How to Volunteer (part 3): Leave the Country

Is volunteering a regular part of your life? Can you think back to the last time you served someone? Are you looking forward to the next time? Are you ready to do it for the first time?

Volunteering has become such a part of the American landscape that most high schools have a community service requirement. Whether you are 12 or 82 you can get involved in your community or the world at large. Looking to find your way?

This is the third post in a series of How to Volunteer.

If you want to read the first post first or the second post second, go right ahead.   If you're feeling crazy and want to start with this one, go right ahead.  

Leave the Country

If you tell someone that you want to do volunteer work abroad there are a variety of different responses you might get
 

Option A:  That's awesome.  Can I go?

Option B:  Why are you going to another country to volunteer?   There are plenty of people here that need help.

Option C:  Why are you going there?  Is it safe?   I heard about ___________ in _________on the news.

Hopefully you'll get support and encouragement Option A style.   But you want to be prepared to react to someone who isn't as excited about your international adventure in service.    

 

Personal example:  Before I went to Thailand I heard option C at work: "I heard about the riots at the airport in Thailand."   That was true.    But I had a riot-free adventure while I was there.

How to respond to Option B?   Be honest about your reasons that you want to go abroad (culture, language, adventure, faith, etc).   If you're thinking about this kind of trip, you probably already volunteer locally. 

 

International volunteer opportunities fall into two categories:  It Finds You and You Find It.

It Finds You

I've gone on international volunteer trips to Costa Rica, Mexico (x3), Guatemala, and Thailand.   Thailand was the only trip that I searched for and planned from start to finish.   The five other trips happened through church and friends.   Your networks are the easiest way for this experience to happen organically.   

 

Usually the destination and project has already been determined by someone else.   A good friend is going to Cambodia later this year on a volunteer trip.    A year and a half ago if you would have asked her if she had any interest in visiting Asia she would have said no.   Then she heard a guest speaker and did her research.    Now she's bouncing off the walls in excitement.  

The trips that found me - and who I traveled with:

Costa Rica - a spring break mission trip in college - we taught VBS at a variety of small churches

Mexico 1 & 2 - my church in Indianapolis had a partnership with a church in Playa del Carmen - more VBS....can I say that I love juegos (games)?

I love games.  Anytime.  Anywhere.

 

Mexico 3 - a friend worked for a water non-profit, Healing Waters International, and we went to learn about their organization and did volunteer projects while learning about the local area and culture

Guatemala - a youth mission trip with Habitat for Humanity's Global Village...and a one day project with Healing Waters

You Find It

If a trip hasn't sought you out (yet), you can start looking for opportunities that fit where you want to go, what you want to do, and how much you want to spend (international volunteering is not free - more on that below).

First - ask friends or family who have done international volunteer work.   Where did they go?  Who did they work with?  Did they like it?   If you don't have a personal connection, start with a simple search for "international volunteer" and see what comes up.   Identify an international non-profit or relief organization and check to see if they have volunteer or educational trips.   You should thoroughly research any organization you decide to volunteer with, possibly check references of people who have traveled with that organization and consider the following:

• What will you be doing?
• Do you need to speak the local language?
• What in-country support is provided?
• How many hours per day will you be working?
• Are you working in partnership with locals or working alone (or just with your group)?
• Will you have a chance to explore local attractions, festivals or learn about the culture?  (one of my best memories on Mexico #3 was dancing at "Marimba Park" along with the local community out to enjoy the band)

Bring on the marimbas!

A cause that you already support is a good jumping off point.   A friend who sponsors a Compassion child was able to travel with them to the Phillipines a few years ago. 

In 2008 I decided I wanted to take a month off to volunteer and after doing some research and reading through other volunteer's blogs, I decided on Cross Cultural Solutions.    What I liked was that they offered housing, meals, cultural activities, language lessons and established work sites.  Every volunteer program is different.   Some offer a lot of support (you might even say "hand holding") and others are more self guided and require you to take the lead.  

International Volunteering is not Free

Let's just put that out there.   Deciding to do international volunteer work is not free.   Or cheap. 
Why?

• You usually have to fly there
• You have to pay for lodging, meals and transportation
• You often pay a program fee or make a charitable donation
• You want to do fun things while you're there (this includes eating a lot of ice cream)

I recently researched a 5 day trip that I would like to take with an organization that I believe in.   Let me say that I could take a 7 day Caribbean cruise (including airfare from Denver) for about half the cost.

