In this season of Lent, we're on a break from new episodes and are re-running a conversation from 2023 that we had with global child welfare professionals Dr. Greg Burch, Kelly Strong, and Dan Hope. We'll look at cases where westerners were given access to vulnerable children in the Global South and then abused those children. We'll explore the significance of cultivating cultures of awareness around child protection. We'll get into the importance of establishing robust policies and systems designed to mitigate the risks associated with child abuse and exploitation. By fostering environments that prioritize vigilance and the well-being of children, we can better identify and prevent abuses, ultimately ensuring their safety and welfare.

Note that all podcasts before 2024 were under our old podcast name, Think Orphan.

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Conversation Notes

• Recurring cases of exploitation in overseas volunteerism (voluntourism) (14:00)
• The risk in naivety (17:00)
• Harming, not helping (21:30)
• The power dynamics that add to vulnerability (24:00)
• White saviors, colonialism, paternalism (27:00)
• Establishing policies and systems that mitigate risk (31:00)
• Creating cultures of awareness and protection (41:00)
• Developing national safeguarding processes (47:00)
• Risk involved with child sponsorship (57:00)
• How do we create reporting mechanisms for children (1:05:00)

Resources and Links from the show

SFAC Safeguarding Course

SFAC Homepage

Safe International Online

Jessup University Masters in Global Development and Justice

The Roys Report : Romanian Lawsuits Multiply Against Harvest Christian Fellowship and Pastor Greg Laurie

Research Paper : Child Sexual Exploitation in East African Orphanages

In this season of Lent, we're on a break from new episodes and are re-running a conversation from 2023 that we had the co-author of Freeing Congregational Mission, Dr. Hunter Farrell. He served as a long-term missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru and now works as the Director of the World Mission Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Dr. Farrell brings a wealth of first hand and research knowledge about Christian Mission. After 35 years in intercultural missions, he is calling for a reframing of missions. What would it look like to approach missions with a learning posture? How can we create spaces of connection for shared learning across cultures?

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Conversation Notes

• Hunter brought back to faith in Congo (4:50)
• Defining missions (10:00)
• The three stones framework (15:00)
• Cultural humility and learning posture (20:00)
• Problematic attitude of giving without receiving (24:00)
• Creating spaces of connection and horizontal learning (40:00)
• Unintended consequences of child sponsorship (42:00)
• Redeeming short-term missions (51:00)
• Key differences in cultures (57:00)

Resources and Links from the show

Freeing Congregational Mission

Village Reach

Quiet

The Power of Introverts

As we head into the Lent this week, Brandon offers a reflection on the justice work that God calls us into and the opportunity to slow down, reflect and pray as we begin the approach to Easter. If you feel weary, burnt out or frustrated and are looking for a reminder of who God is and how we can connect into the everlasting grace that sustains, please join for a listen.

Resources and Links from the Show

Brandon's Top Worship Song for Lent : Where Would I Go? by Micah Dalton

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Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License