Seeing myself or my church or my denomination as "the blessing" — like so many mission trips to help "those less fortunate than ourselves" — can easily descend into a blend of  benevolence and paternalism. We can start to see the "poor" as supporting characters in a big story about how noble, selfless, and helpful we are.
Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People
paternalism, poverty, self-centeredness