If you’ve been part of the church for any significant amount of time, you’ve probably gone on a short term missions trip.
While the intentions are good, there are aspects of these trips that could be better. Fixing up a few things or painting a fence may seem like a generally good thing to do, for example, but it may not provide any meaningful change in the lives of the people still living in poverty. There are more voices beginning to advocate for overhauling how we do short term missions trips so that they better serve the people we mean to help – and one voice in particular just joined the choir.
Comedian John Crist has a new video out and it takes direct aim at these very trips meant to do good. Some are already complaining about the bit, saying it’s wildly unfair. But others are backing him up, saying there’s a lot of truth to be found here.
We’ll let you be the judge – did he go too far? WATCH:
Sean Moore Kate Bartow Bryan Bartow
Posted by Dan Andros on Thursday, October 19, 2017
“First things first, I’m going to need everyone to wear this awful neon colored t-shirt everywhere we go, because what’s the point of serving in a third world country if people in America don’t know we’re doing it?” Crist says.
“Day 1 is going to be a rest day. We need our rest. Day 2 is going to be a shopping day. Your grandparents and aunts and uncles have paid a lot of money for you to get down here, what better way to say thank you than some crocodile earrings,” the comedian adds, mocking the perceived lack of activity taking place on a given trip.
Crist then really cranked up the rhetoric, saying “Day 4, you guys, is when we really get down to business – we are going to paint a school. Are there skilled painters in that country that could probably do a better job than us? Yes there are. Does this country have high unemployment and they could probably use the work? Again, also true. Was this school painted last week by the mission team that came before us? Again, yes. But that’s not important, ok, we’re gonna paint the school and we’re going to get some photos to send back to the church!”