We’ve had posts about why people go on mission trips, what you need to believe if you’re leading one, and who to partner with on the field. Because so many mission trips these days have a strong construction focus, I thought it was time for some practical advice on how to take on these projects with a group of enerjetic, unskilled, volunteers from your church. Here are ten quick tips I’ve picked up organizing and working with teams here in Tijuana [...]

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“You’re not American,” sneered Carlos, “the first Americans were the natives! You’re an invader!”

I would’ve expected to hear this out of a liberal professor back at the university I attended—but in Mexico? And I may not even disagree with this statement in theory—but from a Tijuana teenager? C’mon!

I like the kid. He’s a rebel and he’s smart. But he’s also out of balance and out of perspective. Carlos hates me because I am “American.” And this is no joke. Even further, he hates that the United States plays big brother around the globe. Therefore I am definitely not Carlos’s best friend, as I am a U.S. citizen doing humanitarian aid in Mexico. How much worse could I get?

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Here it is the groove slightly transformed
…
Riding around in your Jeep or your Benzos 15-passenger
Or in your Nissan sitting on Lorenzos, oh man, does my back hurt
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Honking at the honey in front of you with the light eyes jerk who just cut you off
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The temperatures about 88
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You just finished wiping your car down [b/c of all the dust]
Its time to cruise so you head to the summertime hangout [tacos]
It looks like a car show demolition derby
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Two miles an hour so everybody sees you b/c of all the potholes
…
And this is the Fresh Prince’s Ben’s new definition of summer madness [in TJ]

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…create a lot of competition. And competition creates marketing. And marketing creates manipulation.

A good friend of mine works in marketing. I respect him, and his work, greatly. Saying that, I always had a running joke with him that marketers would be more appropriately named manipulators. But where and how does marketing fit into non-profits? —Especially Christian organizations?

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I just returned from the funeral of my uncle-in-law. He died suddenly of a heart attack. Didn’t know the man too well, I think we’d met three or four times. Other than a few cultural twists, the funeral was fairly straight forward—last night we had the viewing followed by the burial today. The scene crossed cultural lines. There were people openly crying, others dry-eyed. Somebody said how great it was he went so quickly. “Didn’t hardly suffer a thing—hope I can go that fast, without suffering.” Many chimed in. “We are the ones that are sad. He’s in a better place.” And on and on went the usual funeral small talk.

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If I were a Youth Pastor leading a mission trip to Tijuana (as thousands do every year), I would not make a stop at Disneyland on the way back home. I’m not ready to condemn the leader who does greet Mickey and Minnie, but I think it’s a sketchy move for several reasons. [...]

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Newton’s Third Law states: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Tomorrow I’m going to hand out a ton of Number 2 pencils in a very poor area. They were donated to us from a source in the States. It’s a cool story how and who rounded them up—but that’s for another article. But we’ve literally got bazillions of pencils; so each kid’s gonna get at least a few of them.

All good up until now? Maybe not. There’s always pros and cons to everything. In the case of giving out pencils—albeit a relatively insignificant gesture—there are negative effects. Bare with me.

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Many people go into culture shock as they step foot into Mexico. But do Mexicans experience culture shock in other Latin American countries?

Lorena was born and raised in Mexico; but now in her late twenties, she’s just moved to the States. She and her husband, Francisco, are attending a mostly all-white church. The congregation meets in a nice building in an upper-middle-class neighborhood.

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On my first ever short-term mission trip, I was part of a team that built a house for a single, young mother of a handful of small children. At the time I would have done just about anything for the family. In fact, I did—sort of. Just a few months later I was back down in the same neighborhood where our group built two more homes. To my delight, I was able to find the young mother after a couple hours of searching. I was thrilled! The experience was super emotional. She asked me for money to buy food and I unloaded my wallet. Wow, was I grateful for the opportunity to be there and help. For the years to follow I thought about this family and their little home frequently.
 
I believe this is common of short-term mission trips. They’re impacting, stirring, unforgettable, and life changing. However, now that I’ve lived in Mexico for several years, I look back on my short-term mission trips with some embarrassment. I don’t boast that I now have belt-notches of wisdom, but I do look at the same scenery through a thicker lens.

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