Self-Serving Service

First of all, sorry to all Blogcheckers (watch, that will be in Webster's in a few years) for my lack of blogging. I realize that my musings are desired (atleast by Cory and Trev, who obviously procrastinate more than any human should, since they want to read my crap), and I'll do my best to get a routine started...which translates into... I'll blog over break (after finals!) and then forget about it again when classes start.

But, alas, I have stumbled upon something that riles me up enough to put off sleep for a few minutes while I vent. (Yes, I did nap today in my attempt to stick-it-to-the-man (see previous post), so that will help in this effort).

How about a fashionable play on those cute MasterCard commercials for an intro? Survey says yes (I could keep going with these corporately-inspired pop culture lingos, but I'll stop...maybe..yes, that's my final answer.)

Plane ticket: $2,000
Cute fleece to keep me warm at night: $99
New boots for the journey: $75
A new journal to write down my experiences: $9
Getting a chance to help poor people in _______ (a country): PRICELESS

Here, I am pointing to the phenomena (or phenomenon....I don't know which fits here) of Christians spending ridiculous amounts of money on missions trips. Let me insert the proper preface here that I will later expand upon. Missions are what the church should be all over. Jesus was all about helping others, and we (Christian or not) should be all about that too. What I contest in this scenario (see MasterCard example above), is the fact that massive amounts of money get wasted in this process. While the country in need may have a willing college student for a week or so, the money needed to carry out absolutely necessary change is being divided between various profit-driven interests. Delta gets their cut, NorthFace gets their cut, Timberland and Journals.com get their cut (still exploiting my MC example), while the people in need get a body instead of food....a well-clothed body instead of the medicine that keeps their children from dying.

Who does this mission trip end up benefiting? It seems to me that corporate interests get placated, while the person doing the missions gets a nice feeling and a life's worth of stories. Who's left out? Anyone? Yes, I see a hand in the back....oh yes...the people in need! We cannot let the pursuit of altruistic boosts of self-confidence blind us from the grotesquesly self-serving nature of this situation. How many of us would honestly consider sending $2,183 (total of MC example) to the people in need (via an existing agency) instead of going on our precious trip? I can admit my weak selfish mind has trouble accepting this notion. What's the return for me? I guess the more important question is, what is the return for the people in need? If an existing agency can utilize my money more effectively than my presence, it makes rational sense to sacrifice the cash in lieu of the experience.

Ok, that's the end of my rant for now. First of all, do not take this personally...unless you feel you should. Second of all, I in no way am taking away from the importance of missions. I agree with an assertion of Tony Campolo that upwards of 80% of our young people should be committing to serve others, while the other 20% find jobs to help support those who are serving! (I'm remembering those numbers...they may be a little off, but not by a lot). Campolo says, "Being a Christian isn't just believing in God and being good. It involves a commitment to change the world." (You Can Make a Difference). I would push this further than Christianity for sure. I think being a human, breathing your portion of the air here on earth entitles you to live in service of the human race. However, I do not see self-serving mission trips as a way to do this. I see them as a selfish waste of money where the real objective may be to feel you made a difference instead of actually making one. There are many efforts in the world that need people...don't let this discourage you from those efforts. Let this discourage you from the efforts that would benefit more from monetary self-sacrifice than your presence.

May God bless all in their attempts to serve others and spur all into efforts that will benefit their fellow man.