1

Callie Beshears
Deby Jizi
UWRT 1102-028
27 April 2016
Missions
What exactly are missions and what impact do they have on the world? Missions take
place all around the world each and every day to try and expand the Kingdom of God. As
Christians, we want as many people as possible to hear about the love Jesus has for them. You
show love and compassion because Jesus loves and cares for us. We forgive because He
continuously forgives us. In my experience, I feel so overjoyed when I hear about someone
accepting Christ into their life and surrendering their troubles and happiness to Him. Ive done
mission work, but never across the country, much less out of the country. Ive served people on
missions in the local area and throughout North Carolina, but never too far away. I feel as if
missions should matter to other people because, as Christians, our brothers and sisters all around
us need help and if we do not provide it, then who will? Missions matter to me because they
make a huge impact on the lives of others.
From all the things I have read or experienced, missions help change those peoples lives
for the better in the present as well as the future. When people are willing to go and serve, they
are allowing others to witness the love of Christ through their hands. I pray people fall closer in
love with Jesus because they were able to see what He can provide for them through the hands of
those willing to serve. Many groups are able to build churches, schools, community centers,
housing, and so much more. The people of that community, wherever you may go, will have a
place to learn, worship, and live.

2
My question about the impact missions have on the world is significant because so many
people are unsure about what missions are and what good they do. People think that since you
are there for such a short time that you dont have enough time to share the gospel and build
relationships with people. In all actuality, the people there are sponges when it comes to Jesus.
They want to know and they soak up all the information youll tell them. They ask questions and
seek out answers from you because they yearn to learn more about this person who loves them
with unconditional love and who will never leave them. They need hope and they are able to hear
the most hopeful story when people do missions in their community.
Through the blogs and websites Ive read, and notable authors and speakers Ive heard
and learned from, five main sources helped me the most through this inquiry. The first Ill
discuss is a site where anyone who has gone on a mission trip can create a blog posts that tells a
story of their trip or a particular experience they had where God made Himself known. One I
read that really stood out to me was titled Thats My Heart and was posted by Connie Rock
from a trip she took to Cuba. Long story short, she was helping baptize new believers and
overheard a man say something about a woman giving him her heart. She was confused and
didnt want him going after any of the women in the group because thats not what they were
there for. She later found a heart shaped rock on the beach and knew that God was telling her it
wasnt hers, but she didnt fully understand whose it was. When the man saw the heart, he
exclaimed Thats my heart! and went to claim it. She felt awe at what had just happened and
knew it was a clear sign from God towards the man that He still cared and never stopped loving
him. That story gave me chills and put the biggest smile on my face at how God used a heart
shaped rock to show His love towards the man. If Connie hadnt listened to Gods voice and put

3
the rock in her pocket, the man may have never realized that God still loved and cared for him
enough to give him that small gesture.
Another reason to go on missions is to expand your perspective on the world. Staying in
one place for too long will never allow you to grow as a person or as a spiritual leader. You have
to get out of your comfort zone in order to impact the world on a larger scale. When you go to
other countries, youre able to see how they worship and serve God. You can fellowship with
other believers and learn so much more by simply talking to them or worshiping along beside
them. How Christians worship and love the Lord is not the only acceptable way. Once you get
out of your comfort zone, youll realize that in order to grow in the Lord you have to be available
for God to use you. Being grateful for what you have is another bonus of going on a mission trip.
Seeing how little other people have across the world can put into perspective how great we have
it in America. Its the little things so many of us take for granted. I know I take a roof over my
head, gas in my car, even having a mode of transportation, a meal on the table, clean water, and a
loving family for granted every single day. We have access to vaccines, free public school level
education, and so many other huge things that other countries would be so grateful to have. With
all these blessings, why do we get so upset when we dont get the newest cell phone or, for most
guys, the new video game we want so bad? We complain about having to go to school without
realizing how huge of a luxury it is; we go through a drive through and complain when the food
takes too long to come out. Why do we do these things when other people have never had access
to these luxuries that we take for granted so much? Missions truly open your eyes to how good
we have it and it can absolutely break your heart in a way that we all need.
Last reason, and easily the most important, is that it strengthens your relationship with
Christ. Your relationship with Christ the the first and foremost thing that you need before going

