At one point or another, we've all had a friend that says "Hey, I'm going on a mission trip!" In high school, it was Guatemala, but during my time in college, India and Africa have become more popular. Most people that go on mission trips are very sincere, and really do help the communities that they enter. But I’m not talking about those people. I’m talking about the white saviors.

White savior and “voluntourism” are two commonly used terms when describing some volunteers from Western societies that travel to lesser-developed countries. By some, I mean the ones that update their social media with as many pictures as possible. These are the people who are less concerned with helping the community and more concerned with making themselves feel good.

I believe that there are people who do long term mission trips with the right intentions. I say long term for a reason. I've seen a lot of people go to a country for 2 weeks, and return acting like they have saved all of Guatemala. They play prophet for a little while once they get back and talk about how much the trip has "changed them." In another week, they're back to their usual selves.

The second thing that I mentioned was intentionality. It really has to be in your heart to help people if you want to make a difference. I've met people who want to go on mission for career moves or because "hey, I'm graduating, what exactly am I supposed to do?" Mission work isn't supposed to be a line on a résume or a last resort.

Because mission trips can be rewarding, I think this aspect of it also draws in the wrong crowd. I’m a religious person, so I’ve been roped into many “can I pray with you?”s. Sometimes I say yes, sometimes I decline. Most people are respectful and understanding, but there are a select few who really want to pray over you. Not in a way of “I really want to help you” but rather in a “I really want to feel like I’ve helped you”.

I’ve been in situations where I really didn’t feel like being prayed over, but I agreed to it anyway. Why? Because I could tell that the person that asked me needed me to say yes, even though I didn’t want, need, or ask for their intervention. That right there is the root of the problem with certain missionaries: self-glorification.

This isn’t meant to dissuade anyone from mission work. I admire the people who have the right mentality and resources to go and make a difference. It’s not even something that I wouldn’t consider in the future. All I’m saying is that these people in the communities that you’re helping are, in fact, people, not projects. These are people that are in need, but let them communicate exactly what they are in need of.