Out of the many topics discussed in ECON 101, the issue of poverty stuck out to me the most. After discussing a number of reasons why poverty is still such a prominent issue in some countries, it made me reconsider what is actually beneficial for these people in these conditions. Besides the fact that government aid does more harm than good, it was also interesting to consider that mission trips in some ways hurt rather than help these places. This intrigues me so much, seeing as there appears to be no changes to the way mission trips approach helping a poor city or area. I have seen many missions trips that have hurt rather than helped a community. If the church is aware of this, why are no modifications happening to the way they approach giving back to that area? What are ways for those believers coming to evangelize to encourage those people to work and make a living for themselves? As we've talked about previously, as Christians, we are to give back to those less fortunate and provide Biblical charity. Charity without a biblical stance can become dangerous for the recipient, even if we have good intentions.
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Indeed, this is often the sad case. It is easy for Christians to get caught up in the "American Savior" mentality. It is only natural, as we are commanded and called to love others and give to the poor by Jesus himself. However, we are called not to be mindless in our giving. We are commanded to love others unconditionally, but just as the disciples and Jesus had methods, we should too! Self-less giving should reflect the situation at hand. Handouts might be very much needed for emergency relief, but sustainable methods, investment, and partnering is necessary for long-term results.
I was also taken back by how providing aid and assistance does not always create or offer the desired benefits in which they were designed to help those in need. Although money is never the real issue, it is based upon what is done with the money or its usage that prevents and hinders growth and development of a country's economic prosperity. In regard to ministry and how the church and mission trips can once again or reevaluate the ways in which we serve and offer aid, I believe if we start by assessing what a particular country and their culture stands in need of based on priority needs first, we are then able to serve them well. This is demonstrated by the biblical principles of ask, seek and knock. In this method we seek God's wisdom and guidance to assist us and reveal to us how we can better serve his people. Then we learn the culture of the people and learn what they need the most that offers the best, the safest and the most beneficial assistance that enhances and enables them to maintain and sustain better living conditions. Building a stronger, wealthier and stable community amongst the neighboring countries also creates a space to cultivate, replenish and restore health amongst the people as a whole while having the proper technology, skills and training along with the help, resources and financial capabilities of other nations that can and will lead to long-term improvements and developments in the long run.
It was certainly quite fascinating to see government programs which one would think actually benefits and helps those in need actually further the poverty issue. Though it makes complete sense, if you give more money to a community the inevitable result is inflation and thus the people are either getting the same amount of goods for the same amount of money or they are having to actually pay more for the same amount of goods. In terms of mission trips, it's fascinating that the church puts such an emphasis on giving to the poor, shouldn't we be focused on teaching them to provide for themselves? While this isn't a bible verse, Christians seem to use this phrase a lot and I think it goes perfectly to the reform that needs to happen with mission trips. The phrase is, give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. I think this is the attitude the church needs to have when sending people out on missions because this way it teaches the poor to be self-sufficient and enter into their own markets with a natural amount of competition.