missionary trip or vacation plan?

[latraviata]

And Australia. It's still like a Frisian village in the fifties (although my husband and I joke they'll be getting around to 1960 in another decade it so).

I believe you. An exodus took place in the fifties.

[bettertomarry]

Because it's much more exotic to get stoned in a different country? :D

Also cheaper and depending on the country, less legal risk.

[NurseNell]

I went on a mission trip where we all worked very, very hard. Half of the group was made up of physicians and nurses, the other half older teens and young adults. I was part of the medical half. We put in 12 to 16 hours/day, O.R. had no running water, and one of the islands we went to had no electricity. The other half did service projects in the orphanages. We all paid our own way. I'd go again in a heartbeat if I had the money.

[louisa05]

What is the purpose of her mission?

Proselytizing the Dutch??

Apparently. But it seems that she was sent there with zero ability to speak the language and has spent two years plus on the one hour a week language classes--which can't be enough to be fluent even now. Her great success stories seem to involve MKs of college age--in other words already evangelical ex-pats--who she is "mentoring". Frankly, it looks like an all expenses paid way to live abroad and travel a lot.

[silverspoons]

In high school (catholic school) I decided to go on a 2 week mission trip to an orphanage that had mostly young children dying from AIDS. We had to go through a 6 week CNA type course, as well as counseling (on how to deal with what we were going to see). This was in the late 80's and I remember my father wishing I had spent my $400 on a trip to spring break instead of this mission trip. We lived in tents and I didn't get to shower once in 2 weeks. It was basically 16 hours of work and 8 hours of sleep for 2 weeks. It certainly was life changing trip but it had very little if anything to do with religion. We never talked about faith just worked.

Several times over the years when I have been in a talkative mood I have gone up on testimony sunday (I like to call it open mic day) at the LDS church and talk about my experiences I had during this trip. It amazes me, when the vast majority of the people listening have gone on a 2 year mission (or have a spouse or sibling that has) that are totally fascinated with "my catholic 2 week mission". The LDS church requires 1 day a week at least of service during your 2 year mission but the people that approach me seem to have not gotten any real meaningful service from their mission.

The biggest eye opener for me was when I went off to seven sisters college and was in a dorm with the daughter of the leader of the country I did the missionary work in. We went shopping one day and I was asking her about her life and she had never seen the poverty. She had basically lived in her compound and only was taken to select places. I showed her pictures and she was almost in disbelief and invited me back to see her side of her country. I didn't go back with her, in fact I moved to a dorm with a large eastern European group of girls and ended up getting to spend several summers with them doing volunteer work in orphanages.