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