A few months ago the world was a much smaller place. International flights were common, inexpensive, and full. Travel bloggers and digital nomads were the new jet setters. You didn’t have to be wealthy to travel anymore.

This had serious implications for people who had a desire to do cross-cultural development or missionary work. It wasn’t difficult. Anyone could get on an airplane and be in almost any developing nation within a matter of a day or two. A long-term residence was also relatively simple in many places. (Keyword here is “relatively.” No bureaucratic paper trail is easy. And someplaces are much more difficult than others. The point being that it’s quite possible.)

Over the last month, the entire world of international travel has completely shut down. Even if the ability and the consumer confidence were high enough to reopen all international flights tomorrow, we will not return to the way it was before.

Globalization isn’t going to stop being a thing. The threads of transit, business, and technology still connect the world. But I am speculating on the long-term implications of the global shutdown caused by COVID-19. It won't be the same.

We know the world has changed.

We don’t know how the changes will manifest, nor do we know the long term effects. But the hit on the travel industry has been profound. As more people learn the effectiveness and efficiency of remote and digital collaboration, I can’t help but think travel will be less common, or at least considered less “essential” than it was before.

I am quite certain there will be fewer short term missions and development teams jumping on airplanes, flying to various destinations with the intent of saving the world.
At least for a while.

And this is a good thing.

It’s estimated that 2 and a half million people go out on short term missions and development teams every year. While these experiences are life-changing for many, the short-term mindset will sometimes hamstring the difficult and creative work to provide long-term solutions.

Cross-cultural work is complex and nuanced. The problems we seek to solve are not going to find resolution in a week-long building trip. Things like the defeat of human trafficking, reducing cyclical poverty, cross-cultural church planting, and eliminating malnutrition in children can not possibly be don well with short term mindsets.

The COVID-19 global shutdown has forced us to rethink all travel, whether it be to an office on the other side of the city, another state, or across the globe. For people who are involved in mission and development work, this shutdown could change the way we work.

I hope that we will do the necessary work to produce long-term solutions as there are fewer short-term options to choose from.
Maybe we don’t need so many teams doing projects.
Maybe we need more professionals who lend their much-needed services to some of the most under-served parts fo the world.
Maybe we need a few who will consider developing a cross-cultural community rather than kingdoms and empires.

We have yet to see the long term shifts that will take place in cross-cultural work because of what has happened this past month.

My hope and plea are that we leverage those shifts for better work and the greater good.