Mission trips, or Christian tourism?

[faithfyl]

I found this article online that offers a perspective that many people had never thought about before regarding mission trips.

"My family has a term for short term missions: Christian tourism. The point is that the vast majority of short term missions trips are not for the people you’re purportedly going to help. They’re for you. You gain far more from them than they do from you, and with far less potential for harm. The problem is that most short term missionaries don’t realize that, and most short term mission trips are not structured and run from that perspective. The result is more condescension than compassion, and often more self-satisfaction for having done such great humanitarian work than humility and gratitude for the much greater (and more intangible) gifts we receive from those we thought we were helping. That’s not to say that our kids don’t come back with their eyes a little more open, their perspectives a bit changed, their worldview a tad broader—but the effect is often fleeting, the lessons learned soon forgotten."

"Call it what it is. Be honest and up front about what you’re going to do. Unless you’re going to provide disaster relief after a major natural disaster or medical aid to displaced refugees*, the reason you’re going is not to help them (whoever “they” are). You’re going so that you can learn from them. So talk that way, act that way. Teach youth to have the correct expectations, and tell them to be honest with their sponsors about the purpose of their trip. Teach them also to be honest about their purpose with the people they will come into contact with abroad. They should communicate to their hosts that they are there to learn from them, to gain a new perspective on the world and to be encouraged and strengthened in their faith—not to help them."


'When Short Term Missions is Actually Christian Tourism".

http://www.jbwtucker.com/when-short-ter ... n-tourism/

[Ivy]

That about sums it up.

[GMan]

That about sums it up.

True

[Pitts S2C]

I really dislike it when 'missionaries' post Instagram selfies in front of the Great Wall of China or something similar. I realize they have free time however don't post those pictures. It's just bragging...

[faithfyl]

I really dislike it when 'missionaries' post Instagram selfies in front of the Great Wall of China or something similar. I realize they have free time however don't post those pictures. It's just bragging...

Same here. I feel like they are really just on vacation. Which is okay, but they should call it that. And finance it themselves.

I dislike it particularly when they post FB pictures of themselves with the local people in those countries. It's just seems kind of exploitive. The condescension is also annoying; the attitude that "these people are so primitive, we need to help them be better, adopt our cultural ways and Christianize them."

The only time I've ever donated money to missions was for local missions here in the USA.

[KLP]

I think anything anyone wants to do that brings any sort of help or relief to those in need is a good thing. I have yet to see any Christian type travel trip not bring something or do something for people in some distant place. So even if they are bringing a cup of water to a thirty person, then good for them. Could they do more? Probably, but good for them doing the little they are doing. It can and does encourage people and build understanding and knowledge. So I would not want to criticize or tear down the good efforts of well intentioned people (no matter how small the good). The World needs all the good deeds it can get. And stay off of Facebook if you don't like inane and self-serving fluff.

[faithfyl]

I didn't find the article on facebook. I found it somewhere else online. Perhaps it was published on FB, but I really don't know.

The article pretty much made a distinction between mission trips that have, say a medical purpose (giving free medical and dental care to people who need it), and those that really don't.

It also explained how Christians can sometimes create problems in the areas they are supposed to be serving.

It's a very insightful article and brought up many things that I didn't know about, although there were a few issues that I already suspected were true regarding many of these mission trips.

[KLP]

I didn't find the article on facebook. ....It also explained how Christians can sometimes create problems in the areas they are supposed to be serving....

I dislike it particularly when they post FB pictures of themselves with the local people in those countries. It's just seems kind of exploitive. The condescension is also annoying; the attitude that "these people are so primitive, we need to help them be better, adopt our cultural ways and Christianize them."

Yes, I was responding to the entirety of your posting, the article itself and your thoughts about FB postings. I am glad you found that article to be helpful to you.

[faithfyl]

I suppose if people want to post those pics they can, it's not so offensive to me that I would block them over it. I think our society generally has gone out of control with selfies.

I think it probably took a lot of courage for the author to write this piece since it's directed toward a Christian audience. I'm sure that many people objected to what he wrote, but there is so much truth in it.

[agricola]

My sister's kids went to Mexico several different times on 'mission trips'. They did stuff like paint schoolrooms. I'm sure that was helpful to somebody. During their trips they were also 'witnessing' (i.e., holding 'Bible studies' and so forth). I'm sure they also had a good time, and there's nothing the matter with that, either.

But why travel a thousand miles and more to paint dingy schoolrooms and hold Bible studies with unbelievers (that is, anybody not a coc member)? Aren't there dingy schools and unbelievers right next door at home? (answer: yes). So certainly part of their nice 'good works' impulse was spurred by the impulse to go to Mexico.

At least the nice young LDS folks don't get to pick their destinations - and the hierarchy is just as likely to send them to San Diego as they are to send them to Cabo San Lucas or Copenhagen.