Are Mission Trips Beneficial? ft. Ellen Courchane

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Our first guest of season 4? My own sister! Ellie Courchane is a nurse, a fiancee, and a frequent attender of mission trips to developing nations. Ellie and I are chatting about what makes a GOOD mission trip, why so many mission trips are actually harmful, and why we sometimes use humor to view things through a different lens. I love Ellie’s perspective on why mission trips can truly be a good thing when done well and why your impact matters just as much as your intent. We also talk about if it’s better to try and do something even though it may potentially be harmful, or if it’s better to do nothing at all. If you’re considering going on a mission trip this year, make sure to listen in!

BTW: want to win an audio copy of Girl, Arise for World Read Aloud Day AND be gifted a cute new phone background by Catholic artist Emily Runyan?! All you have to do is request that your library carry What Happens Next, my new middle grade novel coming May 19. Shoot proof of your request to hello@thecatholicfeministpodcast.com and I’ll send you the background + make sure you’re entered to win.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Learn more about the phenomenal trips they have planned for 2020 at selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. This beautiful Mass journals make the perfect gift for the Catholic woman in your life. Head to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • Why Ellie started going on mission trips vs. why she goes now

  • What voluntourism is vs. what good mission trips look like

  • How mission trips can be harmful to communities

  • What questions you should ask when deciding about going on a mission trip

  • If memes/humor culture helps us look at things differently or hurts our feelings or both

  • What’s been bringing Ellie closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

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