When most people think of mission trips, they generally think of labor under the hot sun in developing countries with difficult living conditions, questionable drinking water, and ramshackle structures. The mission trip of which I was a part was nothing like that. I was part of a team that spent a comfortable week in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Even though it may not seem like a “traditional” short-term mission experience, I believe that it has just as much impact on the Kingdom of God.
In Matthew 19, there is a story of a rich young man who approaches Jesus with a question:
“16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]”
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The people of Belfast are rich by the world’s standards. Their daily needs are met. They have clean water, food to eat, access to healthcare. But spiritually, it’s a wasteland. There were years of unrest and violence. The battle lines were drawn on religious dissention. We spent most of our time on the campus of Queen’s University. Students have turned to relying on themselves and science instead of God. Just like the rich man in Matthew, it is difficult for them to enter the Kingdom. Difficult, but not impossible. Our team prayed (and we continue to pray) earnestly for reconciliation to take place in Belfast. When people are reconciled with God, reconciliation with others will follow.
The work of reconciliation began before our trip, and continues after we’ve come home, but I am so thankful that we got to be a part of it for a brief time. Our actions during the week were simple. We invited students to participate in a survey called the God Test to understand what they believe, and that sometimes opened the door to conversations about the Grace and Love of Jesus. Several students gave their life to Christ and we’ve connected them to our sister church there in Belfast. I haven’t seen a tangible result of most of the conversations I had, but seeds were planted and may someday come to fruition.
Lord, continue the good work in Belfast, in your Kingdom, and in me. Thank you for the opportunity to go and to work for a company that supports Your ministry. Thank you for my friends within this company who came to my sendoff and who consistently add value to my life. May I grow in adding value to their lives every day.