I was a part of the AIM program. AIM stands for Adventure In Missions. It’s a great school where post high schoolers study for 8 months and then go out and serve as missionaries for a year to two years all over the globe. I loved my time in Portugal, and I loved my time studying in Lubbock…yes, I did just put Lubbock and love in the same sentence. My love of that time had nothing to do with Lubbock and was in fact probably despite the city of Lubbock itself with all of it’s brown grass and brown buildings and brown sidewalks. Anyway, I digress. Here’s my beef. It’s always bothered me that very often the “missionaries” sent out by AIM do more harm than they do good. Often they get caught up in very sinful lifestyles while on the field. Often they are influenced more than they influence others. Often they do more damage than they do good. Don’t get me wrong, just like the parable that Jesus tells of the seeds, the outcome of those who were fruitful and faithful far outweighs the negatives of those who fell by the wayside. Nevertheless for a bunch of missionaries that started off so good, the sound of them falling is deafening. Why? That’s pretty terrible isn’t it? Well I ran across someone the other day who repeated something that someone else told them. It’s simple but I think it’s the major key. Here’s the problem: Life usually teaches us to base our faith/security/normalcy upon a system.
Thats it. Let me explain just a bit why I think it’s so important.
From the moment your born you are learning how to operate according to the rules. Language. Expression. You go to school and are given assignments. Even in college where you are supposedly taught to think for yourself the structure is created for you. In your job very often you are still simply doing what the system requires of you. That is the general way that we function. Don’t even get me started on church. In churches very often we were taught a system of beliefs rather than a relationship with a loving God. Our faith was based on the form that we were taught to practice…and all this is considered normal. And so…
These post high schoolers go to AIM where you are in a incredibly structured and strict system, even more so than college or high school. Many churches in the south have everything worked out (not all). There is no mystery, it’s all been exposed and laid out systematically so that you can then better understand. You are stuffed and stuffed with info and your sense of security/faith/normalcy that is found within a system is almost overloaded. You feel like you’ve got it all worked out. And then…
Well, then you go off to a mission field where everything gets turned upside down. EVERYTHING.
The language that you have always relied on is gone. Your relationships are gone. You structure is gone. Your instructors are gone. Your family is gone. You are no longer the pupil but the teacher…and you’re only 20 years old! I think the reason so many AIMers have spiritually fallen apart is because their faith was grounded in a way of life. And when they went to the mission field they were not prepared for the drastic change. And so they cracked. When system replaces relationship it spells trouble (not literally…’cause that would be amazing).
It breaks my heart to think of so many AIMers who either lost their faith or played a part in others doing the same. I’ve got no answers, just an observation. I am thankful to God for my friend Jonathan who went to Portugal with me. I am thankful for my coordinator in Portugal. Even though he was a poopie pants at times (don’t ask, but there is a story behind me calling him names) the one thing you could count on with their family was relationship. I was lucky to have a support system. And because of that I survived. But others, my friends did not.
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word ryan, word. i dont want this to be aim bashing time…but more aimer bashing time… i was talking with a few aim type people and we sadly realized that there were literaly only and handful and when i say handfull i mean like, 4 aimers who went to porty that didnt have sex with someone, or get wasted with the teens or…fill in the blank. and this is not saying something about portugal (or the other fields)it saying something about how many aimers did more harm than good. it really is sad, but the more awful thing is that im not sure there is anything that can be done about it…
Interesting… that is a good and sad point. Couldn't sharing this with AIM people possibly be helpful or do you think they're set in their ways not really wanting feedback?
I know that you are talking specifically about AIM, but I think it happens to all people once they leave the home system. You realize that you have only been living the system that you have been taught up until that point and all of a sudden it's just you. And that's when people either develop that meaningful and deeper relationship with God or they realize that they never had one and they don't even know who God is any more. I feel like when people are truly independent that is when they either first grasp or abandon their faith…it's just sad that some people experience this phenomenon of making your faith your own when they are out on the mission field.
Yeah I guess the reason the AIM thing hits hard (besides the fact that I'm so close to it all) is that those kids are thrown out there purposefully into deeper waters than the normal average Joe. And the thing that bothers me the most is that I don't see much practically that can be done about it.But it is very true that everyone has to, at some point, step out. It's scary being a parent…or a youth minister.
Do you think that teaching and learning about cultures, and education about coping in cultures would help? Is that part of the AIM program ?
