GETTING STARTED
So you’re thinking back to this amazing trip you took over the summer. You did a lot of great things in another community. Maybe the questions are starting to surface. You’re not alone. Post-mission trip soul-searching follows most people home.
Now what?
What do I DO with this?
Should I do ANYTHING AT ALL?
Would it MATTER anyway?
Here’s my answer: YES! DO SOMETHING! Jesus told his disciples to GO and DO, not “go and think about it” or “go and feel bad about other people’s problems” or “go and serve a week out of the year – the other 51 weeks are all yours!” The “what to do” is up to you… and God.
Maybe your eyes were opened. Maybe you were blown away. You need to reflect and process, but you can also TAKE ACTION and make a unique dent in our world full of needs. Don’t know what to do? That’s okay! Motivation to GET GOING is all you need to start.
WHAT’S BUGGIN’ YOU?
God places different passions in all of us. What from your trip has weighed heaviest on your heart? Which injustice infuriated you? Did anything upset you enough to make you take action? Name it!
Naomi was upset about the lack of reading skills in the children she worked with at Kids Club. “These kids are so smart. Why can’t they read?” As she began to think about it, she became more and more angry. Frustration set in as she tried to figure out what she could do to fix this problem.
Most surrender here in helplessness. But don’t quit!
I asked Naomi why these kids couldn’t read. She listed about 10 possibilities: poor schools, uncaring teachers, no money for books, no health insurance for eye exams and reading glasses. She was beginning to dig below the surface, going to the root of the problem. Just like bad breath is a symptom of a deeper issue, a dirty mouth, and a dirty mouth is a result of not flossing and brushing, not being able to read was a symptom of another deeper root cause.
PICK YOUR BATTLES
Too often we face more problems than we can battle all at once. Don’t let the enormity of the issues overwhelm or paralyze you – pick one and get started.
Naomi felt that reading at home was more critical than reading in school. Children’s books cost roughly $10, which a family living below the poverty line might find difficult to afford when faced with the reality of putting food on the table. Maybe Naomi could figure out a way to get more books to parents in the community. Helping to empower parents to read to their children was a root she could attack.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Realizing how expensive it is to buy books, Naomi started thinking of ways to raise money. Knowing she could only do so much alone, she gathered a group of youth who had served on the trip. As she was describing her plan, one of her friends said, “We have some extra books from when my little brother was a kid.” Others said the same thing. When they started adding them up, they found that together they had over 150 books to donate!
Work to discover untapped resources to create change. Think, pray and talk with others. With creativity and teamwork, implementing your idea might be easier (and less expensive) than you think.
TRASH THE TRASH TALK
You might be saying, “Yeah, right! We are too young.” In the Bible, people told Timothy he was too young. Thankfully, Paul sent this word of encouragement: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity”
(1 Tim. 4:12).
Are you sending yourself messages like these that keep you from serving?
“This is an EXTREMELY dumb idea.”
“I’d be really excited to do this… but what if it fails?”
“If I bring up this idea, I bet my group will shut me down.”
“I’m sure the youth leaders will do something better than I can.”
“I’m just a teenager. I can’t do anything that REALLY matters.”
“There aren’t any real needs where I live.”
When this stuff invades your mind, get rid of it. Trash the trash talk.
SO WHERE YA HEADIN’?
After emptying your mental garbage, start filling your mind with “we” (not “I”) questions:
What are we capable of DOING?
What will it take to MAKE this idea happen?
What is the basic plan of ACTION?
What is our basic time frame from start to finish?
What are we missing?
Naomi and the crew got in touch with a ministry in the community they had served that summer and asked if they would like some books. The response? “Absolutely!”
This fired up Naomi’s group to start putting their plan in motion. People supported the effort more than any of them expected. Over 1,000 books came pouring in and were sent to a ministry who gave them to community members in need.
Did these books change the world? Maybe not. But they must have changed someone’s world. Who knows how God used those books, whom they helped become a better reader, whose family was brought closer during a story time. Just like the young boy who offered a little lunch that Jesus used to feed 5,000 people, we simply need to DO OUR PART and let God do God’s part.
Individual ideas and efforts might seem small, but imagine if every one of the million-plus people who went on mission trips around the world this summer would just DO SOMETHING.
Free yourself to believe missions is more than a once-a-year event. Change your mind. Gather your community. Do your small something. Make service your lifestyle. And trust that GOD IS CHANGING THE WORLD as you follow Jesus.
by Eric Iverson
