Resources for Missionary Recruits Online
by Marty Andry, Doug Lucas, and Chris Bushnell
Chapter 12
Leading Youth To Serve in Missions: A Personal Testimony
By Chris Bushnell
It really wasn't until 1986, after I had been in youth ministry for several years, that I truly discovered the benefits of leading youth to serve. We were having a Starv-a-thon, spending the week-end going without food, and learning some of the plight of the world's hungry.
During the weekend, the kids came to a decision totally on their own. They decided they would rather go to Mexico on a mission trip than go skiing in Colorado.
My life was dramatically changed by this, my first cross-cultural experience, and I know many of the youth had a similar experience. I began growing in my love for God as I began seeing the world the way he sees it, and I began increasing in my compassion for suffering people. I am using the phrases, "began seeing, began growing. . ." because it is a lifelong journey.
I have a tremendously powerful sinful nature within me that would much rather selfishly ignore the needs of others and pretend that they don't exist. That is why we need to be involved with service. That is why it is so life-changing.
Why do a service project?
The Bible tells me so.
Service is a necessary and integral part of the Christian life. Someone has said, "You can serve and not be a follower of Christ, but you can't be a follower of Christ and not serve". It is true that as Christians and the Body of Christ - we are the Hands and feet of Jesus. If Jesus were here today, how would he respond to the suffering around us? Would he look the other way and pretend it doesn't exist? Of course not!
There is a myth that many Christians have accepted. The myth says, "Jesus was only interested in taking people to heaven when they die". Wrong. He was also intensely interested in helping the poor, the afflicted, the downcast.
For most of us, the trials of life consist of our favorite teams losing, or our car breaking down, or we catch a cold. But for many others life is much more cruel. Approximately 10,000 people starved to death last night. Which upsets us the most?
Kingdom of God is still being build on earth. It continues to be built by God through our efforts in the lives and hearts of men. "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" It is God's will that we serve those who are in need, for the sake of the kingdom.
The educational value
Much of the education that takes place in the Church consists of someone talking, or someone reading. Yet educational psychologists have known for years that these are two of the least effective ways of teaching people. Direct personal experience is best.
In my experiences with service projects I have seen young people's perceptions of themselves and their purpose in life radically changed! There is nothing that makes one appreciate his lot in life more than living with those in poverty for a while. Those who have gone on service projects will almost always tell you - they themselves were impacted more than the ones they went to serve!
The adobe church building my group built in San Juan, a tiny village in the Mexican Sierra Madres was wiped out by hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The benches and tables we built for the Sunday school kids at Saltillo, Mexico were all stolen by vandals 2 years after we built them, the roof that we put on the church building in Hedionda in Mexico began falling down a year later because the wood supports that the Mexican men installed before we arrived were still green. Yet we consider all of these projects smashing successes because of the eternal changes that took place in many lives. A life brought into the power of the mission of Christ and given a sense of direction will never be the same.
Service projects develop a powerful sense of community .
For three summers I have taken a group to work with our Team Expansion missionaries in Caracas, Venezuela. These trips were sponsored by Teen Mission, USA and consisted of people from all over the country.
Each fall we would me meet again to share about our experience. Looking at slides and each others' photos, we would sit around and laugh for hours. In just 2 short weeks we had grown to love one another deeply - as together we endured culture shock, a strange language, heat, cold, physical exhaustion, diarrhea, lost passports, lost lunches (air sickness). Together we laughed, loved, cried and worked. I know of no greater way to build togetherness in any group than service.
Service projects provide genuine aid to people in need.
In spite of what was said earlier about the greatest benefit often being to those who serve, . there are tremendous blessings that come to the recipients of our service.
There are many orphanages, children's homes, church camps, inner-city projects, rural poor ministries, retirement homes, nursing homes, small churches & of course mission works that would be hard pressed to continue their ministry without the help of service projects volunteers.
I can tell you personally of Elias, Gorge, Jessica, Juan Carlos, Jose Garcia and countless others who know Christ today because of some bold, crazy, Spirit-filled Americans who reached out to them with Christ' love. I can tell you of a church that is growing & strong today after our group canvassed the city and passed out 15,000 invitations to its first church service.
When caring, sensitive, & willing workers serve others in the name of Jesus, God always blesses! Both those who go, and those who are served.
Youth Ministry Service Organizations
Amor Ministries
1664 Precision Park Ln.
San Diego, CA 92173
(619)662-1200
Christ in Youth, Inc.
Box B
Joplin, MO 64802
(417) 781-2273
Compassion International
PO Box 7000
Colorado Springs, CO 80933
(303) 594-9900
Crossroads Missions
See Team Expansion website -- grab the link from there:
http://www.teamexpansion.org
Group Magazine Workcamps
PO Box 431
Loveland, CO 80539
Ninos de Mexico
Box 309
Union, MO 63084
(314) 583-2000
Teen Missions USA
PO Box 24336
Lexington, KY 40524
(606) 278-3202
World Vision
Box O
Monrovia, CA 91016
(800) 423-3366
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