Mission Trip Wrap-up Thoughts

On Sunday night the mission team that participated in serving on the mission field in Toronto shared insights with our church.  Several benefits from serving on a short-term mission trip were mentioned that I would like to recap here:

1. Gaining a larger perspective of God's activity in the world. By changing latitude and longitude location a person can gain a larger framework for the world, the church, cultures, and the mission of God.
2. Learning the value of service.  The group is the servant of the host missionary/pastor/church.  A "whatever we can do to help" attitude is healthy to develop and implement back home as well.
3. Families strengthened.  It was eye opening to see a father and his two daughter serve the Lord together during this week.  They were able to observe and help one another accomplish new task and goals that had never been attempted in the local home environment. 
4. A mission team is a great source of refreshment and encouragement to a resident missionary/church planter.  The work of a missionary can become lonely and tiresome. A little help and encouragement from a team can multiply the effort and energize the work.
5. Team building.  Working together we all achieve more.  Flexibility. Using our strengths and covering each other's limitations. Everyone on the team experiences the "magic" of being on a winning team.
6. Gaining new insights for ministry that can be implemented in the home church.  Simply being around catalytic and innovated leaders on the front lines of creative ministry provided ideas that can be helpful to an established church.
7. Fun and laughter amid the adventure.  Teams that work and serve together build a camaraderie that lasts long after the trip is complete.

I am hopeful that in the days to come a long term relationship/partnership can develop between our church and the church planting network in the Greater Toronto Area.