Raquel's "I'm not looking for a specific bf"

[slickcat79]

Dear Raquel,

When people talk about "merica" or "murica" or "murrika", they are not being complimentary/patriotic. If that's what comes to mind when you view a soldier holding a gun, it's not something that you should be proud of.

[crazyforkate]

Her latest post - she's been gone from Oregon for what, a week? And she misses it so much that she has to dedicate a blog post to pictures of it.

Excuse me a moment.

...

...

...

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. AHAHAHAHA. HAHA. HA.

Carry on.

[Firiel]

Her prayer at the end of her post about leaving for Peru:

Father God, I am presenting myself to You to be transformed. I pray that You use me in whatever way You desire to. Make me to be sanctified in Your truth. Help me to learn much from You during this time in Peru. Help me to always focus on honoring and glorifying You with everything I do, say and think. Renew my mind in Your Word. Show Your glory through my life. Speak through my words. Bless others through my touch and my smile. Give me patience and strength. May You always be praised. Forever. Amen.

Hmmm... nothing about the people she will be going to (in her mind) help. Nothing about her fellow travelers. Nothing about anyone but herself. What a narcissistic child.

[FJismyheadship]

Oooh... she would hate it if God actually tried to transform her. She would be one of those people who God would send lessons to to try to teach her, and she would claim the devil was out to get her!

[Peas n carrots]

So, basically, she's admitting that she's throwing herself at anything with a Y chromosome then?

Only requirement seems to be a pulse...

[Trynn]

Her prayer at the end of her post about leaving for Peru:

Hmmm... nothing about the people she will be going to (in her mind) help. Nothing about her fellow travelers. Nothing about anyone but herself. What a narcissistic child.

In her defense, she's not the only person I know of who's thought of mission trips solely as ways for God to transform themselves... At least from what I've seen, it's a common attitude.

Edit: not that it's not still problematic, but... She's really not a minority. At least from what I've seen.

[uber frau]

In her defense, she's not the only person I know of who's thought of mission trips solely as ways for God to transform themselves... At least from what I've seen, it's a common attitude.

Edit: not that it's not still problematic, but... She's really not a minority. At least from what I've seen.

It's the kind of mindset that goes with the sort of 'mission' she's doing. Most 'missions' are simply povo-tourism for Jesus. If we're realistic, the only ppl whose lives might possibly change from the mission are the ppl who go on them.

A group of ppl with nothing to offer (except the superior version of Christianity that comes with their whiteness) swooping in on a group of exotic unfortunates for a (blessedly) short time certainly won't have any impact on the community they're visiting at any rate.

You've got to either be naive, narcissistic, or both to go on most short term missions. (I'm not writing off all short term missions as unhelpful, just most of them.)

[Firiel]

It's the kind of mindset that goes with the sort of 'mission' she's doing. Most 'missions' are simply povo-tourism for Jesus. If we're realistic, the only ppl whose lives might possibly change from the mission are the ppl who go on them.

A group of ppl with nothing to offer (except the superior version of Christianity that comes with their whiteness) swooping in on a group of exotic unfortunates for a (blessedly) short time certainly won't have any impact on the community they're visiting at any rate.

You've got to either be naive, narcissistic, or both to go on most short term missions. (I'm not writing off all short term missions as unhelpful, just most of them.)

Yeah, I know she is definitely not in the minority in this case. But the attitude still bugs the crap out of me. Volun-tourism is the term I've heard to describe it. I work stateside for (what I consider) a really positive mission organization, so I feel like I've seen good mission work in action. Thus, seeing people go on short-term mission trips and be all high-and-mighty about it really pisses me off. And yeah, unfortunately, you see it a lot.

[fiery redhead]

Somewhere it sounded like the actual "mission" did not begin until the 7th, but she had a full in vacation the week proceeding.

[alba]

Yeah, I know she is definitely not in the minority in this case. But the attitude still bugs the crap out of me. Volun-tourism is the term I've heard to describe it. I work stateside for (what I consider) a really positive mission organization, so I feel like I've seen good mission work in action. Thus, seeing people go on short-term mission trips and be all high-and-mighty about it really pisses me off. And yeah, unfortunately, you see it a lot.

