One of my jobs is to coordinate summer mission trips for our students. I've only been doing it for less than a year, and last year was not too easy. It doesn't look as if 2005 will be any easier. We've got one trip in the motions already but we need to get more clarification and do some homework on our part. I got in touch with a resource from Iteams that I had been in contact with for potential trips for last year too, and he has been helpful. It's kind of a cool exchange, although I'm a bit envious of his job. His sig reads in part "Having a Blast Mobilizing People into Missions!" Now thats cool.
On the flip side, I am more convinced than ever, that the light of the world is the local church. Jesus mandates the local church to be the primary catalyst for change, to engage the culture around it, to build leaders within that culture, to expound the Gospel around community and relevance and fellowship. That is the method whereby the Gospel will go to the ends of the Earth.
It requires that we have maintain a good balance between getting students involved in mission work wherever, for them to have a good experience with it, to go with good leadership and work that is indigenous, faith building, culture engaging. And to realize that we need to continue to build momentum in the local church when we can, understanding that sometimes, the best way to do that is to support our church's missionaries when it works.
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