A model for short-term missions

By Katie

Recently I got to go along with a group of visitors from Michigan to their first visit to the community of Dos Quebradas, about 45 minutes from where we live. It was exciting to me for a couple of reasons. First, I went along as a translator for the group. It was my first time doing something like this, and I was happy that it went pretty well, although I know too that I've still got a lot more Spanish to learn!

Folks from the community, Diaconia and CRWRC staffers and the visitors from Michigan.

What was most exciting though was the way this church, Mayfair Christian Reformed of Grand Rapids, MI, is looking to form a partnership with the community of Dos Quebradas. In 2007, Diaconia Nacional began a process of making a "Community Transformation Plan" for each community they work with. The process involves surveys, writing the history of the community story, community mapping, and asking the community to name their top ten priorities they'd like to see for the development of their community. Arturo of Diaconia took the information he collected and wrote it into a report. The community uses the document to assess how they are doing on making their priority projects a reality in their community. The process inspires them to look within their community and to various NGOs and the government to get the resources they need. The document is revised every year to mark changes and to hold the community members accountable to it.
A picture from a community transformation planning meeting in Dos Quebradas, 2007.

Once the plan is done and is being used within the community, CRWRC takes it and translates a shortened version into English. Churches who are interested in forming partnerships with a church or community in another country can read the profiles of the communities with the plan and choose one that fits the interests and abilities of their congregants. The North American church then sends a fact-finding team to initially meet the community and explore what they could do to continue a long-term relationship with this community. This fact-finding trip was what brought the three people from Mayfair to Dos Quebradas. They'll take what they learned and present it to their council, and Lord willing will start planning another trip with a group from their church.

I really like this model for many reasons. It ensures that the community names their own priorities, as opposed to donors who might put the ideas into the minds of the community members. From the outset the community understands that they are in charge of making the connections necessary to get a water project (or whatever other project) done. It's possible that a North American group might come and lend a hand, but really they need to get things done locally. It's a good deal for the North American churches too because they are encouraged to make long-term relationships with one community and learn to share in their joys and sorrows over the years and helps instil a new set of values and way of looking at the world for both sides of the partnership. The groups that return year after year to Honduras certainly exhibit higher levels of understanding and have realistic expections for what their time with the community means for the building of their on-going relationship. It's a great model to follow for doing short-term missions right.