I’ve been in Sri Lanka for a week and I must admit, I could use a little Chick-Fil-A, y’all. Not because the food in Sri Lanka is bad. It’s actually pretty good. Oh, it’s given me some pretty terrible diarrhea at times. Just like Chick-Fil-A, really.
Still, bring on the Chick-Fil-A!
I’m convinced that if I could somehow tie the stories of the poor people here in Sri Lanka to America’s favorite fried poultry that, perhaps more Americans might take a moment and just pay attention to what’s happening on an island in the middle of the Indian ocean. That perhaps a headline like “The Five Ways Chick-Fil-A Failed Sri Lanka” or “The Church Goes All Chick-Fil-A For Sri Lanka’s Poor People” might create enough viral noise so that people might engage a story or two about what’s happening in Sri Lanka. Maybe if Chick-Fil-A was somehow associated with Sri Lanka you’d retweet, like, pin, or post something about the needs in Sri Lanka. That perhaps we’d stop debating politics for a moment and listen to some stories about people with far bigger problems (give or take a mud hut or two) than the ones we’re facing. That maybe, just maybe we’d rally behind the poorest of the poor the same way we rallied for or against Chick-Fil-A.
Where is that fire, that passion we possess for the things we believe are worth fighting for or standing up against–where is it in light of the least of these? Oh I know that many of us give to worthy causes. Lots of us care. Please don’t think I’m suggesting that we don’t care. But why don’t we showcase that care with the same enthusiasm as we give our politics and the social causes that affect us personally? I’m not say that those things aren’t worth talking about. I’m asking why we don’t raise use our voices in unity as loudly for people and causes in which we receive nothing in return? We’ve experienced moments when this happens, when we fight the good fight together, when Democrats and Republicans, when believers and non believers, when people of all lifestyles and background unite for unselfish causes.
But those moments are becoming few and far between it seems…
I know I’m being somewhat cliche, you know, that “I’ve been to a Third World country” guy. But that’s what happens when you’re invited into a family’s mud hut for the afternoon. It’s what happens when you meet a little girl with a crippled foot who gets bullied at school and has decided she doesn’t want to go back. That’s what happens when you meet a family who has no health care, no clean water, no electricity, and seemingly no future (but the one in front of them).
And too, when you believe in the work of an organization like World Vision, you can’t not talk about it. When you’ve seen the possibilities of a family change from impoverished to sustaining, you can’t help but want others to get excited about it. When you’ve talked to a Buddhist monk and an Islamic imam about how World Vision literally changed their lives and the lives of the people in their communities for the better, you can’t help but want people to showcase the same excitement for an organization like World Vision as they did for a company that makes chicken sandwiches.
I’m not asking us to become quiet about the controversial and polarizing issues that we’re passionate about. I’m asking us to give equal play to the issues that all of us say we care about–the poor. I’m asking us to fight becoming numb to the issues that don’t affect us and to not become complacent to the poverty and injustices that we don’t often “see” with our own eyes. I’m asking us to consider how blessed we are by acknowledging and giving financially toward the needs of others whose earthly blessings are scarce. And I’m asking us to be loud and intentional and selfless with our voices and our influence.
Like we were on Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day…
On Chick-Fil-Day, a host of America’s Christians showed their support or lack of support with their pocketbooks. Some of us flocked to lines to buy chicken sandwiches. Some of us refuse to ever eat at Chick-Fil-A again.
In that now “famous” Chick-Fil-A post, I asked this question…
If Mike Huckabee had declared yesterday “Homeless Appreciation Day,” would the response have been even half as large and loud?
Many in the comment section said that they would have shown up to give to the homeless. In fact, some even declared that their support for Chick-Fil-A is no reflection of their love and willingness to help the poor and that I was a jerk to imply otherwise.
Maybe they were right.
Well, then, what if I declared today, August 31, 2012, “Sponsor A Child” day? How many of us would show up and consider sponsoring a child? How many of us would troll the comment section looking for an opportunity to devour one another? How many of us would be willing to use our pocketbooks to support World Vision–a cause that millions of Americans believe in and support?