I have three observations on this thread (even though I don't know anything about AIM):1) That's one of the main reasons I like Renovatus so much – the only "structure" is what I make. No one is telling me how to worship: at most, people are just stating what THEY did and what worked and didn't for THEM. I'm pretty much left to my own devices and that's how (in my experience) life is.2) Precilla has a great point here: taking away our historical structures can make us realize who we are. Sometime you find good things, other times it's not so positive. Either way, we know hands down who WE are. Falling is a part of life and I think the people who have fallen and come out on top are some of the strongest people I know.3) I think there is some truth in "kids will be kids." All the time I wasted on drugs and alcohol have made me a better advocate of avoiding those things when talking to my younger siblings. Couldn't the same be said of a worship enviornment? People who tell me "don't do this because I've been there and it's not great" have more impact in my life than people who say "don't do that because it's bad, m'kay? Why is it bad? Because someone told me." Somethings don't need my personal experiance (murder, for one) to prove to me that I don't need to try them, and what works for me won't work for everyone. But if I hadn't experienced some of the bad things in my life, I wouldn't be who I am today.
agreed but it sucks that people decided to "learn their lesson" and be immature when they were on the mission field and supposed to be showing jesus to people.
I think Pris is right. Its not just AIM that has this problem. Its everywhere. Its just that AIMers are held to a higher standard and so when they start "experimenting" or getting caught up in things they shouldn't it seems worse… because they are "missionaries". I also enjoyed my AIM time and the experiences I had, good and bad. And having spent time around AIM as an ex AIMer I saw the good and bad all the time. But in reality, its no different for other christians who don't go through AIM, its just that AIMers get treated differently. When kids go away to college they do things wrong and try new things all the time. Its just not as big of a deal because they are college students, and in college things like that are almost expected, or at least accepted. In lubbock AIMers are treated like they walk on water. Everywhere they go everyone praises the AIMers and the AIM program, because its so amazing and the kids who go through it must be one step down from Jesus himself. I serious believe that part of the problem is that AIMers get used to the idea of everyone praising the ground they walk on and when they get to the field and realize they aren't in Texas anymore, they crash and burn. I am obviously talking in generalities, not all AIMers are like this. But, even with all the classes about cultures, team dynamics, and everything else… AIMers get cocky. And they realize they aren't so cool when they don't know the language and people don't care about AIM anymore. I may sound bitter, but its because I am. I spent too much time working the AIM and seeing the ins and outs. I still think its a great program overall, but I have a different picture of it now then I did when I was just an AIMer.
I totally agree, but isn't it true that a respective mission field should be able to expect to recieve a couple of AIMers who will not sleep with everyone in their youth group or smoke pot with their college students? I mean, I know that is somewhat normal and you can't expect anyone to be perfect. But it seems like you should expect them to abstain from certain more destructive/damaging or illegal things for a year or two.I mean 'cause idealy while all those college students are experimenting and doing things that later they will hopefully regret the AIMers should be an example of what a Christ centered life should/could look like: imperfect but striving for perfection…or at least a drug free environment.Concering the Lubbock experience I could write so so much. Good golly, I remember being glorified for my choice to go to AIM. It was stupid…I'm goign to stop now 'cause I don't want to write too much. I've go so much I could say, but for another time, for another rant.
and: for a lot of people "missions" and "evangelism" also equal "westernization" . . . not consciously of course . . . but subconsciously . . . and that's a whole other blog topic.
One thing I struggle with (and I think this fits in the discussion) is how the church (overgeneralization, I know) can so easily set up boundaries for people without giving them the tools to interpret or relate to those things outside those boundaries. It reminds me of the movie "The Village." A community sets up a culture of fear based on these mysterious "evils" that could strike at anytime, only to find out that the "evils" were created to keep everybody in the camp. My point is this, I feel like the church (overgeneralization again) creates these little "villages" and goes to great lengths to pull people in without being willing to admit that a world actually exists outside its doors, and thus offers very little, if any, constructive theology on what it would mean to engage with others. So people like AIMers (I say that tentatively as I am not one) are thrown over the fence, only knowing the village and the evils of the world outside, and expected to creat new little villages wherever they are.I'm rambling now, so I'll stop…Tabitha also made a good point.
