The first time I went on a short-term mission trip to Africa, I was surprised that I had to pay in order to go. In my mind, I was doing a good thing by being willing to go and serve in a remote part of Africa, so why should I have the extra burden of bearing the costs?
I thought I was making some great sacrifices, so shouldn’t that count for something? I had to take 10 days off work, using my “hard-earned” paid time off (PTO). We were also going to work in a very remote part of Tanzania. Who knows what kinds of hardship we would have to face?
Since I was already giving a lot just to go, how does it make sense that I also had to cough up more than US$4,000 to cover my own travel and living expenses during the trip? Someone should be paying for that!
Of course, I didn’t know who that someone was supposed to be. It just wasn’t supposed to be me! I was so naïve it wasn’t even funny!
I didn’t tell anyone what I was thinking at the time (thankfully!) but it simply didn’t make sense to me that I would be making all those “sacrifices” and still had to pay my own way. After all, it wasn’t as if I was getting anything in return.
It was in that last thought that my huge mistake lay.
There may be others like me who see volunteering for something or serving others as all pain and no gain. However, if you have had the opportunity to serve anywhere, you already know the immense benefits that come from lending a helping hand, especially when it’s very much needed.
Numerous studies have shown how rewarding it can be when you serve others with your time and skills: from improving self-esteem, physical health, and longevity to increasing happiness, providing a sense of purpose, and reducing dementia risks. These, and many more, are the reasons most people have developed a heart for giving and serving.
And then, there are some who simply want to do some good in the world.
I believe that last statement is true for every member of the team from my church who chose to travel to Florida last month to help with cleanups after Hurricane Ian's devastation. I’m dedicating this edition of the newsletter to these selfless individuals.
The youngest on the team was in his mid-twenties while the oldest was a great-grandfather in his sixties. Each person paid to cover their own travel and living expenses and everyone took time off work in addition to enduring a 58-hour road trip during those eight days to serve our friends in Cape Coral, Florida.
Here are a couple of specific sacrifices a few people on the team made:
Dan, a businessman gave up close to US$2,000 in potential income during that period.
Amy, an experienced nurse gave up the huge income she would have received from her three clients.
After the rest of the team left, Scott stayed behind for an extra week when he saw the magnitude of the help needed.
If you ask any of these people if it was worth it, you won’t get a hint of hesitation from them. Yes, they gave up so much in order to serve those who desperately needed it, but they would be the first to tell you that they would do it again in a heartbeat because the benefits to them were more than worth the sacrifices.
And those same benefits can be yours when you choose to give of your time, skills, and abilities to help and serve others.
There are great opportunities for each one of us when serving becomes a lifestyle and not just something we do only when there's a need created by disastrous and catastrophic events. You will begin to notice a positive change in your life when you wake up each morning asking yourself,
“To whom can I be of service today?”