Remodeling of Mission

Last week, the Global Episcopal Mission Network held their annual conference in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and Mission Personnel invited all of the Episcopal missionaries from Latin America and the Caribbean to attend. The fellowship time among the missionaries and the awesome staff that supports us was the most fulfilling part of the conference (Lynette Wilson captured the essence of this great community in this article here). 

But all of the talk among ourselves about our experiences, and the questions from other conference attendees about what we do as missionaries, makes me ask myself this simple question: what in the world have I been doing all this time for three years in Haiti? 

Voluntourism, Poverty Tourism, Mission Trips, Oh My!

Simply by reading this post and the linked articles, you will have contributed one of the best things you could contribute to the mission here with the Episcopal Church in Cange, Haiti. Please read it.

This post is a collection of articles that discuss the positives and negatives of volunteer trips, the issues of voluntourism, and some suggestions on how to improve on this phenomenon.

The issues these articles address lead me to question the sincerity of human good will, the limits of commitment, and virtue of selfishness. It is my hope that by sharing these articles, I will push you as I am being pushed to consider the broader context in which we live, work, travel and volunteer--not only in places abroad, but in our own neighborhoods and towns.