It All Means...

Well, writing those posts was quite an experience, but I know it was worth it and that's why I plugged on. It meant writing a lot, reading my journal a whole lot and looking at over 1300 pictures. If you read all of these posts, let me know, I owe you a gift or something. The narrative of our trip on this blog was just a representation of what happened - of course, a trip like this contains so many more details. Also, the narrative would be somewhat useless without my own debriefing, so here it is. Keep in mind, these are thoughts directed at me, not you. But if they spur on your thinking, thats awesome.

The Standard Stuff

Photo: G and me.

You know the standard stuff. I don't want to minimize these ideas, because they are important, although sometimes a bit cliched. But important enough to state:

- How great the team was. [Well we did hand pick them so we had big expectations and they rose to just about all of them.]
- Hoping that we - our community of faith - has used this trip as a small piece in the discipleship of some precious students, not just a one shot mission experience that serves only itself.
- There are not many families like the Nens, nor the other families we have worked with, that can leave the comforts of their own culture to risk, serve and bless people and communities in a vastly different culture. After the first three days, I found myself muttering, "I could never live here." They are almost another kind of species.
And over the past few years, every family we have partnered with has said, in effect, "We are honored that you would think of coming here." These families give up a lot and in my conversations with them, they always say how privileged they feel to be doing what they are doing. They are giving life to receive life.
- That students all around the world have pretty much the same concerns. Besides relationships, their future and right from wrong, they all want to live significant, impactful lives.

Ok, now on to the more weighty stuff.

The Church [big C]
I know I've used these two quotes at least a few times on this blog before. But they capture the essence of what I'm thinking.

"But she will live on. She is indestructible. When she dies in one part of the world, she explodes in another. She's global. She's universal. She's everywhere. And while she's fragile, she's going to endure. In every generation there will be those who see her beauty and give their lives to see her shine. Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against her. That's strong language. And its true. She will continue to roll across the ages, serving and giving and connecting people with God and each other. And people will abuse her and manipulate her and try to control her, but they'll pass on. And she will keep going." - Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

"Church leaders invest too much time answering this question: how do we keep new followers from falling away from the church? Church leaders should instead ask: how do we develop people who MUST? Having a sense of "must-ness" is not about social conformity [ i.e. reinforcing acceptable patterns of going to worship services, giving money to the church, attending a small group, etc]. "Must-ness" comes from an internal motivation inspired by a Jesus like understanding of God's activity in the world.
He calls his followers of both the first and twenty-first centuries to give their lives with him to something greater than themselves. When any person hears Jesus' call and recognizes the intrinsic beauty of what Jesus is doing, he will run with red-hot passion and join swords with anyone and everyone who hears as he does."- Alex McManus

The Church in Cameroon that we were witness to is amazing. It is filled with leaders that MUST. Therefore, it will be indestructible. Though the Church may be fragile, we met many men and women that will give everything they have, have already given everything, and will continue to give whatever the costs in order that the Church may shine. No building, no budget, no location, no social conformity - no matter. And what happens when these types of people rub elbows with students? Multiplication of more of the same. There is a new culture being birthed in Yaounde. My prediction - in the second most corrupt nation of the world, the Church will shine.

This means we should take good notes from a movement of Jesus followers that relies not on the material nor the programmatic, but on bands of friends that sacrificially give in order to build deep relationships so that students are reached and so that Christ's bride - the Church - shines on.

Sense of Community

"Stark notes that there were at least two great plagues in the first three centuries (160 and 250 AD) that actually were instrumental in the nascent church's incredible growth rate, which he estimates at 40% per decade. When the plagues came, those who were able fled the city but not the Christians. They stayed and ministered to the sick and dying--Christians and non-Christians alike. Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, writing of how believers responded to the plague of 250 observes:
'Most of our brother Christians showed unbounded love and loyalty, never sparing themselves and thinking only of one another. Heedless of danger, they took charge of the sick, attending to their every need and ministering to them in Christ, and with them departed this life serenely happy; for they were infected by others with the disease, drawing on themselves the sickness of their neighbors and cheerfully accepting their pains. Many, in nursing and curing others, transferred their death to themselves and died in their stead. The best of brothers lost their lives in this manner, a number of presbyters, deacons, and laymen winning height commendation so that death in this form, the result of great piety and strong faith, seems in every way the equal of martyrdom.'" - Eric Swanson

This description of community sounds like what we experienced, especially the sacrificial part. The people we met in Cameroon gave a lot. Not only material and tangible things, although they certainly did that. Our host families were extremely giving and gracious, cooking the meals [which included special preparation for Americans - and the average Cameroonian meal takes at least a few hours to prepare], opening up their homes and giving some incredibly thoughtful gifts to some of our students. But more than all of those things, they opened their hearts and considered us family.

