Never the Same: Using Short-term Missions as a Tool for Spiritual Formation

It is estimated that over one and a half million American Christians will travel abroad this year on a short-term mission project, and that doesn\u27t include the number who travel on similar domestic trips. However, in spite of the phenomenal growth, the modern short-term missions movement continues to suffer from what could only be described as an identity crisis. Many pastors, educators, and mission leaders continue to be engaged in missiological soul-searching, dialoging about the fundamental questions concerning the value and purpose of short-term mission trips. The insistence on using the same language to describe and discuss both long-term and short-term missions has contributed to the confusion, and has in some ways, pitted the two philosophies against each other. Certainly there is overlap, but the two approaches ought to be considered as two very distinct elements of Kingdom work. This project will attempt to present and defend that to maximize the effects of a short-term mission trip, it should focus on the spiritual formation of the participant. These trips have much in common with pilgrimages in which one leaves behind his or her normal life in order to engage in an activity with the hope that a personal transformation will occur. Paradoxically, by focusing on real spiritual transformation, the short-term participant will actually be a better short-term missionary, and the trip will be a greater blessing to the host/receiver. Chapter 1 provides a basic over-view of the problems and promises of short-term mission projects and presents the spiritual formation of the traveler as a primary purpose for doing short-term missions. Chapter 2 discusses spiritual formation in very broad strokes. A biblical and historical view of spiritual formation will show how service and mission contribute to the spiritual growth of the individual. The short-term mission experience, specifically as it has developed in North America, is examined in Chapter 3. This chapter looks at God\u27s mission in the world and how short-term missions has changed the way the North American church has engaged in missions and cross-cultural ministry. Also included is an assessment of the short-term rnission enterprise. Chapter 4 examines the short-term missions program of Northwestern College in Orange City, lowa. Chapters 5 and 6 argue that the spiritual formation of the participants should be given priority in a short-term experience and explains why this is crucial to an effective short-term missions program. The chapters propose a new role for the traveler, a structure for designing the program, and a philosophy for maximizing the contributions an STM can make to one\u27s spiritual life. Attention is given to pre-field preparation., on-field processing, and post-field debriefing. Finally, Chapter 7 offers a summary and conclusion of the project while proposing some methods and tools for assessment and evaluation. Included in the project are appendices that contain an evaluation of the program at Northwesten College, assessment tools to aid in measuring the growth of the student and effectiveness of the experience, and sample programs for weekend retreats to equip Spring Service Project (SSP) leaders and students involved in the Summer of Service (SOS) program. The heart of the project is two manuals to guide students through the training, debriefing, and processing phases of the short-term mission experience. The first manual is designed for student leaders to use with their SSP teams. The second is to help guide the SOS interns through the preparation and debriefing phases of their summer missionary internship

Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation

This Open Access book compiles the findings of the Scientific Group of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 and its research partners. The Scientific Group was an independent group of 28 food systems scientists from all over the world with a mandate from the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. The chapters provide science- and research-based, state-of-the-art, solution-oriented knowledge and evidence to inform the transformation of contemporary food systems in order to achieve more sustainable, equitable and resilient systems

Secondary cities as catalysts for nutritious diets in low- and middle-income countries

The world is facing a malnutrition crisis in the midst of rising rates of urbanization; more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, a number that is expected to reach two-thirds by 2050, consuming 80% of the world's food. Instead of the development of existing cities into 'mega-cities, ' urbanization is creating a patchwork of smaller urban areas. In 2018, close to half of the world's urban residents lived in settlements or towns with less than 500, 000 inhabitants. These settlements are classified as secondary cities and are, in terms of population, the fastest growing urban areas. Poor diets among city inhabitants are the consequence of a combination of forces. These include changes in types of occupation, particularly for women; food-environment factors; shifts in norms and attitudes regarding food; globalization of food supply chains; lack of infrastructure; post-harvest food loss and waste, etc. Secondary cities offer entry points for food system transformation. Secondary cities are characterized by strong urban-rural linkages and the opportunity for localized food production and consumption. These cities could also play a key role in enhancing resilience to food security shocks. This chapter discusses the challenge of the growing triple burden of malnutrition in urban contexts and argues for the important role of secondary cities in transforming urban food systems. Through three case studies of secondary cities in LMICs, these cities are shown as emerging players in nutrition-centered food system interventions. © The Author(s) 2023

Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation

This Open Access book compiles the findings of the Scientific Group of the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021 and its research partners. The Scientific Group was an independent group of 28 food systems scientists from all over the world with a mandate from the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. The chapters provide science- and research-based, state-of-the-art, solution-oriented knowledge and evidence to inform the transformation of contemporary food systems in order to achieve more sustainable, equitable and resilient systems

Policy options for food system transformation in Africa and the role of science, technology and innovation

As recognized by the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa – 2024 (STISA-2024), science, technology and innovation (STI) offer many opportunities for addressing the main constraints to embracing transformation in Africa, while important lessons can be learned from successful interventions, including policy and institutional innovations, from those African countries that have already made significant progress towards food system transformation. This chapter identifies opportunities for African countries and the region to take proactive steps to harness the potential of the food and agriculture sector so as to ensure future food and nutrition security by applying STI solutions and by drawing on transformational policy and institutional innovations across the continent. Potential game-changing solutions and innovations for food system transformation serving people and ecology apply to (a) raising production efficiency and restoring and sustainably managing degraded resources; (b) finding innovation in the storage, processing and packaging of foods; (c) improving human nutrition and health; (d) addressing equity and vulnerability at the community and ecosystem levels; and (e) establishing preparedness and accountability systems. To be effective in these areas will require institutional coordination; clear, food safety and health-conscious regulatory environments; greater and timely access to information; and transparent monitoring and accountability systems