This post is the toughest to write. I have been wrestling with this since my return. I thought I was crazy and my concerns misplaced, but as I was catching up with Pastor John about my trip, I shared these thoughts and he told me I wasn’t alone. In fact the Outreach and Missions leadership at Christ Fellowship was reevaluating our approach to missions based on some of these same concerns.
This is tough to write because it sheds light on opportunities on my trip as well as on past trips I have gone on. It is my personal challenge to all who have and will go on mission trips to think differently. The Bishop of Rwanda said it best when he spoke about Rwanda’s approach to the judicial system as it related to trying those who killed during the genocide “we hold ourselves to western standards but western standards aren’t always needed.”
Most Americans including myself possess an arrogance when going on mission trips that although we are going to serve, we are “one hit wonders” going to save and make the lives better of all those we come in contact. They are “blessed to have us” and all the treasures we bring. When traveling you can usually spot Americans because we are loud, obnoxious and demanding. We don’t take the approach of observing the locals and do what they do. We don’t settle into the landscape of the country we are in.
During the trip and post trip I continued to be disturbed at some of our actions as it related to giving out gifts to the children. In America we wouldn’t go out on a street and start handing out candy and gifts without some type of announcement or partnership with a group. For goodness sakes, on Halloween we won’t even let our kids eat candy until an adult has scanned it all and thrown away anything questionable. Interesting that we think it is okay to go into another country, unable to speak their language and directly start handing gifts to children without partnering with parents/adults to get permission or introduce ourselves first.
We all love to treat kids to candy as it is a delight for them, but again at home we limit the sugar intake of our kids as we want their teeth to remain healthy, yet here we are in a 3rd world country where dentists are few, and we are lavishing the candy. Wondering wouldn’t it be a better option to buy healthy snacks bought in their country that would provide nutrition while stimulating their economy through increasing sales at local stores.
Empowering Locals
Why wouldn’t we want to meet with the leader of the town, church or the mission we are working with and tell them what we have brought and ask them if they would like any of the items and if so how they would want to manage them? Why wouldn’t we let them in their time, in their way distribute the items. Let them be in charge – it is their country, their culture. We are there to cheer them on, not to be the center stage. Better yet, why wouldn’t we bring money and buy the things locally the leaders are asking for to again stimulate the economy and support local merchants vs. haul things from the US.
If we really want to be planful, we would ask the group we are partnering with what the greatest need is and raise money so we could provide and meet the need locally. Pastor John and I were talking about the shoe drive we did for Haiti, I remember the women who had gone on the first trip said “get flip flops not shoes as all the girls want flip flops.” While that made sense, most of us still bought shoes, as we wanted them to have something nice. Well a year later, Pastor John has confirmed most of the shoes are still in storage at the orphanage as the kids want flip flop as they are practical and are easier to clean the mud off.
For those planning future trips, fast forward this concept - raise money for shoes if that is a need, take it to the group you are working with and go to the local store and buy locally what the children need. What a win for the local merchants and the ministry gets what they need. That is truly helping. Now in some cases they don’t have the items needed but we should first ask what the need is and can it be purchased locally. That is demonstrating the love of Christ in action.
Reflecting on candy wrappers, bloody noses, crying children because someone bigger took their stuff and broken crayons littered, I wonder did we leave the place better than we found it? I say this not just for this trip but for the many I have been on. We need to do a check of our motives to ensure that our actions are supporting the local leadership. We must decrease and they must increase.
Leaving Things Better than We Found Them
This past Sunday Pastor Tom had a great message on the right priorities for 2012. Encourage you to take a moment and watch. The concepts aren’t new but they are powerful reminders of how we are to live. www.gochristfellowship.com Click on latest message "Living a Life that Excels" on the right hand side of the home page.
This message is a call to action for all those who are preparing to go on mission trips. This is not meant to be a downer about this past trip but it is an opportunity for all who have been on trips to reflect on these thoughts. I believe this is one of the lessons God wanted me to learn and to share. We must shift our focus on why we go on mission trips. We need to ask ourselves – why are we going, what are we able to do to support the locals that the locals could not do without us. We need to ensure our actions support the local economy and we are enhancing their lives. It is a tough pill to swallow but maybe us raising money and sending it versus going on the trip is really what they need. I know I want to go back to Rwanda but I must balance the desire to go with what will my trip do to benefit the local population, what skill can I bring to teach or learn to take back to the US to make things better. If I am going just to go, my money would be better spent sending it to the mission organization.
Challenge
for those going on future trips - take time to learn about the local culture, learn key words and take the time to reflect and discuss how the mission team will show up differently in the country. When you leave, not only are you forever changed but the locals are forever changed. We have a choice to be a “one hit wonder” or “leave it better than we found it.”
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