Family and community are intertwined ideas in Cameroon. Many of our friends lived very close to family and if not, they made visiting a priority, no matter the difficulty of transportation. Every host family had some sort of family time every evening, whether it be songs and dancing, a short Bible study or prayer time. I observed a great deal of gratefulness among the families we got to know - grateful for a relationship with the Creator and grateful for how God has blessed them.

Cause creates community and maybe this is a glimpse of the intersection between a family that is called to meet the world deepest needs - a supreme cause - and the weight of that responsibility. In other words, I suspect that the families we became friends with know that their existence on Earth isn't just for themselves - and they teach that to their kids. They teach it to their kids in how they act, how they care for their families and how they worship and have fun as a family. Not only are they committed to each other because that is what family means, but they are tied together with a common and significant cause.

This means that my idea of community and family is too small. There is much more to unpack here, but the essence is that I need to move our family to some habits of community that relate to getting to know our neighbors better and deeper, to model a concern and priority for our neighbors AND family and to continually challenge the concepts of how our family interacts with the world.

My [I mean, Jesus'] Leaders

Photo: the ladies of the team, and female leaders NLind [second from left], ESunde [third from left in front] and LB [fourth from left in the back.]

"The best leaders are not those who win the most followers, but those who create other leaders." - Neil Cole

75% of this leader team was made of students from the ministry, now turned into leaders. I would like to think I had a little bit to do with their development - the Developer strength showing up again. On a long term scale, I feel like I, or we as a family, have invested a lot in three of them. One of them was in D's 03 dteam, and the two others came up through SPACE in high school right when it first started. Nonetheless, all four leaders, and these three in particular made me really proud. There were many times during the trip where I just sat back and paused, instead of jumping right in, watching them shape, mold and challenge - all with the end goal of creating leaders from our team of students. Seeing them develop was, and will continue to be, one of the most exciting aspects of my life - exciting because I know they will go on and do much, much more than I am ever capable of, whether SPACE is the context or not. These are the leaders that are creating other leaders.

This means that investing in leaders must be done not with followers in mind, but with future leaders in mind. One of the first goals of SPACE was about preparation of others and this means that the preparation goal - now moreso than ever - must be at the forefront of everything we are doing. And SPACE isn't the only context where this leadership idea must be applied.

Empowering Me
I've dealt with a slight undercurrent of low self confidence for most of my adult life. If you have read Wild at Heart, you could think of it as my wound. It certainly has had an affect on all elements of my life from career to fatherhood to ministry. But this trip, oh man, this trip empowered me. Not only was it one of the most riskiest endeavors I have attempted, but besides fatherhood, it was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Difficult because of the differences in culture, difficult because I was a bit sick at the end, difficult because it was a ton of travel. But heck - I was in charge of a team of 12, going to three different continents, 6000 miles, and a pygmy village, I spent an afternoon crossing Paris by myself. I was in freaking Africa for a week. We all came back alive and no one was hurt. We all had a great time. And all of us contributed to something much bigger than just ourselves.

This means that when it comes to the abilities that God has given me and the calling that God has on my life, I should not back off with the thought of, "God could never use me." If anything, I should be saying, "God, what a life you have given me - let's go together for even more."

Engaging Students for the World's Sake
I'm just as convinced now as when SPACE started that we are on the right track. Just like last summer's team to Brasil, we did it right. A local, indigenous connection. Partnering with a family we knew and that knew us - both who we were and where we came from. A simple, easily-reproducible strategy for follow up. A hand picked team of students that gave of themselves to total strangers and walked away with friends for life. A leader team that knows how urgent the world's needs are and that we cannot, and should not, do it ourselves.