The type of organizations that you go to help are on a budget.   Volunteers help gets the work done as well as promoting international understanding and community.   The relationships you build are as important as the project you are doing.    The majority of work should done by local volunteers so that the community is commited (Habitat is a great example).  

If you plan ahead, there are opportunities to fundraise.   If you're working through a US non-profit, friends, family and complete strangers can often make tax deductible donations towards your trip.   You can learn more from the organization you're working with.   Have a bake sale, work a side job, ask for your birthday presents to go towards your volunteer adventure - there are a lot of options if you're willing to do the work.   Whenever I've traveled with church groups, fundraisers are a part of the program and help defray the costs.

Think about it.   Research it.   Then ask yourself...     
Should I do it? 

You won't be sorry.

The Changing Face of Youth Mission Trips

 

Building Houses in Guatemala - 2010

 

 

It's Sunday morning.   I'm drinking my coffee.  

And checking the progress of the 2013 youth mission trip via Twitter.    

 

Twitter.

 

Live updates as the mission team heads to Chicago by (slow-moving) train.

 

(the time machine travels back 20+ years....)

 

It makes me think back to my first youth mission trip from Wisconsin to Ontario, Canada.    I was in 6th grade.    We drove via carpool.   At each rest stop you had to switch cars so that you would meet new people.   Each car had a CB radio to keep in touch.  Mom knew I was having a good time because I sent her a postcard.      

 

Some things don't change.   Kids are excited to go away from home.  They stay up late at night.  Everyone gets dirty and doesn't care.  Uno is back in style.   Girls take a break from wearing makeup.

 

Some things do change.   Technology is the big one.   Kids are asked to leave their cell phones at home.   The goal is to be 100% in the moment with the people you are serving. 

 

The important thing?  Kids taking time off in the summer to serve others. 

 

Did you go on a mission trip as a kid?   Or as an adult?   What was your best experience serving others?     

Introducing: Hoping Liberia

Go into the world and do well.

But more importantly,

go into the world and do good. 

-Minor Myers-

 

 

I'm excited for everyone, even people I don't know, who are going out into the world to do something new, different, and challenging.    Going out into the world can mean going thousands of miles away.   Going out into the world might be in your own community.   I like to read articles, blogs and posts by people who are serving the greater good.    

 

I'm thrilled to introduce you to Hoping Liberia.   One of my best friends from college and her family are in the process of becoming missionaries.     Through them, I learning about long term mission work.   My experience has been limited to short-term mission and volunteer trips.   This is an entirely different animal. 

 

Once their funding is secured they will be off to Liberia for four years.  During this time they will serve at Ricks Institute, a K-12 school, in the roles of English teacher and maintenance supervisor.   They had a chance to go to Ricks over Thanksgiving to see, in person, their call and to meet the people they will be serving.   As I've been following their journey, I've been amazed at the people and organizations that they've been introduced to that have ties to Liberia.  This doesn't happen by chance.  It's all a part of God's plan.

 

 

Where in the World is Liberia?

It's on the "West Coast"...of Africa

Map Credit: Lonely Planet

 

How can you learn more about Hoping Liberia?

 

Like them on Facebook

Follow their blog

Read about their work on the International Ministries site

 

 

Do you have friends and family who are out in the world doing good? 

Are you out in the world doing good?  

Leave the link to your / their blog or FB page in the comments so we can provide encouragement!

 



Haiti, Randomly?

Prior to this past week, the last time I consciously thought about the country of Haiti was after the earthquake in January.  A few weeks ago I read the book Remember to Forget by Deborah Raney.  I had never heard of this author, but more or less randomly selected it off the library shelves.   It was a good read and so I went online to request other books that she's written, not knowing what those books might be about. This past week I read one of those requested books Over the Waters.  It just happened to be about mission work in Haiti.   Last week I also got an email from one of the pastors at church letting me know about a luncheon with a guest of our church who has helped to establish a non-profit in Haiti.  And wouldn't I want to know about a possible Wellshire trip in 2011?   The guest speaker today was Kent Annan, co-founder of Haiti Partners.  There is room for a small group (think 8) to go to Haiti in January to see the work of Haiti Partners.   With unemployment so high, over 70%, the trip isn't to provide labor...there are plenty of Haitians to do that.  It's more about building relationships and learning about a culture different than your own.  

I am intrigued. 

It seems a little more than coincidence.  But then again, our pastor for mission said this at today's meeting, "I don't ever pressure people...but watch out, I DO pray."

