tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290159632337609818.post7915505639859007540..comments2023-12-31T13:37:10.753-08:00Comments on Christian Missionary UK: Is Our Westernised “Help” Actually Hurting Poor People?Natalie http://www.blogger.com/profile/02780394204265268454noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2290159632337609818.post-13669472159131816782021-11-20T10:27:02.580-08:002021-11-20T10:27:02.580-08:00Thanks for the review of this book, which I'm ...Thanks for the review of this book, which I'm currently reading. Since I began it I've felt a bit disturbed about their approach, and your review shows I was right to feel that way. The verses you quote show that God is more concerned that we give and be cheerful about it than spend out time analysing each and every situation. Often we only know a little about what our giving achieves. And of course we'll get ripped off at times; I know this from my own experience. But we persevere, knowing that God has called us to be cheerful givers, and abundant givers. I don't suppose many of us are as cheerful and as abundant as He'd desire, even in our best times!<br />As for Short Term Missions: yes, they are a bit of a puzzle, and yet, in the church we were in for some thirty years, they often encouraged people to go off on these, and while the results for those on the receiving end may not have been so visible, the results for those who went was often considerable in terms of changing their viewpoint about other people in the world, and the great need for the Gospel. But we shouldn't forget that Jesus was happy to send his disciples off on short term preaching missions at least twice that we know of, and rejoiced at the results.<br />Mission work is always something of a mystery - some missionaries can work for years without obvious fruit; some use their trade or occupation as a foot in the door to build relationships and show their love for the people they're helping. The first missionary in our former church, who went out in the late 1800s, died after only a few years, but became one of the people to those she worked amongst. And her work did have results long term. <br />I'll keep reading the book, but I'll keep in mind the comments you've made. Thanks!Mike Crowlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02823415769823932104noreply@blogger.com