Mission trips can not only be fulfilling but also challenging. That is the very reason why so many of us are signing up and traveling to Honduras this Saturday. While voices have questioned the viability and benefit of embarking on these trips after COVID, we should focus on the manner in which we return. We can make mistakes—not only in the way we prep and serve but also in the way we come back. Here are five such ways:
1. The Expert
We live in today’s information age. People love facts and more importantly want to receive everything at lightening speed in real-time. We often parade missionaries on our website and spotlight their stories on social media, asking them to narrow down years of mission work into a short elevator pitch. But the inverse can also be true. Friends may expect a detailed narrative on the people, language, culture, religion, and politics of a country, even though our actual mission exposure involves a very limited area of Honduras high atop a mountain.
In such conversations, perhaps due to pride, the temptation is to play the expert, to pontificate about a place we know little of. We can easily speak in absolutes, defining an entire population without the appropriate nuance and appreciation. We must recognize that a brief foray into a region can reveal enough to foster prejudice and generalizations, but rarely enough for deep understanding.
2. The Called
Many of us have experienced a week of summer camp in our youth. The spiritual focus, kumbaya, emotions, and isolated location provide the ideal environment for a memorable event. Those moments can be times of significant decision. But decisions made at camp are also notorious for generating little lasting change. A compelling emotion by a campfire doesn’t guarantee long-term commitment and follow-through.
What is true for a week of summer in the woods could also true for today’s mission trips. Globe-trekking adults often return with a sense of calling to missions. But that calling may simply be based on a positive experience. Rarely do volunteers experience the mundane of year-round foreign mission work or the rigors of everyday life in Honduras. Great experiences alone are insufficient reasons to pursue your next mission trip.
3. The Critic
Those who come back often want to return overseas; they also may want to take everyone with them. Yes, our country may be doing shamefully little in comparison to our abundant individual resources. But don’t forget that the people you’re prone to lecture here at home are also likely the ones who paid and prayed your way. So, come back with some saltiness, but don’t forget needed grace in those conversations.
Similarly, it’s easy to come back to the States—particularly following a negative ministry experience—and be critical of those who reside in other countries. Their living conditions or education choices may not be yours. Yet just as you're not an expert on language, culture and geopolitical issues, you don’t live in their shoes every day. It’s usually best to give those you serve the benefit of the doubt.
4. The STORYTELLER
One of the greatest dangers upon returning from any mission, whether the trip goes well or not, is to exaggerate. To overstate the successes and the struggles. To unintentionally inflate the numbers. To make the poor people poorer, the squalor dirtier, the bus ride longer, or in contrast the whole experiences totally awesome.
We do this, again, because of our own pride. We have a desire to feel needed or successful. Perhaps it’s as simple as wanting to justify the trip—and it’s cost—to our supporters. But whenever we become the exaggerator, we reveal a deep insecurity in our identity with Christ. We show a lack of faith in him. And we reveal that we find our worth in what we have sacrificed and accomplished for the Savior, not the other way around.
5. The Enthusiastic
Everyone—at least everyone who avoids stomach issues—is expected to return from a mission trip with enthusiasm. Praising God for victories. Recounting stories of success. Exulting in all that was accomplished. You come back all excited about what God had done in and through you, but within six months or a year, you may notice that the majority of that momentum may start to wane.
Get to your core sooner rather than later. After your trip, ask yourself what you learned:
About yourself (strengths, weaknesses, gifting)
About God (his love for the lost, his work in people’s lives)
About cross-cultural missions (the needs, the opportunities, where you fit).
Then take steps to apply those lessons back home!
Returning the PROPER Way
So, how should we come back from a short-term mission trip?
For starters, we should return with humility and gratitude for such a privileged opportunity. Speak of our experiences in a way that depicts God as the primary and ultimate actor (Acts 14:27), not in ways that draw attention to ourself.
Also, find an opportunity to personally thank supporters for their gifts and prayers. You should definitely report on specific events and encouragement, focusing on stories of God’s grace. But also don’t avoid the realistic accounts of trials, weaknesses, or hardships.
You may recognize aspects of yourself in each “way” outlined above. It’s important to do a bit of self-reflection to only bring about the positives of each. You should recount what you learned, doing so with necessary caveats and an awareness of your limited knowledge.
In order to be better prepared for others’ questions, it’s not a bad idea to take notes or journal through your travels so you’re prepared to provide specifics about your time. In particular, record names of people for prayer. If possible, try to get to know local believers, learning their struggles and needs, check in with them after you return then passing them along so others can pray or respond appropriately. This way, the reporting of your trip is others-focused and glorifying to God.
Ultimately, we want to return with a joyful awareness of God's work in the world and a greater appreciation for our shared salvation.