In high school and college I went on several work teams to Mexico and locations around the US. I always had a good time and felt like I got a lot out of going on the trips. Living at El Sembrador I got to experience another side of what is so great about work teams as I saw them come alongside us in ministry.
I am excited that I will have the opportunity to work with work teams when I return to Honduras. I would love to see you on one! Yes, that's right. You could go on a work team to El Sembardor. Need some convincing? Read my top 5 reasons that work teams are great and then ask God if He is calling you to GO.
Myself on a work team during college.
5 Great Things about Work Teams
1) It's a learning experience. You may learn new skills (how to grout tile or stucco a house perhaps) or be able to teach skills you know to others on the team with less experience. Don't be held back by thinking that you have nothing to offer because you don't have the skills.
2) You learn God's faithfulness. Maybe it's a question of getting the money you need. Or you get sick . Or the van that taking you to Mexico breaks down in the middle of Texas (that happened on one trip with CCF). You manage to communicate with people who don't even speak the same language you do (mostly with a lot of miming!) But no matter what happens, God has got it covered.
(When the van broke down we had praise and worship roadside)
3)It's all about community. You never know who you'll get to meet and develop a friendship with on a missions trip. This summer I went on a team to New Jersey composed of people from my church and people from another church in the same town. Some people met for the first time. Some deepened friendships. It's amazing how quickly we can become close when we are all members of God's family!
4) It brings understanding of the people you came to help. You can see video clips. You can read blogs like this. You can listen to missionaries speak. But I am not sure that there is anything like actually meeting people face to face and seeing where they work and live. You may see some difficult things like extreme poverty. Seeing difficult realities can make a person feel guilt. But it doesn't have to. You can choose to feel guilty or to be filled with passion and conviction. Passion and conviction lead to action and prayer. They are feelings of hope unlike the depression of guilt.
5) It's one of the ways that you can help to fulfill the Great Commision. "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." You don't have to go for a long period of time or even travel to the other side of the world to follow this command of Jesus. You never know what God may call you to through your experience on a work team.
To learn more about work teams read articles in this issue of the Call (Pages 8 and 20): http://www.wgm.org/document.doc?id=1633
To learn more about how you can go on a work team with WGM go to:
http://www.wgm.org/page.aspx?pid=2737
