Concert PROMO

This video is a sampling of the concert in Máncora's main square. The full video will be shown in the Sunday, August 22nd service at CBC.

Boarding the Bus

The team finished their final concert in the town square about 30 minutes ago. The concert went well and the team is exhausted. As I type this, they are boarding the bus to leave Peru and return to Ecuador. They should arrive tomorrow (Sunday) morning around 10 AM.

Last day in Máncora

The youth convention is full in force and Crossfire is the main worhsip band. So far they have being joining with musicians and singers from the local church to lead worship. They have performed dramas and dance acts and listened to guest speakers from all over Peru.

Today is the last day in Máncora. The Crossfire band will perform a  two hour concert in the town's main plaza. Right after the concert they will be making the 10 hour bus ride to Ecuador and should be in Guayaquil by Sunday morning.

Tuesday in Máncora

Yesterday, the team climbed the desert hills with members of the host church to pray over Máncora.

Solo time overlooking the valley

The team finished Tuesday night by praying around the campfire with the host church and then eating some S'Mores. 

This morning the team moved out of the church and into a hotel. Tonight marks the beginning of the youth conference planned by the church. For those of you who don't know, the Crossfire bands will be the featured musical guests for this event. It is the first time the church in Máncora has attempted to host an event of  this magnitude, so keep them covered in your prayers!

Yesterday: Soccer Game on the Beach, followed by small groups around the bonfire

Photos from Sunday night's service

Second group's safe arrival

This evening Pastor Steve arrived with the students who couldn't travel with the larger group. They enjoyed a church service with their host church in Máncora and were having more solo time on the beach this evening. Tito sent some random photos of the day, which I posted below. There should be more daily... 

A few photos from today

Solo Time on the beach

Sights from the street

The team will be staying here for the next few days

Local Girl

This morning's breakfast!

Safe Arrival

The team made it safely to Mancora at 2 AM, after a 10 hour bus ride. They were resting a little this morning, but all are well. More updates to come after a couple of ministry days.

T - 24 hours and counting

Well it's here - I'm in the office printing stuff out, packing up our supplies, getting all the last minute things in line. Let me say how proud I am of each of you for doing your homework, cultivating support, and preparing yourselves mentally and spiritually for this trip. It's going to be great. From here on in Jamie Herrera will be updating the blog periodically with updates from Peru, so check in with us.

Parents - I hope you will remember and put into practice all we learned together on Friday night. You have much to be proud of.

Supporters - PRAY FOR US! The next 48 hours see us go from Panama to Mancora and are the most stressful (for the adults, at least - OK, I admit it, I'm the most stressed out of all). Continue praying for us in our trip and our ministry. Pray for Iglesia Cristo es la Respuesta and the youth congress of Piura, for the 300+ youth who will be coming. Pray for Christian Diaz, who is travelling from Lima to Mancora while we are travelling from Guayaquil fo Mancora. Pray, pray, pray. Our Father is good and is watching out for us - keep putting us before him as you talk to him today.

Thanks!

Due July 19

Read Mack & Leeann chapter 12: “Scars.”

Mack & Leeann list three steps that “need to be part of all short-term preparation.” List each step and explain them so that someone who has never read this chapter would understand. Then explain some practical things we can do in Mancora in order to incorporate these three steps into our team time.

TO DO LIST

In addition to your homework, you have several things you need to accomplish in the next TWO WEEKS before we leave.

1. Begin assembling the items on the packing list (see the postings listed under April for the packing list)
2. Purchase something you can use as a journal while you are in Mancora. It should be something easily portable. You will be given journal topics beginning before you leave Panama and continuing until after you return. You will also be given time each day in Mancora (well, most days, as best we can) to reflectively journal. I'm pretty sure I gave you guidelines on reflective journalling. If not, look under the postings for April.
3. Make a list in your journal of things you have prayed for regarding this trip, and make an entry in your journal about how God has responded to those requests.

Important decisions about the concert

The band got together on Thursday, June 18th to talk about the concert and the youth congress. Both events have different purposes, which we decided are as follows:

Purpose of the concert

To minister
To provide an experience in worship
To attract non-believers by giving them a chance to see God in a different way
To worship God with hearts and voices as one
To bring together Christians and non-Christians in Mancora
To rock their socks off!

Purpose of the congress
To lead people into the presence of God
To transmit our passion so they will reflect it
To learn how others worship and put that into practice
To encourage and refresh them in their faith as leaders
To equip them and encourage them to evangelize others
To build bridges and friendships

We then talked about the differences between a good concert and an excellent concert, and how if we wanted the concert in Mancora to be excellent, we had to be willing to put in the effort to do the little things that make the difference. Below are the resolutions we have made regarding our preparation and practices.

When we practice/ rehearse/ set up we will…
Warm up
Have water
Listen closely so we can detect anything that’s not played or sung right
Lovingly correct people when they sing or play wrong
Make sure slides are together and accurate
Practice harmony
Have a good attitude
Do it all for Christ
Take our time while setting up and do it right
Practice to perfection
Take the time to memorize chords, words, etc.
Be totally committed
Be excited about our circumstances

When we are on stage we will…
Worship freely from the heart
Smile
Jumpy
Be focused on God
Dance
Have a good attitude
Trust in God
Be humble
Be content
Enjoy ourselves
Have fun
Do it for God and not for ourselves
Do our best
Interact with the audience
Be prepared and ready to play
Pay attention to what we are playing
Everyone sing, not only singers
Don’t be a distraction to audience
Clothes
Actions
Behaviors
Tune every couple of songs
Arrange sounds of equipment
Sing all together
Have a water bottle – fight dehydration
Don’t scream!
Be responsible to have everything we as individuals need (charts, cables)
Listen to others
Follow orders
Dress appropriately

At all times we will
Memorize!
Practice
Have a positive attitude
Be aware of people in the team and outside of the team
Interact with the people
Focus on God and not on ourselves
Think before we act
Not be hypocrites

Concert playlist

Es Tiempo
Quiero Mas
No Quiero Vivir
OK
Tomalo
Quiero Proclamar
Mi Universo
INSTRUMENTAL
Desert Song
Aqui Estoy
Revolucion
Saltando
Tu Eres Digno de Gloria
En Tu Luz
Second Chance
Dulce Refugio
Desde Mi Interior
La Nina
Te Alabare
Feliz
Mi Futuro
Espiritu Santo
Revolucion (Gerry M)

Canta Al Senor

Encore pieces?

Due Sunday, July 5

Read Mack & Leeann chapter 9: “Questions of Trust.”

1) What does PQT stand for? What is it (you can just quote the sentence from the chapter)? How would you explain it to someone who didn’t read this chapter?

2) Mack and Leeann list twelve nonmoral issues that can build or break trust. Choose three you think will be most important or difficult for our group to work with, and how you think we will need to act in order to build trust.

3) Of the twelve nonmoral issues listed, choose the one you think will be most difficult for you to deal with, and how you think you will need to act in order to build trust.

Support

SPIRITUAL
Pray! Pray for your teammates as we are apart, that we continue growing, and that God continues preparing us for this trip. Pray for Mancora as they plan the youth congress.

FINANCIAL
Next payment date: July 5 - the balance of your money is due. Don't forget that $100 of your total must be earned by you. You need to send me a letter (email is fine) explaining how you earned $100 of your balance. This can be through support raised, through money you earned at a job, or whatever. This is required by July 5.

Other Stuff

FAMILY SENDOFF
Will be on Friday, July 24 at the DeLaLastras. Details wll follow. You may let me know in person or by email.

