Year: 2015

Last summer, I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, and I noticed that a large group of high schoolers who I am friends with went on a short term, or one week long, missions trip to Guatemala. I noticed that these young men and women put photos online to display their servant-like-attitudes and their parents, mostly mothers, shared these photos commending their children for all of the good that they are doing in the world.

In particular, one mother captioned a photo of her daughter holding a Guatemalan child on her lap by saying, “My daughter is amazing. She is changing the world.”

This is a pretty bold claim to make. The fact that her mother, and many others, see short-term missions as an opportunity to bring the “hero” in to “save” people in countries such as Guatemala is extremely troubling.

In his book, Toxic Charity, Robert Lupton wrote, “Contrary to popular belief, most missions trips and service projects do not: empower those being served, engender healthy cross-cultural relationships, improve quality of life, relieve poverty, change the lives of participants [or] increase support for long-term missions work.”

True servants are not seeking praise or recognition for their good deeds and Michelle Acker Perez, long-term missionary, suggested in Relevant Magazine that if you are planning on being a “hero” for a week while on a missions trip, then you might as well not even get on the airplane.

I hear too often about people who want to go on mission’s trips because they want to travel around the world. I mean, let’s be real, who wouldn’t want to go to these awesome places for a week’s vacation? Long term missionaries Hannah Nielsen and Jenny Collins said in their article on Shorttermmissions.com, “the ease of travel and the number of agencies eager to accept short-termers has made it possible for ‘experience junkies’ seeking an adventure to participate, even though they may not be truly interested in selfless cross-cultural service.” This can leave the local communities or long-term missionaries embittered, feeling as if they have been used to host a glorified vacation that used up valuable time, energy, and finances.

Additionally, there is an issue in missions with people doing services for others who could easily do the project themselves. “Last time I checked, people in developing countries can paint a wall, so why are you doing it for them?” asked Perez. Missions trips should be about doing things with people, not for people.

Perez’s question resembles this story that I have heard many times throughout my international development courses: if you give a man a fish, you have fed him for one meal. If you give him a fishing pole and teach him how to fish, you have fed him for a lifetime. “We need to be the ones to paint the church, build the ditch, and put on vacation Bible school. We can’t just send money. We have to send people. These are what causes me to question motives,” said Darren Carlson, founder and president of Training Leaders International.

It is estimated that close to two billion dollars is spent a year on short-term missions trips alone in the United States according to Thegospelcoalition.org. Before you’re willing to spend anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 for a week long “vacation” and “helping” those in the country you are traveling to, I encourage people to turn around in their own backyards and serve those in your local community. Ask yourself, if Jesus was in my neighborhood, who would He be talking to? Would he be talking to the homeless man that lives in your park? The kid with disabilities who never has anyone to partner with for school projects?

If you do decide to take a short-term missions trip, I encourage you to research the activities and the organization you will be serving with. Will the work you are participating in be working with the communities or for the communities? Will you be putting people out of jobs by conducting construction based missions work such as building a church? Is this work even relevant or sustainable for the community?

When you enter a different country, you are an ambassador for your own country. Be willing to ask questions and share about yourself and American culture, as well. Even then if you decide to go on a short-term missions trip, I encourage you to come back with stories and names of people that you served with, not just an entire album of cute nameless kids.

One time when I was home for break, my mom told me this: “you’ll never get a husband if you don’t shave your legs.” She wasn’t trying to be mean. My mom is a great mother and only wants the best for me, however; this sentence encapsulates what is wrong with Western Christians and their ideas about female purity in the context of sexuality and marriage.

In Christian communities, I’ve been called “sasquatch” and have physically repulsed people because I am a woman with leg hair. I’ve been told that it’s gross that I wear spandex shorts for volleyball but don’t shave my legs. My female friends with tattoos have been asked “what if you can see your tattoo in your wedding dress?” and “what will your future husband think?” Growing up, I wasn’t even allowed to wear fake tattoos since my body is a temple and all. The idea of female body image is deeper than just leg hair and tattoos. It surrounds our culture and influences how we raise our children.

These microaggressions (see Luke Lauer’s thesis art project in the Ortlip gallery about this very topic) against us ladies are based on the premise that our main priority as women is marriage. Nigerian Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as quoted in Beyoncé’s song Flawless discusses gender roles and feminism:

“Because I am female … I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?”

I don’t know how many of you use Spotify, but there is one ad that has popped up while I’m listening to music that has some unknown singer say she feels most confident on stage with smooth legs. Really? Not because you have a great voice or have been working really hard on your vocal range or are a good person? I understand that this is a marketing ploy, but it’s perpetuating the lie that women have to maintain physical beauty in order to be accepted and feel worthy. Men don’t have to look good in order to step outside their house or feel confident.

The end tagline for this ad is “start taking care of your legs.” This implies that shaving is a sign of hygiene; something my mom has said to me as well. Granted, college has changed my hygiene standards, but I’m not a total slob. The fact that I don’t shave has nothing to do with my cleanliness. Men with facial hair aren’t considered unclean.

Two years ago I stopped shaving my legs. Why don’t I shave my legs? There are practical reasons: I think it’s a waste of time, money, water, etc. There are also reasons of principle: men don’t have to shave their legs according to society and I believe in equality.

