Dongi Dongi Mission Trip Reflection

Feeling Accomplished

One of the common critiques of short-term mission trips is around the immediate and long-term impact of the mission activity.  Some wonder if anything of lasting significance can be accomplished in a couple of weeks.  Others question if the money spent on the cost of the mission trip could be better utilised by sending it directly to the mission field.  While these are valid questions that should be given reasonable consideration, at the end of our three weeks in Indonesia I am left with the following reflective conclusions:

• We have mobilised a team of Salvationists from our Corps to actively engage in the international mission of The Salvation Army.
• We have evoked a spirit of generosity in our Corps and community to resource the vision of an overseas Corps and community.
• We have invested into the lives of 180 children and their families by helping to establish a school building more appropriate for the needs of the local community.
• We have partnered with a community by participating alongside them in a project that has laid the foundation for ongoing relationship beyond the end product.
• We have shared life with other Salvationists through local hospitality, mutual encouragement and pastoral ministry.
• We have been mutually enriched by exchanging broader perspectives of Salvationism through our respective cultural expressions and experiences.
• We have responded to unplanned ministry opportunities adding value to and alleviating stress from local leadership and discipleship initiatives.
• We have followed-up relationships established during previous trips through ministry engagement that continues to sow into the faith journey of other Salvationists.
• We have returned home better equipped with a higher level of cultural intelligence to more effectively engage cross-culturally in our Corps and community.

It is one thing to contribute to a mission by sending money but quite a different experience to commit to a mission by going and personally engaging with those on the mission field.  Both can be valuable, but approached with right attitude the latter fosters a level of engagement that puts relationships ahead of the task and helps to develop a level of cultural intelligence that can integrate into mission and ministry back home.

Jakarta Mission Trip (Day 3 & 4)

Today, as we led the Jelambar Corps towards a place of commitment to the vision and mission for their Corps during the final worship service, I felt myself deeply moved by the response of the congregation. Deeper than the emotion of the occasion, I sensed that God's Spirit had really connected with these people and something had shifted in their understanding of God's purpose for their church. While people stepped forward to make a heart commitment and to seal that commitment by placing their name upon it, our team moved among the people and prayed over them as an expression of support and solidarity. While God chose to use us a vehicle for His blessing to this Corps, we also became the recipients of that blessing. It is difficult to express in words what we felt in those moments, except that we experienced a tangible movement of God's Spirit that intensified our own commitment to the vision that drives the mission of the Noarlunga Corps. 

The words of the theme song for the camp used during this call for commitment spoke powerfully to us all: 

"As we come into your presence Lord 

Lifting our heart as one 

And with one voice we sing 

Promise to be faithful till the end 

Forever love you, our God 

As for me and my house 

We will serve you Lord 

Together, forever We will love you more 

Your love is higher than the heavens 

Knitted us as one 

Great is your unfailing love 

The trouble of this world may try 

To stand in our way 

But the power of your Spirit 

Gives us the victory."

Jakarta Mission Trip (Day 1)

There are those moments in time when you are reminded of the unique bond we have with the Holy Spirit that transcends cultural divides and truly unites us as brothers and sisters in Christ. Today was one of those moments. Reconnecting with Nyoman Timonuli, with whom we trained in The Salvation Army Officer Training College, and his beautiful family, was much more than old friends reuniting. As he shared God's vision for his church and the clear purpose he saw in this vision for their community, it was clear that the same Spirit was at work in Jelambar as in Noarlunga! He spoke of the brokenness in every direction around his church, which reflects the same brokenness we identify in our neigbourhood. He shared a vision of a prayer tower shining light into that brokenness, we see our 24-7 Prayer Room as a lighthouse in the darkness that surrounds us. He struggles with spiritual attacks every time they try to advance, we too experience the reality of this spiritual warfare while advancing the Kingdom. He seeks ownership from his congregation of God's vision, we are constantly connecting people to a shared vision. He settles for nothing less than the plans God has for them; we are uncompromising on God's preferred reality for His people! Although, these similarities could describe any number of congregations living out God's mission, it was a moment of unmistakable spiritual unity between two Corps, united by one Spirit. It is into this spiritual environment that we commence our mission trip and partner with another Corps to see the fulfilment of God's transforming vision for a lost and broken world!