Turk Flight was delayed and should be landing at 10:30pm. We expect them to arrive at CLA between 12:30-1:00am.

GET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM MEMBERS

This is a copy of the list of talents and interests that you all gave 2 weeks ago at our missions meeting. They are not split apart into separate teams yet. You should have received a copy of this list last week. Look over this list. We’ll be focusing on some team building challenges, primarily with getting to know your team members.

If your name is not included on this list, please eMail me your information at amberdawndavidson@gmail.com. Either we did not receive your paper, or you forgot to put your name on it (there were at least 4 without a name)

See you on Tuesday!

TEAM MEMBER   -  CHARACTER STRENGTH   – TALENT / INTEREST
Jordan Holobinko  -  Love for People,  Happiness – Singing
Chelsea Marshall  -  Very Patient   – Team Encourager, Prayer
Jourdan Alioth  – Good Attitude/ Cheerful & Happy -  Music (Singing/ Playing the Piano)
Evan Brubaker  -  Kindness  -  Music & Acting
Ryan Ritchey  -  Compassion -  Music
Troy Sinclair   – Sociable, Boldness to talk to Strangers  – Sports
Aaron Stewart – Sociable, Get along with Kids  -  Creative
Calah Metz  -  Loving People & Especially Kids  -  Music & Sports
Casey Rees  -  Compassion, Prayer & Worship  -  Leadership, Athletic Ability
Aeriel Hammaker  -  Friendly, Leadership  -  Hip-Hop Dance
Leah Marshall  – Friendly  – Music, Acting, Dancing & Sports
Corinne Palese  -  Good Listener, Makes Friends Easily  -  Creativity, Acting
Mackenzie Gay  -  Outgoing, Speaking  -  Good Reader
Cherith Danielewicz  -  Happiness/ Loving Kids –   Creative
Brandy Fronte  -  Outgoing  – Athletic & Acting
Tyler Gay  -  Boldness  -  Sports
Zach Ferguson  -  Friendly & easy to get along with  – Baseball & Tutoring & Educational Help
Brooke Sheesley  -  Mediator & Encourager  -  Acting, Public Speaking,
Justin Jobe  -  Boldness  -  Leadership & Prayer
Mike Brubaker  -  Leadership  / Passion  -  Sports
Deanna Shaub  -  Outgoing & Leadership  -  Athletic
Lindsay Britton –   Friendliness  -  Music & Drama
Dave Wellman  -  Leadership, Communication -  Sports
Kyle Sinclair  -  Good Interaction with Kids -  Music & Sports
Ally Klawitter  -  Compassion, Organization, working with kids  -  Creative, Drama
Bethany Brenneman  -  Friendly  – Sports, Singing
Katelyn Summerville  -  Passionate, Encouragement  – Sports / Prayer
Brandon Web  -  Servant  – Creative Problem Solver
Shayna Cruz  -  Forgiving, Good with Kids, Love for People  -  Smart “ish” (in her own words =) – Tutoring, Education
Kris McNaney  -  Outgoing, Leadership  -  Piano, Drama
Devin Wislocki  -  Kindness  -  Solving Problems

MISSIONS CHALLENGE: WEEK 5: TURK ISLANDS & GREECE
03.31.09

Your Missions Team, has been given a Bible Reading Plan to read together as you prepare yourself for this trip. This weeks’ challenge is to encourage you to stay “on track” with that reading.

* The Greece team should be reading from 1 Thessalonians, staying with 1 chapter a week. This week you should be completing chapter 5.
* The Turk Islands team should be reading from Acts, also reading 1 chapter a week. Likewise this week you should be completing chapter 5.

For this challenge, write down part of your Bible reading that impacted you on a small piece of paper or an index card and bring it with you next Tuesday.

Be encouraged about your progress in these challenges. They are important. The people that you will meet this summer have needs that God may lead you to meet as you minister to them. God is preparing the hearts of each of us now to meet the needs of those people then. Each moment matters.

