We had yet another Brasil team meeting last night, our first one post trip. It was good. Like I mentioned before, we never really did a lot to talk about debriefing and reentry, and last night was perfect. Everyone has had enough time to process, share with their family and friends and get used to being back home after a great experience.
My friend T, the Fusion pastor organized it because he is in charge of 'Glimpse' Sunday, where all the mission teams will get a chance to share with the body about their trips. In my view, its a pretty crucial thing, sharing with the body. All the teams are really an extension of GCC around the world. Many, many people in the church supported us through finances and prayer. We were all 'sent out' a few Sundays ago. And of course, its a great opportunity to expose people to SPACE. (Sidebar: Part of me wants to keep it really small and be mysterious and subversive. Part of me thinks that after this summer, it's going to expand exponentially...) (Sidebar 2: a God sized dream...)
So last night was a combination of reentry, debriefing and planning the service. All three things are really well connected. I put together the first two sections below and we did that over pizza. We then moved into the auditorium and did section 3 below.
The kids spoke honestly and openly. More than one of them shared how hard it is to be home and away from the team and the experience. It was a really, really good time of just connecting again and probably the biggest thing for everyone was to hear, "You are not alone. I feel the same way."
1.
Pick one from below and share how you did this in Brasil:
- Walk with humility.
Remember, you are showing up late to a meeting. God has been at work among these people long before you arrived!
- Embrace with affirmation.
Your greatest gift to the people you meet will be affirmation, not criticism.
- Live with vulnerability.
Don't be afraid of weakness - it's normal.
- Practice flexibility.
Always expect the unexpected - you're not in control.
- Live as a student.
Be determined to learn from everyone.
- Work as a servant.
Be willing to do whatever needs to be done.
- Speak as a storyteller.
Let the Spirit tell God's story through you. (Taken from The Short Term Missions Workbook)
2.
Pick two from below and answer:
- The thing I liked best about my short-term was . . .
- The thing that made my short-term most unpleasant was . . .
- A story that is important for me to tell . . .
- The most significant lesson God taught me was . . .
- The area in my life where I saw the greatest change was . . .
- One story that sums up what God did through me is . . .
- The biggest challenge I face in returning home will be . . .
- The thing I'm most thankful to God for is . . .
- Now that I am back home, I feel
- I find it easy to
- I find it hard to
- I wish
- The people who I feel understand me are
- I enjoy being with
- I enjoy (activity)
- My family says I
- My friends say I
- My pastor says I
- I need help in
other comments from me:
- your emotions will be a rollercoaster
- it will get easier when you get into school and a routine
- its ok to let your emotions fade, but not your convictions
3.
planning for Sunday
- pray for a big ripple in the Body
- draw in
- one story - no other trip - only happened in Brazil
- what was its purpose
- how about the culture
- anything didn't expect
- hardest time
- when did you feel like 'God brought me for this exact moment?'
- one person you connected with
- how is Brazil different now that we went?
- how are you different?
- how can we encourage them more?
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