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?
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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!
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.
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.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
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?
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!
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.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
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.
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!
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!
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!
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