Short Term mission and long term mission partners are more connected than you’d think…
Last year AIM Europe sent 34 people to Africa on Short Term mission placements. Working in hospitals, helping out at conferences, and youth work are just some of the things that our short-termers get up to. But most importantly, Short Term mission doesn’t operate in isolation, but supports what mission partners in Africa are already doing.
Karin Mende (centre) with Short Termers who will be working in Antsirabe. From left to right; Matt (Paraguay), Holly (USA), Karin, Susana (Columbia) and James (Scotland).
That support is often hugely encouraging. Karin Mende, working in Madagascar recently wrote, ‘With the recent arrival of four Short Termers I am no longer the only AIM missionary here in Antsirabe… May their living testimony as Christian young people draw many of the Malagasy youth to Christ. When the girls arrived to stay at my friend Nina’s house, she brought her whole family to welcome Holly. Very touching!’
The impact of Short Term mission partners is not just the interest that their presence generates, but the support, and often relief, that they can bring to those serving long term. Anna Wilmshurst, as part of her Short Term placement, is involved in caring for the Madagascan Unit Leader’s twins. A gesture of service that allows both Daniel & Sarah Zagami to participate in a prayer meeting.
But it’s not just long term mission partners that benefit from our short term programme. Working and serving in Africa has a profound affect on those who choose to be involved. One Short Termer recently commented; ‘Here, I can feel God stripping away all the things that I’ve learned to rely on in my life – health, relationships, possessions etc. and replace them with a dependence on him. That may sound crazy and weird, but I’m honestly finding real joy and peace in the process. He is refining me and pouring in to me more and more, and I’m also feeling really blessed by the people he has brought in to my life…’
Could you be part of life changing work in Africa? From building homes for new TIMO teams, to teaching in local schools, to covering work in our Africa-based regional offices, there are a whole variety of ways to get involved in AIM’s work of reaching the unreached. If you want to find out more, contact Tom our Short Term Coordinator at: stc.eu@aimint.org
