“Here in Augusta, there’s a lot going on. On a monthly basis there are at least two groups going somewhere around the world, and that’s the conservative estimate,” said Ngoh, a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Martinez.

This week, 169 youths from churches across the Southeast will arrive in south Augusta and devote their days to roofing and repainting homes.

In turn, teens from Augusta will travel to Cherokee, N.C., and Birmingham, Ala., on short-term mission trips this summer. Glenn Brantley will lead one of those trips for First Baptist Church of Evans.

“A lot of people ask me, ‘If their kids come here and our kids go there, why doesn’t everyone just stay put?’ “he said. “I tell them it’s because it’s not about just fixing homes.”
……

Countless Augustans agree, says Dr. Emmanuel Ngoh, an endodontist who practices in Augusta. The Cameroon native is a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and says he has a passion for short-term missions that have led him to Haiti, Trinidad, Honduras, Nicaragua and Cameroon.

“Here in Augusta, there’s a lot going on. On a monthly basis there are at least two groups going somewhere around the world, and that’s the conservative estimate,” said Ngoh, a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Martinez.
……

For Ngoh, working internationally is the greater sacrifice. He closes his practice for the week but continues to pay employees while he’s away on mission trips.

“People ask me a lot, ‘Why are you going?’ God has blessed us too much and somehow he uses us to bless others,” he said. “You don’t have to go to Peru or Haiti. You can stay locally, but if you can go, by all means go.”

Each time, Ngoh said, he returns with a new perspective.

“I think sometimes you need to get out. You need to get away and soak in God’s nature through service,” he said.

Read Full Story: http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2010-06-06/fruitful-missions-trips-are-popular-criticized?v=1275784687

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]