Yay or Nay?

Short term missions - what do you think? I saw a half-hour documentary on it last night and my views have definitely been changed. I already knew that by going to a foreign country for a few weeks, you are definitely changing your own life more than those of the people you are going there to help. But does it really help them? Is it selfish to go overseas because we can, because we have the finances, so that we can have a good feeling in our gut knowing that we did something? Do we cause more harm than good?

The documentary feautured a story about a short-term group who came to Honduras for two weeks. They bought a patch of land to build a new village on. They built all the houses out of old garage doors that were donated by someone back in the states. They never came back to check up on the village, and did not send any financial support after this. Turns out in their hurry to get back to america, the land they purchased was actually a swamp and the villagers are now suffering from malaria and dengue fever.... their houses are falling apart, and the wooden supports of the houses are being eaten by termites and ruined in the span of five years.

Why do we spend about $30,000 dollars to send a group of about 20 people overseas to build about two houses, when if we sent that money directly to the overseas ministries... they could build 30 houses?

I went on a short-term trip to Estonia and Russia for 3 weeks 5 years ago... honestly I don't know how much it changed me, and I don't know if it changed anything for the street children we were working with either. I think a few gave their lives to Christ which obviously makes it worth it... so I guess you have to look at it that way rather than the amount of things that get built... I don't know. Make sure you check out this link:

http://www.visiontvcontests.com/FLV/current_affairs_360_Mar23.html