FUTURE ASSIGNMENTS
Keep checking the blog - it will be updated on Sundays, usually by noon. You will have assignments due on July 5 and July 19.

Due Sunday, June 14

Part One
Read the list of Dos and Dont's you were given (they are also posted under "March" here at the blog). What do you feel are the most dangerous aspects of our trip? Why? Which of these things will be difficult for you? Do any of them make you feel uncomfortable?

Part Two
Read the handout on risk from Mack and Leanne's Guide to Short-term Mission Trips. How would you summarize the point they are trying to make? Pay special attention to the seven points he makes. Are there any of these you feel strongly about, either agreeing or disagreeing?

Part Three
Taking into account your responses to part one and part two, summarize your feelings and thoughts on the risks we will be taking on this trip.

Support

SPIRITUAL
If you have a mentor in Panama, schedule a time that you can talk with that person once we return from Peru. It can be a phone call or a face to face meeting. Face to face would be best. If your mentor is not in Panama, then try to arrange a time when you might be able to call them, if that's possible. Set a time that is convenient for both of you. Your meeting will be an opportunity for you to talk to them about your trip and for them to ask you specific questions. I will be asking the mentors to let me know once you have arranged an appointment. It should be for at least one hour.

FINANCIAL
Next payment date: July 5 - the balance of your money is due.

Don't forget that $100 of your total must be earned by you. You need to send me a letter (email is fine) explaining how you earned $100 of your balance. This can be through support raised, through money you earned at a job, or whatever. This is required by July 5.

Other stuff

DATE CHANGES
Last meeting: this Wednesday!


FAMILY SENDOFF
Please let me know by Wednesday how many of your fmaily members will be at the sendoff on July 24. Details wll follow. You may let me know in person or by email.


FUTURE ASSIGNMENTS
Check the blog every Sunday for updates. They'll be there!

Due May 31 - Extended to June 7

Hope you had a great time at the Jahango Fair! What a great way to experience firsthand some of the cross-cultural challenges and differences we've been talking about.

PART ONE
Reflect on your experience at the Jahango Fair and discuss the following in a post:

What aspects of God's character did you witness in the Jahango activities you witnessed? What similarities / differences do you notice between the Jahango culture and the Kenyan culture we've been observing on "Round Trip"? What cross-cultural challenges do you anticipate the Galvez family will face as Colombians living in Panama moving to Guinea?

PART TWO
You're going to be reading another article this week, but I need to give some instructions before you do. Much of the "Round Trip" material is aimed at North Americans, so we might be tempted to dismiss the parts of the article when it talks about what North Americans need to do, what they can learn, etc. However, much of what is said about North Americans is true about us middle-class Panamanian-Crossroads people. For example, on p.100 Muriu says "...Americans enter the economically depressed communities of the world with a lot of resources. They come and stay in hotels... but the two-thirds world cannot afford this model."

Read the article in the "Round Trip" appendix titled "The African Planter" (pp.96-106). As you read, when it talks about North Americans ask yourself, "Does this apply to me? To us? To Crossroads, to Panamanians, to middle class people?" If it does, scratch out the word/words "American" or "North America", etc., and substitute "Panamanian" or "Crossroads-ian" or whatever might apply.

Now go back through the article and select the lessons, ideas, or concepts you feel are most applicable or relevant to our team. Explain how and why these lessons apply to us.

Support

SPIRITUAL
Schedule a time in the next week or so with your primary spiritual supporter. Get together and talk about your training (or call them). Share with them what you are learning, what God is teaching you, and what you are concerned about related to this trip. Then ask them to pray with you.

FINANCIAL
Next payment date: July 5 - the balance of your money is due. I will give you a report on Wednesday telling you how much of your balance has been paid. It should be at least $550 by now.

Don't forget that $100 of your total must be earned by you. You need to send me a letter (email is fine) explaining how you earned $100 of your balance. This can be through support raised, through money you earned at a job, or whatever. This is required by July 5.

OTHER STUFF

DATE CHANGES

Don't forget the changes:
6/3 (W) – Training session #14
6/7 (S) - Training session #15
6/10 (W) – Training session #16

FAMILY SENDOFF

Please find out how many family members (include yourself!) will attend the sendoff on July 24. It will be around 7pm. I need to know by next Wednesday.

Due May 24

PART ONE
As I've read through your blogs and talked about this trip I've noticed some trends:
1. When asked why people are going on this trip, many have said "To serve."
2. When asked what they hope to get out of going on this trip, many have said "To get closer to God."
3. Many of you object to the assumption that "We cannot truly serve those we do not know & love."

Allow me to challenge those statements:

1. We are not going to Mancora to serve: we are going to Mancora because we are servants.
How are these ideas different? What are the implications of being servants rather than serving? And how does that connect with the idea of "We cannot truly serve those we do not know and love"?

2. "To get closer to God" should not be a goal of mission trips; that is the goal of being a Christ-follower. Missions is something we do because we want to be obedient. Look at the "QUESTIONS" portion of the CBC Short-term missions philosophy. What one or two of these questions do you hope this trip gives you more insight into? Why? What specifically do you hear God speaking to you about as you pray for, read scripture, and prepare for this trip?

In a post, discuss your thoughts about both of these paradigm shifts (including responses to the questions asked after each of them), then specifically restate your goals and hopes for what you get out of this trip.

PART TWO
On Sunday you listened to Pastor Andrew's dad, Gary, speak about Aligning with God's 21st century moves. Pretend that your mentor did not hear this message (for some of you it won't be pretending!). List and summarize his five points, then decide whch points are most relevant for us as we prepare for our trip. Explain your reasoning.

PART THREE
In the appendix of your "Round Trip" materials is an article (p.91-95) titled "A Community of the Broken." Read the article and mark any quotes or ideas that stand out to you. Then, in a post, discuss the following:
1) Reread the first two paragraphs under the heading "Our Broken Body" on pp.91-92. Heuertz describes the church as fragmented, divided, and ineffective at meeting the needs of the world. What will it take for our trip to be a step in the right direction - both for us at Crossroads and for the church as a body?
2) Why is it important that our short-term missions trip be more than "sanctified tourism"? What will it take to keep ours from becoming a kind of tourism?
3) What other ideas or quotes from this article struck you?

Support

SPIRITUAL
Send an e-mail update, write a letter, or make a blog entry for your spiritual supporters. Tell them how your training for the trip is going - what you are learning, thinking about, what questions and issues it is raising for you. These people are not only praying for you, they are committed to taking this spiritual journey with you and helping you grow in your relationship with Christ through the Mancora 2009 experience. Keep them up to date - they are committed to you!

Other Stuff

COMMENTS ON BLOGGING
Remember that your mentors and the other people out there do not have access to "Round Trip." When you are discussing articles or parts of the DVD, keep that in mind. A person reading your blog should not feel lost.

JAHANGO BOUNCE
All team members who weren't able to help out at the Curundu work day need to help out at the Jahango Bounce this Friday at the ACP gym in Balboa (by Niko's near Teatro Balboa). We will be selling food to raise money for the Galvez family as they prepare to leave for Guinea. More details Wednesday and in e-mail.

COMBINED SERVICE NEXT SUNDAY, May 24
Come dressed comfortably. Be here by 9:40 to get instructions on what you need to do. Bring a chair, plan to stay for lunch and enjoy the Jahango Fair (we won't have training since there will be no Sunday School).

$500 DUE
By May 31 you need to have $500 in your Peru account. You will receive an update on your account balance on Wednesday. Please remember to put payments in an envelope with your name on it and the words "Peru: payment." Drop the envelope in an offering box at the church.

