They have enough European blood floating around here that if I dress the part and keep my mouth shut I should not be in too much danger. Finding the time is the hard part.

If not for the danger aspect in general, I think it would be far more fruitful to actually experience their lives for a time and not just see it as a spectator.

I came to Paraguay initially to teach in a school for American missionaries and rich Paraguayans, but knew after one semester it was not for me. I also knew I needed to come back and work with the poor.

I needed pictures to show my church what I saw so I could find the money I needed to return without the school paycheck. I went to a park and took pictures of the shantytown that butted up to it.

The guy in the first shack starts yelling at me, and not knowing his language I assumed he was mad I took a picture of his poor home. I looked at his body language and he was actually trying to tell me to put my camera away and get out of their for my own safety, presumably before robbers targeted me.

Of course I tried not to look like a tourist or someone with money by dressing like the locals and keeping my camera out of sight in baggy pockets between shots. I was going alone where foreigners should not go and without the language no less. My friends, US and PY, questioned my sanity for that venture.

There is a tourist train in Paraguay that I took. For some the draw is the old wood fired locomotive and restored cars, for others it is the artisan city where it ends up, but it is not a poverty tour.

And yet it passes through some very poor places on its way to its destination. There are poor homes of every level, track side shanties, children swimming in mud puddles, etc.

We even had to slow down in an area where electrical lines were spliced across the tracks to some shacks on the far side. The owners either came out to undo the connections, or let the train undo them by default, and then reconnect them afterwards.

Children swarmed out to see the train pass and make it whistle. My favorite part was sitting at the window waving to all the spectators, who were primarily poor children.

I enjoyed the trip and it was good to see how others live their lives. It was unintrusive, they did not feel that they were on display and it seemed more authentic.

If seeing that poverty had been the goal of that trip I think it would not have been as enjoyable, beneficial, or impactful. It also would not have been as well recieved by the locals. As is, they had as much fun seeing the old train chug by as did the riders.

Yes there is great value in seeing how the majority of the world’s population lives firsthand. I just think you need to go with a purpose other than seeing how the majority of the world’s population lives firsthand, which makes it less authentic somehow.

I’d love to visit my sponsor child someday, but I gave up a good paying career to actually go and minister to the poor children of Paraguay.

An unusual thing here, the poor homes and rich homes are intermingled, each with a compound wall, but side by side. I go past shacks every day, by car or by foot, doing my job.

I’m not just visiting, I live and work here, and that gives you a totally different perspective you will never get by a one time tour. I’ve never been much of a tourist anyhow, if I go somewhere I want to be put to work.

I think overall the trips are useful because you don’t know who they’re going to change or how. And in my experience the people visited appreciate the concern. But lets not judge other people’s trips. That’s a little unfair.

You asked: Is it possible to truly understand life in poverty without ever going to see it for yourself?

To be honest, I do not know. I believe ‘going and seeing’ certainly helps in understanding poverty.

However, understanding is only a means, not the main goal for us. I do not think Jesus in the gospels calls us to understand poverty. I would say the Bible presupposes all of us have a sufficient basic understanding of poverty to make us responsible for doing something serious about it.

When I share with the people around me about Compassion child sponsorship, I concentrate on the biblical call to help the needy.

Still, there is this disturbing call for equality among believers from 2 Corinthians 8:13-14. I would love to hear some people share something on their understanding and application of this text.

I feel like the call for equality is quite seldom used in our efforts to motivate ourselves to help those in need. Do we fear it is just demanding to much?

My estimate is I’m about 20 times wealthier than most of my sisters and brothers in the faith all over the world. How should I implement this equality?

Is anybody out there struggling with the same type of questions?

Another possible difference is in what we do when we’re there. On a sponsor tour, we get “down and dirty” with the children. We interact with them, hug them, kiss them, play games with them, worship with them.

But, yes, there are moments when it feels as if we’re gawking. Those first moments when we enter a church, find a seat, and then look around can be awkward. The best way I’ve found is to find a seat–or squeeze in–among some children and start interacting right away.