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Let's talk about photo-op "mission trips".
Posted on 1/4/17 at 11:06 am
Posted on 1/4/17 at 11:06 am
Do you go to a hip church?
Does your hip church send people on "mission trips" frequently? I have recently attended a church that is sending people to freaking Germany this spring. They send people to Haiti like every other week. They send people to Rwanda, etc.
It seems mostly like photo-ops to me.
All of this, and there really isn't anybody on staff to "help" local people when they need it. For the money they spend on this type stuff, they could hire two more staff persons, say, a professional counselor, and actually minister to their flock and local community.
This "college kids" globetrotting is wasteful and narcissistic.
Does your hip church send people on "mission trips" frequently? I have recently attended a church that is sending people to freaking Germany this spring. They send people to Haiti like every other week. They send people to Rwanda, etc.
It seems mostly like photo-ops to me.
All of this, and there really isn't anybody on staff to "help" local people when they need it. For the money they spend on this type stuff, they could hire two more staff persons, say, a professional counselor, and actually minister to their flock and local community.
This "college kids" globetrotting is wasteful and narcissistic.
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Posted on 1/4/17 at 11:31 am to Numberwang
Didn't you start a similar mission trip thread here a few months ago?
Yes, indeed you did
Why not just bump it? Or better yet post it on the politics board? You might get better responses there.
Yes, indeed you did
Why not just bump it? Or better yet post it on the politics board? You might get better responses there.
This post was edited on 1/4/17 at 11:36 am
Posted on 1/4/17 at 11:54 am to Numberwang
quote:
This "college kids" globetrotting is wasteful and narcissistic.
my nephews have been to india, japan, greece and costa rica (i think costa rica?. i'm a little jealous to be honest.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 12:19 pm to Numberwang
quote:
I have recently attended a church that is sending people to freaking Germany this spring. They send people to Haiti like every other week. They send people to Rwanda, etc.
It seems mostly like photo-ops to me.
So spreading the word to communities that may have never been exposed to God before is bad IYO, because it's too far away?
quote:
there really isn't anybody on staff to "help" local people when they need it.
waht local people have been turned away and denied help because there wasn't enough staff in the building that day? I'm quite sure you won't have an answer for that because you just made it up.
quote:
This "college kids" globetrotting is wasteful and narcissistic.
They're spreading the word. It's anything but narcissistic.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 12:50 pm to Numberwang
I'm literally on the way back from a college conference called Passion. In this conference, all of us college students (roughly enough to fill the Falcons Stadium) were challenged to partner with a charity known as Compassion International to help kids around the world trapped in poverty.
4 countries worth of kids were sponsored. Four. Entire. Countries. We're talking THOUSANDS of kids sponsored by college students. It even overflowed into helping hundreds in a 5th country.
El Salvador, Rwanda, Tanzania, Indonesia, and finally Bolivia.
I said all that because we were all asked how many were being led by God to go to other countries and minister. I saw many stand, and who am I to dare challenge them or call them narcissistic after what just happened in the last 24 hours?
I've never been out of country on mission work, but I've been to various mission trips in the USA. I've also heard a number of people share about their mission trips. I've also heard people from these countries that were visited whose lives were changed for eternity because of God working through missions. Everywhere in the world has opportunities for missions, and God calls everyone to different walks of life.
4 countries worth of kids were sponsored. Four. Entire. Countries. We're talking THOUSANDS of kids sponsored by college students. It even overflowed into helping hundreds in a 5th country.
El Salvador, Rwanda, Tanzania, Indonesia, and finally Bolivia.
I said all that because we were all asked how many were being led by God to go to other countries and minister. I saw many stand, and who am I to dare challenge them or call them narcissistic after what just happened in the last 24 hours?
I've never been out of country on mission work, but I've been to various mission trips in the USA. I've also heard a number of people share about their mission trips. I've also heard people from these countries that were visited whose lives were changed for eternity because of God working through missions. Everywhere in the world has opportunities for missions, and God calls everyone to different walks of life.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 1:01 pm to Numberwang
If a person or a church has the funding to go then they should. I do believe a person should ask themselves if they have any real skills to offer a community in need. For instance, if a person feels the need to go to an impoverished area that is in dire need of clean drinking water and they have no skills to bring that clean water to the community, maybe they would be better served to give up their spot and sponsor someone who has experience in digging wells, water filtration systems AND sharing the gospel.
Having said all of that...There is nothing wrong with anyone wanting to spread the gospel and I would never do anything to discourage anyone from doing so.
