Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a life time. This is a rather popular quote among many Christians and teachers. Maybe no other organization takes it to heart as much as Heifer International. This organization is an amazing non-profit organization that strives to eliminate world hunger by giving live stock to poor families across the world, and teaching them how to properly take care, use, and share the gift of life with these animals. Heifer’s strategy is to
“Pass on the Gift.” As people share their animals’ offspring with others – along with their knowledge, resources, and skills – an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe.– www.heiferinternational.org
This particular organization is located in southern Arkansas, and therefore I have visited several times, leading high school students to understand sustainability of farming and food. This is an amazingly selfless organization that has great drive and ambition for the world. To end world hunger, and hopefully one day they will achieve their goal.
If Heifer ever achieves their goal, they will successfully put themselves out of a job, and I am sure they will be quite pleased with that. I, on the other hand, would not like to be out of a job anytime soon. But yet another missionary recently told me that our job here is to just that, to put ourselves out of a job. I came to Japan with the intention of making a difference, to change something about the way this country viewed religion and to make my impact while sharing God’s word. As the school year comes to a close and I reflect on my past year teaching, I begin to wonder if I’m making a difference. The current church the JELC has placed me at does not really use me for anything. I do not lead bible studies, I do not have ministries, I’m not mandated to attend their meetings, churches here do not actively engage in out reach or many events in general. This began to bother me, I felt as though I wasn’t making a difference.
But is that a problem? The church is composed of mostly older people (as almost everything here in Japan is), there are 2 children and 1 new infant, the majority of our congregation is deaf. There is a strong deaf ministry going on there…which unfortunately for my lack of understanding sign language, let alone Japanese sign language, has left me out of that loop. Most of the ministries from other churches I’ve been involved in have revolved around either music or children…which leaves me at a loss at this church. But is that a problem?
My church here has created ministries that work for them. They have sustained those ministries and are taking care of them on their own. I am a PART of those ministries but am by no means leading or creating them. There is no need for outside help, no need for a missionary. A successful, sustainable church has been created that does not depend on outside help to function. That was the goal, right? Although Japan does not have high numbers of Christians, the churches that are here, are self-sustaining. If I were to create a program, would it be one they took on and continued with after I left? Or would it be something else a missionary created in order to make them feel useful? Which is a better way to minister? To make people need you, or to sit back and watch a working church…work?
When missionaries first came into Japan our gimmick was to teach English. Currently, English schools have sprung up faster here than Walgreens or Starbucks in America, and we have lost our edge. Many mission schools remain, but teaching English is as common these days as manga, have we managed to put ourselves out of a job? The LCMS church has always had a strong force of missionaries here in Japan and especially in Tokyo. “Back in the day” there would be as many as 30 at a time teaching here…this year only 5. And with these sad numbers, I will be saying goodbye to the LCMS missionaries here in Japan next weekend. Their mission has come to close, they have done their work and put themselves out of a job. As I struggle to say goodbyes, I wonder if this is a mission accomplished…and should we rejoice? They have planted the seed of Christ in all the people they have met, and over the years they have taught thousands. Is that it? Is the job done? I realize I ask questions that have no answer, but as these people who I have come to rely on as a support system leave, I cannot help but wonder how long it will be before we pack up and leave too. Countries are beginning to ask for more specific workers, nurses, computer programmers, doctors, theological instructors, the missionaries needed are much more advanced in their skill levels than they used to be. The entry level jobs, much like my own, are beginning to be filled by local staff. Wasn’t that the goal? Have we accomplished what we set out to do?
As I unfortunately count down the days until my co-worker, my fellow missionaries, and other friends in Japan leave to return to America, I begin to think about what I will do upon my departure from Japan. And I’m still left with a longing to help others, to serve, to volunteer. The demographics of who I want to serve and in what capacity have been changing, evolving if you will, and that changes on a weekly basis.
Many of you know that last August I finally achieved a goal of mine; to go to Cambodia. I have wanted to go to this country since I was a junior in high school. I have learned about it, met a former child soldier, listened to lectures, learned to love the food, read books, done research projects and have had an ever evolving fascination with the country. To finally travel to Cambodia…was life changing, amazing. It left me wanting to do more, with a desire to return. I decided I wanted to travel back to Cambodia when I was done with my time here in Japan and volunteer, more than likely with children at an orphanage.
And then I saw this: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/101east/2011/02/2011210123057338995.html A news program on Aljazeera discussing the problem with Volunteer Tourism: Tourists traveling around the world and volunteering their services for free. At first glance that sounds like a good thing, people wanting to help, people with a desire to give back. What could possibly be wrong with that?! Well…many things. Volunteers tend to be unreliable because they are on vacation after all. Volunteers leave, leaving orphaned children with a feeling of abandonment all over again, free laborers taking jobs away from locals who desperately need jobs. Volunteers do not create a sustainable work environment, because what happens when they get bored and return to their homes? The orphanages and other non-profits are left short handed and often without the proper resources needed.
I’m not saying volunteering is a bad thing, but I am saying that there are negative side effects to volunteer tourism…something I was/am very interested in. That leaves me and some of my fellow peers at a loss. We have all but work ourselves out of jobs in our current context and have the desire to serve and to work for the needy, but what if that is doing more harm than good? I would highly encourage you all who have read this far to watch the Aljazeera report; it is very interesting and informative.
I do not want to leave people with the idea that missionaries are not needed here in Japan; because they definitely are and our mission will be around for years to come; and volunteering is always a good idea and helps millions of people every year. I write this more to show you where I’m at in my current thought process, where to go from here? I want to serve in a more destitute location, and have a strong urge to return to Cambodia…but when I do; I want to make sure I’m helping them and their cause more than I’m hurting their cause. How do you create a sustainable enterprise with an ever changing work force? How do I help those around me without leaving a void when my time is over?
Am I making a difference here? Am I suppose to? Guess I’ll teach them how to fish, and hope I can find a new trade to teach somewhere else…
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