Packing for a Mission Trip

This will be the third journey to Haiti in as many years.  I’ve made this journey each year to reconnect with my spiritual roots, feel something spiritual and to see life from a completely different perspective I can't find around here. So I travel to a place that is about as different from my ‘normal’ life as I could possibly imagine. Haiti has shaped my perception of reality, of God and ministry more than anything I’ve experienced, studied or done before or since. This year I am both privileged and honored to share this journey with four others who will be embarking on who know what. It is impossible to say really what will happen, what they will find and what they will take away. There are no guarantees only an invitation “Come, follow me.” Matthew 4:19 . Going on an international mission trip creates a unique opportunity to grow in some rather amazing ways, but it requires that we leave some habits and expectations behind because they tend to cloud our view and create noise we just don't need. Here are a few things I’ve learned…

Go to Learn, not to Teach

We all have so much to learn about the world in which we live, about how wonderfully diverse the world is and about how beautiful and creative people can be wherever they are planted. We are all at our core learners, disciples and sojourners.  We know what we know about the world and God through the lens of our experiences as it is shaped by our culture. To step outside our little world is a rare opportunity to look back at your world, and yourself, and see it from a different perspective.  Don’t waste a mission opportunity by taking the role of teacher, master or prophet.  There is a huge temptation to want to remake the Haitians in our image as if we’ve got it all figured out. I think Newtown, Ct would suggest otherwise. Make the most of this international experience to ask these questions: Does it scare you to do things in a completely new and unfamiliar way? What do the Haitians have to teach me about my life, time and priorities? What is most unsettling to me about my time in Haiti, and why?

 Go to Support, not to Lead

As Americans we often think in terms of to-do lists and action items all directed toward achieving our goals and objectives. We're doers. We want specifics and don’t seem to do well with uncertainty, but life is uncertain and any ideas we have of control is merely an illusion. To enter into the mission field means to embrace that uncertainty, walk in unfamiliar territory and enter into a supporting role which is more relational in nature rather than a ‘getting things done’ mindset to which we are accustomed. A supportive attitude means to become part of their world, to embrace them and their values, and to create relationships as the path to appreciate them as precious and valuable and not just something to be fixed. Make the most of this servant role by asking yourself these questions: Am I comfortable with the uncertainty of a day without an agenda? Am I adaptable to changing conditions, circumstances, needs and activities? Am I trusting God to lead?

 Go to Receive, not to Give.

"We too often love things and use people when we should be using things and loving people." - unknown

There simply no way around it, we have substantial financial and material resources most third world countries can’t even imagine. What we throw away is prized in other part of the world. The pain we feel from their lack of material things is the pain we would feel if they were taken from us. Trust me when I say that what they don’t have they don’t really miss. You won’t find Haitian clambering for flat screen TVs, computers or new clothes. Their priorities are much different. They have learned to adjust from a consumer mentality to a connectional mentality. Their lives are based on their relationships, who they know and who can help them. Typically it is we who are uncomfortable when we see people who don’t have what we consider essentials. Why is that? Perhaps it is self-justification, I don’t know, but I do know that the Haitians have something to teach us if we’re ready to receive it. Make the most of this receiving opportunity by asking yourself these questions: Am I aware of my need for something greater than myself or my things? Am I will to embrace change and experience life from a new perspective? Am I trusting God to meet my greatest need?

 Pack Expectantly

I know that expectations can be problematic, but to travel to Haiti without some expectations would be foolish. As you get ready for a mission trip whether it is domestic or international, consider your motivations, your calling and  your expectations. Here are a few worth packing... Expect to receive more than you give. Expect to learn more than you know. Expect to be changed by the experience. Will you pray with me… “God, grant me an experience of You that would change my life, no matter the cost.” Check out Part 1 of our Haiti Mission Chronicles