Having said all of that...There is nothing wrong with anyone wanting to spread the gospel and I would never do anything to discourage anyone from doing so.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 1:03 pm to Numberwang
Well, there's a nine year old Filipino kid in Calabrazon Province that can brag about having his pee-pee touched by Tim Tebow.
Seems worthwhile.
Seems worthwhile.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 1:28 pm to Numberwang
quote:
Does your hip church send people on "mission trips" frequently? I have recently attended a church that is sending people to freaking Germany this spring. They send people to Haiti like every other week. They send people to Rwanda, etc.
It seems mostly like photo-ops to me.
There are many different types of mission trips - construction, vacation bible schools, orphanages, church planting, street evangelism, encouragement, whatever. All have value for different types of people.
Frankly, I wouldn't say that I have great skills as a personal evangelist. But I can swing a hammer and have been fortunate enough to go to South Africa twice in years past. WE built a church in a remote are the first time, and I was able to help with some repairs/renovations at a poor Christian school the next.
These days I don't have the work flexibility to be gone for weeks but I feel fortunate enough to be able to donate financially and give to our missions partner CASAS POR CRISTO, who leads teams building homes for families and digging clean water wells in Latin America. I feel that we are making a difference one family and community at a time, and that impacting people in a very real tangible way is often the best method.
On the other hand, for teens and college kids - simply SEEING the conditions of third world countries has a very real benefit all by itself. Often, it is of immense value even if all they come back with is an appreciation of what they have themselves, both materially and spiritually.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 4:16 pm to Numberwang
This is such a strange thing to get upset over 
Posted on 1/4/17 at 6:03 pm to Numberwang
The perpetually single but slutty fat white girls on my instagram are always posting pics hammocking in Honduras and other such places. Instagrams with brown children is hip.
There's absolutely nothing that woman brought to the children of Honduras that was worth the $2500 or so she spent on her trip. It's stupid and it's something most churches offer because people enjoy traveling.
There's absolutely nothing that woman brought to the children of Honduras that was worth the $2500 or so she spent on her trip. It's stupid and it's something most churches offer because people enjoy traveling.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 6:54 pm to Numberwang
Frankly, if you have no chance of getting malaria or dengue fever you're not on a mission trip but a glorified "Christian" vacation. I've seen churches do mission trips to Ireland, Sweden England and other first world nations. Got to call bullshite on that.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 7:55 pm to Numberwang
I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I absolutely think hip churches are pretentious and guilty of these things.
Think for a second, if every hip mission trip you know of around the country went in to building and renovating housing for areas in this country. Seriously. What if almost every major church around the country tried to rebuild Detroit. How long would that take? 2 years? Tops? Probably the biggest blight in our own backyard and we do nothing.
At the same time, helping people is helping people. If they can recognize the look at me nature of these things, and still do some good work in the process, is it the worst thing in the world? I have plenty of gripes with hip churches, and a lot of the people in them, but I don't really have gripes with helping people. I would hope that we could help this country first, but people in need are people in need. It's not the end of the world. Just block their pictures on Facebook and spend your time at your local Habitat for Humanity.
Think for a second, if every hip mission trip you know of around the country went in to building and renovating housing for areas in this country. Seriously. What if almost every major church around the country tried to rebuild Detroit. How long would that take? 2 years? Tops? Probably the biggest blight in our own backyard and we do nothing.
At the same time, helping people is helping people. If they can recognize the look at me nature of these things, and still do some good work in the process, is it the worst thing in the world? I have plenty of gripes with hip churches, and a lot of the people in them, but I don't really have gripes with helping people. I would hope that we could help this country first, but people in need are people in need. It's not the end of the world. Just block their pictures on Facebook and spend your time at your local Habitat for Humanity.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 7:55 pm to Numberwang
quote:
This "college kids" globetrotting is wasteful and narcissistic.
You need to think outside a box. I know plenty of people who went on these short mission trips that ended being long term missionaries overseas due to opportunities you call wasteful.
Posted on 1/4/17 at 8:02 pm to Numberwang
You are really angry about people going on mission trips. Why is that?
Posted on 1/4/17 at 8:24 pm to Numberwang
quote:
For the money they spend on this type stuff
They are a non-profit organization, not a "non-loophole finding ways to go on vacation from taking an offering and tithings" organization
Posted on 1/5/17 at 7:40 am to Numberwang
quote:
This "college kids" globetrotting is wasteful and narcissistic.
I'd argue that kids need to get out more and see the world. And see the pros and cons of living in the US versus elsewhere.