My two cents…Yeah. It sucks! This happends in Christian Colleges too! This happends in the work place, and it happends in Churches with church staff! When ever we put on the label, "teacher of the word" whther it be a missionary, Sunday school teacher, pastor, or student… heck, even Christian… we have also put a huge target on our back! The bible tells us that we will be judged more harshly because of our decision to "teach" and become a living example of of Jesus and His love. Satan is after us! Be ON YOUR KNEES! There is spiritual warfare out ther and it is real, and it seems like we are loosing. I mean it. It SEEMS LIKE we are losing.Yes, it is SO SAD that people fall and do SO MUCH damage to the name and image of Christ. But there are those, that you have already spoke of, that do so much more good! (Is that english? grammer check please!) I wish that preachers didn't cheat on their wives and that congrgations didn't split over rumors, and that a higher percentage of missionaries sent out, did what they set out to do for the Kingdom, instead of falling into the temptaions that Satan had set for them… us.But everyone, inspite of ourselves… God will use us for His glory! (sounding a little preachy so I will stop this route and go here…)We have an obligation to be on our knees so that this happends less and less. So that AIMers will be put on the "front lines" and be protected and covered with prayer. How many of us, TOTALLY including myself, use our prayer time and quiet time for those we know? And that IS A GOOD THING! But how much better, could we be in honoring our Lord, and in protecting our brothers and sister if we took it upon ourselves to pray more! Without ceasing.It Sucks! The battle that we have feels so defeating at times, but let it instead get us going to DO MORE about it!Okay. I fell alittle funny about how preachy this is. Know that I know that I was not the one who taught Jesus how to walk on water. I am in no way trying to fix anything, and I understand that this blag is just about ranting and talking and dicussing… and this is all I am trying to do too.I love you. Good Bye. Peace out. Wrod 2 your Mutha.
Ryan, I agree, AIMers should be expected to be able to abstain from certain things, just like all Christians. I just think they aren't given the right tools, meaning… what they are given in Lubbock isn't necessarily preparing them for the field.Ben- My comment is that while you are referring to the general church, it is also appropiate for this country. AIM sends these kids out to foreign countries without fully preparing them for it. I mean America (generally speaking) is very much only focused on itself and spends little to no time teaching kids about the rest of the world. AIMers go out as the Americans who've come to save the third world peoples from their dirty and poor lives. They don't realize that the rest of the world is knowlegdable of AMerica and dont necessarily think Americans are as great as we think they are, just like what TJ said. Church in Mexico or Portugal or Ecuador is alot different than in the states and some AIMers go to convert to American christianity rather than convert to Jesus Christ, who is the same in every culture and language. Of course all of this is generally speaking. I think this will be my last comment, because the most I comment the more I sound like I hate AIM. I don't hate it. I have my issues, but I don't hate it.
I would hate to run AIM. It's a killer job. I should write a blog though about all the things I would change if I could…hmm…and in no way would that be depressing.I think I'll also write a blog about the furthering of the american gospel. I've personally seen churches in europe that were not only transplant american churches but transplanted southern american churches. In every way it was depressing.I love AIM. I love what it does, I love its purpose, and I'd love to be a coordinator for it…but not all things are meant to be.
oops… I didn't mean to be anonymous. It was me, Kara. Sorry… I haven't figured out how to get back into my blogger thingy since I switched to beta blogger.
ryan this is the lord too, can you read this secret message?
Tara, I like how you have come to call yourself the Lord. I believe that the true Lord just might smite you down…my prayers are with you.
whoa, thats amazing.
Chris, the thing about Renovatus is NOT that there is NO structure but that everyone OWNS the structures. AIM, Christian Colleges, etc., share the same weaknesses because they are all trying to keep that impossible balance between TELLING kids how to live, and EMPOWERING kids to live their own lives. The former has people "acting out" after they leave the institution; the latter has people "acting out" WHILE they are at the institution. So the institutions choose. "Better she gets pregnant while in the field than while she's under our supervision." That's harsh but real.And the one component missing in this discussion is that of spiritual warfare. The Enemy is real and to choose to become a leader in the Kingdom is to choose to paint a big fat red target on one's chest.
Okay, I'm coming a bit late to the party. I agree that aim students have a hard time because they go from being showered with praise to being expected to jump in and go to work, with or without the "Wow, you're an aimer… can I have your autograph?"-ness that comes from being in Lubbock. I realised this a lot when we came back for graduation (our coordinator very much kept the attitude that we were there to work, and not to consider ourselves as someone special). Then we had a few days of, "See, the conquering hero comes," that ended in me telling one of the administration that they were making WAAAAAY too much of a fuss. He was quite shocked that I had said so.Anyway, I think it should be expected that people coming to aim, and certainly going to the field, have a certain level of maturity. And those that don't have that yet need to be told that they won't be able to handle the program until they get there. Yes, this would decrease the numbers of people coming and going, but I think a smaller number of better-trained workers is going to do more for the church than otherwise.
ummm… Kay-dub. I said that. Both of those things. I'm just not as quick to the point as you are! :)Lovies, Kara
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That then leads us to follow the instructions; they are there for a reason. Nobody appreciates it when people do not answer their questions; it is frustrating just like in real life.