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Christian Living

bootsontheground 02/06/11

The Need is Greater than the Danger

A medical missions team from Montana showed up this week in the small fishing village on the Sea of Cortez where I've been living since mid-December. This group has been coming down every February for many years, providing free medical clinics to the needy in our area.

This year the group is smaller than normal, likely because of the violence that has been in the news lately, to include the killing of an American missionary in Mexico in January.

And while many missions groups are curtailing their Mexico missions trips, or cutting them out altogether, the need here is still very great. With tourism down sharply, also due to the violence, this means unemployment is high and getting higher, and many of the poorest Mexicans can't even afford sufficient food, much less medicine or other necessities.

But perhaps this presents an opportunity for churches in the States to get away from the short term missions philosophy. which has taken hold in the last couple decades in America. With there being many doubts as to the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of what many long-term missionaries call "missionary tourism," perhaps you should encourage your church to find one of the many lifetime missionaries who has opted to stay here in Mexico and continue to minister despite the violence. Then have a "virtual" missions trip where you raise and send money to help support these missionaries, many of whom have seen their support dwindle due to the recession.

Perhaps the missionary can put your funds to better use, then send your church pictures of the work they are doing here.

Think about it. Financially, it makes sense. And the need is very great.

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