DATE CHANGES
Don't forget the changes:
6/3 (W) – Training session #14
6/7 (S) - Training session #15
6/10 (W) – Training session #16

$100
At any time you can submit a letter or email to me explaining how you earned $100 on your own - don't wait until July.

Due May 17

PART ONE
Our discussion Sunday ended with the following statement:

"Our indiviual and team preparation will be characterized by..."

How will we complete that statement?

Read through the Short-term Missions Philosophy document titled "Commitments." This details the things we will and will not do in our preparation, execution, and debriefing of mission trips at Crossroads. Once you've read through them, do the following:

1) select any commitments you disagree with - explain why.
2) select two commitments you feel strongly about - explain why.
3) based on what you've read, complete the statement "Our indiviual and team preparation will be characterized by..."

PART TWO

In the appendix of your "Round Trip" materials is an article (p.86-90) titled "Experiencing Life at the Margins." Read the article, then in a post discuss the following:

1) what ideas in this article surprised you?
2) which of the ideas in the article do you think will especially apply to us as we work in Mancora? Which do you think will not apply? Why?

Support

SPIRITUAL
Talk to your spiritual supporters about your needs, thoughts, concerns, and commitments. Update your prayer requests.

FINANCIAL
Three weeks until your $500 is due. Keep working on the fundraising!

Other Stuff

DATE CHANGES

When the original calendar was set, several CBC event details were still up in the air. We made our calendar as best we could working around these events. Now that details have been finalized, we need to revise our calendar a bit. There will be NO training on Sunday, June 14, since it is Mark & Kelli's last Sunday. We have also added in two Wednesday sessions. Please note these changes on your calendar!

6/3 (W) – Training session #14
6/7 (S) - Training session #15
6/10 (W) – Training session #16

TALENT SHOW

Friday -be here to help BY 6:30

Saturday - be here BY 6 and bring a bake sale item

PARENT LUNCH

This Sunday, 12:30pm in the fellowship hall right after church. YUMMY food and lots of info on our trip.

$100

At any time you can submit a letter or email to me explaining how you earned $100 on your own - you don't have to wait until July. I just got notice today from the first person that their $100 is DONE. NICE WORK! Where God guides, God provides.

Due May 10

The second part of "Round Trip" is all about the things we bring and the things we leave behind - physical, emotional, and spiritual. On Sunday we watched chapter 2 and talked about the things we bring, the things we pack, and the lifestyle statements made by those things. We'll be talking more about those things in future sessions.

Last week you reflected on the assumptions - the mindset, or "mental baggage" - we bring with us into this experience. This week we're going to add to the mental baggage by talking about objectives and outcomes: in other words, what do we want participants to experience on this trip, and how do we hope this trip makes participants different?

For this week's assignment you need the "CBC Philosophy of short-term missions: Objectives & Outcomes” documents. These are part of the pink handout you received last week. It’s also posted here at the blog under “March.”

*Read through the Outcomes - the ideas we hope you internalize for having been part of this experience. Choose one of the ideas (outcomes) about which you feel strongly. Explain what it means to you, and write a post about why you feel this is an important idea for Christians to understand.

*Read through the Objectives - the experiences we hope you have during this trip and the preparation. Choose three (of the bullet points) that you hope you have. Write a post explaining what you hope happens to you and why you want it to happen.

*Taking your Outcome post and your Objectives post together, write a third post summarizing how you hope this short-term experience affects you, changes you, shapes you, molds you. Be as specific and detailed as you are comfortable.

Support

SPIRITUAL
Be sure you are keeping your spiritual supporters updated on how they can be praying for you.

FINANCIAL
How is that support-raising going? Need help? ASK!
Need ideas for earning your $100? ASK!
Remember you need to pay $500, in addition to your initial deposit, by May 31. Pray! Ask!

Other Stuff

SCHEDULE CHANGE
Lunch with parents is Sunday, May 17 from 12:30-2pm

FOR WEDNESDAY
Be sure you are on top of your work group assignments! Only 4 more Wednesdays!

Due May 3

On Sunday we watched the second part, first chapter, of “Round Trip.” You had some time to discuss the following question with your small groups:

• What does it mean for me to go on this trip – what are the responsibilities that accompany going on a short-term mission trip?

For your assignment this week, you need the “CBC Philosophy of short-term missions: Assumptions” document This was the first page of the pink handout you got on Wednesday. It’s also posted here at the blog under “March.” Read the document, and create a post in which you discuss the following:

• Are there any of these assumptions with which you disagree? Which ones? Why?
• Choose three assumptions strongly agree with. Explain why you feel strongly, then explain what we need to do because of or as a result of the assumption. For example, if I feel strongly about the 4th assumption, which basically says we don’t know as much as we should about the world, then what we need to do is learn about the people we are going to serve. My post would be a lot longer than that, but that’s the basic idea.

Spiritual supporters

Create a post titled “Prayer requests.” Post some things your spiritual followers can be praying about for you. Inform your spiritual supporters that they can find prayer requests at your blog. Let them know how to find your blog and how to get updates if they want.

Other stuff

SCHEDULE CHANGE
Lunch with parents, originally scheduled April 26, has been moved to Sunday, May 17 from 12:30-2pm

FOR WEDNESDAY
Come with ideas for how your work group can accomplish their tasks.

Due April 26

On Sunday we watched the first part of “Round Trip.” You had some time to discuss a few questions with your small groups (these are on pp.13-14 of your participants guide). They were:

• What would you say God is doing in Panama City right now? What is God doing at Crossroads?
• In what ways has God prepared you, or is he preparing you, for this trip?
• What are you hoping to gain from this trip?*
• What are you hoping that others, both at home and overseas gain from your involvement in this trip?*

For your assignment this week, first write a post simply explaining how you see God at work in your family, your church, your city, and your country.

Next, take some time to think about what your small group discussed on Sunday, then write yourself a letter that explains how God is preparing you for this trip, why you feel it’s important to go, and how you’d like to come back different.

When you've finished, read what the people in your small group have written on their blogs. Feel free to post some encouraging comments.

*Let me clarify the meaning of 'gain' here. We aren't doing this trip to help ourselves - we aren't hoping to get famous or rich or something. However, if you read our philosophy of missions, we believe missions should be a two-way street - we need to approach it as both givers and receivers. What are we hoping to give the people of Mancora? What are we hoping to receive from them? Maybe another way to ask it is "What are we hoping to learn from them?" or "What are we hoping to come away with because of this trip?" Hopefully that helps your thinking.

About your mentors

This week you will receive an e-mail with the name and e-mail address of your mentor. If I think it is needed I will tell you a little bit about the person who will be mentoring you. Please prepare a letter of introduction for your mentor. You should address the following:

• Name, age, nationality, family stuff - the general "getting to know you" things
• Why you want to go on this trip
• Anything you think is important for the mentor to know

Once you receive your mentor's email you may send your letter to them via e-mail. PLEASE DO NOT POST IT ON THE BLOG.

Your mentor will then send you a reply, introducing himself/herself to you. Feel free to keep an e-mail conversation going seperate from the blog - that's OK. But do be sure you comment about what's posted on the blog on the blog.

