missions 101

Right now, I’m in Richmond, VA spending some time with the next group of young adult missionary candidates through the Generation Transformation program. These are Interview and Discernment Days, which means the candidates get some time to hang out and discern with us, and also the opportunity to have a more formal interview to see if the program is a good fit.

Tonight, one of our staff, Patti, shared a silly story which gets to a great point about missions. Imagine I come to your place for a visit, and I’m the type of person who is eager to help people do things better. I notice that your dining table is in your kitchen. I say, “Goodness, why do you eat in here? I keep my dining table in my bedroom and it’s WAY better in there. You ought to change. Look, I’ll even help you move it. Then you’ll learn how great it is, and you can teach your friends also!”

A very simple story, and I know it is easy to pick out bugs, but let’s take a closer look. I want to highlight three things about it from a missions perspective.

First, it’s awesome to be willing and eager to help people. The enthusiasm and energy of people on missions trips is wonderful! I’ve been there myself. Here is one dilemma that is easy to get caught in. No needs assessment was performed in the case of me coming to your house. I didn’t find out if you even have any problems that you want to work together to solve! In fact, I didn’t even say that you and I have any kind of relationship to begin with, so your culture and way of life might be totally lost on me! Mission ought to start with forming relationships, understanding community assets, and also clarifying community concerns.

Secondly, a good question to note is this: whose way is actually better? Where does it make sense to put the dining table? This could be asked from a utilitarian standpoint, and also should be asked from a cultural or traditional standpoint. Probably most people would say that it makes sense for the table to be in the kitchen. On the other hand, maybe in my home (culture), we have little kitchens and big bedrooms, so it actually makes more sense for my table to be in my bedroom. This might not be true in your home though.

Finally, in the story, I’m not coming in with an attitude of learning. Instead of telling you that your table is in the wrong place, I could find out why you put your dining table in the kitchen. Perhaps I would learn that this indeed is a better way of doing things! I could return home, move my table into the kitchen, and show my friends this great trick I learned from another person I met. To me, this is one of the core values of mission – learning something new about a people and bringing the story home to share.

The excitement and enthusiasm to serve is great among people these days. Lots of people want to give of their time and money to join a culture of service. While serving, it’s so important to remember how much we can learn from others, even those we perceive as needy or lacking. It’s also important to realize that blindly serving without considering the true assets and needs of a community could lead to more problems, not just a silly story.

We’re all created in God’s image with great value, and we all have experiences to share. Mission is all about sharing those stories and joining forces to resolve those things we call problems. That includes the problems in the lives of those who seek to serve. We’re all broken people, and we’re all in this thing together.