It's not even as though Raquel has any skills that could benefit the people she encounters in Peru, even in the short-run.

Oh, wait, she does. She's God's speshul snowflake daughter/Jesus' lover who will bring her boyfriend's love to those poor lost Peruvians :roll:

[nastyhobbitses]

In her defense, she's not the only person I know of who's thought of mission trips solely as ways for God to transform themselves... At least from what I've seen, it's a common attitude.

Edit: not that it's not still problematic, but... She's really not a minority. At least from what I've seen.

It's not an attitude limited to mission trips. Listen to certain people talk about doing Teach for America or similar programs (nothing against people who do TFA; I just don't think that the program is the best thing for education). It was such a transformative/eye-opening experience for *me*. It gave *me* perspective. Et cetera. Doing charity and only focusing on how it affects you is narcissistic, and frankly, very damaging. If all you focus on is "oh, how can I make this a transformative experience for me?", you won't know what the people you're supposedly helping actually need or want.

[Firiel]

It's not an attitude limited to mission trips. Listen to certain people talk about doing Teach for America or similar programs (nothing against people who do TFA; I just don't think that the program is the best thing for education). It was such a transformative/eye-opening experience for *me*. It gave *me* perspective. Et cetera. Doing charity and only focusing on how it affects you is narcissistic, and frankly, very damaging. If all you focus on is "oh, how can I make this a transformative experience for me?", you won't know what the people you're supposedly helping actually need or want.

That's very true. Same thing with Peace Corps, sometimes. I do think that people who eventually feel drawn towards devoting their lives to social justice on some scale (anything starting a non-profit to choosing to volunteer regularly) often have some sort of "transformative" experience where they begin to realize that reality of oppression/poverty/whatever injustice. Saying, "I didn't realize xyz. I want to help change xyz" as part of your response can be legitimate. The thing is that most people "discover" injustice and then go right back to living exactly how they did-- no volunteering, no supporting non-profits addressing the issue, no examining one's life and spending habits to see if one is unconsciously supporting the problem. But it was a LIFE-CHANGING and TRANSFORMATIVE experience. Except that it wasn't.

[fiery redhead]

That's very true. Same thing with Peace Corps, sometimes. I do think that people who eventually feel drawn towards devoting their lives to social justice on some scale (anything starting a non-profit to choosing to volunteer regularly) often have some sort of "transformative" experience where they begin to realize that reality of oppression/poverty/whatever injustice. Saying, "I didn't realize xyz. I want to help change xyz" as part of your response can be legitimate. The thing is that most people "discover" injustice and then go right back to living exactly how they did-- no volunteering, no supporting non-profits addressing the issue, no examining one's life and spending habits to see if one is unconsciously supporting the problem. But it was a LIFE-CHANGING and TRANSFORMATIVE experience. Except that it wasn't.

Exactly. And if people feel they need to take a special trip in order to serve others than their concept of truly serving is rather skewed. She lives in Portland, but there is less opportunity for more instagram likes when the location is the UGM in downtown vs. a foreign country. Raquel is a spoiled and insincere child.

[LilMissMetaphor]

'Quel is back. She is the only person who has ever been on such a super special life-changing and amazing trip. God really showed her the hearts of the darling Peruvians. She left a piece of her heart there. (You're totally not supposed to give pieces of your heart away). She learned that a dinner of herbs with peeps you like is better than a stalled ox with your enemies, yo. And she learned that even when you cram a bunch of folks in a tiny café there is still room for God! Who knew He took up so much space! And He taught her that washing dirty clothes in a foreign country is totally much more eye-opening and selfless than when you're doing it in Oregon.

Snark aside, I'm still chuckling over "Peru is another home to me". Yeah right. You barely spent enough time there to need to shave your legs, much less get through the first stage of culture shock, babe.

[BlondeAgent007]

Did anyone else catch her prayer list in the pre-trip post? She requests not only prayers but very, very specific ones. Only two of them have anything to do with the people of Peru. The rest are things like, "pray my luggage doesn't get lost!". And there's like 30 of them. Sigh.