Other stuff

SCHEDULE CHANGE

Lunch with parents, originally scheduled April 26, has been moved to Sunday, May 17 from 12:30-2pm

FOR WEDNESDAY

• Complete your list of spiritual and financial supporters
• Write a support letter, if you intend to raise support
• Bring anything that Jeff or one of the leaders tells you is missing from your application

Asignación #1 - Fecha de Entrega: Domingo, 19 de Abril

1. Si no has tomado el inventario de personalidad Myers-Briggs, hazlo en línea aquí: Inglés: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm ;
Español: http://www.fundacion-jung.com.ar/J_Type.htm ). Si has tomado este inventario antes, puede usar tus respuestas, o tómalo otra vez. Después de que hayas tomado el inventario, escribe una entrada blog que resuma tu tipo de personalidad. (Escribir las 4 letras y tu puntaje en cada uno en tu blog.) ¿Cómo esta personalidad puede potencialmente hacer daño a este equipo o una organización? Pretende que le estas explicando esto a un total extraño.

2. Tomar un inventario de dones espirituales:
Inglés: http://buildingchurch.net/g2s.htm;
Español: http://www.gnycyouth.org/article/articleview/317/1/12 . Si has tomado un inventario en años recientes, usa estos resultados. ¿Cuales son tus principales dones? Asegúrate de leer las descripciones. ¿Cuáles están bajos? ¿Te sorprende esto? Escribe una entrada en tu blog explicando tus dones espirituales y como reaccionaste al tomar esta prueba.

3. Ahora observa tu tipo de personalidad y tus dones espirituales. ¿Cómo ves esta dos cosas funcionando juntas? Escriba y postea en tu blog algo en donde hables acerca de como tu personalidad y tus dones espirituales encajan juntos.

4. Resume tu trabajo sobre la sección uno y tus ideas sobre la personalidad y los dones espirituales en una entrada que conteste estas preguntas:
¿Qué papel ejerces típicamente en un equipo?
¿Qué deberían saber los miembros de este equipo acerca de ti para así poder trabajar contigo de la mejor manera posible?
¿Como puede estar Dios uniendo tu tipo de personalidad y tus dones espirituales para que sean usados en su reino?

Assignment 1 - Due Sunday, April 19

1. If you haven’t taken the Myers-Briggs personality inventory, do so online here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm. (en Español aqui: http://www.fundacion-jung.com.ar/J_Type.htm) If you’ve taken the test before, you can use your previous results, or take it again if you want. After you’ve taken the test, write a blog entry summarizing your personality type. How can this personality type really benefit a team or organization? How can this personality type potentially hurt a team or organization? Be sure to record the 4 letters and your score results in your blog. Pretend you are explaining yourself to a total stranger.

2. Take a spiritual gift inventory here: http://buildingchurch.net/g2s.htm (en español aqui: http://www.gnycyouth.org/article/articleview/317/1/12). If you’ve done this in the last couple of years, just use those results.Which are your main gifts? Be sure you read about them. Which ones are low? Are you surprised? Write a posting to your blog explaining your spiritual gifts and your reaction to taking this test.

3. Now look at your personality type and your spiritual gifts. How do you see these working together? Write a post to your blog where you discuss how your personality and your spiritual gifts fit together.

4. Summarize your work on section one and your thoughts about personality and spiritual gifts in a posting that answers these questions:
What role do you typically exercise on a team?
What should members of this team know about you in order to work with you as best as they can?
How might God be bringing together your personality type and your spiritual gifts for use in his kingdom?

Due: Wednesday, April 15 - Creating a blog

For the duration of our preparation period each trip participant will be keeping an online blog to record your thoughts, reactions, and responses that relate to this trip. We will be inviting a number of CBC people, including your teammates, to read your blog and make comments as your training progresses. Hopefully this will begin a conversation about God, missions, and you that will change your life.
First you need to create an account. If you already have a gmail account, simply go to http://www.blogger.com/home and follow instructions for creating an account. When it asks you for a blog title, please put your name at the beginning of the title (like “Zuly’s Peru Blog” or “Diana – blog de Peru.” Then follow the instructions and you’re set.
If you’re not a g-mail user, you will have to create a gmail account. Be sure you write your login and password somewhere because if it isn’t your primary e-mail address, you will forget it.
Once you’ve done that, send the URL to Jeff at jeff.penn1@gmail.com. Your blog will be linked to this page.
When you're finished, proceed to Assignment 1.

NOTE: If you created a blog last year, you can use it again. However, you should archive or delete all of the old posts so they don't confuse the people who visit. You will still need to send me the link.

Fecha de Entrega: Miercoles 15 de Abril - Iniciando

Durante la duración de nuestro periodo de preparación cada participante del viaje mantendrá un blog en línea para registrar sus ideas, reacciones, y las respuestas que se relacionan con este viaje. Estaremos invitando a un número de gente de CBC, incluyendo a tus compañeros de equipo, para que lean y hagan comentarios de tu blog mientras que avanza tu entrenamiento. Esperamos que esto de inicio conversaciones acerca de Dios, las misiones, y que esto cambie tu vida.
Primero tienes que crear una cuenta. Si ya tienes una cuenta de gmail, simplemente ve a http://www.blogger.com/home y sigue las instrucciones para crear una cuenta. Cuando esta te pida un título blog, por favor pon tu nombre en el principio del título (como “Zuly’s Peru Blog” o “Gino - blog de Perú." Entonces sigue las instrucciones y estarás listo.
Si no eres un usuario de g-mail, tendrás que crear una cuenta de g-mail. ¡Asegúrate de escribir tu nombre y contraseña en algún sitio porque si esta no es tu dirección de correo electrónico primaria, lo mas probable es que la misma se te olvidará.
Una vez que hayas creado tu blog, por favor envía el URL a Jeff a jeff.penn1@gmail.com Tu página será vinculada a esta página. Luego, proceder a asignacion #1.

Journaling Guidelines

Journaling Guidelines (by Jenny Collins)

Experienced travelers and short-termers find that maintaining a journal for descriptions, observations, analysis and personal application of your experiences before and during the project helps make the difference between a “sanctified vacation” and a lifechanging experience. Journals will provide the basis for your conversations with mentors and others after the trip. It is an opportunity for you to remember what God showed you long after the event, and to ask the questions in the moment that you will want to reflect on later.

You will have time each day of the trip to journal. Include the following three elements in each entry:
i. Description: keep a record of events, people, cultural information, service project/ministry, interactions, decisions, successes, problems, etc.
ii. Analysis: make connections between your experience and the content from the textbooks and preparation; analyze and evaluate what you have described and how you view and respond to the events, people, culture, service, etc.
iii. Application: Relate the course material and service experience to your personal life, including changes in your faith, goals, values, attitudes and behavior as a result of the project.


