Reciprocal Giving, by Michele Dudley

God has allowed me the opportunity to travel to many developing nations, particularly over the past 5 years.  Most recently I was in Ecuador in South America starting a jewelry project with former street boys and underage girls who have been sexually exploited (trafficked).  While I was there, the organization that hosted me talked about the difference between mutual using and reciprocal giving. Mutual using in the context of a mission trip is when both the short-term trip team member and the "recipient" use each other for their own benefit.  The team member may be going to serve for the travel experience, to be part of a team, to learn about another culture and of course the desire to serve others and be blessing. While all of these things are good reasons, our motives sometimes have more to do with ourselves than they do with those we are going to serve. The "recipients" in country sometimes use team members to see what they can get from them to meet their own needs and wants.

The better alternative is reciprocal giving.  This is where both the team members and the people we are working with focus on graciously receiving gifts from each other. The people we we will be visiting in Haiti have little, yet they will make sacrifices to serve us the best food and service they have available – we need to graciously receive what they give us regardless of whether we like it or not.  Our gift will be a smile, a warm hug and serving in whatever way Mission of Hope asks us to – even when it is something we don't want to do.

I don't expect this trip to be easy… We'll be there during the hottest time of the year, likely doing manual labor, in the poorest country in the western hemisphere where the people have little opportunity to overcome their circumstances – but God. If we go filled with the Holy Spirit and the right attitude, our smiles, hugs, encouragement and labor alongside the Haitians will share the hope of Christ which is the ultimate hope for all of our hearts regardless of whether we live in plenty or in want. And usually it is the hardest things that prove the most worthwhile.