Unfair question? I don’t think so. Look at how passionate many of us became in our rallies for or against the words of Dan Cathy, a rich American CEO, who will no doubt eat quite well tonight. Is it too much to ask that we’d show the same passion for the needs of a child like the one in the picture below? This little girl isn’t trying to sell you chicken or take away your freedoms, she just wants an education, a source for clean water, to know that she won’t be hungry tomorrow night, to have a clean place to go to the bathroom, and some basic health care.
Like so many of us who harp about family values in America, this little girl just wants a fair shot at having a family in the future, a chance at being in a better place than where her Mommy and Daddy ended up.
And they’re are thousands of other children just like her right now in Sri Lanka. And they’re waiting for our help.
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I almost didn’t read this. I saw the title, and truth be told, I was (am) annoyed by the whole Chick fil A thing for pretty much the same reasons you listed here. You pose a great question. I hope a LOT of people read this and take it to heart enough to spur action (including myself).
This is one of those things that hurts me to no end. My follow-up to my CFA post was to ask people to donate to another cause that I support the same amount that they would spend on a lunch. Not a regular donation, not a large donation. Just $5-10 to help an NGO that is helping folks have food and clean water.
The response was underwhelming. By a lot.
Hugs to you. I’ve not been where you are, so I can’t imagine how much more it hurts when you see the need first-hand.
The budget isn’t there to support another child right now, but I can at least make a donation.
Matthew,
The question is unfair to some extent. If Mike Huckabee were to ask American Christians to line up in mass at Chick-Fil-A, one Wednesday a month for years to come there would be few. I dare say there would be fewer than those faithful families that do sponsor a child through World Vision or Compassion International. It cost nothing to support Chick-Fil-A that one day when people got in line to fill their own bellies. You are right that Americans are a self-serving bunch…but at the same time when the need is great someplace in the World, it is Americans that most likely show up to meet the need.
Ron – No offense but have you seen Charlie Wilson’s War? I work with asylum seekers from Afghanistan. We have many who came before the last wars, and after the Russians went in in the 90s – with weapons given them by the Americans.
Matthew, it’s a great question, worth asking.
At the same time, the implications contained in the question are unfair for this simple reason:
Christians can walk and chew gum at the same time.
In other words, there’s no reason to suspect that Christian who showed up at CFA on Aug 1 aren’t giving to many causes that you would agree are good causes. For that matter, there’s no reason to suspect, suggest, or imply that the ones who read Alise’s post and didn’t give to her chosen causes aren’t sacrificially giving in some ways.
Disclaimer: I thought CFA Day was wrong, and posted this the day before: http://middletree.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-i-wont-be-eating-chick-fil-on.html
Did you read the whole post, James? Because I stated that I know lots of people give. That wasn’t the question. The question is whether our passion for things like poverty equals or comes close to that of a Chick-Fil-A type rally. I certainly know lots of people give to orgs. Just like lots of people ate at Chick-Fil-A prior to “Appreciation Day”.
Yes, I read the whole post. To me, there was an implicit, not explicit, statement, and that was what I was addressing. I’m glad you didn’t mean what I thought you meant. Sorry I took it that way.
According to World Vision’s web site, their organization helps 100 million people in 100 countries. At $35 per sponsorship per month, that leads one to believe that people (mainly Christians?) are giving in the neighborhood of $3.5 billion a month to World Vision. (I do realize I may have missed something somewhere in my logic.) And this represents one worthy organization. While we could all give more, surely, a lot of us are sacrificing to give to others’ needs. There is a lot of generosity among Christians I know. We’re just trying to keep one hand from knowing what the other is doing.
IMHO, this article sounds a lot like the “you can eat out every Sunday but you can’t tithe” messages that were/are prevalent in the fundamentalist movement that Matthew so openly criticizes.
What you missed is that not every person helped by World Vision was helped to the tune of $35/month. NGOs like World Vision help many people for a lot less money than that, and those people who are affected by the development and relief programs will be reflected in that 100 million people figure.