4
on a mission trip. No matter how strong you are in the Lord, there is always room to grow. As
you spend your time in a different country, you are able to see how much of an impact you are
making in that community through the help of the Lord. Youre able to see how the Lord
provides for His people and it makes you remember that He will always be there for you. Seeing
God move and work in other people truly tugs your heart and makes you feel like God is right
there and He is smiling with you over the work you have done through Him. Helping others will
make you feel good, but seeing God move in those communities will make you grow in your
faith because youll never forget how kind He has been and how He never stops loving His
people.
Even with all these voices and reasons, a couple sentences hit me pretty hard throughout
this research journey. The first is from Believers Church which states People there are not just
statics. To me, this quote is saying that we cant treat the people like theyre just statistics;
theyre human beings worthy of knowing the love Jesus has for them. This is convincing because
sometimes it can be easy to look at numbers and forget there are people who are hidden in the
shadows behind them. Too often we treat people like statistics instead of actual people. We cant
go on a mission somewhere just to try and change the statistics so theyll look better, you have to
go because you genuinely want to help the people there and allow them to change their life for
the better. Grow the Kingdom of God because He told us to, not because higher statistics of
believers look better on paper. Another quote I found to be powerful was also from Believers
Church which said Doing work for God, and seeing results, is like starting a fire. It is natural for
it to continue and grow larger. Once you get a taste of it, you want more. This is true in my
experience because since the very first time I went on a mission trip, even though it was local, I
have had this longing in my heart to keep going on more. I would love to go out of the country as

5
soon as possible and share the love of Jesus with others. Once I got a taste of how faithful the
Lord is on missions, I want more.
The discoveries I made throughout my research tells me that missions help and that
theyre so important in spreading Jesus to the world. In my life, Im going to go on a mission
somewhere out of this country. Im not sure where God is calling me to go, but I have to be ready
for when He does. The work of a missionary or a volunteer on missions may go unnoticed to
others at first, but the seed that was planted in a community halfway across the world will never
be the same. Also, I realized that I would rather go on regular missions rather than medical
missions. Medical missions were what I originally wanted to do, but now I realize that missions
in general would be more suited for me. Who knows though, one day I may decide to go on a
medical mission if thats where the Lord calls me, but for right now I have my heart set on
missions in general. To the reader, I encourage you to go and serve. If you dont want to go out
of the country, then dont feel forced. There are millions of people here in the United States that
have never heard the good news of Christ. If you feel God tugging on your heart to go and serve,
then go. God will bless you more than you ever thought possible. Youll become richer in love,
patience, gentleness, and your servants heart will grow and shine outward to those around you.
God will give you everything you need and more, so just go and serve and love those who youll
hopefully meet again in Gods Kingdom. While Ive done quite a bit of research, I still need to
experience missions abroad before any other questions can be answered. I need to be in a foreign
place and see for myself the impact it has on the people around me as well as myself. Until I do
that and see for myself the impact missions truly have, Ill still have unresolved questions. One
day my questions will be answered and Ill have more knowledge about missions, but until that
day Ill continue to serve my own community and wait for Gods call.

6
Grady, J. Lee. "7 Reasons You Should Go on a Short-Term Mission Trip." Charisma News. 10
July 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. <http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/44600-7-reasons-youshould-go-on-a-short-term-mission-trip>.
"Last 100 Blog Posts From Adventures In Missions:." Last 100 Blog Posts From Adventures In
Missions. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. <https://www.adventures.org/mosaic/>.
Lipsky, Alyson B. "Evaluating the Strength of Faith: Potential Comparative Advantages of FaithBased Organizations Providing Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa." Public Administration
and Development. 31.1 (2011): 25-36.
"They Were So Alive!: The Spectacle Self and Youth Group Short-Term Mission Trips." They
Were So Alive!: The Spectacle Self and Youth Group Short-Term Mission Trips. Web. 26 Feb.
2016. <http://mis.sagepub.com/content/34/4/451.short>.
Townsend, Sam. "5 Reasons Every Teenager Should Go On a Mission Trip." Youthworks. 11 Feb.
2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. <https://www.youthworks.com/5-reasons-every-teenager-should-goon-a-mission-trip/>.
"Why Take Mission Trips?" Why Take Mission Trips? Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.believers.org/whytrip.htm>.