So every now and then I get a letter in the mail requesting support for either a short-term mission trip or a full-time missions venture to Europe. Dan and I try to be generous when it comes to mission work, particularly for organizations that are active in third world countries, but I have to admit I experience some hesitancy when it comes to European missions, particularly those that focus on “ministering to Catholics.”

I know that secularism and Islam are powerful forces in Europe, and that there are a lot of organizations doing a lot of good in these countries. But when I write a check for a week-long high school youth group trip to Paris, I can’t help but wonder if I’m just funding some unappreciative teenager’s tour of The Louvre. (Yeah, so jealousy may be a contributing factor here.)

Furthermore, I’m simply not as convinced as many of my evangelical brothers and sisters that Catholics need to be converted.  To me, it’s a bit like taking a missions trip to Cleveland, Ohio to “minister among the Pentecostals.”

But I’m open to changing my mind about this, so feel free to try and talk me down, readers!

How do you decide which organizations to support, and which mission trips to fund? Do you ever feel conflicted when you write the check?

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