What’s the Measure of Success?

A couple of the kids from Lar Herminia: )

We had a mission team from the US here for 7 days last month. It was a group of 30 people from Graystone Church in Grayson, Georgia. For 7 days we ministered to orphans, to battered women (single moms- mostly teenagers and their babies) in a rescue shelter and to hundreds of kids from a couple different favelas here in the Curitiba area. It was an amazing week: )

As we were nearing the end of the trip, Heath Hollandsworth (the missions pastor who was leading the group) asked me a question as we were eating dinner one night. He asked me, “what would be your definition of a successful missions trip?” I gave him half of the answer and then we were interrupted so I had to finish my response the next day. What I told him wasn’t anything earth shattering and there were no heavenly choirs singing as a bright light shone upon my face as I responded, no. It wasn’t anything like that at all. It was actually something pretty simple.

And now that they’ve been gone for over a little over a month I felt like I needed to write and tell you what I told him. Because if you're planning on going on a mission trip in the future, to me- as a missionary, I feel it’s important that these 2 things happen while you’re on your trip. They’re not in order of importance. I feel like they’re equally important (at least to me- though another missionary may feel differently).

Number One

The first thing I told Heath was that "it's a successful mission trip when the person who comes is changed forever." That's when a person comes and then when they go home they can’t shake what they experienced on the mission field. And it makes it so that they can’t live the same way they did before they came.

When people come on a mission trip they usually see poverty, heartache and despair like they’ve never experience before. And when you’re on a mission trip overseas it always makes you thankful for what you have back at home. And, especially when people come and minister with us, they get to experience what it’s like to love on orphans and children who live in extreme poverty (and to be loved back by them). And those things effect you- as they should. 

And how can we see these things as followers of Jesus and then do nothing about it and just carry on with ‘life as usual’ once the trip is over and we get back into the groove of our ‘life’ at home? Because seeing kids who are orphaned, living in impoverished conditions and having no hope should make us different, right? And wanting to do something to try and change that should happen. And, in addition to that, there’s actually something else that should effect us even more than all the physical needs we see- and it's this… "the lack of access to the Gospel.”

In the States you can’t drive a 1/4 mile without seeing a church. But on the mission field it’s usually different. Churches are sparse and finding a church that’s actually proclaiming the Gospel is even harder to find. So, the lack of access to what really brings life, joy, peace and fulfillment should alarm us even more than all the ‘natural things’ that are so blatantly obvious. And to think that all these people are dying and headed for an eternity in Hell, unless someone proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, should make it where we’ve got to do something about it.

Number Two  

The second thing that I told Heath was that another part of what I’d consider a successful mission trip is "when the team that comes helps move along the ministry that’s already taking place there.”

I can remember being on mission trips in the past (several years ago) and in retrospect I feel ashamed. It’s like we had the attitude of "we're the American christians and we’re here to help you- but we’re gonna do what we think is best and we’re not gonna find out what you need because we’re on a mission and we’re awesome for taking our time to come here and we…" you get the picture, right? 

I can remember one year me and my friend Jono sat down and asked a pastor here in Brazil what we could do to help him while we were here with a mission team. And, when we asked him that question, he literally teared-up and broke down as he talked to us. 

He said that although he always appreciated missions teams coming and helping him in his favela and at his church- it never really helped him long-term. He said that it seemed like the teams that came always had their own agenda. They would do great things for the few days that they were there but it never helped his church or the people in his favela after the team left.

When he told us that, it changed the way that we looked at missions trips. And now that Me, MJ and the kids are here we can see it even clearer. Sure, it’s amazing to see people who are willing to give-up their time and raise their own money to come and help here in Brazil. There’s no way to minimize or discount the sacrifice that people make to make it happen. And for that we’re very grateful. 

But what truly makes a trip successful (coupled with the first thing I shared with you) is when the team that comes helps the missionary, the mission, the church or the organization further whatever it is that they’re trying to accomplish wherever they are (on a daily basis). Whether it’s an inch or a mile, as long as the mission is progressed and the Gospel is furthered- it’s a success.

So, long-story-short, success is a life changed forever (the person who came) and the mission pushed forward (for the ones who are there). It’s pretty simple. 

And if you’re wondering- Graystone definitely helped push what we’re doing forward here in the orphanages, at Patrick’s Place and in Villa Zumbi. Thanks so much guys!

Now we’re praying that, as time goes on, that every person who came will forever be changed and will make proclaiming the Gospel their life’s goal. Not just here in Brazil but in every country of the world.

Love Ya,

Jim