What is a mission trip? What do you think of when you hear that phrase? I'll be real- for a long time growing up I was against them. I had this image of outsiders going into a country and forcing their culture, beliefs, traditions, etc. on them in the name of da Lawd! I envisioned the missionaries having a lack of respect for the ethnic customs and writing them all off as of the devil. Clearly, my historical reference points were very one dimensional…
Pretty jacked up and misguided, huh? Yea I know- you can say it!
I spent the summer of 2004 in Kenya on a service-learning trip. I saw and interacted with a large amount of Peace Corp members. This helped change my attitude. I realized that not everyone who goes into another country is trying to mold little thems. Many people have a true heart to serve. Many people respect diverse cultures and simply want to lend a helping hand. You can (and should) be a culturally sensitive & aware missionary. This started my exploration of missions and what they actually are, what they actually do and who does them.
Then last week I saw this:
This is my city!
My gut visceral reaction was- MY CITY DON'T NEED NO MISSION TRIPS!!!! I was shocked, defensive and possessive. Of course Philadelphians could use a helping hand. We have all sorts of needs not being met. However, to think of it as a location in need of missionary support felt like a slap in the face. We aren't THAT bad are we?? We don't have sex slavery or torture. We don't have coup d'etats or civil war. GEEEZ!!!!!! What are they thinking????
Then it hit me- it's not THEY, but US! I am a missionary! I am going to be entering 11 different countries doing the same thing. How can I feel like my hometown is "too good" for missionary work, but be months away from heading out to 11 other countries to do just that. Are they bad? Am I/my city better than them? WoW that's a super snotty stereotypical privileged perspective. In my heart-of-hearts I have a passion to serve, to meet needs, to spread love. However, there was a bias in there about who needs this type of help. EVERYONE needs and can benefit from a helping hand. No one is better than someone else. We all have biases; the problem is not recognizing and addressing them. I'm REALLLLLY thankful that I came across this video on the AIM site. This also helped me put my foot in someone elses shoe. Now I'm more aware of how those I serve in this upcoming year might feel about our presence.
Growth is a beautiful thing…
QotM:
O Lord, help me not to despise or oppose what I do not understand. ~William Penn
SotM:
