Today at lunch two students pushed me for funds, one of whom needs funds for a trip and the other her advocate. One student is going to Africa this summer for a most worthy opportunity to help some missionaries. This student is seriously thinking of missions as a vocation, and (even as a freshman) is already shaping her courses with that vocation in mind. Here’s the deal she figured out:
She’d like me to help send her to Africa. So, she asked for money. And she was prepared with a pitch: she figured that as a professor I was making a certain amount, and with speaking and writing, and then Kris — well she quickly had me up to the astronomical figure of 300,000 dollars. It was nice to know she thought I was doing so well. So, she thought that, if I was making over 300,000 dollars I should at least give her 150 dollars for her plane trip. (She’s asking others.)

I had several options to consider in response:
First, tell her that in addition to learning French, theology, and Africana studies she’d also have to take a course in business to figure out that it is folks in the business world who bring in those kinds of numbers.
Second, say, “If I did make that kind of money, I would not only give you 150 but the whole summer would be funded.”
We quickly changed subjects, but her mission has stayed on my mind.