Shrewd as Serpents and Innocent as Doves: A Practical Security Guide for Christian Travelers

In this era of low-cost airfare, ecotourism, adventure vacations and short-term mission trips, Christians are traveling abroad in larger numbers than ever before -- often to increasingly remote and potentially dangerous destinations. Many of these travelers do not give much thought to security, either due to naiveté or from the mistaken notion that to consider one’s personal security indicates a lack of faith in God. Other travelers do think about security, but too much, and worry and fear ruin their trip. In Shrewd as Serpents, Gentle as Doves, security and terrorism expert Scott Stewart explains how to practice a balanced, common-sense approach to travel security that begins with preparation for the trip. Scott also teaches readers how to practice a relaxed, sustainable level of situational awareness and equips travelers with a number of practical security tools and tips that will help ensure a safe and enjoyable trip abroad. Reviews: "There are many so-called security experts out there, but as a former State Department special agent and corporate security manager, Scott Stewart knows what he is talking about. He is able to distill the lessons learned from the investigation and analysis of countless attacks and incidents into practical advice that can help prevent further tragedies. If you want to safeguard yourself and family, you should read this book." -- Fred Burton, Vice President, Stratfor and author of Ghost and Chasing Shadows "This book is a much-needed, well-written treatment of not only the subject of safety and security for short-term mission trips, but it's equally applicable to anyone involved in missions to any degree, short- or long-term. It will be highly recommended reading to all those I know involved in missions anywhere." -- David Pryor, Security Coordinator, New Tribes Mission

Although the world may seem smaller today, it remains as dangerous as it ever was. As Christians, we know that ever since the fall of man, the earth has been filled with sin, greed and crime. That has not changed. However, the nature of the dangers Christian travelers face is somewhat different. The fears of cannibalistic tribesmen and tropical diseases have lessened, but the threats of terrorism and sophisticated and heavily armed criminals have replaced them. 
While some of the dangers in the world exist near our own homes, these dangers are magnified while we are traveling -- when we are strangers in a strange land, coping with a sense of otherness and not belonging, and visibly sticking out in a crowd. Furthermore, criminals tend to target traveling Americans because of a general belief that their pockets are filled with cash, or that they otherwise have access to large sums of money. This assumption is generally true, because travel is costly and many Americans traveling abroad find it necessary to carry a large amount of cash (especially in locations that still do not widely accept credit cards or have many ATMs.) Additionally, even those of us who might not think of ourselves as rich are terribly wealthy when compared to most of the people we will encounter in the developing world, and this wealth makes us a target for criminals.
 
Unfortunately, thousands of Americans fall victim to criminals while they are traveling every year. What is even more unfortunate to my mind is that many of the people who are victimized didn't have to be. With a little education and preparation they could have taken steps that would have prevented an encounter with the criminal element or at least mitigated the effects of an encounter. I am writing this book to provide that education and preparation. I want to help people look for, recognize and avoid criminals who would seek to harm them.
 
Because of my background and my extensive experience as an overseas traveler, I am frequently asked for security advice and have provided travel security briefings to missionary organizations, church groups, friends, family members, student groups and short-term mission teams. My wife and I also lead a short-term mission group from my church every year, so I understand some of the ministry aspects as well.
 
The travel security briefings I have developed over the years are really an extension of what I did when I worked as a security officer at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City -- a diplomatic post facing what was considered a critical crime threat. One of my duties there was to provide crime awareness and avoidance briefings to U.S. government employees living in or visiting Guatemala, as well as their spouses, children and household staff members.
 
I was also blessed with the opportunity to give personal and residential security briefings to groups of missionaries and other U.S. citizens residing in Guatemala through a series of lectures I gave at the church we attended there, the Union Church of Guatemala. In this way I was able to develop a very active ministry, teaching people about personal security and helping them avoid being victimized by criminals. This ministry allowed me to combine my skills and experience with my passionate desire to help people stay safe.
 
The biggest difference between the briefings I do now and the briefings I did then is that I am no longer a U.S. government employee and can give my briefings with a decidedly Christian perspective. The practical principles I lay out in this book can be used by any traveler, but readers who are easily offended by Christian principles would be best to avoid reading it.
 
One of the most significant things I want to share with readers is the understanding that the situational awareness and threat recognition needed to avoid criminals are not super-secret skills that only highly trained experts can master. To the contrary, they are simple, common-sense principles that can be learned and practiced by anyone who has the will and discipline to employ them. But I do have another secret -- practicing situational awareness also makes you more effective in your ministry!
 
As much as I would like to, I simply don't have the ability to travel to every home and church in the United States to provide the content of my security briefing to everyone who is preparing to travel abroad. But my fervent hope and prayer is that by putting the content of my presentation into book form, I will be able to share the information with a far wider audience than I ever could in person.