[ILikePie]

'Quel is back. She is the only person who has ever been on such a super special life-changing and amazing trip. God really showed her the hearts of the darling Peruvians. She left a piece of her heart there. (You're totally not supposed to give pieces of your heart away). She learned that a dinner of herbs with peeps you like is better than a stalled ox with your enemies, yo. And she learned that even when you cram a bunch of folks in a tiny café there is still room for God! Who knew He took up so much space! And He taught her that washing dirty clothes in a foreign country is totally much more eye-opening and selfless than when you're doing it in Oregon.

Snark aside, I'm still chuckling over "Peru is another home to me". Yeah right. You barely spent enough time there to need to shave your legs, much less get through the first stage of culture shock, babe.

In Raquel's defense, her "I'm Back from Peru" post sounds a lot like the typical overly sentimental crap people post after community service, missions trips, etc. What really got to me was how there was hardly any mention of the people she went with or the Peruvians she supposedly served. It was all about what God did for HER, the hardships SHE experienced.

On a somewhat unrelated note, Raquel's blog does feel a lot like an echo chamber lately. I wonder what's with the lack of comments lately (she used to get 10-20 per post).

[nastyhobbitses]

That's very true. Same thing with Peace Corps, sometimes. I do think that people who eventually feel drawn towards devoting their lives to social justice on some scale (anything starting a non-profit to choosing to volunteer regularly) often have some sort of "transformative" experience where they begin to realize that reality of oppression/poverty/whatever injustice. Saying, "I didn't realize xyz. I want to help change xyz" as part of your response can be legitimate. The thing is that most people "discover" injustice and then go right back to living exactly how they did-- no volunteering, no supporting non-profits addressing the issue, no examining one's life and spending habits to see if one is unconsciously supporting the problem. But it was a LIFE-CHANGING and TRANSFORMATIVE experience. Except that it wasn't.

Yeah, I just quit a job with an NGO for personal reasons (turns out living in a very poor, isolated rural area with very little emotional support in country where mental health care is limited to nonexistent isn't so good for people with a history of depression/anxiety), and while I did join up with this NGO because I genuinely cared about the issue they're combating and wanted to help people, I also joined because I wanted to see if teaching/education was a field I wanted to enter as a full-on career before I plunked down money for the necessary qualifications to do that (Master's, state certification, etc.). Selfish? A bit. Especially because I realized that I really didn't like teaching (another reason I left). And that honestly, my students would be much better helped by, you know, an actual teacher (and that ain't me, folks). I think everyone who does full-time charity work has some selfish motivation for doing so (resume value, seeing if it's something you want to do for the rest of your life, getting out of your comfort zone, getting some perspective, going to experience another culture/part of the world), but it all depends on how much that selfish motivation eclipses genuine concern for the people you're supposedly helping. I think "voluntourism", mission trips, and Peace Corps-esque programs tend to promote putting yourself first in charity work instead of the people you're serving, even though I personally know plenty of people who do those programs who are truly in it to do good things for others. I personally think we need to do more to build up programs and initiatives that are by and for local people in underserved areas, instead of sending in inexperienced, idealistic twentysomethings who want to help, but are primarily doing it so they can say "I went to Poor-land and took some selfies with a poor and now I understand what it is like to be a poor". I should know -- I was an inexperienced, idealistic twentysomething (still am, come to think of it...just a whole lot less idealistic now).

[JHeathen]

Fun fact: The term "abolitionist," as used by certain flavors of Christians[tm][/tm], is used to mean "anti-abortion." I don't know why--perhaps because they aim to abolish abortion?"

Or because they typed in anti-abortionist, and spellcheck gave them abolitionist. :lol:

[fiery redhead]

Something tells me that Princess Raquel does not help much around the house, so doing someone else's laundry probably was a big deal, but not some sort of spiritual enlightenment like she claims it to be. As evident in her fervent Calvinism, she loves to partake in evangelical fads (yes I shudder as well) and mission trips are quite popular. They really are just vacations that people can use to show how they suppose my are so much closer to God than the rest of us schmucks who serve where we live.

Raquel, thanks for wasting so much of people's time and money so you can look like the celebrity you really are not.

[fiery redhead]

I like how Raquel returns from serving orphans on someone else's dime and then goes and buys 3 lattes in one day. Her insta will make you nauseous.