When it comes to multiplying students to engage culture, to serve out of themselves, to be embarrassed because they don't understand the language, to learn to be leaders - all of it is because the world is desperately waiting. And someone better go.

So this means, the more trips we can do the right way, the more students we can engage within the right framework of our must-have goals, a simple process and top-notch leaders, the more the better [and not necessarily within SPACE all the time.] It also means we should continue to do our homework and press the boundaries of conventional thinking on what makes a good missions trip. And, when we have done that homework, when the planets line up, when our top-quality, sacrificial leaders sign up and go for broke; we will see human history be marked, our friends and family will witness centuries - not decades - be transformed, we will see the multiplication of students and leaders that catalyze individuals, families, communities and nations. And that's the logical outpouring of having God's word in our hearts.

Sunday Aug 6 - Day 12

We landed in Paris early this morning. A good flight out of Cameroon, mostly ontime. Our bags also made it here with us - 12 people with 23 bags. Amazing. Our hotel is great, we arrive via the airport shuttle around 10am and our 3 rooms are ready. The weather is a bit overcast, but shortly clears up and ends up being an absolutely gorgeous day here.

I am still sick. At certain times, my stomach explodes. It makes for a lot of fun in the airport. I send the team into the city with the other massively capable four leaders. GM leaves me his phone since both his and LBs work here in Europe. I sleep. And sleep. And sleep.

I awake in the early afternoon , deciding that I don't want to waste any more time. On the train into the city, I text LB saying "Im on the way in to meet you." As soon as the message gets sent, the phone dies - low battery. Interesting. I just spent a week in Africa, I'm sure I can figure out how to meet my team in Paris.

As if a week in Africa wasn't enough of an adventure, I'm having one of my own this afternoon. I'm almost 40 years old. I live a life of predictability. No one else on earth knows exactly where I am right now. I am traversing through one of the worlds greatest cities and I don't know a bit of the language here. I love it.

I pop out of the Cluny subway station and am amazed at my first real sights of the city. The slow pace of life, the community of outdoor cafes, the beauty of the city scapes - so cool. I grab a banana and a bottle of water and just walk for blocks. Finally, I decide that I should figure out how to reach the rest of the team.

I hop into an internet cafe - my first real computer time this whole trip. After a little while, D and I google chat - it's great to communicate in real time even if not over the phone. Eventually, LB and I text via her phone and my email account. I get directions and go.

The team has been having a debriefing and reentry discussion for the past three hours. From all accounts, it has been intense. The environment for it has been great - a neutral location, not at home and not near our ministry locations; a beautiful day; no distractions of family, work or school; and the venue being right underneath the Eiffel Tower. Perfect.

After I meet up with them, we take in more sights - the Arc de Triomphe, dinner in a neighborhood near the Bastille, souvenir shopping near Notre Dame. We arrive back at the hotel a bit later than we had wanted, but it was a perfect day.

Tomorrow, we arrive home.

Photos: Notre Dame, Emilie and I, the team.

20060726Cameroon photoset

Saturday Aug 5 - Day 11

Hard to believe that our time here in Cameroon is coming to an end. It has seemed like both forever and just yesterday since we arrived. This morning is spent doing some more souvenir shopping in the market area. Part of our team also splits off to tour a local medical clinic. Medical clinics are more the norm here for routine medical issues rather than hospitals.

At one point this week, W says, "They will take her to that hospital, it's kinder since its run by the Chinese." Here in Yaounde, there is apparently a large population of Chinese immigrants. No wonder the blondes on our team get more attention than me. The Chinese here run hospitals, own Chinese restaurants [of which we see two] and bring all of their own building materials, drivers and comforts of home. There is no Chinatown per se, but they have extracted and implanted their own cultural environment. During all of our time here, I only see one Chinese person. On another occasion, as I walk towards the market, a Cameroonain calls out to me "Ni hao?" - Mandarin Chinese for "How are you?" Mandarin Chinese in Yaounde Cameroon. How about this planet?

