In a few days' time, people all over the world will commemorate two Catholic feast days, All Saints and All Souls, with exuberant parties, celebrated with special foods and dances, and quiet candlelit vigils, marked by contemplation and prayer.

The history of these days is fascinating, but having grown up in a Protestant household and community, these celebrations were not a part of my religious or cultural experience. For me, it wasn’t until November 2001 that I was able to see the power that these remembrance days could have.

Once upon a time there was a member on an international short-term service team that had really enjoyed his time in El Salvador. He wanted to say goodbye with one last gesture of kindness. He decided that on his final work day, as he left the community, he would throw candy to people from the back of a truck. When the moment came, however, the treats did not bring about a happy scene; Fights erupted between children--some had caught nothing while others too much; Packs of stray dogs nipped and skirmished trying to get their share; One full bag of candy landed on the roof of a home, broke through the thatch, and knocked over a clay water pitcher that spilled on a man working at his sewing machine. Needless to say, it wasn’t quite the farewell this team member intended.

While this story is slightly embellished, it demonstrates something ENLACE has learned in almost 25 years of working with short-term service mission teams:

Unintended and negative consequences can result when
best intentions are not paired with best practices.

The number of people in the United States going on short-term mission trips is growing every year. As Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, the writers of Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions, report, there were 120,000 short-term missionaries who went abroad in 1989. That number increased to between two and three million by 2010, and the number has grown since. According to Robert Wuthnow, a professor of sociology at Princeton University, the likelihood of a U.S. church member to go on a short-term mission trip at some point in her or his lifetime could be as high as 25%.

This virtual “tidal wave” of U.S. short-term missionaries who may or may not be effective, has led some to wonder if “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” is an apt description of this phenomenon. They wonder if teams would be more effective remaining home and sending the money they’ve raised directly to organizations on the ground. And this is a good question to ask. Every organization that works abroad with short-term mission support, should be asking it.

ENLACE has been asking this question ever since we hosted our first team back in the mid-1990s. While working with churches and organizations that work internationally can be a double-edged sword, overall the experience has not just been helpful, but it has been vital. “Our international church partners play a key role in helping our work go forward.” says ENLACE El Salvador Team Coordinator Karen Chavez. “In our case, the service teams pray for and resource community-led initiatives while also mobilizing volunteers that work alongside a regional consortium of local churches. Without their collaboration, we couldn’t do the work we do.”

ENLACE believes that facilitating service teams is one important component to fulfilling its mission and vision provided that two key “best practices” are maintained. The first involves the identification of projects and the second, the identification of beneficiaries.

Supporting Roles: Project Identification and Short-term Missions
Executive Director, Ron Bueno, founded ENLACE in 1993 and has observed that poverty is a result of broken relationships between God, self, others and the rest of creation. “The church,” says Bueno, “is the most effective tool of restoration. And it is vital that short-term teams support the local church in its efforts. Identifying projects or beneficiaries on their own or giving cash or other gifts when they come to work undermines the local church’s role and in the long-run seriously hampers sustainable poverty alleviation and other aspects of the church’s transformation work.”

ENLACE’s role is to prepare the local church to connect with its community and short-term service teams are incredibly helpful when they perform a supporting role to the priorities identified by local churches working with their communities.

Respecting the Experts: Beneficiary Identification and Short-term Missions
We believe that local churches working with their communities know best the needs of their own communities. Local leaders who are working night and day with great heart, devotion and an incredible amount of sacrifice, are the experts. ENLACE comes alongside them to help fortify their efforts and expand their capacity to serve. ENLACE relies on locally elected community committees to manage all aspects of the projects they have identified. It is these committees that identify local families in the greatest need of housing, water, latrines, eco-stoves, etc.

If a visiting team (or any outside group) identifies and/or provides funds directly to an individual or family (at the time of the visit or later after pursuing independent interaction) it often damages the efficacy of the church and community’s established committees while diverting limited resources from a community-wide, integrated approach that is meant to help the greatest number of people in need. And ultimately, it is the poorest in each community who lose.

“We don’t just want 10 families who were lucky enough to be seen at a church event to get water,” says Gersón Sánchez, ENLACE’s Church Coach Supervisor in El Salvador. “We want to fortify the church’s ability to create and manage projects, and help it to grow into a role of problem-solver within its community so that everyone gets access to water, to home gardens, to health care, to waste management now and for many years to come.”

ENLACE’s approach is committed to maximizing available resources to help the greatest number of people in need in a particular community. If short-term service teams identify their own beneficiaries, they disrupt that effort and produce grave consequences for those who are poorest.

