Many people know that being aware of social justice issues is the "in" thing right now. If you're not telling your friends about the world's food shortage, the plight of AIDS in Africa or the fact that thousands of lives could be saved by giving them access to clean water, you're not a true Christian hipster. What better way to boost your hipster cred than to tap into the stream of social justice and prove your cultural sensitivity by going on a short-term mission trip? Not only do you get the benefit of helping those who truly are in need, but you also get a multicultural experience all your friends will envy.

This mindset is a sarcastic exaggeration, but one that addresses the surge of popularity in short-term missions. What started as an unknown opportunity has grown into a worldwide Christian culture phenomenon. In 1989, there were an estimated 125,000 short-term missionaries (a person who went on a short-term mission trip during the previous year). This number grew to an estimated 2.5 million in 2003. The numbers do not lie: Short-term mission trips are the cool thing to do.

As with any growing trend, the concept of short-term mission trips has developed detractors. While many people are tearing apart the idea of short-term missions and encouraging churches to abandon these ministries because of an alleged lack of impact, there is one organization trying to find a middle ground.

The Lakota Journey is a non-profit organization seeking to connect youth groups with communities on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. While many churches and youth groups go to a new place every year for their short-term mission trips, The Lakota Journey encourages groups to come back year after year.

Instead of doing short-term missions with minimal impact, The Lakota Journey seeks to create a long-term impact with continual short-term trips. Bruce Bentley is the president and founder of The Lakota Journey. Bentley started working as a youth pastor in the Midwestern town of Boone, Iowa. The Lakota Journey was born out of his desire to find a way to get his youth group to serve people who truly needed it.

"I wanted to get involved in something else that was in line with New Testament principles and there had to be a ministry out there that actually was helping hurting people," says Bentley. It was because of this quest for service that Bentley brought his first group out to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in 1996. This inquiry into meaningful service has blossomed into a current network of 400 students coming out to serve on a consistent basis.

"I tell interested churches to come with an open mind and consider the possibility of coming again in the future. What we want to see is the best possible ministry experience to the people we are ministering to," says Bentley. The Lakota Journey was created out of a weariness of the "serve them and leave them" mentality of many short-term mission organizations.