Go Beyond

March 2011 India Team

Having led hundreds of volunteers to serve the interests of God’s kingdom in dozens of locations around the planet, I believe in the value of travel. The past week in Kolkata reminded me once again of how God can use travel to transform the lives of those who are willing to go beyond. Although some of the folks who traveled with me last week have traveled to other international locations, this was the first time for each of the team members to visit India. We enjoyed our time together and had lots of great conversations. Those conversations gave me insight into how God was using our time in Kolkata to impact the lives of each team member. Here are a few of my observations about the value of travel gleaned from years of leading volunteers to serve around the world.

Travel Impacts Perspective | It is not possible to travel to a place like Kolkata and not be impacted. From the moment we arrived our team was assaulted by everything Kolkata — the sights, sounds, smells, traffic, teeming humanity, and extreme poverty. We were there through the Hindu observance of Holi — a celebration in which people throw colored powder at each other to welcome the coming of Spring. These are the kinds of experiences that give greater perspective into how the rest of the world lives.

Travel Informs Prayer | Being on-site exposes travelers to the harsh realities of life for those who live in difficult places. Kolkata’s streets are home to thousands of broken people who beg for alms in order to survive, dig through rubbish piles in search of food, and sleep on filthy sidewalks. Kolkata’s sex districts boast populations of thousands of girls and women who sell themselves to support their families or who weep quietly because they are victims of sex trafficking trapped in a dark world far from home. Being on-site in places like Kolkata enables travelers to pray with greater insight.

Travel Clarifies Purpose | Purpose is powerful and can change everything. It impacts the decisions we make and the directions we take. Seeing the plight of the poor, the faces of the distressed, and the context in which terrible things happen can strengthen our resolve to act and clarify our purpose for living. God placed us on the planet to do more than consume every resource on ourselves and our own comforts. He expects us “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly” with Him (Micah 6:8).

Travel Fuels Passion | Passion follows purpose. Those who traveled with me to Kolkata have a passion for helping the victims of injustice. That’s what motivated them to travel half-way around the world in the first place. However, walking through the streets of Sonagacchi, Kolkata’s largest sex district, and meeting many of the young women who have been rescued deepened the resolve of our team members to work on behalf of these unfortunate victims. They have returned home with greater understanding of the issue of injustice and more capable of speaking with conviction and authority on behalf of those who have no voice.

Travel Realigns Priorities | Travel confirms that life in America is good — it’s very good. But for those of us who witness the realities of life in other places, travel forces us to examine, reevaluate and, in some cases, to realign our priorities to more accurately reflect what matters to God. And, that’s a very good thing because those who return home generally begin to see needs that they had previously not seen. This is important because recognizing needs is the first step to acting compassionately on behalf of the least of these.

Travel is Fatal to Prejudice | It’s easy to buy into all kinds of rhetoric that disparages other people or that promotes distrust by painting them with broad strokes. Mark Twain understood the value of travel. He wrote: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness — all foes to real understanding. Likewise, tolerance, or broad, wholesome charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in our little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” Traveling and interacting with people in other places not only helps those who travel, it can also help those they meet to abandon their own prejudices or misinformation about others.

Travel if you can. But, regardless of whether you are able to get on a plane to go to the nations, remember that the nations have come to your own community. Every trip to the store or to locations in your own community can allow you to experience some of the benefits of travel. Take the time to meet others and to ask them about their countries of origin and how you can pray for the people who matter most to them. Allow your heart to become your passport to making meaningful connections with the people of the world wherever you happen to be.