We must remember that the goal of short-term mission trips


is bigger than the project itself. It is personal growth in the Lord; it is an opportunity to be challenged by what God is doing in the world, and to catch a glimpse of his purposes …. Large amounts of money were spent to transport the team


over to do work that could have been contracted out for less. If the purpose of this trip was nothing more than building a wall, then we have not used the Lord's resources wisely. Tat is why the spiritual character of this trip, the life-change of the team and the resulting impact on the church back home are integral to the val- ue of a trip like this. Tese qualities make the energy and money spent abundantly worthwhile because they are bearing spiritual fruit in the lives of the team members themselves. Jordan explained that Avant Ministries defines success as the


growth of the church, and that God’s vision is for an eternal, in- ternational family of his people who will enjoy him forever. Avant wants to see this happen where there is no church at all, like in many of the towns of Spain and other places largely untouched by the Gospel. In some parts of the world, the majority of believers involved in local house church networks first discovered the mes- sage of Jesus through media. Leveraging the power of social media


to connect isolated individuals to local churches is an opportunity that didn't even exist a few years ago. Suddenly, we are able to cre- ate engaging video contacts and start conversations with multiple people simultaneously, all at a distance, with a view to connecting them face to face with a Christian in their neighborhood. During our time in Spain, the team learned that life is not


about a project and is not about us. We were put on this earth, and in Spain, for a purpose — to have a relationship with God and with others. Te team overwhelmingly agreed that the highpoint of the trip was getting to know the center team. We heard testimo- nies from people who have been impacted by the Gospel through media and from others who are passionate about sharing the Gos- pel through media. We were able to see Christianity through the eyes of our Spanish brothers and sisters as well as through the eyes of nearby least-reached peoples — all living out their faith in their own cultures. Tis provided an impetus to pray and to support the work of the Lord in this corner of the world.


Marilynn Lester and her husband Doyle have led many several work teams including two FEBC teams to Paraguay. Te Lesters are members of Community Bible Church of Omaha, Neb.


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