Romans 10:2-3
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
As a teenager I went on several short-term volunteer trips which drastically changed my life. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God wanted me to make those journeys, and He sent me many signs.
These experiences overseas opened my eyes to see how big the world really is, and they made me realize that I wanted to live abroad. I made many awesome life-long friends. Best of all, I met my husband while I was in Asia!
I wouldn’t be where I am today (spiritually, developmentally or geographically) if I hadn’t gone on these trips. I do, however, deeply regret some of the internal attitudes I had as a teen. I was immature, unqualified and fairly prideful. My motivations may not have been entirely pure as I had a deep desire for adventure, and volunteer work seemed like the best way to fulfill this longing of mine. In many ways I adored overseas volunteer work more than I loved God. This is something which took me a while to surrender to the Lord.
I view my experiences as a teenager as simply lessons in intercultural living — which eventually made me into an adult who could effectively do some good in the world. I hope I did some good for the people I befriended internationally years ago, but I do believe I myself grew and matured more than I “saved people,” which is (often unrealistically) what’s expected from volunteers.
I’ve been thinking lately of foreign volunteers and the real value of their travels, particularly on short-term trips. There are some UGLY things I’ve seen my fellow American team members doing, including:
-Childishly back-talking leadership.
-Discouraging fellow team members from speaking the local language — because it makes them feel uncomfortable and jealous.
-Flirting with local boys in public, then continually talking about which one’s hottest in private.
I don’t judge people who go on these trips then excitedly go shopping and take pictures of everything while they’re there. Who wouldn’t want to soak in every moment of a new and fun experience? I am, however, saddened by the number of people who go on these trips with bad motivations, such as the following:
Attention.
Believe you me, if you want a great deal of attention from your peers, volunteer work is an effective way to get it. I can almost guarantee you will be glorified along with your social media posts. However, it’s shallow for someone to go “help others” just so that people will shower them with honor.
Wanting to be a hero.
Maybe you yourself want to feel you’re making an impact on the world. Before you go overseas, it’s important to ask yourself first, “Am I making an impact in my own community?” If you’re not looking for ways contribute to your own city, church, family or circle of friends, then you’re not going to be helpful in another country and culture.
A glorified vacation.
If you’re really wanting a vacation “off the beaten path,” then it may be better to consider finding a “home stay” or a camping expedition. That will actually be a very good thing: you’ll come away feeling refreshed, plus tourism is a major source of revenue for many countries. Thus in some cases, a vacation may be more beneficial to you and the people you’re going to than a “volunteer trip” would be. (Check out this blog post by Jamie Wright.)
Wanting to heal or “find yourself.”
Even when you travel you still take the person you are with you.
When traveling you will learn a lot about yourself, and a lot of what you learn may be very unexpected and unsettling. You should not travel to “escape life” and you should not travel to find fulfillment. In doing so you will only end up hurting yourself and others. Be thankful for your life, learn to be happy where you are; then and only then will your traveling will be blessed. As it’s been said many times before, “Don’t travel to escape life, travel so that life doesn’t escape you.”
Wanting adventure.
I don’t think this is a bad desire in and of itself, but it shouldn’t be your one and only motivation to volunteer. Again, the motivation should be to serve God and do good for others out of love.
Looking for boyfriend/girlfriend.
Volunteer trips are not an appropriate place for casual flirting. Some people travel with the pure intention of meeting someone to fall in love with, but that often does not work out well at all. The romance of an “exotic” country can make a person’s heart malleable, and it’s important to ask yourself the question, “If I was in my home country, would I still be interested in this person?”
All this being said, if you’re invested in living internationally this may be a good situation for you to find a like-minded potential spouse — but that should not be your sole reason for volunteering.
[And, yes, I know I married someone I met while overseas, but that was not my intention in traveling. Truth be told, when I found myself falling in love with Amith I actually tried hard to suppress my feelings for him because I thought, “this is not what I came here for!” However, we have a solid friendship and respect for one another which transcends culture. Additionally, our families very much liked each other and were supportive of us. That’s what made all the difference.]
I would make a proposition to churches, agencies (or whoever is sending volunteer teams) to do a more careful job screening volunteers and judging their character and maturity. One ministry I know (one which hosted the flirtatious girls I mentioned) now screens their volunteers more carefully, even asking for information about their volunteers’ relationship and dating patterns in order to discern if they’ll be disruptive to the ministry’s work.
I would encourage volunteers to ask themselves the following before going overseas:
1. Are you sure that God is calling you to go on this trip?
2. Do you have any motivations for going besides the desire to do good?
3. Would you volunteer abroad if you had no cameras with you?
4. Does the agency have the same intentions and values as you?
5. Is there any chance that you’ll do more harm than good?
Additional questions for people staying long-term:
1. Do you legitimately have anything to offer the people you’re going to?
2. Are you skilled enough to do this job in your own country?
3. Could the work you’re going to do be done just as easily by local people?
Anna Sojourning 