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Today’s post will be different and I speak in Jesus’s name about what I am going to write about. I search for a lot of content written within several top 50 Christian blogs. Recently, I came across an article speaking about poverty tourism and foreign lands. But before I begin this article, I have a question for you. Do you consider yourself to be above the poverty line or do you know somebody that maybe close to poverty?

Poverty Tourism

In poverty tourism, as reporter Jamal Osman says, “People’s lives are on display, providing ample opportunities for tourists to grab a few photos and go.” You have traveled to a foreign land, such as Kenya,  what thoughts might be going through your mind as you look and you see these people with  so little. You decide to stop and interact asking a few questions. After learning so much from their conversations. What can I do to help these people?

It would be those that interact with these folks and not see a solution to their long-term problems. In reality, it would be a waste of time for those who sought as a photo opportunity and not see what is below the level. I truly feel sorry for the those individuals. The Westerners may come into a slum or village thinking, “I know exactly what’s needed to help you.” At an unconscious level, it may even be that by seeking to help the poor, there is a sense of one feeling good and self-justification compared to those who do nothing.

I live in a small coastal community within the San Francisco Bay Area. My wife and I travel a few times a week to the local grocery store. Before entry into the parking we both saw a homeless family with shopping carts holding all their belongings and card board roofs to shield them from the rains. Our hearts go out to them, and quietly began to pray for that one day their lives would change.

Not only do the Westerners stare as they go to the  small villages but they dehumanize them, and think that these people cannot think for themselves, and in fact these people are highly capable and highly resourceful. And yet there is a different way of thinking of a pilgrimage and having compassion for those human beings and when you desire to touch and feel with an open mind and heart that is pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage leads to change. We do not visit the poor, we visit with the poor.Visiting with the poor is an expression and wholeness of God’s love for his people. Pilgrimage reminds us all that they are part of God’s kingdom.

#Poverty  #Povertytourism  #Kenya  #Russfwood