I don’t actually know what World Vision’s income was last year. But I somehow doubt it was $42 billion dollars…
Sponsorship really does make a difference. I’ve been sponsoring a little girl in Sri Lanka for 10 years now and we got the letter in the mail this week to say that our sponsorship of her will end this month because her village is now self-sufficient. A little bit given faithfully over the long haul does help people change their lives.
Great post and fair questions!And keep on doing what you do… because you can!
And these questions need to be asked.
Hi, Janet! Nice to “see” you here. (We met at Phoebe’s Potluck at Shri and sat next to each other.) I agree with you- these questions need to be asked!
Hi Sarah!Great to see you here also… for some reason, the “It’s a small world” song is running through my mind now 🙂
Haha! Mine, too, now. I love making these kind of connections:-).
On a similar (in fact, MORE similar) note, I’ve wondered where the outrage over Panera’s racist hiring and employment policies are. A Google search shows that there’s a LOT of crap going on there, and it’s blatant and affecting their actual employees.
[…] This is an excerpt from the blog that I wish I had written: […]
Your post deeply convicted me, Matthew.I mean. OUCH. I am guilty.
Where is the social media outbreak, the furor, the passion, for those hurting and dying across the world? And why the defensiveness from commenters here? You can argue all you want but the only truth that matters here is that WE ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH. People are doing a lot but it is not enough so shut up and help. And if our written virtual records are any indication we care far more about American politics than we do about starving children.
I like this quote:
“Well, then, what if I declared today, August 31, 2012, “Sponsor A Child” day? How many of us would show up and consider sponsoring a child? How many of us would troll the comment section looking for an opportunity to devour one another? How many of us would be willing to use our pocketbooks to support World Vision–a cause that millions of Americans believe in and support?”
I love Chick-fil-A and I appreciate the support they received as a result of that one day. Putting out a couple of dollars in support is fine, but it’s short-lived. What does it profit anyway? It’s just going to a business that already makes millions of dollars in profit anyway. Christians stood for biblical standards during the media onslaught, but what about now. I hear precious little about it these days.
My wife and I used to sponsor a little boy several years ago but because of mounting expenses, we cancelled our sponsorship. I’ve been reading yours and Shawn Smucker’s posts this week and I’ve been inspired by the stories. In fact, I just sponsored a little girl in Sri Lanka, the same age as our daughter is now, even in the same birth month as her! Sponsoring a child long-term, making a commitment to support her and her family financially and prayerfully, is doing something worthwhile over the long haul.
This comment made my heart explode with joy.
Great post – I loved it!
Fair, honest questions. Thank you for asking them. I’d also add that there are plenty of other great organizations that do similar work. Our church has a partnership with one. I’ve been feeling more convicted of late to get a bit more involved. Our pastor says that people want Jesus to show up, but if we know that Jesus is already with the poor, why not go to where Jesus is? Makes sense!
One of the best blogs posts I have ever read!
I’m going to be thinking about this a lot. Thanks for writing it.
This reminds me of something a friend wrote about CFA Appreciation Day. Something to the effect of “Today, more Christians joined together to buy chicken sandwiches than have likely ever worked in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.”
I’m really concerned as an 80 year old widow that our country is in such poor shape economically, that I can’t give more than my usual 15% because there may not be any Medicare or savings left to take care of myself. I know I shouldn’t worry & I don’t, but as scripture tells us we need to be responsible & I don’t think my gov’t. is responsible. Our gov’t. may not be able to help the rest of the world either as we used to do.
I think he is just asking people to open their hearts and eyes to what some may call “the bigger picture”. There was a lot of talk about cfa day and I constantly read political debates. If we all had that same passion to help those in need a great difference could be made. If you give as much as you can then you are already there. From your situation it sounds like one day it might be you who needs some help….having others willing to do what they can in a huge blessing.
Well done, MPT. Thank you.