“By slowing us down and prompting us to think more deeply about God, journaling helps us feel more deeply (and biblically) about God. It provides an opportunity for the intangible grays of mindwork and heartwork to distill clearly into black and white. Then we’re better able to talk to God with both mind and spirit”
--D. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, p. 200

“In solitude, the wonder of the everyday is clearer. We see God’s provisions with a different eye. They become the object of our thirst instead of the flavorless essence of the everyday that we take for granted. If we are attentive, he will expose the strategy of the enemy in our lives and strengthen us to stand. And we will encounter the invisible one”
--K. Thomas, Simplicity, p. 69


For your journal feel free to be creative and include drawings, poetry, lyrics, scrapbook items…
a) Describe:
i) Your goals/expectations for yourself, the team, the hosts, the service project
ii) The culture and language differences (values, needs, religion, beliefs, education, lifestyle, food, customs, social issues, economy, government, geography/climate, etc.)
iii) The nationals you meet
iv) The missionaries and Christian leaders and their character/conduct
v) The service you are doing
vi) Your travel, team meetings, a “typical day,” decisions, successes, problems, etc.
b) Analyze:
i) Make connections between what you have studied and are now experiencing
ii) Do your expectations match your experiences? Describe how they do or do not
iii) What are your reactions, thoughts and feelings to the things you have described?
c) Apply:
i) Reflect on how the above impacts your personal life
ii) What changes do you want to make in your goals, spiritual life, values, attitudes, participation, etc.?
iii) What are you learning about the world, God’s global purposes and your role within them?
iv) What are you learning about Christ, the global church, and the elements of personal character required for effective cross-cultural ministry?
v) What does it mean to be a “world Christian”? To live a life consistent with the biblical view of world missions, Christian service and life stewardship? Will this change your response to Panamanian culture?
d) Use the journal as a reference when you return for
i) Presentations to churches and groups
ii) Talking with family and friends
iii) Long-term reflection

2) Questions to Help You Keep a Journal:
· What fears or worries do you have about this trip? How are you doing at turning them over to God?
· Who is Jesus to you? Are you ready to proclaim him and share his love?
· How do you see yourself fitting in with your team? What roles do you play? Are you ready to be a servant?
· What are your initial perceptions of: The leaders? Team members? Ministry activities? Hosts? Nationals?
· Have you felt comfortable relating to the nationals so far? Why or why not? Describe them.
· What do you like about your host country and people? What do you dislike?
· What are you noticing about the culture’s values, customs, religion, social issues, etc.?
· What are some negative value judgments you have found yourself thinking? Are they biased?
· Self examination: Have you been grateful? Fulfilled your obligations? Been a positive influence? Been a team player? Been culturally sensitive?
· What have been your most fulfilling/joyful experiences? Most frustrating/difficult experiences?
· What is something you’ve thought, felt or done that you wish you could do differently?
· How is the Christian worship/culture different from what you are used to?
· What is one story you will use to explain what you’ve experienced to your family, friends and church?
· What has God shown you about: Him? His Word? Prayer? Yourself? Your relationship with Him? Your relationships with others? Your view of other cultures? Your values/worldview? Your standard of living?

Packing List

-small, but powerful flashlight *lintera pequeña
-plastic water bottle *botella de agua plastica
-prescription drugs (in original containers) *medicina en un original embace
-Bible *Biblia
-pen*pluma
-Jacket *un abrigo
-sweatshirt * una camisa
-hat *gorra
-tennis shoes, sandals, walking shoes. The roads are rock/dirt. *zapatillas, sandalias, zapatos comodos para caminar. Las calles son hechas de roca y lodo
-loose fitting jeans or pants *jeans que sean sueltos (para todos)
-polo or button down shirt for church service (male) *camisas polos o camisas decentes que te pones para el servicio de la iglesia (para hombres)
-knee-length skirt for church service (female) *una falda larga que sea decente a las rodillas para el servicio de la iglesia (para mujeres)
-sun block*bloqueador solar
-mosquito repellent*repelente de mosquitos
-modest swim suit (girls: one piece, or wear a T-shirt over a 2-piece) *vestidos be baño modesto
-sleeping bag / sheets*ropa de cama
-pillow * almohada

** Blouses/shirts should be loose fitting and such that no skin is exposed, even when you lift your arms. ** Las camisas deben sueltas y no se puede ver pedazo de piel cuando alzas los brazos.

Tentative Itinerary

Crossroads Bible Church

Mancora 2009 Tentative Itinerary

Our days will include morning devotions as possible and evening debriefings of the day’s activities. Please journal at least once a day concerning your experience. You will be asked to submit highlights from your journal once we return to Panama. See the journaling guideline for ideas on what to write about. All activities are subject to change. Use this oxymoron phrase as a guide to our approach: be a “laid-back punctual” individual, but in whatever you do, “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

Friday, July 24
Family Sendoff Celebration

Saturday, July 25
Depart PTY for Guayaquil; take charter bus to Mancora

10PM - arrive Mancora, Peru; get settled, say hi to everyone, eventually go to sleep at beach camp

Sunday, July 26
Mancora orientation
Church service
Get to know our hosts

Monday, July 27
Training with Mancora youth band
Band practice with Mancora youth band

Tuesday, July 28
Training with Mancora youth band
Band practice with Mancora youth band

Wednesday, July 29
Fellowship with Mancora Youth group

Thursday, July 30
Youth Congress begins
Host getting to know you & fellowship times

Friday, July 31
Youth Congress
9 AM combined team leads P&W
7 PM P&W
PM Battle of the Bands Concert in Coliseum

Saturday, August 1
Youth Congress
9 AM combined team leads P&W
Concert rehearsal
PM P&W
PM Crossfire Concert
Depart Mancora for Guayaquil

Sunday, August 2
Arrive in Guayaquil

Rest & Debriefing

Monday, August 3
Depart Guayaquil for PTY

5:30PM – arrive PTY – a parent must meet you at the airport unless prior arrangements have been made

----AFTER OUR RETURN-----

Sunday, August 9
10:45 AM – Debriefing #1 (during Sunday School time)


Monday, August 17
6-9pmish – Team Dinner location TBA


Sunday, August 23
All 3 services at CBC

Calendar

4/15 (W) - Training session #1
4/19 (S) - Training session #2
4/22 (W) - Training session #3
4/26 (S) – Training Session #4
4/29 (W) – Training Session #5
5/3 (S) - Training session #6
5/6 (W) – Training Session #7
5/9 – Curundu Work Day - team service activity – 9am-3pm
5/10 (S) - Training session #8
5/13 (W) – Training Session #9
5/14?15? – Talent show rehearsal
5/16 – Talent Show
5/17 (S) - Training session #10
Lunchtime Parent meeting 12:30-2
5/20 (W) – Training Session #11
5/22 – Sterling Basketball Game – team service activity – 6-10pm
5/24 (S) – Combined service, team commissioning
5/27 (W) – Training Session #12
5/31 (S) - Training session #13
**$500 payment due by 5/31**
6/3 (W) – Training session #14
6/7 (S) - Training session #15
6/10 (W) – Training session #16
7/5 **$450 (remainder of trip money) due**
Explanation of $100 due
7/24 – Family sendoff celebration TBA
7/25 – Departure
8/3 – Return
8/9 (S) – Debriefing #1 – during Sunday School
8/17 – Debriefing #2 – dinner TBA
8/23 (S) - Peru Mission Trip Sunday (all 3 services)



Note: Wednesday training times will be from 6pm-7pm, during Middle School Crossfire)
Sunday training times will be from 11am-12 during Sunday School

Welcome

To Mentors
Thanks for your interest in being part of this experience! For the time being, all you need to do is join the blog as a follower (you can do this even if you don't want to be a mentor). I will send you further instructions in a week once we have everything in place.

To Visitors
Welcome to the 2009 Crossroads Bible Church Crossfire Peru Trip. This is the place to follow what's happening as our team of 26 students and adults prepare for their third trip to Mancora, Peru. Each student on the team is keeping a blog as part of their preparation. As we go through various teachings and training, they will be posting responses to their blogs, all of which are linked on the main page. We encourage and invite you to read their thoughts, make comments, and encourage them as they prepare to use their gifts to serve the Kingdom in Mancora.

To Team Members
Congratulations - you found the blog! This will be our headquarters for all assignments related to this trip. You will find your first assignment below, due April 15. The second assignment is also posted on the right side of the page, listed as "Due April 19." All assignments will be listed by due date.
Be sure when creating your own posts on your own blog you use the date as the first words of the title of the post (e.g. "April 19: spiritual gifts").
Be sure to ask Jeff if you have any questions.

