by: Kate Borders | Sr. Director of Mobilization
Is it wise to go on a short-term trip? Would the money be better invested elsewhere? Are outside visitors harmful? Short-term trips sent cross-culturally from the United States have been and remain a hot topic of conversation on a global level. Questions like these have been asked, researched, and debated in earnest for the past few decades. Books and articles have been written, everything from anecdotal experiences to intense research has been dedicated to this topic.
What’s the answer? I think the answer is that we should keep asking the hard questions!
I believe the debate and asking the hard questions has moved the sending of short-term teams from the churches in the United States in a good direction. There’s always room to improve, but I have seen growth, positive change, and humility. At World Orphans, the primary reason we believe in the health of our trips is because they are in the context of long-term relationships. We defer to our international staff and church partners, we send small teams, we focus on fostering humility and learning, and we continually evaluate the long-term impact of the trips we send.
We hear repeatedly from our international pastors that they are encouraged in their work by visits from their US partner. One pastor recently said, “Our US partner impacted our lives by showing love and simplicity of heart and service. It was a great blessing receiving them. They left us with encouragement to continue serving the Lord. It reminded me of Moses when his father-in-law, Jethro, visited him.”
Research has shown that a repeated influx of short-term visitors can be challenging and even damaging for vulnerable children, which is why it’s so important to us that the focus of our trips is on encouraging our church partners, community leaders, and caregivers as they continually seek to comfort and strengthen vulnerable families in their community. Strong churches, communities, and families who love God are what will ultimately have the greatest impact on vulnerable children.
We also deeply value reciprocity and our cross-cultural partnerships being a give and take relationship. What does that mean when it comes to the long-term impact of short-term trips on teams from the United States?
A pastor from the United States, after meeting his church partner in Guatemala for the first time, said:
Seeing how the local church, through the help of World Orphans, is able to empower others was incredibly impactful. Learning about the ministry of the local church in Guatemala inspired me to examine ways to disciple our own local communities in North Carolina.
He said now that he’s home, he will look at his own community through a new lens of opportunity to help others see the value they have in God’s eyes. As he saw the ministries of his Guatemalan church partner and met people whose lives were changed, he was challenged to examine how his church could do those things at home.
Likewise, an elder from a church who has partnered through World Orphans for over a decade said:
Every team that has visited our church partner in Kenya has come home encouraged by what they experience and a desire to see our church in Tennessee pursue our community more intentionally. As we see our Kenyan partner reach out and think strategically about how to minister where they are, it stimulates us to continue to ask how we can serve our community. In 2021, we finished our study of Acts and there were multiple families who were particularly impacted and have led efforts to reach our community. We have started a food ministry, ESL classes, partnered with a local organization to welcome arriving internationals, and formalized adoption assistance for our church families. We continue ministering to the elderly and those in prison in an effort to reach our community and its vulnerable populations with the good news of the gospel. The example of our Kenyan church partner has served to spur us to pursue reaching our community just as they do. We are exceedingly grateful.
We at World Orphans are exceedingly grateful that real relationships are being fostered through the time spent together on the trips we send. As members of the global body of Christ, we are honored to be a small part of what God is doing around the world and thankful to provide the opportunity for the US church to learn from our brothers and sisters around the world. God is doing great things and we are humbled to watch his story play out in churches and through believers around the world.
Referenced and recommended resources:
Re-imagining Short-Term Missions edited by Inslee and Burns
Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions written by Fikkert, Corbett, and Casselberry
The Barna Group: A Field Guide to Better Short-Term Mission Trips
Faith to Action: Short-Term Missions Guidance to Support Orphans and Vulnerable Children
CAFO: Wise Short-Term Missions
This article was originally published in the World Orphans Spring Insight Magazine 2023.