An interesting Class discussion, pt. 2

Jodi addressed a very important issue, one that has plagued me since the Connection conference. How do we enter into a mission experience while also being mindful of the dignity of the human beings at stake?

Let's flesh this out some more. Oh dear, no pun intended there.

It is very easy to go on a mission trip, lead a Vacation Bible School, build a building, what have you, then leave. Follow through is ignored, and pride about the previous week's work is felt by all!I heard of a group in Mexico that actually resents the Americans who come in to lead their VBSes with fancy crafts that otherwise could not be afforded, and including all of these white people that kids are more interested in seeing than getting to know. When they want to have their own VBS weeks, no one comes.

We go and build buildings for Mexico, but the people do not take care of the building according to our standards. We get frustrated. Then again, how were the native people invested in the well-being of said building in the first place?

The main question at hand: My solutions to another person's problem are good for me, but how do I seek out the good for the other?

Jodi's example (remember that with her we were talking about class) was an upper class person coming to a middle class family's home and deciding to buy them a housekeeper. "I see you're struggling a little and don't have as much time to keep your home tidy. Let me buy you a housekeeper," upper class person says. She writes the checks for years and years without a thought.

About a dozen or so years later, the upper class person realizes he/she is spending a little too much and would like to make some cuts. Sure enough, the housekeeper for the other person is nixed. But now..

Now middle class family is in an uproar! They have had so many years of having it this way, that taking the housekeeper away is unfair. Unjust.

Now middle class family has a sense of (unjustified) entitlement.

Maybe you've experienced a homeless person looking at the food you offer them and saying, "Oh no man, I don't want that." Wait.. really?!?

Scene three is my observation of the January earthquake affecting Haiti. America throws as much money as possible at the situation. We also send a lot of doctors and helpful people of that sort. I'm not diminishing their work, but I would like to include some perspective. Where were these people before the quake? Haiti was in as much turmoil without the assistance of an added natural disaster. You can just compare the effects on Concepcion, Chile, where an earthquake of greater magnitude didn't cause as many problems for the community. (Not to belittle the still tragic results of that earthquake.)

And thinking back to our buildings, they were probably the only ones left standing in Haiti. Nevertheless, they are still our solutions placed on others.

Jodi added another tough question to all the social service groups in the room. What are your working hours and when are your clients most available? If most of your clients are generational poverty, then they are most free, statistically, between the hours of 7pm and midnight. Hmm..

So let's think of the results of our solutions for others: resentment, entitlement, acting too late.

Something has got to give.

I couldn't help pondering how much the relationship needs to be mutual. We have to remember that there are lessons to be learned from one another. It should never be one-sided. How do we get to that point?