Rethinking Mission Trips

Short-term mission trips are an incredible experience. This year, 1.5 million people will travel overseas to serve.  Personally, several cross-cultural trips opened my eyes to the reality of life outside of North America. I hope to involve my children in cross-cultural experiences as well.

But may I humbly suggest short-term trips have a much greater impact on the people who go to serve than on the recipients of our service? And to fully experience the beauty of these experiences, we need to begin by realizing just how much we have to learn.

A few years ago, I traveled to Haiti with Greg and his son, Kyle. We went to serve. But this was just one more time when I was the one who received.

After visiting HOPE’s work with David St. Hillaire (check out his contagious smile in the previous video), he welcomed us to his home and he presented a beautiful picture of modern-day communion.

At a table covered by a tarp to shield us from the sun, we ate rice, beans, fish, and fried bananas served in old communion trays.  Members of the family made sure no flies bothered us. It was obvious they spent days preparing this meal of unparalleled hospitality. We feasted.

On the way back to our car, Kyle slipped. His feet, submerged in mud, were filthy—unprotected in flip-flops. Moments after Kyle stepped in mud, David St. Hillaire’s family took him back to their house and dropped on hands and knees.

They washed his feet.

Here was Kyle—caked in mud—yet they were washing his feet.  Not begrudgingly, but joyfully.

I couldn’t miss the parallels of this story with another.  Two thousand years ago on the night of Passover, after eating and drinking, Jesus washed the feet of his friends.

Before the most pivotal event in history—the crucifixion—Jesus takes time out to wash feet.  What a testament to Christ’s purpose: The Son of Man came to earth to serve. Following His act, Jesus said, Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). We might talk about the symbolism of foot washing, but would we really do it?

David’s family showed by their actions that they did.

Reflecting Christ, David and his family served dinner and washed feet. I’ve never seen a more beautiful picture of Jesus than at that moment in Haiti. Their joyful service called me to join in exceeding hospitality and serve in the way of Jesus.

It is silly to think we have nothing to learn when we go to serve. When we lose our cultural arrogance, we discover the true beauty of these experiences and the gift of cross-cultural friendships.