I totally agree with your article! It definitely feels good in the depths of my sole to sponsor children. We’ve had a world vision child(children) for the past 32 years! We have have a sponsored child through Compassion Int’l and one thru “Food for the Hungry”.
I wish we could do more and I hope more people would sponsor a child and change their life and their community .
How about “Adopt a Child Out of the American Foster Care System Day”? People are called to do different things instead of sending money off for a warm fuzzy moment when the letter arrives from the little one overseas.
It is easy to sit in the Ivory Tower of having your checking account electronically debited over the fact of opening your home to a traumatized child who suffered at the hands of rapists and molesters.
So “Bravo” for your smug feeling of superiority instead of enjoying the satisfaction of ministering to the little Sri Lankan children. You may need a little physical therapy from patting yourself on the back when you return to the United States.
Fostering is hard work. You get my thanks for doing it. You see some of the best and worst of humanity on a daily basis. And then you hand back children you got attached to. And of course you got attached, they’re children. Or you want to help a horribly broken child and believe all your love and patience will be the key, but then he injures your other children and you have to send him away. Or you’re told all along the biological parents are losing their rights and you’ll get to adopt these children and you let down your guard and start to accept and prepare physically and emotionally to embrace them into your family, but then there are courts and laws and things no one understands, and they get taken away from you.
I doubt Turner is downplaying the importance of other good and right work. He’s in Sri Lanka doing World Vision stuff. It only makes sense that the topics would be World Vision Sri Lanka style. It is a good thing to help a village get itself on its feet. It’s a good story.
The Chick Fil A is a bit of a trick to get people to click on his story, and a chance to spin some irony that more people get excited about arguing online about chicken than helping others. He could do the same with he-who-must-not-be-named in Seattle. I don’t know if I agree with that reasoning or not. There’s not much to argue about when it comes to doing what’s right and good. And it doesn’t follow that one could not argue online while at the same time being charitable somewhere else.
We all do what we can(not true I can and should do more). However you choose to help those in need is still a good thing even if you cant do as much as someone else. This article came from the heart with passion to inspire others to help those in need. If he inspires people to help out then maybe he deserves that pat on the back.
Beautiful post. Thank you for this. I totally agree. Look forward to more of your posts from Sri Lanka.
I love so much of your writing and have enjoyed seeing issues from your perspective. At this end of this writing I couldn’t help feel like it was an infomercial for World Vision. I assume they paid for your trip so that you and your fellow bloggers would do just that. I am aware that World Vision has a great reputation and does amazing things for impoverished countries but I am having a hard time swallowing that they spend $91,015,041 for fund raising. That money would go a long way helping the homeless as well.Many churches support missions that are just as effective but smaller so ALL money raised goes directly to feeding children, teaching villages to farm, medical care and building schools. You don’t know about us because we don’t spend our money on advertising. When we send people to India and Africa they work hands on with the people on the ground in those countries who live there. They equip them for service so when they leave they are able to meet the needs on a long term basis. (On of those needs being relationships)
Please correct me if I am wrong but this whole trip and others I have read about with your fellow bloggers have felt like meet and greets with the village dwellers. It feels as if this has been used to spread the word in order to raise more funds and gather more donors for the cause. That in itself isn’t all bad, just feeling more condemnation than you probably intended.
True enough it did mention the orginazation several times but for me personally it inspired me to do more for those in need rather than donate my money to this specific orginization. I have gotten to where I am suspicious of any orginization seeking donations…..to the point that I often don’t want to give. Giving to others in need is something we should all be doing and I was inspired to look for more ways to do that.
Where did you get the $91 million figure?
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4768
This is where I got the figure for World Vision. Don’t get me wrong, they do more with the money they get than many organizations and their accountability scores are fantastic. I just feel more comfortable with the teams that go and are actually doing work on the ground as opposed to spending money for people to write about it. It falls under advertising instead of actually using that time for hands on work on the ground.
I could be wrong, maybe they have done more than I have seen and I am willing to be corrected (this is a case I would rather be wrong) but in every blog I have seen, it seems more about spreading the word than actual getting your hands dirty by doing the work.
