As I "wasted time" in the airport, I could learn more about the culture simply by watching the people around me. The way that people dress, how they communicate with each other, how men and women interact, the way that people go about their work and much more, all reveal a lot about their values and worldview. I was reminded that mission is not about rushing somewhere to run programs and hand out Bibles. But it's firstly to be a learner of the people and their culture which will result in us being more effective in sharing Christ with them.
Throughout the trip, as I continued to depend on God and be a learner, God provided opportunities to share with people the good news about Jesus. One night, I was in the car with a local friend I had made. He was sharing with me about his family and he told me his mother's name. I asked him, "What does her name mean?" He answered, "It means 'good news'." So I shared with him, "For me as a Christian, I believe the good news is that God sent Jesus into the world to save us." And we continued to have a conversation about faith.
Yes, it's true that short-term missions can be costly and exhausting. But from my experience, it's extremely rewarding and meaningful for the person who is sent and also for the people they are sent to. Going on a short-term mission provides a unique opportunity to learn dependence on God and to appreciate people from other cultures and backgrounds. By God's grace, he does use short-termers to sow seeds, the effect of which we won't know until eternity.