The Road to Heaven
Having the best intentions for others is absolutely necessary to bring wholeness to the world. If we don’t care for the plight of poor, if we do not choose to be God’s hands and feet, how else will the “kingdom of heaven be close at hand” as mentioned in the gospels? But empathy without a long-term perspective is only half of the equation. When we are affected by the suffering of others, we sometimes would rather provide a quick relief--even if that act is perhaps superficial--in order to feel better ourselves. It’s like giving someone with a toothache a lollipop instead of arranging a dentist appointment.

Instead, ENLACE believes and is committed to a better way, a better road. This “road to heaven” is only paved when we walk with each other in humility and truth. We must choose to take on a supporting role as local churches work with their communities and respect the long-term and broader community vision that champions the poorest. Best practices in short-term service teams hinges on these commitments and ultimately reflect God’s love and promise of wholeness.

For more details on how to plan an effective short term serving trip, download this free resource: "How To Make a Long-Term Impact With a Short-Term Serving Trip"

Sunday: See Needs as Opportunities to Serve

Monday: Serve the Way Jesus Did

“Our vision has opened and our capacity has increased thereby empowering us to carry the gospel in its fullest form... Jesus ministered in the same, holistic way.” - German Melgar, Fe y Amor Church, Mandinga

Tuesday: Dreaming Leads to Action Leads to Celebration

“We never thought it possible but when the dream of building classrooms for our community came true, we excitedly discovered that we could impact our community in a great way even though we are a very small congregation. Now we are already celebrating all the projects we will accomplish in the years to come!” - Wilber Diaz, Cristo Viene Misión Evangélica Aposento Alto Church, San Gerardo

Wednesday: Working Together Creates Long-term Success

“Thanks to the church and ENLACE, we now have a vision for our town that brings all of us great joy and satisfaction. Working in unity and collaboration is the only way to resolve the many problems that we all face.” - Eris Neftali Romero, Mayor of Ciudad Barrios

Thursday: Ask "What More Can We Do?"

"After we did the work that God put in our hearts, we asked the question: what else can we do? That is when God brought ENLACE to us and we were able to take the next critical steps to help our community.” - Pastor Marvin Rivas, Mahanaim Church, Caluco

Friday: Don’t Build Walls if You Want to Show God’s Love

“The main objective isn’t to create walls but to draw near to people, show them God’s love and transform their lives.”                         - Pastor Marco Antonio Melara, Jerusalen Church, San José El Naranjo

Saturday: Serving Others Creates Astounding Results and Self Discovery

"Our church is a testimony. The learning process with ENLACE helped us to discover ourselves as a church. And as the members took the initiative to serve the community even I was astonished at what we have been able to do.” - Pastor Jennifer Lucero de Bautista, Jehová Jireh Church, Las Cruces

María Ercilia has a physical abnormality and has struggled with walking her entire life. She can’t go anywhere without her crutches. This struggle was made more acute when, after God touching her heart, she wanted to return as a congregant to the church she had attended as a child. In her joy she wanted to go as often as it was open, but because the walk took over a half hour she could only manage twice a week. “The worst of it,” said María, “was that I had to go through a ravine that was full of water in the winter and full of rocks in the summer. With the problem I have with my foot, many times it was impossible for me to cross.”

Sometimes María would arrive at the river but realize it was too difficult to cross on her own. “The only thing I could do was wait for a sister from the church to carry me because I was afraid of falling.” And once at church, if the rains came, her return would become a problem. “Since my mother is already older [she couldn’t carry me] so the pastor had to hire a pick up truck to take us home. This was difficult because it would take more than an hour because the way was long...This discouraged [everyone].”

“Thank God that many sisters’ and brothers’ hearts were touched and through the church ENLACE was able to come to this community and see all of the needs that we have. It was with them that we proposed that they could help us build a pedestrian bridge to facilitate access of the two communities. They told us that the work would be up to everyone, not just them and that’s how the mayor’s office and everyone began to work on the project that lasted almost six months. I saw how the brothers and sisters came to work every day in the sun and with the heat. Even if it rained they were there. It was difficult...Everyone worked hard together to get the materials...When I saw the project moving forward I only thought about going to church every day, not just when it didn’t rain or when someone could help me cross, but every day I could be there early.

“When they inaugurated the footbridge I felt so happy...That day many brothers and sisters came to celebrate with us. Everyone in the community was very grateful that this enormous project had been finished. I remember the first day I tracked how long it took me to get to church. Within 15 minutes, I was already there.”

Click here to learn more about María and the churches engaged in the eastern region of El Salvador!
https://www.enlace.link/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2016RegionalReportEast.pdf