This is really good information! Some years back, my then-high schooler was going to go on a “mission” (if I told you the whole story you’d understand the quotation marks) trip to Cambodia from Korea, where we lived at the time. We went to the informational meeting and I kept having a really bad feeling. I didn’t know if it was just because the leader kept bringing up things that reminded me of my boarding school that weren’t necessarily abuse, so I tried not to influence my daughter too much and just prayed. I was SO relieved when she said, “I don’t think it’s what I’m looking to do.” The leader guilted her for not going at every youth meeting thereafter. But the trip ended up being a huge disaster on many levels, and I just thanked God over and over for His direction. I didn’t have to figure any of this out, but I wish I’d read it before because I think I would have more firmly just told her no. There were lots of red flags like you’ve described here.
This is really good information! Some years back, my then-high schooler was going to go on a “mission” (if I told you the whole story you’d understand the quotation marks) trip to Cambodia from Korea, where we lived at the time. We went to the informational meeting and I kept having a really bad feeling. I didn’t know if it was just because the leader kept bringing up things that reminded me of my boarding school that weren’t necessarily abuse, so I tried not to influence my daughter too much and just prayed. I was SO relieved when she said, “I don’t think it’s what I’m looking to do.” The leader guilted her for not going at every youth meeting thereafter. But the trip ended up being a huge disaster on many levels, and I just thanked God over and over for His direction. I didn’t have to figure any of this out, but I wish I’d read it before because I think I would have more firmly just told her no. There were lots of red flags like you’ve described here.
Oh wow, so glad you all avoided that fiasco.