The Thunder

Happy Thunder fans with treats from the States

As we sat at the table for breakfast the week before last, Jeff asked me, "Did you hear that the Thunder traded Westbrook to the Rockets?"

Since the Oklahoma City Thunder had traded Paul George the Friday before that, I had been checking my phone at least twice a day to see whether anything had happened with Russell Westbrook. I think our guests, volunteers Jeff and Judy from Portland Avenue Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, were checking theirs even more. And we all mourned together at this terrible news, then had lively discussion about the future of our beloved team and the coming NBA season.

Of course in God's great plan, the Thunder trades are probably of little significance. But sharing in the ups and downs of the trades that week was just one small blessing of the many we experienced from the Hugheses' visit.

Judah's homemade sign welcomed the volunteer team.

Short-term mission trips have become controversial over the past few years (probably for much longer than that in some circles). What really is the purpose of them, and do they do more harm than good? Are they a waste of money, time, and resources? Just bad stewardship? Can they produce any real, lasting fruit? Or are they just born out of selfishness—American Christians' desire to feel good that they are sacrificing and suffering for Jesus (with lots of heart-wrenching photos and stories to share back home)? What good can really come out of one or two weeks of ministry from people who don't know the language or culture, and shouldn't we be skeptical of any decisions that are made in response to their preaching, teaching, and evangelism?

These questions and the concerns behind them are legitimate. We have heard many stories about the damage that short-term mission teams have done in the past, so we are aware of the danger and risks. Yet we continue to believe that short-term mission trips have use and value in God's kingdom and in our work as missionaries. So we work to educate and train our teams before they head our way and as soon as they arrive. We thank God that so far, in our experience, short-term teams have been effective. The rewards far outweigh the risks. And here are some of the rewards we've seen—some of the benefits and blessings of hosting short-term volunteer mission teams.

A gift from our friends the Mullicans to remind us of the Sooner State

Volunteer teams help us stay connected to our former home: our country, our state, and our church. We get to talk face to face with other Americans, even other Oklahomans, who can fill us in on the latest happenings there. We can talk about things like sports, politics, restaurants, and city development. Of course many of these things we could learn from online news sources or even e-mails or calls from friends. But that human presence and live conversation are so precious when you live so far away from the culture and places you know and love. Isolation can be a huge problem for missionaries, even a hindrance to the work. So volunteer teams alleviate that pain, keeping us socially and emotionally connected to life "back home."

With Judy outside our church on Sunday

Judy encouraging me by teaching alongside me

Jeff keeping Asher entertained for a few moments

Volunteer teams encourage us in our work. Part of that encouragement comes through the connection to home that I just described, but it's much more than that. Volunteer teams pray for and with us. They compliment us, cheer us on, and express gratitude and appreciation for the work we're doing. Of course, we don't do this work to receive praise for ourselves—God's glory is our reward. But at times the work grows wearisome, and having someone by your side to give you a hug and words of encouragement makes all the difference.

Jeff preaching at our church Sunday morning

Harvey and Jeff teaching the believers in Montepuez

Jeff and Judy with the Montepuez church

Volunteer teams encourage the national believers. The believers here are honored to receive guests from afar, and they are so blessed and encouraged to know that believers in America are praying for them, thinking of them, and making sacrifices to come so far to teach and equip them. The lives of these believers are not easy. They are poor by Western standards. Death and sickness are common. Many do not have the support of family in their faith—they have sacrificed to follow Jesus. So God can use volunteers to remind them of His love for them and help them persevere in the faith.

Judy sharing her wisdom and experience with the women

Volunteers offer expertise and life experience that we don't have. Both of the teams we hosted this summer were made up of men and women with grown children. They have more experience in life and faith than we do, and the nationals greatly respect age. But even if we had teams of younger volunteers, they would have skills and gifts that we don't have that would benefit the believers here. Judy, for example, grew up working on her family farm, which is something most Mozambicans relate to, something completely foreign to me. So her testimony of her childhood and coming to faith might be more meaningful and relatable to some of the women than mine would because of that commonality. It's exciting to see how God uses each volunteer's background and life experience to minister to the people here.

Volunteer teams draw attention. Pemba has a large expat community, but still, a group of foreigners stands out on the streets and in neighborhoods. If nationals notice the volunteers, they might be curious why they're here and what they have to say, which can make them more open to listen to the message of the Gospel.

Volunteer teams spread excitement about missions when they return home. Usually they have opportunities to share with their churches, friends, and families about their experience here. They have seen God at work on the mission field firsthand, and as they share what they've seen, they can stir up support in prayer and giving, and they can even inspire others to go on mission short-term or long-term. Or, sometimes, God uses a short-term experience to call a volunteer to a long-term commitment to the mission field. That is how our journey to missions began—Harvey went on a short-term mission trip to Southeast Asia, and he came back with the spark of a calling in his heart that led us to Mozambique for the first time.

Judy and Jeff

Jeff and Judy treated us to lunch at this beachside restaurant.

Enjoying our lunch with Jeff and Judy at the beach

For all of these reasons, we are happy to host short-term mission teams. We just got word that the church that sent a team in June is already planning another trip for next year, and we are so pleased to continue this partnership with them. Having Jeff and Judy here didn't change our disappointment about the dismantling of the Thunder. But having someone to process it with, fellow fans from the great city we miss, certainly softened the blow. Maybe next summer we'll be marveling with another volunteer group of Thunder fans that our team of nobodies made the playoffs (we can only hope). And who knows, maybe YOU will be in that group (Thunder fan or not)!