On-site Dos and Don'ts

Food, water and health:
· Tell your leaders/hosts if you become ill!
· Pack prescription drugs in containers with pharmacy labels in carry-on bags; bring extra in case of delays.
· Wash your hands or use antibacterial gel before eating.
· Avoid ice.
· Drink plenty of bottled/filtered water; avoid dehydration. Brush your teeth with bottled water only.
· Don’t eat anything from a street vendor or store unless your hosts/sponsors say it is okay.
· Get sufficient rest .
· Use insect repellent and avoid mosquito bites.
· Stray animals may be cute but rabies is common in developing countries.
· Wear gloves (in first aid kit) when treating wounds. AIDS and other diseases may be more common.
· Check shoes for critters before putting them on.
· Don’t go barefoot to avoid parasites and fungi.
· If it falls on the ground, leave it (or throw it away) – the 10-second rule does not apply.
· Flies are more than a nuisance – they’ve been hanging out in the swamp and on the garbage in the streets. Try to keep them from landing on your food.

Conduct:
· Be flexible and go with the flow. Your plans will change often. Remember the Gumby principle.
· You are a representative of Crossroads Bible Church and Christ, and there are high expectations for your conduct. There will be discipline for misconduct.
· Make time for personal quiet time and journaling and seek accountability with other team members (see journaling guidelines). Challenge yourself in all areas so that you will have no regrets about your actions/attitude.
· Encourage and pray for your teammates, sponsors and hosts. Learn to love those you don’t necessarily like. Resist complaining; but if you are really struggling with conditions, seek out a sponsor or teammate and talk about it. Never complain in front of hosts or nationals.
· Keep rooms, vehicles, etc. clean; do not be messy guests.
· Conserve electricity, hot water, toilet paper, etc.; do not be wasteful.
· Get advice from hosts about how to handle begging as needed.
· When exchanging money/shopping, be discreet and sensitive. You may spend more than nationals earn in a month. Avoid treating yourself (ice cream, soda…) in front of them unless you also treat them. Bring no more than $50 of your own spending money.
· Wear appropriate clothing for the culture as directed by hosts; Piercings may have to come out. Use discretion in logos/slogans on shirts, caps, etc. Avoid flashy jewelry, heavy makeup, and tight clothing. The people we are with should not be able to determine our social class based on how we dress.
· Exercise caution in photographing people. Get permission—some may resent it or expect payment while others will love it. Be especially careful at religious sites. Taking photos of government buildings may be illegal! In fact, consider leaving your camera at home. As Mack Stiles writes, “…looking at people through the lens of a camera doesn’t build trust but confirms that we’re really there to be tourists.”
· If you are visiting a religious site, out of respect do not evangelize or sing Christian songs on the premises.
· Carry toilet paper/tissues with you when traveling as toilet paper may not be available. In Mancora paper cannot be flushed, plumbing will not handle it. So, don’t flush it! Use the trash can.
· It is a normal part of “travel stress” to fear strange food, speaking another language, being cheated, etc. Ask the Lord to help you not be paralyzed by your fears.


Safety:
· Lock rooms when inside at night and when away! It may not be as safe as it seems. Anything of value should be well-hidden.
· Women: know how safe it is for you in public. You need to be in groups or accompanied by guys. Men may pretend to be Christians or interested in the gospel to get near you. Never tell strange men where you are staying! Men may try to touch/pinch/grope. Be conscious of surroundings; have guys walk next to you.
· Get advice from hosts about how to protect your valuables in public and where you are staying.
· Watch for pick-pockets, purse snatchers, slashing of backpacks and scams. Divide up your money in different places and use an underclothing money pouch or belt. Anything in back pockets is fair game for pickpockets – use your front pockets. Help each other be street-smart.
· Be aware of fire safety issues for the building in which you are staying. The 2nd thru 7th floors are safest. The first floor is easily broken into and fire departments rarely have ladders that reach above the 7th floor.
· Memorize your passport number. Flashing a passport around shows everyone you are a tourist.
· Keep car windows up or cracked and doors locked when traveling in a vehicle. When in motos keep arms and legs inside with backpacks, purses, and valuables between you and the other passenger. Anything hanging out the moto could easily be snatched by someone.

Crime:
· There are 4 things every bad guy believes: 1) you have money, 2) you probably do not speak the language or know how to contact authorities, 3) even if caught, you will not be available to testify against him, 4) if kidnapped, your company/school will pay for your release.
· If you are robbed, mugged, threatened, etc., don’t resist! Give your money, valuables, vehicle, whatever. Throw it and run and scream if possible. Cooperate with anyone who has a weapon. Nothing is worth your life! Flee only if the criminal does not have control of you and it makes sense.
· If you are the victim of a crime, report it to 1) the local police 2) sponsors & hosts, 3) your embassy or consulate.
· Leave home any credit cards, ID cards, or other cards that you won’t be using or able to use in Peru. If a wallet is stolen, file a police report to prove to credit providers you were diligent, cancel credit cards immediately. If you have US cards the three credit reporting organizations can place a fraud alert on your name and SS# to keep your credit clean. (Equifax 800-525-6285, Experian 888-397-3742, and Trans Union 800-680-7289). Call the Social Security Administration at 800-269-0271.
· See consular information sheets for more information on crime in your host country.

Free time and outings:
· Never wander around by yourself—no one will know if something happens to you. It is best to go out in mixed groups and closely follow host advice about safety. Make sure sponsors always know where you are and when you will be back. Groups of three or more are OK – if less than that, ask a sponsor for permission. Lighting fireworks, car rental, driving, scuba diving, etc. are not permitted during free time.
· Carry your “Emergency Info Card” with a local address and phone # so you can show to someone if you get lost or need help. Carry insurance card (if you have one), student ID card, and passport copy.
· Check with sponsors about what to do if you get separated from the group. Know the plan!
· Obey the curfew your sponsors/hosts give you.
· Get instructions from hosts about safe/non-safe places or activities, local expectations, how to reduce risk
* Some students on a study trip went to a city park at night. They did not know it was a meeting place for gays looking for action. They were approached and persistently pursued until they left.
* Some guys did not know that when they bought sodas in glass bottles they were expected to drink the sodas at the shop and immediately return the bottles. They were chased and yelled at by the angry shop owners but didn’t understand why.

Low profile suggestions:
Each person is responsible for his/her own personal safety so each needs to follow these guidelines.
· Listen to hosts and nationals who say to be careful in certain areas or situations; go a different route, avoid patterns, vary timing of travel, etc.
· Dress “middle of the road” avoiding anything flashy; avoid displaying expensive name brands. Wear a cheap watch. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself.
· In areas of concern, smaller groups are better than one large group. Have a national or host missionary travel with you when possible.
· Keep a watchful eye on surroundings. Perhaps assign this task to a national or team member if needed.
· Don’t look or act like tourists. Keep cameras hidden. In some areas, you may want to choose one person to be a group photographer to reduce the number of cameras.
· Be careful with taxis. If possible, have a host choose taxis. Never let strangers hand-pick taxis for you!
· Women should be accompanied by male team members in taxis.
· Do not be loud and obnoxious. Blend in with the public.

