One of my previous posts prompted some debate about the validity of short-term mission trips. Debra Snellen, co-founder of LEAMIS, noted the discussion and responded to it while e-mailing me about some business related to the upcoming trip. I asked Debra if I could share a snippet of her remarks with you:

What people don’t seem to understand is that giving to missions, prayer, and
other support will be greater in the long run if people truly understand
what it is all about. There is no better way to come to this understanding
than by personal experience. The passion for missions work that most people
will experience can totally change a church’s vision and purpose in
missions, and therefore help more people in other countries. How can you put
a [dollar] value on that?

I certainly understand [a posted] comment about people in other countries knowing
how to make soap. I thought that, too. The knowledge is there, but the
availability and cost is prohibitive. We found this in Nairobi last year.
The knowledge is kept at the university, not in places like the Kibera
slums – and the price for a class is beyond the people – especially those
living in places like the Kibera slums. One of the things that shocked the
community the most was the fact that [LEAMIS'] workshops were being offered free
of charge. In a society such as ours that has such free access to knowledge
through the Internet, interest clubs, etc – it is almost beyond our
comprehension that people can’t (due to lack of resources) learn to do
something on their own.

As you know, the LEAMIS concept is to train people so they can train others.
We would like to “work ourselves out of a job” so to speak. There is no
question that the greatest gospel impact in a country will come from those
who are part of a given culture. Otherwise, there is always the element of
it being a foreign religion.