Anonymous wrote:Are any of you familiar with a Christian mission trip that we can commit to over the summer? We are seeking to serve abroad, yet we also have elementary school age children. Thank you in advance for any recommendations that would allow us all to serve as a family.

You could look into some of the Indian reservations in US. Not sure about Christian affiliations but I have read that some have cultural programs where Americans can learn about their traditional and revolving cultures while volunteering to help with community work .

Anonymous wrote:Closer to home, can you host play dates with a child who is struggling socially?

That's a horrible idea. The child will now know he needs help and will feel different and pitied. All OP's kids will learn is to pity people different from them and "save" them from hardship, especially if the child is a refugee. White savior complex.

Look for opportunities to put together meals at home, kits for foster kids, toiletry kits for refugees/unhoused people. Things you can do at home.

Is your 6-11 year old REALLY going to be able to put in an 8-12 hour day swinging a hammer or sewing or peeling potatoes or picking crops or painting? Will they have the concentration skills for that? Will they have the physical stamina for that?

If not, then their "help" is probably not actually helpful.

I don’t think OP is having trouble finding opportunities for her and her husband. The issue is that she wants her kids to participate and in the States they don’t allow that for liability reasons. I think people having trouble picturing an environment where kids could be useful without adult supervision (since the adults would be doing other things) for a long period of time. OP do you have a vision of what this looks like for you?

Flint Mission Project
https://flintmissionproject.org/

Jackson, Mississippi
https://www.ppm.org/mission-trips/jackson-mississippi

Maryland Food Bank
https://mdfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/volunteer/

Deep Roots, ending homelessness
https://deeprootsinc.org/group-service-opportunities/

Appalachia Service
https://asphome.org/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poverty tourism at it’s finest. Do some actual goods and donate that money instead of exploiting poor people in the name of Jesus.

Are atheists serving the poor in the name of naturalism?

I don’t think there are many atheists going on “mission trips” as their family vacation. Nobody said OP shouldn’t volunteer, it’s the mission trip tourism part that people are rightly calling her out on. She could drive 10 minutes to Ward 4 and have plenty of service opportunities if she wanted to.

I would find an organization closer to home, like Habitat for Humanity, OP.

Habitat for Humanity
https://www.habitat.org/volunteer
If you want to travel, you can even travel OP.

Anonymous wrote:Are any of you familiar with a Christian mission trip that we can commit to over the summer? We are seeking to serve abroad, yet we also have elementary school age children. Thank you in advance for any recommendations that would allow us all to serve as a family.

Is there a single skill that you or your elementary age children have that would in any way benefit anyone? Keep in mind that everywhere you go has a local labor force that will be more skilled than you and willing to do the work for a lot cheaper than the cost of your flights and housing, so what do you actually bring to the table?

Anonymous wrote:Poverty tourism at it’s finest. Do some actual goods and donate that money instead of exploiting poor people in the name of Jesus.

She has to appear saintly, even though we all know she is a horrible narcissist! Her elementary kids helping poor people! If she hired a few of those poors that would be money better spent!

Anonymous wrote:AIDS ORPHANS IN AFRICA.

OP does not want to be "infected" by those kids! She just needs a narcissistic show of grandiosity to post on insta.

Poverty religious tourist. what a treat, yes, poor people are just waiting for you and your useless kids to "help them."

I am NP here and I will not keep my opinion to myself. Your nasty posts show exactly what bigots some religious people are. All narcissistic abusive jerks!

AIDS ORPHANS IN AFRICA.

“Serve” your own interests in other ways.

Anonymous wrote:Closer to home, can you host play dates with a child who is struggling socially?

+1

Lots of refugee families who can use help from other families.