Long-Term Investments: What you can do in the short-term to have a long-term impact!

If you are looking for a blog on retirement savings or mutual funds, this might not be what you were looking for, but please keep reading!

Short-term missions team from Abilene

For years Tricia and I led short-term missions teams from Texas, but now we are on the receiving end of those teams and are involved in long-term missions. Over the years I have heard a number of debates about the effectiveness of short-term teams in the work of long-term mission fields. This blog isn’t meant to be a part of that debate, but it is meant to point out how a recent short-term team prayerfully and intentionally made investments on the field with long-term returns in mind.

Assisting the Youth with a landscaping project at village church

The past 2 weeks we were excited to have a short-term missions team made up of people from 3 churches in the Abilene, Texas area, including our sending church Beltway Park. For several months the team and team leaders emailed and skyped back and forth with Tricia and I. While we scheduled some of the typical outreaches short-term teams commonly engage in, this team really took time to research about Cambodia, ask lots of questions and most importantly strategize with us about how they could have a meaningful impact. They didn’t develop their own schedule trying to provide an exciting “experience” for the team, but asked how each person’s individual skills and abilities could serve the local churches and ministries of Cambodia. They were also interested in projects the team could invest in that would have a meaningful, long-term impact.

 I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the team’s thought processes. They didn’t make suggestions about some of the typical giveaways and handouts that can often create dependencies or reinforce the feelings of low self-esteem in vulnerable communities. Instead they looked for opportunities to empower people, to partner with people who desired to work and gain self-respect and dignity. They

were also really practical in providing solutions to local problems, using local resources.

Portable Sugar Cane Food Cart

Here are just a few of the many projects they were involved with:

1)     Assisting a vulnerable single mother with her dream of purchasing a portable food cart, so she could increas her income potential and provide stability for herself and her child.                                                    

72 ceramic water filter

 

2)Assisting a village with their initiative of purchasing 10 sewing machines, so a sewing cooperative could be set up. This cooperative will allow 13 8^th graders continue their studies in the 9^th grade and beyond(the drop-out rate for that age group in this village was about 70% previously) and help stabilize vulnerable families in the village.

    
3) Provide 72 families with water filters. Water filters aren’t something most people think about, but in a third world country where people die every day from water-born illnesses, water filters and teaching on hygiene can have a significant community impact.

Helping a family to construct a latrine

 

4)     Had a flower planting/landscaping time with the youth of a village church. This was something the village church was already working on.  The team just followed their lead and helped further their vision.

5)   Worked side by side together with a family to build a latrine in their new home. This family had recently been forcibly evicted from their former home.

It was refreshing to see the team use their personal skills and abilities to serve vulnerable communities.  They were able to share the Gospel, strengthen and encourage believers and leaders, all through practical, common-sense projects.

Amazing 10 days with short-term team making a long-term impact!