Can I really make a difference if I don’t go long‑term?
Ben, a senior waste management consultant based in the UK, wrestled with this question. For nearly 10 years, Ben has found great joy and satisfaction in offering his time and skills to God in Mongolia through short-term mission. In 2010, Ben and his wife began exploring long-term mission, but health issues closed the door to this. Ben wanted to use his professional skills in mission, and both OMF’s Skylands field and a Mongolian pastor gave an enthusiastic welcome to him, encouraging him to visit Mongolia initially for three weeks.
Mongolia is home to around 3.5 million people but more than 60 million livestock. An early project Ben got involved in was turning animal‑fat waste into soap. Ben enthused, ‘I loved combining practical, hands-on work with my professional expertise. It was deeply fulfilling to use my skills for the Church in Mongolia.’ The projects that developed brought many blessings: saving money on fuel, using resources more sustainably and strengthening local ministry.
Ben now travels each year to Mongolia, taking unpaid leave to do so. This has led to some interesting conversations with colleagues, some of whom were puzzled at first why Ben would want to do this. He’s been helped by funding from a generous supporter in his church, as well as through professional grants. As a family with three young children, they’ve found ways to make these trips feasible. Their parents and church family have stepped in to support those at home while Ben is in Mongolia. Ben sees his work in waste management as part of the biblical mandate of creation care, and he has been able to share this perspective with others. He’s found that repeat short‑term trips keep his professional skills continually updated—benefits he wouldn’t gain if he were working in Mongolia long‑term. His church in London continues to be a great encouragement to him, praying and taking an ongoing interest in the work.
Why should men with busy lives consider short-term mission? Ben was initially sceptical about how much could really be achieved in a few weeks, especially in a new country where he didn’t know the language. But he concludes, ‘the answer was, immeasurably more than I thought I could achieve, because God went before us!’
Tim Walker
OMF (UK) Comms, Archive & Returnee Prayer Facilitator
