The Power of Serving Abroad

Twenty-five years ago, in 1995, I embarked on my inaugural short-term service trip to Rancho de Sus Niños, an orphanage just over the Mexican border. At the pivotal age of seventeen, I was guided along with our youth group, by a dedicated team of leaders, who provided us with an invaluable opportunity to contribute to the construction of churches and preschools for orphaned families and children. We mixed concrete, bent rebar, and laid the foundation for what would eventually become an elementary school. During this first trip, a three-year-old preschooler befriended me, a tall, lanky teenager with only a willingness to work and a heart ready to play and serve.

In 1997, two years later, I returned to Rancho de Sus Niños and witnessed the school we had framed actively educating children. The same girl, now slightly older, greeted me with familiarity. We installed drywall, taped, and painted another building for the community's use. Fast forward twenty-five years, and Rancho de Sus Niños now operates in three countries—Mexico, Romania, and Nicaragua—offering orphan care, family support, and education.

The profound impact of these two short-term missions still resonates with me today:

1. Short-term service trips primarily benefit the individual who engages in community building. It is through our collective efforts with other organizations and community builders that we bring about meaningful change in the communities we serve.

2. Our youth must be given opportunities to serve at a young, impressionable age. These service experiences, like poured cement, lay the foundation for their development into servant-leaders.

The self-awareness and empathy gained during a short-term service trip are transformative, enriching our capacity to serve our home communities more profoundly and meaningfully. Even after twenty-five years, I retain the ability and willingness to pick up a tool and serve as a builder. The concept of being a builder, whether organizational or structural, holds vast implications and opportunities.

These two week-long trips ultimately influenced both my undergraduate and graduate studies, which now integrate a global perspective and a commitment to social justice in my work.

Throughout my preparation for global mission work, circumstances led me to stay stateside and establish Courageous Steps. That one week of service twenty-five years ago planted a seed that grew into a lifetime of profound, transformative growth, culminating in the cornerstone of my philosophy: Servant-Leadership.

1. How can we create more sustainable and impactful short-term service opportunities that not only benefit the participants but also ensure long-term positive change for the communities involved?

2. In what ways can early exposure to service and leadership experiences shape an individual's personal and professional trajectory, and how can we measure the lasting impact of these experiences?

3. How can organizations balance the immediate needs of the communities they serve with the developmental benefits for the volunteers, ensuring that the focus remains on genuine, reciprocal growth and support?