Upcoming challenges: Quiz about your missionary, Creative Fun about your country, Get to know your team members, Surprise Challenges

BONUS CHALLENGE: GET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM

We’re going to be focusing on team building over the next couple of weeks. To begin that process, write down a passion that God has put on your heart for ministry that would help your team to understand you more. We will be sharing these with someone else on your team.

MISSIONS CHALLENGE: TURKS & GREECE

3.24.09

The missions challenge for this week deals with silence. Your challenge is to take 3 minutes a day in silence to listen to what  God may put on your heart for the people of Greece or the Turk Islands.

The spiritual discipline of silence is a hard one to practice. It involves solitude (being by yourself), silence (this is rare for us), and allowing your mind to be still (not to be thinking of anything else). I encourage you to take time to pray, worship, or read your Bible reading first. Following that, take a blank piece of paper or a journal and write down all of the things that are occupying your thoughts. Ask God to show you something that He wants you to pray for, concerning the people of Greece or the Turk Islands. Then, take at least 3 minutes to sit in silence (try not to think of anything at all.) Following that, write down what God shows you.

Solitude and silence are rare in our lives. We run our lives from one activity to another activity, from one conversation to another conversation, from watching TV to listening to music, from talking to texting. Even when we are alone, the first silent part of our day may be when we go to bed.  Even then, our mind is  busy thinking about multiple things at once. Active silence and listening to God takes practice. It is a crucial spiritual discipline that will help you to identify God’s plans for your life.

This week, I pray that during some silent time, God will reveal things to your heart, specifically about the people you will meet in Greece or in the Turk Islands. I believe that God already knows who you will meet there and he knows their needs. I believe that a big part of your ministry there could be revealed during prayer now. Your job is to listen!

BONUS CHALLENGE (this week’s bonus that will only be posted online):

Because I have posted this so late in the week, your bonus challenge will simply go along with this weeks’ challenge and mirror what I asked you to do last week. Write down whatever God shows you during your times of silence this week and bring it with you on Tuesday. Write your name on it, and we will post it on the prayer board during our accountability time.

Here are the quizzes that we used last night for fun at the meeting. There’s some good info in them… see if you remember…

Quiz for Greece
03.17.09

1. What is the primary religion of the people of Greece?

2. When you walk into a traditional church in Greece, what is the first thing customarily done?
a. Kneel to pray
b. Light a candle and pay for it
c. Kiss the icon of a saint

3. What is one of the most important things a tourist should never do in one of their traditional churches?
a. Dress immodestly
b. Go and look behind the wall of religious paintings
c. Talk Loudly during the service

4. What is one of the rudest gestures in Greek culture?
a. Putting a hand in front of someone’s face
b. Pointing at someone
c. Angrily Gesturing with your hands towards someone

5. What do they believe happens when you stare too long at someone, especially at a child?
a. You may pass along bad luck
b. You may pass along the evil eye
c. You may pay disrespect to them

BONUS POINTS:
Give yourself up to 2 Bonus points, 1 for each challenge that you have completed over the past 2 weeks

Week #1 Challenge: Write Down 3 Facts about the Greece that you should learn
Week #2 Challenge: Take time outside of church to pray with and encourage one or more members from your accountability team

Total # of Points:

ANSWERS: 1.  Greek Orthodox  2. B  3. B  4. A  5. B

Quiz for Turk Islands
03.17.09

1. What country are the Turk Islands a territory of
a. Canada
b. United Kingdom
c. United States

2. What is the primary religion of the Turk Islands?
a. Protestant Christian
b. Catholic
c. Muslim

3.The “Belongers” are a group of people on the islands known for being friendly and the most religious. Where are they descendents from?
a. Great Britian
b. Africa
c. Canada d. France

4. Music and Dance are an important part of the culture of the islands. What is the most traditional and well-known music style of the islands?
a. Folk Dance
b. Rip -Saw or Rake-n-Scrape
c. Caribbean Flavored

