This week we have a team heading down to Honduras to serve alongside Family Life Missions. Later this month we will have teams going to Slovenia and Scotland. As a former missionary to Uganda, I am elated that our church takes international missions so seriously. I would enthusiastically encourage every person in our church to go serve in another culture, whether that be internationally or domestically. That being said, living abroad and being an eyewitness to many short-term mission teams serving poorly, I can at times be a little cynical. What I mostly saw was teams that were unprepared for their trip. I do believe that preparing well is a “make it or break it” part of serving that will pave the way for a successful mission trip for you and those you are serving. With that in mind, in this blog I am including five things I would want a mission team to know if they were coming to serve alongside me internationally. This is not comprehensive but a tip of the iceberg. My hope is that this will be a help to those going this year and in years to come!
Do not make this a one-time thing. As a missionary what I am desiring is an ongoing relationship. After a team comes to serve there is a new connection that means a lot to me. My friends, family, and supporters back in America are great. But if they have never visited the area where I am serving then there is this huge part of my life that they don’t really know. When a mission team comes, even though I may not have known you well previously, we now have this really important connection. I want to keep that going. That does not mean I need to stay in regular contact with everyone on the team (that might be a little overwhelming) but staying in touch with the team leaders or the sending church is encouraging to me.
I love that we continue to return to Honduras, Slovenia, and Scotland. We work with the same missionaries and organizations year after year. I am sure this means a lot to each of them. It shows the level of buy in we have, as well as the love and care we have for the missionary/pastor/church/ministry and the community they serve.
Please, do not come to serve yourself. Don’t get me wrong, I really desire for you to benefit from your missions experience. I am praying you grow closer to Jesus and that you can see the impact of the gospel around the world. And I sort of want you to experience a different culture and escape the American bubble. I have no doubt God will use your trip to change you…IF you come to serve others. Too many times, I have seen short-term teams try to dictate what they want to do to “serve.” One ministry we knew constantly had teams that wanted to do manual labor. But they had no need for that. So multiple times per year mission teams would come out and paint the same walls over and over again. What a waste of time and resources. Your local missionary/organization knows what the needs are. Follow their direction on this.
Recognize you are a guest. Anything you can do to prepare for the culture you are visiting is a good thing. Read books, listen to podcasts, watch instructional videos, especially anything that you receive from your local missionary or organization. Try to learn how to greet using the local language and customs. In many places the greeting is of the utmost importance. You are only there for a short time, and you do not want to spend a majority of it offending the culture. In Uganda we would regularly see mission teams that included young ladies wearing short shorts. That is a no-no in Uganda. It’s normal in America, but offensive in Uganda. Or we would witness teams making wild demands of restaurant servers or local businesses. Customer service varies greatly from country to country. As does the availability of supplies and non-necessities. Be prepared to practice patience and adhere to local customs and expectations. If you are not sure how to handle any situation, ask your local contact. They want to help you make adjustments so that you do not inadvertently reflect poorly on their ministry.
Be flexible. Getting to an international destination often includes delayed flights and other transportation mishaps. That is just part of the experience! When you arrive, it is likely plans are going to change, especially if you are going to a developing country. As important as time and clear communication is in America, it could very well be viewed differently where you are going. Whatever you have been told about the schedule or start/end times, hold onto those loosely. Changes are hard enough as it is, we do not need to make them more difficult by digging our heals in because something did not happen according to plan or is unfair. Follow the lead of your missionary or partner organization. They are used to this and will navigate these transitions well. If the changes are not bothersome to them, then you can rest assured this is all normal and not a big deal.
Please do not hand out money without talking to your local contact first. I probably have the most stories about this, many of them are stories of my own experience. The community you are going to serve most likely has cultural norms for meeting needs, even if they are not apparent to you. When we make hand outs it can subvert the community’s role and responsibility in caring for their own. This is an important aspect of community bonding. It may seem like we are helping a person or family, but it is actually damaging the community. There are appropriate ways to help. That may be through your local missionary/organization or through community elders. Ask your local contact about the best way to do this, they are your best guide. Additionally, they will help you from being taken advantage of.