Concluding this short series David Lockyer puts some questions to John Pradhan as leader of a church that has received many short-term teams.
What has been the benefit to you and your family personally of receiving short-term teams?
Every time a team visits from UK we feel personally very blessed. At times we can feel quite isolated and the visit of a team brings much encouragement to us. We become freshly motivated to continue the work of reaching out and building the church here in Nepal. We find God uses these times to provide us with spiritual guidance and there is a further strengthening of the relationships we have with our friends overseas. We have an opportunity to share both our joys and struggles when they are with us, and we feel loved and cared for.
What have been some of the benefits to the church of receiving short-term teams?
The church here has been tremendously blessed through the visits of teams. It really helps the church to feel a part of an international family. We often hold church conferences when the teams are with us, and the input and teaching during these times leaves the church blessed and strengthened. The church enjoys hosting and spending time with the team members who visit and this fellowship plays a vital role when we host a team as we always learn from one another.
What have been some of the challenges of hosting teams?
There’s quite a bit of organising to do ahead of a team arriving. The weather is unpredictable so flights and other travel plans can change at the last minute. Sometimes team members can fall ill and need to be taken care of. There is also always the language barrier.
Conclusion
I am so grateful to David and John for sharing about short-term teams. There are no absolute ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’, but through their in-depth experience many valuable lessons have been shared. My hope and desire is that this series will help avoid future teams from replicating ‘bad practice’ – even long-term damage – which sadly I have personally witnessed on several occasions as I have travelled internationally among churches. Let’s do well in future and ensure that short-term teams travel with an attitude of humility and servanthood.
Resources
Finally, I would like to recommend some very good resources.
- When helping hurts.
This book touches on many of the points included in this series. It seeks to show that hosting short-term teams can be a very negative experience, even when the team members return home and report that the visit has been ‘life-changing’. While they mean it has been positive for themselves, for the host it can have been ‘life-changing’ for all the wrong reasons.
- Cross Cultural Mission Training.
This 6-part series has been produced within the Commission apostolic sphere of the Newfrontiers family. An excellent series covering the whole cycle from how to confirm an initial sense of calling to go on long-term mission, through going and ultimately the return and re-integration, together with the necessary support en route.
- Reaching the nations.
This updated version by Mike Frisby draws on a wealth of experience in helping church leaders to identify, prepare and support local church members to become cross-cultural servants.