Critics scornfully call such trips "religious tourism" undertaken by "vacationaries." Some blunders include a wall built on the children's soccer field at an orphanage in Brazil that had to be torn down after the visitors left. In Mexico, a church was painted six times during one summer by six different groups. In Ecuador, a church was built but never used because the community said it was not needed.
Silly Christians. They try to feed the hungry and help the poor and end up making mistakes. Better to sit at home on the couch and drink fair trade coffee.
1 comment:
I've often thought that many of our "mission trips" are actually vacations-that-I-don't-have-to-feel-guilty-about. If I go to a poorer nation and do something "productive" while I'm there, and I stay in run-down building instead of a 5-star hotel, then I don't actually have to feel guilty about the fact that I'm rich by the world's standards (not American standards) and I haven't actually done a thing to better the life of those I met. But I can still sight-see and "experience the culture" and come back a "changed person."
If I really wanted to make a difference in the world, shouldn't I move to that country and give my life to bettering that community, or join a movement to increase awareness of a global concern with a real, practical solution, thus magnifying it's impact? Or in the very least, to better the world, shouldn't I just use my turn signal when driving and allow others to merge in front of me?
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