Thoughts from Atlanta

I missed posting last week because I was away on a disaster relief mission trip to McDonough Georgia, just south of Atlanta. A church in the town wanted to lead an outreach in their county to some of the poorest residence in their community whose houses, that were in bad shape to begin with, were badly affected by all the rain and flooding of the past months. They invited a team of Canadians down to help get their project kick started and so a team of us from across Canada met down south and went about getting work started (and completed) on about 14 different projects. There was a lot of work to be done as we sought to reach out in the name of Jesus and provide tangible expressions of love and concern as we helped some people with their greatest physical needs. A week like this also provides many opportunities to express why it is that we were their doing what we were doing. We were able to share about the kind of things that Jesus wanted to do through his followers, including reaching out and helping those in need. This often, in turn, leads to opportunities to share about who Jesus is and what He has done for us. As me meet physical and material needs, we often have the opportunity to share about spiritual needs as well. We shared with those whom we were serving as well as having a very unique opportunity to share with a group of young men who, because of trouble with the law, were working with us as a part of their community service. I believe that the efforts of our group from Canada, and of the local church with whom we were working had a very positive influence on a number of the young men, many of whom came back to help even after their mandatory hours where served. One youth actually made a profession of faith in Christ.
One of the most exciting things to come out of the trip, however, was a sentiment that was shared at an appreciation breakfast held on the very last day. I had already left to drive the 16 hours home, but those who were in attendance shared about the heartfelt thanks that was expressed. This is a part of the e-mail report I received:
"The Mayor and their states representative were both at the breakfast and thanked the Canadians for being the catalyst for stimulating their community into action. We completed 14 projects and they plan to keep going to do some more. People that seemed to have slipped through the cracks are now in touch with help organizations such as meals on wheels, church groups, counselling, home maintenance, and home care to see that they are properly looked after."
What I was most excited about was the fact that our trip may have been a catalyst for the community and the local church to see the needs in their own community and the possibility of continuing to do something about it. The reality is that in a short one week trip their is only a small dent that one team will ever be able to make. When one sees the amount that needs to be done it can actually be overwhelming to the point that I can begin to ask, "what is the point of doing a short term trip?" There was one house alone, owned by a man who had polio who had all but given up on life, not to mention his house, that we could have worked on for a year. One week is just not enough. We were able to accomplish 14 projects, not bad in and of itself, but if this was the beginning of something longer lasting in which the local church continues doing this kind of work in their own communities then the trip was a huge success.
I have been reminded of that famous mission verse in Matthew 28:19 in which Jesus commands his disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations..." The "go" here is a participle (going) making the real command "make disciples." Our efforts at disaster relief may meet physical needs, but it requires someone to stay behind after the week in order to continue to build the relationships and to engage in discipleing people. What a great thing to hear the the local churches were inspired to keep on building upon what was started. This does not, however, take away from the idea of going but rather broadens our understanding and the need to go. It is perhaps best translated "as you are going..." which really means that we are to consider ourselves on mission everywhere we go, for what ever reason we may be going. In other words, in all that we do, whenever, for whatever, we are representing Christ. This does not take away from the need for people to intentionally go places for the purpose of missions, whether long term as missionaries or for short term projects. Rather, we should be adding a sense of intentionality to all that we do that whether we go to Atlanta or down the block we go with purpose.
After this last trip I find myself pleased by the work we were able to accomplish in the name of Jesus, and am excited about future trips that might be in the works. I am especially pleased to think of the effect that it may have had on the local churches who seemed inspired to keep this work going. I am also thinking about how the members of my church might begin to do this same work here in our community. Who are the individuals that are slipping through cracks here? Who can we be assisting in the name of Jesus? What positive impact could we have here in Milton that might lead to opportunities to make disciples?