Not Your Normal Missions Trip

Westerners often have clunky shoes.

And though volunteers may have hearts that want to make a difference and love well, so often we trample on a culture during short-term trips, sometimes even unknowingly doing more damage than good. In our 12 years of overseas missions experience, both living overseas and hosting teams of young people on international trips, we have seen that all too often Westerners come with a mentality to tell, rather than to listen.  Well-intentioned people travel around the globe with a driving desire to “save the world” without truly considering the longterm effects of their presence in another, typically more impoverished, culture. {Check out the book When Helping Hurts, for more reading on the realities of missions going badly.}

The economically rich often have “god-complexes,” a subtle and unconscious sense of superiority. One of the biggest problems in many poverty-alleviation efforts is that their design and implementation exacerbates the poverty of being of the economically rich—their god-complexes—and the poverty of being of the economically poor—their feelings of inferiority and shame. The way we act toward the economically poor often communicates—albeit unintentionally—that we are superior and they are inferior. In this process we hurt the poor and ourselves. {p. 65 When Helping Hurts, Brian Fikkert}

At Destined Traveler, our trips are designed with more of a learning experience in mind. Our teams will take the posture of a listener in the local culture, and their time overseas will be an education in the social justice issues of Thailand, the religion and culture of the host country or hill tribe, and how to effectively relate cross-culturally. We believe that there is much that we Westerners can learn from our Asian brothers and sisters, and so very activity will be designed with the local culture and longterm benefit of it in mind. As the authors encourage in their book about overseas experiences,

Design the trip about “being” and “learning” as much as “doing”. Stay in community members’ homes and create time to talk and interact with them. Ask local believers to share their insights with team members about who God is and how He works in their lives.{ p. 175, When Helping Hurts}

Because of this philosophy of learning over doing, our volunteer activities may not be as “dramatic” as other missions organizations. Our teams will predominately serve the country in prayer, physical service, and promoting education about human trafficking and AIDS through showing culturally-relevant films in the local language. Whenever possible, our volunteers will take a supporting role to local nationals.

We believe that a large part of any overseas experience involves the personal and spiritual growth of the individual volunteering, but Destined Traveler will by no means “use” the local culture to serve that purpose. We will strive to allow for growth opportunities for the volunteer while also engaging in service opportunities that are both culturally sensitive and effective. Each volunteer will be challenged in practical ways to alleviate poverty and fight for social justice, even when they return home, prayerfully affecting life-long change.

Sound interesting? Check out some of the trips we’re offering in the near future.