By now you’ve probably heard all about of the group of American short-term missionaries who were arrested in Haiti. Rushing to the country in the wake of the devastating earthquake, the group said they were simply trying to save orphan lives. The government there disagreed, accusing them of something very sinister.
At this point it is not clear what the final outcome will be for all ten Americans. What is clear is that this incident should be a lesson to all short-term missionaries: Know and follow the laws of the country where you will be ministering.
As this situation illustrates, anytime you will be dealing with children you need to know not only what is legal but also what is culturally acceptable. This not only applies to child adoptions and transporting children, but even to something as simple as visiting an orphanage.
Awareness of the legalities of caring for children is the most obvious lesson we learn from Haiti, but it is also teaches us that there are various issues to consider when ministering internationally.
Money–Many countries require that you declare at customs if you are carrying any large sums of money, typically $10,000 or more. Some even require you to declare how much money you have when you depart the country. Failure to do so can result in fines and even imprisonment.
We know of one missionary who was carrying a large sum of money to give to a ministry in a particular country. He knew that if he declared it he could be hassled about it, and even “taxed” some of it, so he chose not to disclose it on the customs form. Officials discovered the money on him, however, which started a nightmare lasting for months. Not only did it cost him time and most of the money he was trying to bring in, but it also hurt his testimony and the reputation of the ministry in that country.
Besides the legal aspects of bringing in large sums of cash, there are also safety concerns. With global ATMs, bank transfers and such, there really is no need to be carrying in large sums of money. Now that is not to say that short-term teams do not need to carry money to cover their expenses when traveling in areas where cash is necessary. In those situations, the team leader would be wise to distribute the funds among the team members for carrying. One person with $12,000 may be an issue. Twelve people with $1,000 probably will not be an issue.
Just remember that the law trumps good intentions. Do your homework before the missions trip and save yourself some grief. We’ll continue this discussion with our next blog.