This past summer, I had the opportunity to lead a trip to Haiti. The team was amazing, and God did some really amazing things. But one of the things that impacted me the most was talking to some of the full time missionaries in Haiti. Maybe I was naive in thinking that they would welcome the MA team with open arms, and love everything that we were about to do with them…I actually got the opposite reaction from some of them. Instead of welcoming and encouraging comments, I was faced with small comments about how short-term missions were pointless and did nothing in the communities. And you know what, those comments really hurt me. I didn’t realize it right away, but deep inside I began to question, “Do short term mission trips really work?”

This question haunted me all week, and I was determined to find an answer. We continued on with all of our ministry throughout the week, but I still didn’t know what to think. But then, later on in the week, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with one of the missionaries there. We were able to just sit down and talk about why he didn’t care for short term missions…but the longer we talked, the more he said that thought his mind was changing. He said that the MA team we had there really opened his eyes to the fact that short term missions are not JUST for the people we minister to. He began to realize that the trips were for the students who were on the trip to experience a different culture and people outside of their comfort zone. He also said that throughout the week, he personally had been encouraged by the team, and was excited to see more teams come!

So…YES SHORT TERM MISSIONS TRIPS WORK!! There is no mystery about it! They may not do exactly what long term missions do, but that is ok. I guess you could say they have a different mission field…but that is another story!

Ahnna Miller

YWAM Minneapolis Mission Adventures

Check out our page for more information about our trips and 2013 dates!