Leaving on a Jet Plane... getting ready for your short-term mission...

All your bags are packed and you’re ready to go… 

Or are you?

As we head into summer, thousands of people from the US will leave our shores on what has become some sort of Christian passage, the short-term mission trip.

Perhaps the destination will be some exotic locale like Fiji or Papua New Guinea.  Maybe they’ll be headed somewhere in the 10-40 Window, or perhaps, they will be driving across the country or even across town to serve.

But no matter the location, far or near, there are some important things short-term missionaries need to make sure they have safely tucked in their bags before they leave.  

1. Get some insurance. 

I recently met with someone who shared that one of the largest ministries working across the border does not provide medical insurance for short-term missionaries serving with them. 

When I asked him what they do in the event of an accident, he told me they just drive back across the border to the US.

As a short-term mission leader myself, this lack of foresight is stunning.  As a parent, it is frightening.  What if, God forbid, the worst happened and a short-termer died?  There would be no way to guarantee the safe, legal, quick repatriation of the body. 

For just a few dollars a day, leaders, churches, and families can get a policy that covers medical emergencies, baggage loss, and even a flight for a parent to be with their kids in the event of a major accident.

Do not leave our shores without mission trip insurance!

2. Get your Culture Gram.

For just a few dollars, you can get a real understanding of the issues in the country you are serving, some cultural clues, tons of demographic data and even on diet and holidays.

The Culture Gram is an invaluable tool that can really help you go better prepared to where God is sending you!

3. A list.

Make a list of the people who have supported you and enabled you to take part in your mission.

This will help you better pray for them and remember them when you need to pick up that something special to say thank you for participating in your ministry.

You do not want to get home and suddenly remember that you forgot to get a scarf or something for Aunt Lucy simply because you did not have a list of your supporters.

4. A bible.

This may sound incredible, but I have had a number of people serve with me who got to Mexico and realized they had no bible.  Don’t forget your bible and better yet, make sure it is bi lingual.

5. Additional memory sticks for your camera.

Let’s face it, you’re gonna take a lot of pictures.  You are part of the Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Instagram generation.  Be prepared!  Take more memory then you think you’ll need and while you are packing, make sure to put your charger and cable in the bag too.

6. A copy of your passport.

If something happens and you lose the original, a copy makes that replacement process so much simpler.  Now I know your leader is supposed to have a copy safe and secure from all alarm for you, but don’t rely on that.

Your passport, your responsibility!

Finally, take a couple of books.  I cannot imagine traveling without something to read.  The amount of time spent waiting for planes, trains, and automobiles will pass much more quickly if you are into a good book.

Besides, you won’t typically have a cell phone data plan in the country you’ll be visiting, so why not read?  it's certainly better than playing Angry Birds for hours on end.

There you have it.

7 things every person serving on short-term mission must have in their bags when they leave home to serve on short-term mission.

Like the old American Express commercial used to say… don’t leave home without ‘em!

Cultural Preparedness... One of the Keys to Successful Mission

Few things make mission more work than a lack of cultural preparation.

That is even truer in short-term mission where you do not have the benefit of time to repair the damage that you may do by being culturally unaware.

Oftentimes what we as visitors see as a harmless activity can be seen by locals as offensive. Let me give you an example.

Years ago I was serving in the small village of Santa Rosa, just north of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

Our project during the visit was to get the first coat of stucco on a church that we had finished a few weeks earlier.

Our group worked hard to get the paper and then the wire all nailed, stapled, and ready for the mezcla. Soon students were busy putting the cement on the walls to make sure this church was going to be safe from the elements.

Now one of the things you have to know is that you always need at least two coats of stucco. And after each coat, you need to make sure that you “scratch” it so that the next coat can adhere better.

Normally, you will use a special tool like the one pictured here and afterwards your building will look something like this one is starting to look like between coats.

When we got done, the entire building was ready for the next coat but it was also completely covered with verses from the bible in both Spanish and English. Sometimes that happens when you are working with a group of 20 high school students.

It took the locals almost two years to tell me that we had made a big mistake during that trip. Our drawings and verses, which we had thought were just innocent fun, had been seen as mocking not only to the people of Santa Rosa, but also to God and His house!

If I had been a little more culturally prepared beforehand, we probably would not have made that error.

So with that in mind, I’d like to share a few resources that I believe will help you, your team, and your church be better prepared when you serve cross culturally, whether that is overseas, or even right in your own neighborhood in our increasingly multicultural and diverse country.

“From Foreign to Familiar” by Sarah Lanier – This little book will be a God send. Ever wondered why some cultures do things differently than you? Read this book and learn why. Often times, just knowing why things are the way they are, is half the battle!

“Culture Shock” – I have the Mexico edition, [pictured above] but this book exists for almost every country. If you want to understand the cultural clues and know why people where you are headed refuse to shake your hand, or do not cross their legs in meetings, this book is indispensable.

“Short-Term Mission Workbook” by Tim Dearborn – I have used this book for years and if you have served with me, you have been the recipient of some of the lessons it contains. The “Eight Great Questions” for effective debriefing come from this book.

“Serving With Eyes Wide Open” by Dr. David Livermore – Livermore is tough on the STM crowd with this book, but fair and his examples ring true. This is one of the most important books I have ever read on STM.

Finally, let me recommend one other resource to make sure is in your bag when you go… a Culture Gram. These little five page missives give an incredibly concise picture of where ever you are headed. At a cost of only $4.00, anyone serving without having read one of these is almost guilty of malpractice.

So there you have it. Five great resources that will help you avoid some of the cultural gaffes that are possible when you serve overseas, or in other cultures!