El Tinteral I'm picking up a team from the U.S. in a few hours. It is a team from a Christian univeristy. They are part of the outreach ministry of the school that is sending students and alumni around the world. With each team, we always have anticipation as well as preoccupation. What is the team's expectations? Will they like it here? Will their time be viewed as valuable? Will they gain a heart for the people here? Will their time support the ongoing work of ENLACE and its churches or just be a short term visit?
I still have mixed feelings about the 1 billion dollars a year that is estimated to be spent by evangelical U.S. churches on short term trips. We recently hosted a group of 75 people. It was quite the undertaking to plan all the logistics, to host them, and for the most part, the trip went well. Our team worked very hard, and the group did contribute around $10k on the cost of a house built. But, we were informed that they will go to another country next year. They like to visit a variety of places. My thinking is challenged when I think that the team probably spent $80K or more on the expense to come down. Could the numbers be switched? Could they have spent $10K on sending 10 people down and $80K to fund projects, and support churches?
Still, I know that God is at the helm of all this. Most people I've met this year are truly desiring to meet God on a deeper level, and the short-term trip is a part of that pursuit. Also, I've experienced how the local churches are encouraged by the teams, when humility guides the cross cultural interaction. Because the ministry of ENLACE continues long after the teams, I can see how they truly can give the work a shot in the arm.
The church and community of El Tinteral just hosted a team last week, and they are gaining radical momentum. The community provided the same amount of people to work on the projects as that of the group from the U.S. This group today that is coming will hopefully help keep the momentum going as God uses a tiny group of local Christians to transform a community and bring Him glory.