Body hair is natural. God gave it to both men and women for real biological reasons. Only recently have women started removing body hair regularly (1915 for underarm hair and 1930/40 for leg hair).

Despite my personal resistance of leg shaving, I do not believe every woman should shave. Feminism is about a lot of ideas but to me it is all about choice; doing what you want because you want to and not because of societal ideals and gender expectations. Do I look down on other women who shave? Of course not. If that’s what makes you comfortable, then you do your thing. There are other legitimate reasons for shaving one’s legs no matter your gender: swimming faster or improving aerodynamics because of cycling, etc.

Moral of the story, shave your legs or don’t because it’s your decision. God gave you hair and it’s your choice what you do with it. In the meantime remember my battle cry: “haters gonna hate / shake em off.”

Dear Students,

For all the complaints that Houghton is too small, too rural, and too “bubble-like,” there is much to be said of its merits on these accounts. Living in such a small community is of course frustrating at times, perhaps even boring, but it provides us a wide array of unique occasions for involvement, commitment, and dedication. In some ways Houghton can feel fairly limited in what it has to offer students in comparison to other significantly larger schools, but in other areas our opportunities far exceed the collegiate status quo.

Being involved on campus is one of those things your Transitions leader urges you to do your first couple of weeks here, an injunction most of us blatantly ignore, too caught up in the excitement of our first year. However, after the nerves have settled and we fall into a routine, the chances to be involved start springing up like the flowers we hope will emerge after the much-too-long winters. We have quite a plethora of opportunities at our disposal: the SGA, The Drawing Board, Printed Matter Press, Global Christian Fellowship, the STAR, and dozens of other clubs, all of which are chances to make our marks on campus, to create our legacies. While involvement certainly has its resumé-building perks for us students, it is also is incredibly beneficial to the college as a whole. Committed students help make Houghton distinctive and a place hopping with creativity; we elevate Houghton’s reputation and add to its street cred. In all seriousness, Houghton would be a much less vibrant place without the bustling of students organizing floor events, performing SPOT skits, slamming poetry at a Lanthorn event, or singing their hearts out at a CAB coffeehouse.

Being involved gives a dimension to your college experience that isn’t communicated with the piece of paper they hand you when you walk across that stage. When you’re involved, Houghton becomes your Horcrux. I mean this in the best way possible: you give a little part of yourself to the school, and that little part you leave behind becomes an indestructible and valuable connection you will remember fondly twenty years down the road. I won’t lie, in the midst of finals or if you’re juggling a double major, involvement really does feel a bit like selling a piece of your soul. Not to worry though, you’ll emerge more intact than ever.

I came to Houghton with the mindset that I would only eat, sleep, and breathe my classes, graduate in three years, and move on to bigger and better things. After all, isn’t that the point of college? Thankfully I’ve changed my mind. You’ve been given this chance to become a part of Houghton’s narrative and to let its story shape yours, so why not embrace it? My advice to you is this: find your sanctuary from academics and worship there regularly.

Holly Chaisson ’16 – Past, Present, & Future STAR Editor

Dear Class of 2015,

Here we are. The final issue of the STAR. The end of the last full week of classes. And for about a quarter of the population, the end of college altogether. Alas, four years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits… I mean people. “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve”… but that is what reunions are for.

When I started at Houghton, I was that first year who sat at the front of class, went to basically every campus event, and thought I knew everyone on campus. I went to every chapel my first semester and looked down on those above me who scanned and scrammed. I thought Houghton was the best place in the world.

A lot changed between then and now, as I am sure is the same with many of you. I now sit towards the middle-back of most of my classes, I scrape together barely enough time to finish my work, and now feel like I know hardly anyone on campus. I desperately need these last few chapels and now understand why the upper classes were scanning and scramming.

Through all four years of varying degrees of bitterness or fondness, I can’t say I always thought Houghton was the best place in the world. Now though, as we draw to the end, I can say I think Houghton is one of the best places in the world.

Sure we had a lot to complain about, but in the grand scheme of things walking to get your napkins, living through polar vortices, or taking an IS class you didn’t really love don’t matter all that much. It’s the people who care about those complaining students. Having a VP of Student Life willing to listen and talk to you about issues you are passionate about even though he’s late for a meeting; having intellectual conversations with President Mullen on a bench outdoors; and we all have that Professor that is willing to help you with anything, at any time.

Let’s not linger on those little things we didn’t like, but remember the people who made this little biodome bubble worth coming to.

I want our class to be a good collection of alumni, not some hoard of peasants. Some of you may never want to come back. Other may say “Why would I ever give more money?” I say keep in touch and be an alumni that’s an asset to your alma mater. Don’t be one of those alumni we are worried about offending, be a friendly advisor and guide, not a Facebook troll.

Maybe who don’t see yourself coming back to campus, but be an alumni students can contact to find their first job or internship. Maybe you can’t give a ton of money while paying back your loans, but I say it’s worth investing, in any small way, in the place and people that invested in you.

In closing, Class of 2015, you’re a pretty awesome bunch of people and I don’t think you are peasants, so don’t be after you graduate either. Go do great things out in the world, but keep in touch and remember what the people at Houghton did for you.

“I regret to announce — this is The End. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell.”

Luke Lauer ’15 – STAR Editor & Historian President