We have a big lunch at the Nens - sloppy joes. We depart for the airport in the late afternoon and work our way through the interesting process of leaving the country. First, there is the tax that we have to pay on every piece of wood that we have purchased. The tax is also higher on ebony carvings. Then we pay our exit tax - a fee required from everyone who is leaving the country. Thirdly, we go through all the security checkpoints, having our carry on and checked luggage scanned. We then check in at the airlines and get our boarding passes. During this whole time, which takes about an hour, there is a whole entourage of Cameroonians who have come to see us off. Many of them get dressed up and a few of them give some of our team some very thoughtful gifts, including some wood carvings, necklaces, and such. Once again, we are overwhelemed with their kindness and sacrifice. We are evidence for a local custom that states "visitors are full-fledged members of the Cameroon family." So very true. Finally, we return to the main terminal area where we say our goodbyes, and head up the stairs to the gate.

Photos: downtown Yaounde, some of the ladies.

Friday Aug 4 - Day 10

This morning is a light one with not much responsibility for us. All of our team meets with our hosts at a local vocational/tech school for a quick tour and for G to meet the principal and introduce us to him. Our visit serves for G to follow up on a potential lead with this school for a possible partnership in the future - something like running an English camp with the students of the school and maybe paving the way for hosting future visiting teams to make that happen.

The tour of the school also gives our team more insight into what it means to be a Cameroonian student. This school teaches plumbing, concrete and masonry, woodworking and English and two of the Nav youthworker team have jobs here. They give us tours of their classrooms. The rooms are the size of an average American high school classroom, with just a chalk board in the front. They have rows of combination seat and desk furniture made out of wood. Other than that, that's it. No posters, no computers, no teacher's desk. Additionally, there are 150 students per room. Another stark aspect of how good we have it in America - one that makes an impact on our team. We also see the woodworking, masonry, plumbing and areas.

After the tour, we take a walk down the road to a little cafe where all of us eat lunch - a rotisserie chicken with fried plantains and sodas. This particular meal tastes a lot like an American meal - something right out of Boston Market.

Our plans for the afternoon will give us a really good feel for the actual quantitative success of the camp. Our team splits into three groups and we travel separately to the three homes that host the first small group follow up with the camp kids. Seeing how many camp kids show up to the first small group - and which ones - will really determine the quality of the camp and set a course for the next few months.

ESunde, BB, TriciaB and I travel with Cmfort via taxi. BB and ESunde have never ridden in a taxi before, ever. It's a fun ride, with two of us plus the driver in the front and three of them in the back - all in a Toyota Corolla.

Our small group meets at Karlls house - also the host home for NLind and LF. Karll is one of the many Nav youthworkers to watch - she loves Jesus and loves students and has a hugely warm and inviting disposition to her. Our small group goes well, with seven students showing up. Our time includes sharing verses or passages that have spoken to us recently, an extended time of prayer and talking a little bit about what future gatherings will include and look like. All in all, our small group had a great turnout. Hearing from the other groups, sounds like they had good turnout too.

Right after the small groups, all of us meet at the Nav center. For my group, it's a short walk from Karlls. All of the Nav team is also there and we have a little send off/thank you party to close our week here. The whole Nav team is there, even some people that are not based here in Yaounde.

It's an amazing time of singing, praying and listening to our team share. What most astounds me is how giving the Cameroonians are. They give each of us an incredibly detailed woven straw bag with intricate patterns, stitching, handles. To top it off, they present me for a gift for GCC - a wooden carving of the country of Cameroon that stands about three feet tall, with detailed outlines of each province, animals and a dedication plaque [see the Metapost for detailed images.] The initial thought that keeps running through my head is, "What an incredible, incredible gift!" When that thought finally wears away, I think, "Customs should be fun with this."

After our time there, ADress, CHayes and I go to Ptrs house, along with BB and GM, for dinner. BB and GM have lived there all week and have invited us so we can get a sense for a real Cameroonian home and meal. Dinner is potatoes, rice, beets, cole slaw and rooster. After dinner, we spend a little time with the extended family and their kids singing various praise songs and watching the kids dance. Apparently, every night is family night like this.

Family and community is an ongoing theme that impacts our team and tonight is one of the examples why. The sense of family and community is strong in Cameroon. You care about your neighbors in a sacrificial, engaged manner. Your extended family is family - in the strongest sense of the term - they are part of your social, spiritual and financial responsibility. As visitors, we are treated, well, like family. What would it mean for me, and my family, to extend this concept of community to those that we live around and to our real family? And how does this idea interact with the principle that "Cause Creates Community?"

