Security is an Illusion
The goal of practical security measures to be able to operate as long as possible in a hazardous environment. It means safety IN the risk and danger, not safety FROM the risk and danger.
Bad things will happen to us, even when we are walking closely to our Lord…bad things happened to Him, too.
-Anna Hampton
There is the illusion of security that global workers believe they are maintaining by certain security practices. There are those workers who refuse to use certain words like "prayer," "Bible," and "Christian" in their newsletters.
Really - very few entities in global business, government, or contract work writes newsletters. There are certain predictable practices that global workers have and adds to their profile.
We have to think of the security measures we put in place from a shame-honor perspective. The idea that "I"m maintaining a facade of security and the host government has NO IDEA who I really am" perspective is naive.
Even the Taliban have Christian NGO workers profiled and know how to spot them a mile a way. Our governments know how to spot a Christian aid worker. As soon as you engage with embassy personnel of the country you are applying for a visa for, they are profiling you.
Write your newsletters as a Christian, but just avoid the words that would bring shame to a local government - words related to the concept of proselytizing/evangelizing, or the “m" words (missions).
How many folks go overseas and think they are maintaining a facade of being a business when they are operating a coffee house, English language centers or computer centers? Locals know the costs of doing those businesses, the amount of money made, and the cost of maintaining the global-worker lifestyle. You're not fooling anyone.
Locals aren't stupid.
They know there's more money coming from somewhere.
We think way too highly of ourselves if we think local governments care very much at all about us being Christians. They assume anyone from the West is a Christian anyway. It's much more about if we are drawing attention to ourselves and shaming the government in the eyes of the local religious leaders.
Likely most governments know who the Christians are. Many governments like to be able to tell the West that they have freedom of religion there, and can point to so many foreign workers there able to worship in their churches. Additionally, they are able to control and kick out anyone who steps out of line in any way above what is allowed.
A few thoughts that may very well be true for any Gospel worker:
1. The host government knows who the expatriates are and why they are there. At the very least, the local neighborhood leader knows who the newcomers are and can quickly figure out why they are there. (Unlike Western nations, most neighborhoods have a designated or elected leader, or a village leader, or a clan leader.)
While missionaries are often accused of being spies, in reality, my experience observing government people from my home country is that they are pretty daft at blending in and understanding cultural nuances. Many seem to be unaware of truth/guilt, shame/honor, and fear/power cultures (see Roland Muller's book).
Missionaries are usually better at understanding how to blend in, even if they can't physically blend very well.
2. Emails and cell phones are monitored, and the host government knows who is connected with whom. Unless the email is encrypted from the point of origination and all points in-between until it reaches the intended computer, it is vulnerable to interception. Double encryption, Signal or Threema and a VPN is the best civilian way around this challenge.
3. If the expatriate does anything to draw unwanted attention, this is tantamount to shaming the government, and the risk is being kicked out. It has nothing to do with the TRUTH of the situation but with shame/honor. Truth doesn't really matter to most governments, but it's much more an issue of shame/honor and fear/power.
4. Don't we want to be known as Christians when living in closed-access countries?
5. Don't we want to be known as people of prayer and who read the Book?
6. Many people are inconsistent in their security profile. They may choose to avoid using words like "prayer, Bible, Christian" in their newsletters but then post pictures with geotags or have a yahoo e-mail address. Consult with a security expert who can help you realize your blind spots and security inconsistencies.
7. Many people say whatever they want on the cell phone, without factoring in that police are most likely monitoring cell phones. It was common in Turkey to have police listen in to conversations. They knew who was meeting whom, who had regular conversations with each other.
8. Facebook, cell phones, Instagram, Google - all of these have tracking and identifiers attached to them. Great if you are kidnapped with your computer and cell phone for the FBI to track you, but not helpful if you think you have "a cover."
9. Security is a "house of cards" that easily crumbles as soon as one computer is stolen. There is no way to have 100% protection.
So what is helpful?
1. Avoid using words and phrases and activities that will shame the government. Don't force the government to act to keep their honor in the face of religious leaders. However, be who you are...a Christ-follower.
2. Pay for secure email and a VPN if at all possible. There are free VPN's out there, too. Make your gmail more secure, and get rid of the Yahoo and Hotmail addresses for work related emails.
3. Delete more of the avenues that make you easily traceable. If you really want to elevate the value of not being traced, then consider deleting your FB page and access the internet through a VPN, so that at least the local government isn't tracking you (as much).
4. Avoid serious conversations on the cell phone. But realize that if police, Taliban, ISIS, or some other extremist group looks at your cell phone or the locals you call, they will see quite quickly who is connected to whom.
5. Try to use the value of not drawing attention to yourself. Don't shame the government. Do what you can to honor the government. This is generally much more important than avoiding being known as a Christ-follower.
6. Recognize that God is truly the one providing your way to stay there in the high risk place. He oversees your security. If the government wanted you out, they'd kick you out. You are providing a value to the government even if it is for their political purposes, otherwise they wouldn't let you have the visa.
7. When asked, let it quietly be known you are a Christian serving locals out of your love for Jesus.
Isn't He worth this risk?
8. It is important to take care of your internet profile. Get off the church lists. Google yourself every six months and see what is on the internet about yourself. Have a friend help you get the google cached pages off of there. This follows the principle of PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY so that under pressure of police interrogation you don't lie. If it is not in writing anywhere that you are a missionary, that you can plausibly deny it by redirecting and stating what else you are there for. Make it easy on the lowest law enforcer or visa clerk to let you go through, by having a plain vanilla profile, nothing that screams "Worker."
9. Develop your SLS - a Short, Legitimate, Statement. This is a statement that is true about what you are doing in a creative access country and is a quick sentence you can share with a customs agent, airline staff, or visa official. The children must also know what this statement is, and then practice the statement on a regular basis. It's important that how you are funded is easily answered in a satisfactory way, without referring to your supporters.
For example, a missionary studying at a foreign university can say that he or she is being supported by their parents, even though there may be other supporters. This is understandable in many cultures who assume Americans/Westerners are very wealthy.
Security is an illusion and really is out of our control. God is the one who makes the way for us to be in dangerous places, no matter how "strong" the "strongest man" is in the local situation. If He wants us and calls us to be somewhere, then we do need to use prudence so as not to draw undue attention to ourselves, but not be so arrogant we think our lives matter very much to local governments.
