Part 1: Everybody in the Pool | Part 2: But First … | Part 3: More than Good Intentions | Part 4: Semper Gumby | Part 5: Dependence
As I said at the beginning of this series, I know a lot of people who have more to say about this topic than I do, and who could say it better and give better illustrations, but for better or worse, these posts summarize some of the most important things I’ve learned in short-term mission work.
I’d like to close the series with one more thing I’ve learned, by seeing it happen over and over to different students on different teams in different countries, and even on different continents.
A short-term mission trip almost always changes the thinking of those who experience it, and those changes mature over time. By that I mean that the changes worth celebrating tend to be more likely the longer the trip lasts. You see a lot of changes immediately, but they tend to be immature, not well thought out, simply reactive.
Let me run through the list of what a team participant notices, in order of occurrence.
I’m Going to Go Help These People
This is usually the stated goal before the team leaves. The assumption, of course, is that I have something that “these people” need; I’m in a superior position by virtue of education or wealth or culture, and aren’t I a good person to have such altruistic motives?
I don’t mean to sound cynical; I know a lot of people genuinely want to take the gospel to those who have not heard, and a lot of people have skills—medical, linguistic, trades—that are genuinely needed on the field where they’re headed. But I’ll also observe that if you’re going on a short-term team, you’re probably not going where the gospel has never been preached, and you’re probably less effective at preaching the message than someone with some knowledge of the culture would be.
And the medical teams? God bless ‘em. They do important work, and may their tribe increase, along with the ministries of other skilled professionals. But those sorts of teams come with their own set of problems. Most obvious is that the locals come for the free medical care and say whatever they think they need to say to make the “visitors” happy. False professions of faith abound, and again, someone not familiar with the culture is not in a position to spot the insincerity.
I’m not trying to stop you from going, but it’s worth being reminded of Jesus’ admonition for his disciples to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Mt 10.16).
And watch out for your cultural snootiness.
Boy, Are These People Poor! I Should Give Them Stuff!
First, while there are certainly poor people in this world, it’s often the case that we think people are poor when they’re not. In the African bush, most of the tribal people I’ve worked with have food to eat, clothes to wear, and houses to live in. I wouldn’t be comfortable living in those houses, but they are, and the worst thing a “missionary” can do is tell them that they’re poor and start giving them stuff. They have what they need.
This is not lack of compassion; it’s respect for the culture and, more importantly, for the freedom of the person you’re naively trying to “help.” You don’t want to breed dependence. A great many people in developing areas will see any American as rich (which, comparatively, we are) and will immediately set out to get a piece of that action with a sad story. You’re not helping that situation when you give out of a misplaced desire to be generous and charitable.
In an earlier post I mentioned a couple of good books on this subject. It’s very difficult to walk the line between being charitable and being harmful. Again, someone well familiar with the culture is your best asset in dealing wisely and effectively with those situations. I made it a practice never to respond to an indigenous person’s request for a gift without first consulting with the missionary serving there.
I expected to cover all the changes in thinking in a single post. That is clearly not going to happen.
More next time.
Part 7: Closing Thoughts II | Part 8: Closing Thoughts III
Photo by Jeremy Dorrough on Unsplash
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