BONUS POINTS:
Give yourself up to 2 Bonus points, 1 for each challenge that you have completed over the past 2 weeks

Week #1 Challenge: Write Down 3 Facts about the Turk Islands that you should learn
Week #2 Challenge: Take time outside of church to pray with and encourage one or more members from your accountability team

Total # of Points:

Answers: 1. B  2. A  3. B  4. B

Here it is, our first missions challenge post for all of you traveling to Greece and the Turk Islands this summer. Each week I will post your challenge (the same one that I give to you on Tuesday nights), and I may include a surprise challenge only available online. There will be incentives each week – some will be simple (like food or candy – don’t worry I will make sure that food is not just sweets like this week =). Some incentives may be cash towards your trip or something  of higher equivalence. I will reveal the incentive on Tuesday nights during accountability time. Obviously, in order to qualify for the challenge, you must complete it and be in attendance for Frequency, Sunday School (or a small group), and pre-service prayer. And even though this is fun, remember that those things are required for the trip, not optional. The commitment to minister on these teams is a priviledge, and comes with responsibility. I know all of you can do it!

Here is this week’s challenge for each team:

GREECE TEAM CHALLENGE
03.17.09

Paul said this prayer for the people of Thessalonia, people in the same place where you will be going to this summer.

This week your challenge is to say this prayer out loud every day this week for the people of Greece that you will be going to meet and to minister to.

[youversion]1 Thessalonians 3:10-13[/youversion]
*  10. Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again
and supply what is lacking in your faith.
* 11. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus
clear the way for us to come to you.
* 12. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other
and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
* 13. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy
in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Write down your initials everyday on a tracking sheet (if you didn’t pick one up, simply make one of your own), that you take time to pray for the people of Greece beginning with this prayer. Aim to memorize the scripture.

TURK ISLANDS TEAM CHALLENGE
03.17.09

Pick one of the following scriptures to memorize for next week. Even if you know the scriptures already, take time to speak at least one aloud every day and pray for the people of the Turk Islands. There is power in the Word of God. When you apply this scripture to your trip, ask God to show you specific things to pray for in power.

[youversion]Acts 1:8[/youversion] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

[youversion]Acts 2:17[/youversion] ” ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Write down your initials everyday on a tracking sheet (if you didn’t pick one up, simply make one of your own), that you take time to pray for the people of the Turk Islands beginning with quoting one of the above scriptures.

BONUS CHALLENGE

(this is for online viewers only – do not repeat to others unless they have read it for themselves):

Write down on a half sheet of paper, something that God has been putting on your heart during prayer for the country you are traveling to this summer,  something that you want to focus your prayers on for that country (for example: the teens of Greece and their salvation or  the poverty of children in the Turk Islands and help for them). Bring this with you and we will post it on a missions prayer board that I will bring with me next Tuesday. If you bring this with you, your name will be put in a hat to receive an incentive prize =)

Hi all,this is Amber. The internet in Panama is “down” today, so here are some bullet points from Pastor Jeff for all of you per our phone conversation. He expects to be able to reconnect by tomorrow:

• They had 2 outreaches on Saturday that went really well! They prayed for many adults and children. Thanks for your prayers!
• Everyone has now received their luggage….yeah!
• Today, they ministered at a church service and did children’s ministry. Many people were responsive. Later in the afternoon, the team went to Panama City and did street ministry. They were able to hand out at least 200 tracts, do drama ministry, and pray for alot of people who came to them asking for prayer!
• Be in Prayer….the team has been given an opportunity to partner with some local ministries to do a program for up to 2000 unchurched teens on Friday night! The outreach could include some local schools, bands, and our drama ministry in a 4 hour time slot!
• There will be more info to come…
• Please keep the comments coming, the team has been encouraged by them daily.
• They should have internet working again tomorrow.