Communication:
· Do not talk about your material wealth unless you are directly asked. Be humble. If someone asks how much you spend on food or entertainment, you can say that you spend about the same percentage of your income that they do rather than giving dollar amounts.
· Do not talk about politics with locals. If asked your opinion about politics, emphasize a biblical perspective concerning relevant issues, but also ask for the other person’s opinion. Use such discussions as a stepping stone to discuss spiritual things rather than politics, policy or leaders.
· Men and women: avoid touching each other in public so as not to give the wrong idea. Avoid a lot of eye contact or exclusive conversation with nationals of the opposite gender (as appropriate for the culture). In some cultures, this may communicate a strong interest in marriage.
· Find out from hosts: how to greet people appropriately, what is appropriate regarding physical touch and eye contact, how formal the conversation style is, what the expected courtesies are, what subjects (if any) are taboo, what styles of worship are appropriate, what gestures are appropriate/inappropriate, what terms, metaphors, or analogies may be offensive (for ex., the term “sweetheart” means “mistress” in the Bahamas so it is inappropriate to call little girls “sweetheart”).

Four objectives of project: 1) Cross-cultural understanding/experience, 2) Mission outreach, 3) Interpersonal relationships, 4) Reflection and integration of the experience; but ultimately our goal is to see God glorified. Let Him work in you and through you

Importance of journaling:
It helps you sort out experiences/feelings/thoughts, helps you learn about/from the culture, helps you tell your story when you return, helps you remember what God did. You want your life changed by this experience; journaling and reflection are key in facilitating true change! They also help you keep your relationship with God and openness to Him on track. Record how it feels the first time you encounter real economic or spiritual poverty so you can remember. Be familiar with the journaling guidelines.

Difficulty of poverty or other situations:
· Ask for strength from God not to shrink away from a beggar or “unlovely” or sick person.
· Ask God to give you his compassion and perspective.
· Ask God to help you see not just the masses, but each person as an individual, made in God’s image with intrinsic value to God as a human being.

Scripture memory & Bible reading plan

May 10 Memory Challenge: Acts 1:8
May 11 Acts 1
May 12 Acts 2
May 13 Acts 3
May 14 Acts 4
May 15 Acts 5
May 16 Acts 6

May 17 Memory Challenge: Psalm 55:22
May 18 Acts 7
May 19 Acts 8
May 20 Acts 9
May 21 Acts 10
May 22 Acts 11
May 23 Acts 12

May 24 Memory Challenge: Proverbs 16:3
May 25 Acts 13
May 26 Acts 14
May 27 Acts 15
May 28 Acts 16
May 29 Acts 17
May 30 Acts 18

May 31 Memory Challenge: I Peter 1:13
June 1 Acts 19
June 2 Acts 20
June 3 Acts 21
June 4 Acts 22
June 5 Acts 23
June 6 Acts 24

June 7 Memory Challenge: Revelations 5:9-10
June 8 Acts 25
June 9 Acts 26
June 10 Acts 27
June 11 Acts 28
June 12 Philippians 1
June 13 Philippians 2

June 14 Memory Challenge: Philippians 3:20
June 15 Philippians 3
June 16 Philippians 4
June 17 Acts 1
June 18 Acts 2
June 19 Acts 3
June 20 Acts 4

June 21 Memory Challenge: Philippians 4:6-7
June 22 Acts 5
June 23 Acts 6
June 24 Acts 7
June 25 Acts 8
June 26 Acts 9
June 27 Acts 10

June 28 Memory Challenge: Psalm 46:10-11
June 29 Acts 11
June 30 Acts 12
July 1 Acts 13
July 2 Acts 14
July 3 Acts 15
July 4 Acts 16

July 5 Memory Challenge: Romans 16:25-27
July 6 Acts 17
July 7 Acts 18
July 8 Acts 19
July 9 Acts 20
July 10 Acts 21
July 11 Acts 22

July 12 Memory Challenge: Isaiah 43:1-2
July 13 Acts 23
July 14 Acts 24
July 15 Acts 25
July 16 Acts 26
July 17 Acts 27
July 18 Acts 28

Sources for Philosophy Documents

We've read a number of books, attended seminars, and spoken with many people as we have thought about our short-term missions program. Some of the documents from which we have borrowed heavily include:

• Serving with Eyes Wide Open, David Livermore, BakerBooks, 2006
• Taylor University Lighthouse Program Descriptions
• Short-term Missions Workbook, Tim Dearborn, IVP, 2003

QUESTIONS – what we will ask ourselves before, during, and after the trip

Note: this is a draft document of the CBC Missions Committee


WHO AM I?
What can I learn about myself?

WHO IS GOD?
How can my understanding of God grow?

WHO ARE WE?
What can I learn about community and the global body of Christ?

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON FAITH?
How can I see life and the gospel differently because of what I’ve experienced?

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WORLD?
What can I learn about justice, poverty, and the causes of suffering?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST?
What can I learn about discipleship?

WHAT’S OF VALUE?
What can I learn about my lifestyle?

WHERE AM I GOING?
What might God call me to be and to do as a result of this experience? What can I learn about my vocation?

COMMITMENTS –promises we as leaders and participants make as we approach our short-term trips

Note: This is a draft document of the CBC Missions Committee

• WE WILL dignify and respect the locals and the church we serve by not talking about them in demeaning ways
• WE WILL challenge the participants to see Christianity differently vis-à-vis the host culture instead of seeing the universality of the Body of Christ
• WE WILL reflect theologically on our short-terms mission programs and our ministry programs at home
• WE WILL probe the incongruity of poverty and joy
• WE WILL raise awareness of new experiences that contradict previous observations, interpretations, or expectations
• WE WILL challenge the participants to live changed lives based on the dissonance they feel as they see their wealth juxtaposed against poverty
• We WILLl train the trip participants to develop their Cultural Intelligence
• WE WILL encourage journal writing on the trip, focusing on things that make us uncomfortable, questions that come to mind, and insights we gain.
• WE WILL build into the trip sufficient time to process
• WE WILL as a group take the time to step back from the situation we’re in to see what’s going on by scheduling time for planning and reflection
• WE WILL be honest about what we accomplish on the trip by not exaggerating or overspiritualizing the experience in our report back. A short-term missions trip is one of many experiences in life that shape us, and one trip is only part of a much longer narrative that will continue to be written after our experience.
• WE WILL stop thinking of short-term mission trips as a service to perform and see them as another expression of a seamless life of missional living that includes giving and receiving. It’s a time to learn. When we’re with brothers and sisters from another part of the world, let’s spend less time thinking about how we can tell everyone back home what we did for them and more time finding out what they’re truly facing and getting their perspective on how we can help.
• WE WILL be honest with our national brothers and sisters about what we feel is useful for us to do in their context, especially when it involves inflicting aspects of our culture on theirs, or disrupting their culture
• WE WILL help the participants see how eating unfamiliar foods, sitting through services in a foreign language, and touring ancient temples is relevant to God’s call on their lives. It’s imperative that we frame our experiences as pertinent and related to the overall goals of our lives.
• WE WILL humble ourselves before God as His servants, and humble ourselves towards those we are serving as their servants, too.