The good news is, the word is getting out, awareness is being raised and hopefully this will inspire people to actually equip those who live there to make permanent changes.
Thanks, Hope. That is a big number. I wonder what all it includes. I sponsor kids thru them and another with Walking in the Reign, which works exclusively in Haiti. I understand your concern. Somebody should be reporting so that sponsors and others know what’s going on, but yeah there needs to be someone else making sure that expense doesn’t get out of hand. I totally agree about the need for the word to get out. Thanks for your comments. They made me consider things I hadn’t.
Hope, that number includes all administration costs involved with WV. Every year WV is in the Top Ten most reputable non profits in regards to financial responsibility. 80-85% of all money goes right to the work in the field. WV goes to every effort to ensure it is above board with its financials and to use donor money wisely. What exactly was your point? If there’s a specific question that you have, I can get somebody to answer it for you. Let me know.
I had no intention of stirring up trouble Matthew. I wasn’t even trying to “make a point”. This was truly just my heartfelt thoughts on supporting larger organizations vs smaller missions such as the one I spoke of in my first post. It does not take away from locals either, it actually supports the locals who work there.If you read both of my posts, I said the same thing, World Vision is top notch when it comes to transparency, use of funds, etc. The work they do is changing the lives of many.
If you look at the link I sent, you will see that the figure I quoted does not include administration as you suggest, that is just fundraising. The administrative costs were: $48,935,170 in addition to the $91 million for fundraising. Again, I am sure the WV doesn’t mind this being mentioned since they are transparent.
I had no intention of offending anyone and I certainly didn’t mean to disparage the work WV does to relieve poverty or make life livable for the world’s children. I am sorry for coming across negative. That is not who I am and not my intent. It was my feeble attempt to meet your “sponsor a child day” comment with my dreaming of a day when it won’t cost so much to raise money to help those who need it most. It wasn’t meant to be negative towards WV, just a commentary on living in a world where it “costs money to raise money” and wishing it wasn’t so.
Oh I didn’t think anything negative. I was just trying to understand, so I could help offer answers from WV if I could. That’s all. Thanks for your sincere concern and heart for giving. We should all embrace a more thoughtful form of giving.
Oh good because sometimes I dislike the whole communicating without facial expression and tone of voice. Sometimes it makes me seem cranky…Thanks for your responses.
And Hope, any non profit the size of World Vision must advertise. It’s the nature of the beast. A non advertising non profit is really not a feasible concept in 2012. All of the most reputable non profits in US have a large advertising budgets to ensure that donations remain on track. That’s how people get help. While work related trips are fine, they are not the best use of money or expertise. World Vision’s work is done by local people, not volunteers from the state. In most cases, locals earn a living doing the work. It’s a smart way of building a local economy. The last thing locals want are existing jobs to be taken away by church volunteers.
Matt– we may disagree on some fundamentals, but you’re so great!!!!
😀
ps. The little girl in the photos is GORGEOUS! I love kids. 😀
Personally I am sick of talking about(and reading) CFA day. I almost didn’t read because of that. I am so glad I went ahead and read it. I have shared it and hope you have even half as many people read it that read tout original chicken post. The ability to inspire even just one person to go out and make a difference is huge and I think you have the gift to inspire a lot more than just one. Keep up the good work.
[…] convinced that if I could somehow tie the stories of the poor people here in Sri Lanka to America’s favorite frie… that, perhaps more Americans might take a moment and just pay attention to what’s happening on an […]
I like your balance here Matthew.There is something to having spent time in a third world country and trying to reconcile it with how many of us live here in America. There are very complicated issues at the root of much of this but practices like short term mission trips, sponsorships, microfinancing, etc. are excellent practices as we continue to pray, learn, discuss, give and serve.
Thanks again.
Paraphrase please
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[…] sponsoring a child? Click HERE for more information. And watch this awesome video put together by Matthew Paul Turner with pics of the kids we met on our […]