Respect and Seek out Elders as a Short-Term Missionary! Don't just "hang out"!

"A local senior pastor, commenting on the manner of dress of the short- term team, said, “They come with their culture, not minding about the people they are ministering to have their own culture.” The team wore hats while evangelizing and when approaching local elders; this was understood lo cally as a sign of disrespect. The senior pastor also complained that the team “hooked up with younger people,” which made the locals suspect the team of having their own agenda. In that culture the missionaries were expected to approach older people for guidance in the culture."

(The Trendy Giant Wounds: Some Lessons from the Church in Africa, David Ngaruiya. EMQ, January 2008, p.63)