First Day in Guatemala

My alarm went off at 3am and now it's almost ten.  A busy day of travel and great start to my first mission trip with Wellshire.  It was very strange when one of the Habitat affiliates asked if I was a chaperone...not a word I usually use, but since I am one of 12 "responsible" adults, I guess it's accurate.   It's been over 4 months since I last left the US, so it was about time to go again.  This is also the last trip (sniff) on my current passport.   The passport that has stamps from all continents except Antartica.

The verse that is on our shirts and water bottles is "Ustedes deben amarse unos a otros como yo los he amado." The translation (loosely) Love one another as I have loved you.   It's a very fitting statement for our trip.    Today I learned that even teenage boys love Sky Mall magazine in airplanes.   Also, that our highlighter yellow / chartreuse t-shirts make it really easy to spot our group in the airport.   I think I like it better than the "God's Gang" buttons I used to wear on mission trips in junior high. 

We are staying at the Biltmore Express hotel in Guatemala City, just for tonight.  The weather has alternated between drizzle and downpour.    We had a great worship service in an atrium area that connects our more modest hotel with the swanky Westin Camino Real.   After Bible study and a quick nap, we split for dinner.  The group I went with enjoyed tasty treats at tacoconteno.  Choriqueso for my entree, limonada to drink and a fruit and cream stuffed chimichanga for dessert.   Also the biggest pinatas I have ever seen. 

First day of fun, done!  8 more to go.   Hasta luego!

worship service in hotel atrium

Que rico!  Dinner at tacocontento

Weighing Risks

In 1998 our family planned a visit to Egypt to visit friends.   In August of 2008 there was a bombing at the US Embassy in Kenya.   People started questioning our plan to travel.  I remember asking my friend and she said, "if it was too dangerous for you to come, my parents would tell you to reschedule your vacation for a different time.  We want you to visit, but not at the risk of your safety."  We went on our trip and had a great time. (interesting fact: the distance between Cairo and Nairobi is 2100 miles)

In February of 2009 I had a trip planned to Thailand.  In November of 2008 there were protests in Bangkok that closed the international airport.  My boss asked if I was still planning to travel.   I contacted the organization that I was traveling with and asked what would happen if there was unrest at the time of my trip.  They let me know that I could reschedule my trip to Thailand or go to another country over the same dates.  Thailand was another life-changing experience. 

I want to travel to as many places as possible.  I don't want to risk my safety, but am not willing to contain my travels to percieved "safe" places, like western Europe.  Or Canada.  Recently a co-worker said that the reason that I get along so well with everyone at our hotel, an extremely diverse and international workforce, is because I have traveled and experienced different cultures.  I hope so.  I am fascinated by all the world offers, culture, languages, food, games, natural wonders and people. 

I am currently reading The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Clairborne.  One of our pastors referenced it in a sermon a few weeks ago.  It is a fascinating read about being an "ordinary radical."  The author, and his friends, are trying to live as Jesus would want: clothing the naked, housing the homeless, feeding the hungry and serving the "least of these."  There is a lot of focus on getting out of your comfort zone or your safe life.  For example, actually inviting people into your home to feed them, rather than donating money to a soup kitchen that you've never been in .  The author was interested in the work that Mother Theresa was doing in Calcutta and he finally called India and asked if he could visit.  She said "come."  Apparantly she told anyone who asked about her work to "Come and see." What an invitation!

The passage that our pastor referenced was about safety, which happened to be a timely topic.  The author had gone to Iraq on a peace mission.   When he returned someone questioned "How could you be so careless with your life...?"    I hope that I am living deliberately, not carelessly.  God has a plan for my life.  So far, I feel that travel is an integral part of it.  Three months from today our mission team of 50 youth and 12 sponsors will have just returned from Guatemala.  Sixty-two lives in Denver will have been changed for the better because of service, love and understanding.  And we will be a part of the story in Guatemala.  It's worth it. 

Giving Thanks

With the economy and job market the way they are, it is easy for American's to get frustrated or angry or feeling like everything is going downhill. Even country music (which consistently reflects the times) is exhibits this with the new songs "Shuttin' Detroit Down" or on a lighter note "Marry for Money".

The good news? Good things are still happening all over the world. A mission team at our church just returned from Guatemala yesterday after working with Habitat for Humanity and Healing Waters International. You can read more about it here. It's the type of work trip I'd like to go on (if I hadn't just taken a month off to go to Thailand....).

So remember....even when it's tough, you can still do good work, keep a positive attitude and give thanks.