International Travel -- Other Thoughts

I never saw it coming---this potential for global impact.

As Christian faculty, we can have an incredible and immediate influence around the world.  Here are some simple steps to take:

1. Develop the Right Motivation

I’ve changed so much. As a young prof, every time I went to our biggest national or international conferences I thought to myself, “If I worked more hours, and devoted more attention and energy to my research, I might have a shot at being a star.” So much of that thinking was rooted in my own ego.  Increasingly as I've learned to walk with Christ and to appreciate all He's done for me,  I find a higher desire to serve others.  And I also increasingly find great joy.  

Our students, our colleagues, our grant officers and our opportunities to travel are not stepping stones to fame and glory in the small pond of academics. These people, under our influence, are eternal.   And these opportunities we have are opportunities in the greater kingdom of God to advance another's fame and glory.  With the right motivation, you and I can have a global impact for Christ.  

2.  Notify Local Faculty Commons or Cru Leadership of Your Willingness to Use Your Life and Expertise Overseas

When the Cru leaders locally and around the world know a professor is coming, they can often set up speaking engagements that offer both access and platform for a gospel influence.

• After a professional Conference in Japan, Phil Brewer, the CRU leader in Osaka, set me up to talk to a group of local Christian faculty. What a thrill, especially in one of the least religious countries of the world.
• I also think my trip to Afghanistan where I ministered to over 50 Muslim professors who were some of the most cooperative and attentive groups I’ve ever encountered.
• In Egypt, I remember speaking to young Egyptian Christian physicians; I knew that if I could impact this group ever so slightly, God could multiply these effects greatly in astounding ways. 
• In Sweden, I saw a maturity and commitment of our Christian brothers and sisters there that I've rarely experienced anywhere.
• Then, there are some African countries and other Islamic nations that I cannot name for security reasons, where, as an American academic, I had special access. 
• Most of all, I think of Mongolia, where I was impressed with how the Korean Christians poured all of their resources—time, money, and energy—into sharing Christ in the Higher Education world. They saw the value of doing so in ways that made me wonder why American Christian groups aren’t doing the same. 

I just never imagined how God would use me in all of these nations.

I never saw it coming. 

3. Lastly, be willing to serve in capacities beyond your academic expertise. 

When I look back on all these travels, I also remember that sometimes, the professors on overseas trips simply serve well and connect with students when they aren’t giving professional lectures. 

For example, I was on sabbatical in Sweden when I learned that I had received a Fulbright to Botswana in southern Africa. As has become my habit, my wife and I contacted Cru and connected through email with the Missional leader of the Cru group at the University of Botswana.

We arrived at BOTSCru’s first meeting of the academic year, and the team wasn’t quite sure where we fit in. I figure that all Cru leadership ought to be suitably cautious about new “volunteers”.

By faithful attendance, we (mostly my wife) won their trust. After the first term they asked us to go to the airport to pick up the visiting Cru Summer Project Team. My wife and I hauled a van load of students to their lodgings. We (mostly my wife) were able to really connect with the students, and over the course of the project we (mostly my wife) connected deeply with the staff team.

Serving however we could—like simply driving vans and helping folks with luggage—mattered on that trip.   

Since I was traveling with my wife, we were able to have several great adventures with the STINTers (Short Term International Projects), but my favorite was the marriage seminar. Some student Cru leaders suggested it; the two male STINT team members along with the Cru staff put it together. What impressed me about this marriage seminar was question-and-answer time. The local students had many questions, asked with impressive earnestness. They hung on to every answer and asked some good follow-up questions. The STINT leaders finally had to call an end to the session, but I was shocked at the interest and enthusiasm.

I never imagined that God could use me overseas as a professor, a van driver, and a husband. 

In summary, I learned how God uses mentorship, integration of our faith and our disciplines, the ministry of presence, and global missions to change me and give me an eternal perspective. I still haven’t retired, and I am not sure I ever will. 

I never saw that coming 30 years back.

 --Phil Bishop, University of Alabama