Are Missions Worth the Money?

Mission trips cost money.  There's no getting around it.  By the time everything is said and done, if you can do an international mission trip for less than $1,500pp you've done pretty good.  Now, say you have 20 people going from your church, that's $30,000!  Wow, that's a lot of cash to go serve! 

So, the question is, is it worth it?  Wouldn't it make more sense to send that $30,000 to Haiti instead of spending it on getting there?  Many people would argue that this is exactly what you should do.  Here are two questions that go through my mind as I come back to this question:

• What would happen if everyone sent money to Haiti, but nobody went?
• Are relationships valuable? If they are, can you have a genuine relationship by sending money?

Are some people called to send money?  Yes.  Are some people called to go?  Yes.  Are some people called to do both?  Yes.  Over the past year, I have seen many teams do both.  They have come with their hands as well as with funds to purchase material and support families.  As a result, relationships have been built, a school is under construction, and teams are returning. 

Middlebrook Pike from Tennessee is one of those teams that God led to Haiti.  They were a college group, eager to get their hands dirty before classes started up again last fall.  They came to Mariani not knowing what to expect, but knowing that God has a way of using people who are willing to take a step in faith. 

The week the team from Tennessee served at Mariani was awesome.  The project was still very fresh so more trenches were dug and a ton of rocks were moved.  From rocks the size of softballs, to rocks the size of beachballs, Middlebrook moved them all.  School was still out for the year, so kids from the community jumped at the opportunity to help.  They had an assembly line of 20+ filled with Americans as well as Haitians.  It was awesome to step back and see Haitian men, women, children, and a group of Americans come together as a team.  Some of the Haitians were paid workers, some were volunteers, but they all were working just as hard for one purpose. 

Mixed in with the hard work was a lot of relationship building.  The team couldn't speak creole, but somehow by the end of the week the line of communication was flowing freely.  Kids were laughing and grown men were having a good time.  Songs the team were singing in english were quickly being picked up by the kids, and before you knew it, the song was being sang in creole as well. 

When the week was over, it was hard to say goodbye.  Tears were shed and many handshakes and hugs were exchanged.  We ended with a time of prayer with the whole "team," consisting of Haitians and Americans.  Are missions worth the money?  Middlebrook is coming back this year, and the Haitian church can't wait until they return.