Ann Plantiga Kapteyn
Ann Plantinga Kapteyn is the Missionary in Residence at Calvin Seminary. She and her family have served in Brazil and Cameroon with Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL. Currently she is working with Wycliffe and SIL on a New Testament translation project in the Central African Republic, where she travels several times a year to work with local translators. Together with Al Strydhorst, former Missionary in Residence at Calvin Seminary and current Director of the Timothy Leadership Institute, and Cory Willson, Assistant Professor of Missiology and Missional Ministry at Calvin Seminary, Ann hosted the Global Conversations night with current international students and affiliates as a way of fostering discussion about the role of short-term mission trips in today’s world.
Our family lived overseas for 15 years, serving as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. During that time we had the opportunity to host many short-term mission teams and individuals who came to serve in various ways. These were always rich experiences, sometimes delightful and fruitful, sometimes difficult and draining. But as an American missionary I was hosting people from my own culture, so I was not dealing with cultural differences between me as the host and the team. I often wondered what the local pastors and local church thought of these mission groups. Is it encouraging to pastors from African or Asian countries to receive short term mission trip from another country? Is it worth all of the work and expense that it causes them? Does it seem like a waste of money to the national church? After all, these travelers often pay thousands of dollars to make the trip possible. Is this the best use of these kingdom resources?
Last month we had the opportunity to ask these questions of four pastors and leaders from around the world who are currently studying at or affiliated with Calvin Seminary. A group of us met at the home of President Jul Medenblik to learn from these pastors from Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, and Brazil. As we ate delicacies they had prepared from their various countries, we listened and learned from their experiences as hosts of short-term mission teams.
Since I have heard much criticism recently about short-term missions, I was surprised to hear an overwhelming appreciation of short-term mission groups from these national pastors. Rev. Bryzon Masiboh emphasized the value of the cross-cultural relationships that are formed. When he was a young person he worked with some youth from the Netherlands to build a church in Nairobi, and more than a decade later he still keeps in touch with some of these Dutch friends. He told of one trip in which Kenyan, Dutch, and American Christians were all working together. In the beginning there was a feeling of tension and apprehension, but by their last evening together, the jokes and stories were flowing freely around the camp fire. All of our speakers agreed that a willingness and eagerness on the part of the visitors to make friends and build relationships with hosts is fundamental to a good mission trip.
Ev. Sarinah Lo and family
Ev. Sarinah Lo, spouse of current PhD student Philip Djeung, emphasized how refreshing it can be to have visitors come from another country. She described having someone new to talk to, someone with fresh ideas and time to listen, like a drink of cool water on a hot day. For this reason, mission teams that prioritized taking time to build relationships with the local church leaders were a great blessing. The importance of relationship and friendship between the hosts and the visitors was a theme shared by all of our speakers.
Pastor Eduardo Treumann da Silva with his wife Marta
Of course, it wasn’t always easy to host short-term mission teams. There were always those visitors who turned up their noses up at the food offered to them, who refused hospitality offered, or who didn’t ask what the needs of the community were but came with their own agenda about what needed to be done. There were teams who showed no interest in the local culture, who didn’t bother to learn basic greetings, and who scandalized villagers with their inappropriate clothing. Pastor Eduardo Silva did a good job summarizing what sets some visitors apart from others. “A mediocre guest knows little about the culture he visits, a better guest tries to learn something about the culture ahead of time, and a remarkable guest asks questions during his visit to learn as much as possible about the host culture. A mediocre guest thinks his culture is better than any other, a better guest believes no culture is superior to another, and a remarkable guest gains a deep understanding of the differences between his home culture and his host culture, and he sincerely values the host culture.”
Rev. Bryzon Masiboh closed with a beautiful description of how short-term mission trips can be an enriching experience when a true partnership between guests and hosts is formed. The visitors bring what they have to offer: energetic youth, skilled technicians, financial resources. The host church receives them with what it has to offer: homes to stay in, delicious local food, strong laborers, and a whole new culture to learn about and explore. Together they work to build churches for God’s glory, and in the process, they build relationships and build up the Church.
-Ann Plantiga Kapteyn