I don't have issues with mission trips. If that's how churches want to spend their money then so be it. But I don't disagree with the notion that their best work could be done stateside. And that many larger churches have gotten away from servicing their own communities. I would like to see more community-based outreach.
This post was edited on 1/5/17 at 7:41 am
Posted on 1/5/17 at 10:59 am to Numberwang
I do think that some mission trip programs are all show and no go as they don't impact the people at the destination that much. Many do good work though. There is also something to be said for the impact exposure to poverty can have on people who go on the trips.
Some have gotten stupid. I know people who went to England to spread the Word. I understand that many there have turned away from Christianity but there are plenty of people there already trying, often unsuccessfully, to reignite the fire. I would think it would make more sense to go somewhere with very little exposure to Christianity.
As a Catholic I am amused how oftentimes the missionaries see areas with lots of Catholics as places that need to be brought Christianity.
Some have gotten stupid. I know people who went to England to spread the Word. I understand that many there have turned away from Christianity but there are plenty of people there already trying, often unsuccessfully, to reignite the fire. I would think it would make more sense to go somewhere with very little exposure to Christianity.
As a Catholic I am amused how oftentimes the missionaries see areas with lots of Catholics as places that need to be brought Christianity.
Posted on 1/5/17 at 12:07 pm to Numberwang
Everyone seems already set in their opinion, so I'm not trying to sway anyone, just throwing in my $.02-
I took a 10 day mission trip when I was 16 to Jamaica. No social media to speak of at the time, but I did take pictures. It was a fantastic trip and was my first real exposure to the third world and real poverty. I gained perspective and grew as a person. Did I help some Jamaican kids? I'd like to think so, but I know it helped me.
My daughter, also took a mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico around the same age. She raised the money to fund the trip herself. She loved it and sincerely loved the children and returned to the same orphanage the following summer. The trips definitely gave her a new perspective. This spring break, she's returning to the same orphanage on her own $, while her friends go to the beach or skiing. I am thankful that she's found a place and a group of kids that she's passionate about and I could see her moving there full-time after college.
So, sometimes mission trips provide as much for those who attend as their target audience.
Are there opportunities here in town? Sure and we try to take advantage of that too. Our church boarders an impoverished section of town and we provide outreach in the neighborhood.
So you have fun on a mission trip, is that wrong? I didn't get that memo.
I took a 10 day mission trip when I was 16 to Jamaica. No social media to speak of at the time, but I did take pictures. It was a fantastic trip and was my first real exposure to the third world and real poverty. I gained perspective and grew as a person. Did I help some Jamaican kids? I'd like to think so, but I know it helped me.
My daughter, also took a mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico around the same age. She raised the money to fund the trip herself. She loved it and sincerely loved the children and returned to the same orphanage the following summer. The trips definitely gave her a new perspective. This spring break, she's returning to the same orphanage on her own $, while her friends go to the beach or skiing. I am thankful that she's found a place and a group of kids that she's passionate about and I could see her moving there full-time after college.
So, sometimes mission trips provide as much for those who attend as their target audience.
Are there opportunities here in town? Sure and we try to take advantage of that too. Our church boarders an impoverished section of town and we provide outreach in the neighborhood.
So you have fun on a mission trip, is that wrong? I didn't get that memo.
Posted on 1/5/17 at 6:04 pm to Numberwang
Spent 2 weeks in Zimbabwe/botswana and south africa in 2007, my senior trip as a mission trip. we went to the schools way out in the bush and did our thing. You would've thought we were the Beatles when we came into the town, it was crazy how much the kids loved us . WE did real safaris and rode elephants and toured Victoria Falls as well. So we did spread the gospel and also got a vacation of a lifetime out of the deal.
The craziest part was seeing how the North Face jacket and fossil watch and new balance shoes I was wearing then could've fed some of those kids for several months really hit me hard. I've tried not to be as material - centered after this.
The craziest part was seeing how the North Face jacket and fossil watch and new balance shoes I was wearing then could've fed some of those kids for several months really hit me hard. I've tried not to be as material - centered after this.
This post was edited on 1/5/17 at 6:12 pm
Posted on 1/6/17 at 7:54 am to Numberwang
I took a trip to Honduras when I was in college and it was one of the most humbling life lessons I've ever had. Long story short.. me and three of my friends went. 2 engineers, 1 premed, and one Ag Ed. 1 Engineer moved to Nicaragua 4 years later and is a full time missionary, after the PreMed got his PhD he moved to Honduras as a full time missionary, and the AgEd teaches kids here and goes overseas during the summer months to help setup community greenhouses, community gardens, etc.
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