Photos: ESunde, GM and AW in one of the classrooms and the votech school; the whole team at the Nav center; Mrtin, EllyK, LB, TriciaB and Rachel.

Prayer Letter

Dear SPACE friends,

I'm writing this from Yaounde, Cameroon, Africa, where we are in day 7 of a 10 day mission experience. The sights, sounds and smells of Cameroon are mostly what you expect of Africa – dusty roads, lots of people, roadside stands and a lot of taxis in this city of 1.5 million people. The relationships here though are far deeper than those images relate to. Cameroonians love people and their warm smiles and handshakes only scratch the surface.

Our team just finished helping run a four day youth camp - assisted by an indigenous team of Cameroonian youthworkers - for around 35 high school students. The overall effort is part of a long term strategy to start a high school ministry and our tasks included being a part of small group discussions centered around faith and spiritual things, running fun high school style games and sharing our stories as well as our lives. Most Cameroonians don’t swim, so the combined experience of a youth camp and the location of the beach was a real treat for them. It was also great for us to have a few lifeguards on our team. This strategy is an ideal situation for a team such as ours, as 4 Cameroonians made first time decisions for Jesus and as the Cameroonian youth team already has planned immediate small groups to follow up.

As if being in Africa wasn’t enough of a real time lab about culture and context, our team also took a 2 hour ride – via dugout canoe – into the jungle to see a village of Cameroonian pygmies. I never imagined I would have the privilege of talking about God to a village chief via two translators. It was a wild experience.

Thank you again for praying and supporting this team – we know God is hearing your requests for us. Please continue to pray for:

- Our relative safety for the rest of our time here
most everyone has been healthy except for minor stomach issues.
Also please pray for LFoley, who got a minor bite from one of our hosts' dog. Fortunately, both have had all their shots.
- Our timely and safe travel – we fly to Paris on Sat night and back home on Monday evening.
- A quality time of debriefing and processing the experience while in Paris
- Our new Cameroonian friends, their spiritual growth and that decades from now, Yaounde and all of Cameroon would be a much different place because of Jesus
- That life back home would be lived with the same passion and intensity for what Jesus longs to do with our lives and the communities we live in.

Word from Cameroon

Hi parents,

Sorry for the lack of updates. The team is doing great – there are some slight stomach issues and L got a small dog bite by the N's dog. L did talk to her mom, and we are treating accordingly. Good thing they both got all their shots.

The team has done a great job with the youth camp, which finished on Wednesday. Lot of friendships were made, 4 students made decisions and the indigenous youth worker team here got some great momentum. Tomorrow is a visit to a tech school in the morning, followed by visiting some first time ever student small groups – as a follow up from camp – and then a Nav gathering to say goodbye to us. We depart from Yaounde on Sat evening and land in Paris Sunday morning.

Thanks for praying, please pray for:
- that our stomach issues would go away
- for L’s ankle
- that our flights would be on time
- that our time in Paris would be a great time of encouraging our team as they come back to the states and what they will do with the experience

Thanks again, your kids are pretty awesome!
Tony for the team

Thursday Aug 3 - Day 9

Our team has spent a restful night in their host homes. I think all of us feel that slight sense of home away from home since we came back from camp. We all meet at the Nens in the morning and have a great time for our team. Team time includes talking about John 1 - the idea of Jesus and John the Baptist being sent. Sent away from home, sent to initiate, serve and give a message, sent into the unknown. Even after camp, with almost half of our trip over, the text frames our purposes here. One of the things we must instill in the next generation is that the Church is on the move. God's very idea of the Church is one that is mobile, not in the physical sense, but in the sense of movement and momentum - the Church is called to the very people that are not part of it yet. Many times, that requires being sent out and away from what we know. And for our team, it means 6000 miles by plane, 300 miles by bus, 10 miles by canoe, all in 7 days.

