Short Term Missions, Long Term Blessings!

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”  1 Corinthians 3:6.

We have often been asked, and sometime wondered ourselves: can small teams for short times really make a difference?

One of the many advantages of having a long-term relationship with Nury as our in-country host is that she can help answer that question.  This time she spoke to us of short-term missions and long-term blessings.

In 2008 our team went to Gualan, Guatemala.  We served in a very poor community where we saw and cared for a small, very malnourished baby girl.  Concerned that the baby might actually die, a member of our team and the local Lutheran pastor went to the family’s home to explain to and talk to them about baptism. After much family discussion, the baby was baptized, and we were able to further help the family by giving them baby formula and vitamins.  Our team stayed in touch with the pastor, so that we could provide him monetary support for the child.  Nury told us that this gave the pastor an opening to visit with other families in the community and to start a small Bible study.  Today, the group is large—many more families are hearing the Word of God.  And the baby?  She is now part of this group and doing well.

In 2011, our team served a church and Lutheran school in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.  Part of the mission involved putting in a ceiling and a fan in one of the school’s classrooms.  We also had long discussions about education in the United States, because the pastor and the principal wanted this Lutheran school to be the school of choice in this community.  Today the School is just that.  With over 800 students, it is the largest Lutheran school in Central America.

In 2014, our medical team served in Granada, Nicaragua.  Out clinic was in a public school.  The teachers observed that we started our clinic every day with prayer.  Now they start every school day with prayer!  Two members of that team have stayed in touch with one of the pastors and help him with monetary and prayer support to feed hungry children in this community.

On this trip, we saw a young girl with a congenital hip abnormality.  When mom and daughter left our clinic, we were not sure that they really understood what could and should be done for the child.  Nury, two members of our medical team, and an interpreter made a home visit, talking with mother, father, and grandparents about the medical issues and the treatment options.  It is probable that this girl will be able to lead a relatively normal life after this intervention.

So the answer?  Yes, short-term missions trips do lead to long-term blessings.  We are able to plant, and water, and God gives the growth.

Thank you for your prayers and support,

Your 2015 Guatemala Mission Team