OBJECTIVES – what we hope each participant experiences

NOTE: This is a draft document of the CBC Missions Committee

1. Cross-Cultural Understanding and Experience:

• Expose participants to cultures outside of their own backgrounds and provide them with global orientation. Host leaders will provide on-site orientation to the culture and service methods
• Expose participants to the host culture’s perception of social structures, religion, worldview, and world issues
• Help participants develop a hands-on awareness of the host culture’s economic, social, educational, geographic and governmental distinctives
• Teach participants the importance of entering another culture as servants and learners who can appreciate and respect the differences between their home culture and host culture, as well as accept cultures other than their own

2. Service/Outreach Experience:

• Give participants direct experience in planning and implementing effective cross-cultural service
• Provide participants with many opportunities to share their faith in Christ through word and deed and develop and exercise their unique gifts and abilities
• Offer participants chances to test experientially the truth claims of the Christian worldview
• Give participants opportunities for servant-learning through partnership with and submission to host missionaries and national leaders to assist in implementing long-term goals of the host ministry
• Provide participants with exposure to current mission strategies and the realities of missionary life
• Furnish participants a chance to explore vocational calling and nurture spiritual growth
  

3. Interpersonal Development and Communication:

• Assist participants in learning to work well within a team that must strategize and plan ministry programs together and then function effectively in a foreign culture
• Help participants recognize the interdependence of humans in general and Christians in particular despite cultural differences
• Provide opportunities for participants to develop relationships across cultures through face-to-face partnership with host ministries and national Christians and through interaction with children, youth and adults in various settings
  

4. Personal Reflection and Integration:

Through academic preparation, experience, host interactions, discussion and journaling participants will reflect on the Biblical view of God’s global purposes and the role He is calling them to play within those purposes. Participants will also reflect on many other issues including:

• The hopelessness of humankind’s spiritual condition apart from God and the uniqueness of Christ as the only Savior of the world
• How God motivates/calls Christians to be involved in the Christian world mission
• The struggles, beauty and diversity of the worldwide Christian church
• Lessons from the lives of host missionaries and national Christians
• The elements of personal character, spiritual life, commitment and preparation involved in effective intercultural missionary service
• The attitudes and behaviors of a world Christian in living a life consistent with the Biblical view of missions, life stewardship, and how to respond to their home country’s culture and values

OUTCOMES – Ideas we want participants to internalize

NOTE: This is a draft CBC Missions Committee Document

• We want each trip participant to find the place where their deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.*
• God has given each individual specific talents and gifts, and a unique personality that reflects a unique part of His personality. These gifts have been bestowed on mankind to be used in His service and to bring Him glory.
• Ministry is an essential part of a healthy Christian life. God expects all of His children to be in ministry, serving Him and others sacrificially.
• Missions is a seamless part of our Christian life. Missions is doing our ministry somewhere else.
• The world is hungry for Jesus, and there are many ways we can be Jesus to the world.
• How and why we do is more important than what we do
  
  *“There are all different kinds of voices calling to you, all different kinds of work and the problem is finding out which is the voice of God, rather than that of society, say, or the super-ego or self-interest. By and large, a good rule for finding out is this: The kind of work God usually calls you to, is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do, and (b) that the world most needs to be done.”
  
  “If you really get a kick out of your work, you’ve presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you have missed requirement (b). [Buechner’s example suggests that he does not think deodorant serves a significant purpose!] On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leprosy colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you are bored and depressed by it, the chances are you’ve not only bypassed (a) but you probably aren’t helping your patients much either.”
  
  “Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do.” Frederick Buechner concludes, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

ASSUMPTIONS – where we begin when we talk about missions

NOTE: This is a draft CBC Missions Committee Document

Missions is about living in light of our position as image-bearers of God. It’s about giving people a living picture of who God is, what He cares about, and how He acts. It’s about giving other people a picture of what a group of people obeying God looks like. It’s a way for us to join with a long legacy of God’s people in making Him known to all the world.

We must not go overseas to do something we aren’t already doing in our own neighborhood (or, in the parlance of our Jamaican brothers and sisters, “Ya gotta dance a’yad before ya dance abroad.”)

Most short-term participants report having life-changing experiences, including identifying their own culture’s consumerist values, and being challenged to a life of missions, but revert to their old ways within 6-8 weeks. This is primarily a result of 1)poor pre-field preparation, 2) lack of time to process and journal on-field, 3) inadequate post-field debriefing. Is my cross-cultural work driven most by my desire to follow Christ, or my sense of adventure?

• While people have more access to knowledge and information about the world than ever before (internet, virtual tours, movies), the true reality of the world and what most people deal with each day is still far from our experiential knowledge (poverty, hunger, thirst, lack of med help, fear, spiritual darkness, disease, political oppression, etc.)
• World population is growing rapidly
• 20% of the world live on $1 a day; 20% live on $2 a day; 20% live on more than $70 a day
• More than 2 billion children live in our world, half in poverty; 1 in 4 children have to work instead of go to school; 8% of people in the world own a car
• 40% of the world has inadequate sanitation; over 1 billion lack safe drinking water
  Globalization may make people in different places look the same, but their cultures are vastly different

The western church has been overtaken by the Global South as the trendsetter and the center of Christianity.

A radical sense of community is what made the early church attractive – what is needed is not self-sufficiency among the poor, but a way of partnering across cultural and economic differences that affirms Christian solidarity, the interdependence of the Body of Christ. When 40% of the world earns less than $2 a day, can there ever be a point where majority-world churches are totally self-sufficient?

Our mission trips usually assume we have something to offer the churches and communities we visit, but there is much to learn from them as well

While non-Western leaders say their #1 need is leadership training, most do not want to use Western models to meet that need

The way we anticipate a situation will strongly influence how we engage in it

• What are the realities of the majority world church? How do those differ from our assumptions about the majority world church and its people?
• What makes the place and people tick?
• What is the history of the church? Of the work with which we are partnering?
• What will we be doing? What are we aiming to achieve?
• What do we expect to learn from them?

We cannot take what ought to be modus operandi for all of us every day as Christians and suddenly call it a “missions project.”

Most of the reports about the positive impact we have had on a community come from the goers, not the intended receivers.

Most locals would rather see money spent on buying local products and giving locals jobs. What if we committed to spend at least as much money supporting the projects we visit on our short-term trips as we do on getting us there?

Seizing the moment and making a difference are compelling forces in our cross-cultural experiences, but often our desire to jump in and do something can reflect a human-centered approach to missions rather than a God-centered one. Our inspiration and zeal overpower our ability to step back and engage in serious reflection. We look for “what works” and measure success based on our effectiveness and efficiency. But the local church knows what works and they have to remain there long after we have left.

We tend to both 1) look for similarities between locals and ourselves, then 2) generalize an isolated trait to the entire culture. When we’re in a cross-cultural context for only a brief amount of time, we interpret everything we see through our own cultural framework rather than learning, over time, to identify with another culture.

We tend to think that church is church wherever we go.

We interpret the Bible through our own cultural contexts, often asking what the Bible means for us instead of asking what the Bible meant in its original context.

Inevitably, the issue of poverty will be encountered by trip participants.

Generosity brings with it the subtle but important issues of power. We must not imply that we are blessed because of our wealth, while those with less than us are not. We also must not believe that those we serve want what we have. We do not wish to import the idol of consumerism. There are ways we are both poor, and both rich. Nor do we wish to imply that we know what they need.

There is a clear ethical responsibility that comes with encountering poverty.

The tendency to find common ground - wherein we tend to focus on similarities instead of seeing differences and where we generalize unique situations and people to an entire culture – is seamlessly related to our tendency to oversimplify the complex issues we encounter on short-term trips. If we never ask the deeper questions, we’re at the risk of missing some core issues.
Our level of interest in and commitment to connecting with the culture as a whole will directly shape how well we do our work in subtle but profound ways.

The success of our trip will be judged by our behavior rather than our accomplishments. Our behavior on the field will determine our success or failure in the eyes of the intended receivers. Our behavior post-field, after six weeks, or six months, will determine success in the eyes of the senders.

We cannot truly serve those we do not know and love.

The biggest challenges lie in communication, misunderstanding, personality conflicts, poor leadership, and bad teamwork