I try to have our leader team meet every day or two to get a pulse on how they are doing, how they think the team is doing, any issues we need to address and to pray together. GM sums up this morning well in commenting, "We are a real team this morning." So very true. I've said it before - I think this type of role as a leader is one of the most difficult - traveling with students to another culture, working some kind of ministry task with people you have never met, staying healthy and alert, being dad, mom, nurse, leader, servant, all on a 24x7 pace. I've been very fortunate - this leader team is one of the best I have worked with. One clear indication is that they share my sense of urgency about preparing students - we didn't bring them 6000 miles to coddle them and do ministry for them. We brought them 6000 miles to push them to the edge of their lifestyle regarding risk, mission and reaching those who haven't been reached yet. My experiences in the past few years tell me that leadership requires modeling endeavors that are so out of the norm, that they will be successful only if God comes through and intervenes.

After a short break, we gather again with G and W for our camp debriefing. The purpose of this gathering is to go over the details of the camp and learn from it. Before we left camp, G had the students fill out a quick evaluation. As we begin our discussion, W reads from a bunch of the evaluations. The question of whether our trip was worth the investment is answered - as she reads some of the answers, she is visibly moved and brought to tears. This singular instant is the positive indication of success.

We have lunch at the Nens and right after lunch, LF gets bit by their dog Smokey. Not a huge bite, but it is close to warranting stitches. She's a trooper though and does fine, relaxing at the house for the whole afternoon. The rest of the team hits downtown in the afternoon for some souvienr shopping.

The shopping experience is also wild. Bartering is expected here and our team has fun doing that with our local hosts helping out. The exchange rate is 500 Central African Francs to $1 American dollar. A nice African button-down shirt cost 7000 CAFs ($14), and an official Cameroonian soccer jersey cost just under 3000 CAFs ($6). In other words, buying stuff is cheap. Since buying stuff is cheap, many of us felt a bit awkward about really bartering. Some of our hosts told us we paid way too much for some items, even though the difference meant very little in terms of American money. Part of the market area also includes a whole set of tailors, seamstresses and shoe cobblers.

After dinner, G, CH, ADress and I spend a little bit of time brainstorming about what makes a successful student small group. We have a great discussion, especially since CH and ADress have come out of a very successful small group experience in their high school years. Their Dteam leaders have done it right - and you know who you are.

Photo: Our team with the Nen kids; shopping at the market in downtown Yaounde.

Ask The Cameroonian Missionary

Most of you know I'm kind of nosy. I like to refer to it as inquisitive - call it what you will. So imagine what a time I had living at the Nens and getting to ask them questions of all manners at the most random times during our trip. Listed below are some of the questions I asked them. Some of the answers might be summarized a bit.

Q - What do you worry about the most when it comes to raising your kids in another culture?
A - My biggest worry is that there is a large medical issue that cannot be resolved in-country. An accident, disease or something like that. We do have a special medical SOS type of medical insurance, extra than the normal, that we get via our mission organization.

Q - You have been here in the country for 18 months now. If you could boil it down to one essential and crucial piece of preparation, what would it be?
A - African Orientation Training - 3 months of not only technical skill training for living in Africa, but a real life training regarding communication, team work, etc. We landed on Monday. The orientation started on Wednesday with the three families in this term being split up into teams, given money and having to take a taxi from one side of town to the next. Over the next 11 weeks, we were trained in anything and everything having to do with living in Africa, with the eventual goal of living in a remote African village, which we did for three weeks. Making yogurt, skinning animals, prepping food, you name it, they taught it to us. Our village hosts couldn't believe we paid money to be able to live with them. It was much more difficult on us than our kids. At the end of the village section, our kids cried when we had to leave.

Q - How comfortable are you living here.
A - G - about an 7 or 8..
A - W - about a 7 or 8 living here in my house. When I'm out in the city, maybe a 5.

Q - Last significant book you read and why?
A - Andy Stanley's "7 Checkpoints for Youth Leaders", because the 7 checkpoints are significant themes and we used them to center the material for camp.

Q - Describe what kind of counsel you give to students thinking about full time or vocational ministry?
A - I tell them that it's a combination of getting involved in ministry, God speaking through the Scriptures and seeking the wisdom of mentor-type people. Students need to be actively involved and getting them involved in the ministry they come out of as leaders is a great way to have a check and balance for vocational ministry.

