Torch, Spring 1980

missionaries, he faced no problem with language. This, plus the fact that English is generally spoken in the major cities in the Philippines, made the necessity of cultural adjustment minimal. Being thus able to function fairly well with the nationals, Dr. Ager was able to help with a small local church and found visitation "a delight" because of the Filipinos' respect for the United States and their natural warmth. This openness also had its disadvantages, however. "The people gave all kinds of promises about visiting church," he says, "but rarely followed through." Dr. Ager found the school setting well suited for short-term service since "a turnover adds new blood and stimulation to the program. You can fit in very nicely, even on a short-term basis." Dr. Lewis agrees that the most profitable opportunities for short– term service include teaching, as well as work in construction, medicine and aviation. Mid-Missions currently has short-term teachers in Brazil, construction workers building a girls' dormitory in the Philippines, doctors working with missionary doctors in the Central African Republic and Chad, and an engineer surveying a site for a hospital and doing an evaluation for a hydro-electric project in Haiti. John and Ellen Battaglia went to the Central African Republic to provide missionaries there with a variety of services. Although John is a 1975 graduate of Cedarville's Elementary Education program and he now teaches at Cedar Cliff Elementary School in Cedarville, he didn't go to teach, but to help with household repairs and maintenance. He went with a good deal of experience in construction and a year's training in the Missionary Technology program at LeTourneau College in Texas in addition to his work at Cedarville. Ellen went to help with some of the everyday chores, as well as to work in the dispensary and to help with hospital visitation. Perhaps the biggest lesson they learned in their tour was that missionaries are faced with problems we take for granted, but which We now know what missionaries go through...vve can relate to them better. become major obstacles in a country where it takes months for a part to arrive. One missionary had been without a truck for three or four months, waiting on parts. Another missionary's generator broke down, leaving him with no water or electricity until parts could arrive from the United States. As a result, John spent a great deal of his time with mundane repairs, things which might not seem important to us back home, but things the missionaries needed done and didn't have the time, or sometimes the ability, to do. "You have the idea that the missionary gets up in the morning, grabs his Bible and goes to the village,where natives flock around him as he tells stories," adds John. "We forget the daily routines. And because of the way things are in other countries, those things take a lot of time." Less tangible benefits from the short-termer's service, according to the Battaglias, are the uplift to the missionaries' spirits in having someone there and the fact that "they know you'll have greater interest in their work, having been there." Another important consideration in assessing short-term service is what effect it has on those who participate. Achange in attitude towards missions is certainly high on the list here. Robert Beikert, Director of Personnel at Cedarville College, is in a unique position for evaluating the short-term program. He was serving as the Business Manager and Field Treasurer for the ABWE missionaries in the Philippines when he went as a short-termer to Australia to help build a church there. "I'm in favor of short– term missions," he now says, "although at the beginning I wasn't. You have to get over the hurdle of seeing the expense involved and of the time the missionary spends with the short-termers." He points out that the missionary host has to spend several days at the beginning for cultural orientation. Then, when the short-termer's tour is over, more time is spent in going-away parties. But Beikert says the benefits he saw in changed lives more than overcame these obstacles. Mission representatives agree that one of the major benefits from short– term service is what happens to the individual. Rev. Frank Marshall of Evangelical Baptist Missions notes that out of the 21 missionary appointees in the last candidate school, 19 had had some previous experience with foreign fields. "People have to get out and see the conditions," he said. Dr. Lewis pointed out that the person participating in a short-term program returns to his church far more mission-minded than before. Dr. Ager says of his term, "It gave me a better perception of what the missionary's life is like." Mrs. Battaglia agrees. "My thoughts of missions were a lot different before we left," she says. "We now know what missionaries go through. We can relate better to their newsletters." Short-term missionary service is a way for laymen to become directly involved in missions. If you feel the Lord may be directing you to use your professional training on a mission field for a few months or longer, contact several mission boards. Most maintain files on those interested, their areas of specialized training, when they are available to serve, and other information. This is then matched with openings in the fields as they arise. Any of the agencies would be happy to discuss the opportunities with you in greater detail. But be prepared-because short-term service will change your life. Mr. Baker is an Assistant Professor in the Speech Communications Department at Cedarville College. A freelance writer, his articles have appeared in several religious and historical magazines. 5