Q - Other significant books in your growth?
A - Journey of Desire, Eldredge; Lost Art of Disciple Making, Eims; Master Plan of Evangelism, Coleman [I gave him Unstoppable Force by Erwin as a gift]

Q - What was the first thing you did when you got here in terms of ministry?
A - The first thing was just to observe the culture. The team looked to me to give them some answers and a plan. But my job at first was just to observe and be a learner.

Q - [to Gbi, their daughter] Do you see movies?
A - Movies here are only in French. So we love to get DVDs from the States.

Q - Is there a McDonalds here?
A - There used to be one McDonalds, but business wasn't good enough so it closed.

Q - What are some of the options for schooling and your kids?
A - Home schooling, which we do right now. There is an American International school, but it is very expensive. There is also a MK school, run by Wycliffe/SIL, that we may look into when they are older, its better for middle school/high school.

Photo: CH, ADress and G, eating beef skewers from a roadside stand.

Wednesday Aug 2 - Day 8

We close and depart camp early this afternoon. It's been a really fun time and the Cameroonian kids seem to think so too, by their request for pictures with us, getting our email info and having us sign these Frisbees we brought from the States. Frisbees were a new thing for them here. It's another fortunately uneventful trip home, except NLind's suitor, who after repeatedly trying to get her phone number, jots his down and throws it at her through the window.

We've been told since we've been here to wash our hands a lot so as to not pick up something. So far, I'm working on emptying my third bottle of Purrell. Even with that, I've developed a weird stomach ache this afternoon. I think I know what's coming next.

We arrive back to the Nens house in Yaounde around dinner time. Shortly afterwards, our team is split as they all go back to their respective host families for dinner and the rest of the night. It feels great to be back here, a strange small feeling of home in a far away land.

Although the camp was definitely a fantastic experience, it is only a piece of the overall ministry strategy, significant for our time here but by no means the only piece. Camp was a flashpoint of momentum - there was a ton of work that went into taking initiative, building relationships, camp invitations even before camp started. G and his team have already put into place followup for using that momentum - three small groups that meet in neighborhood proximity around town. Take note - these are the first high school small groups that meet in Yaounde for the Navigators - ever, possibly for any student ministry ever. In terms of our team, and SPACE as a whole, the strategy in Yaounde fits perfectly. A local, indigenous team on the ground. A long term plan. An immediate followup.

It's being shortsighted to consider our team's impact only on these 37 students. I don't think its too audacious to consider all of Yaounde being changed because 37 kids started to live big lives, intent on serving others and impacting their country. Given enough time, all of Yaounde and all of Cameroon.

Photos: All of camp; NLind and some digits; Frisbee signing.

Tuesday Aug 1 - Day 7

Today is our last full day of camp as we leave for Yaounde tomorrow afternoon. We've told our team repeatedly to not squander our time here and to continue pouring into their new friends as much as they can. They are doing a great job of just that. This morning, EllyK and TriciaB talk about their spiritual disciples - how they journal, read the Bible and spend time with God. A basic goal of the camp is that some of these students understand a little bit better on how to have some base spiritual disciplines. Of course, EllyK and TriciaB do a great job. They naturally tell their stories and the other students listen intently. EllyK's blond hair helps. Two to watch in the future.

I'm a bit under the weather today - feeling groggy all day long. On most trips I run, I get into a rut around this time - day 6 or 7. I spend most of the afternoon trying to sleep it off. By the early evening, I'm running a slight temperature. Camp goes on fabulously without me. I've been smart though - I chose some fabulous leaders that go on without me. I have zero concerns about their ability to serve and lead. The evening has the camp doing a talent show with all of the teams performing some kind of skit or music. From all accounts, it was a great time.

Typical breakfast is some kind of baguette with peanut butter or chocolate spread. This culture is one that is not stressed out about time. In fact, time is more or less a suggestion. It is more important to make an appearance than to actually be punctual. I wrote before about the handshake between men. Women are greeted by two or three kisses to the cheek, alternating sides. So, a kiss on the left cheek, than right, than left again. It's cool. There is an underlying religious element to Cameroonians, many go to church but are not serious about Jesus. They may know the Bible very well, but may not be very serious about it. Kids don't have inherent value in the culture - that's why there really isn't much for them to do. Every story in Cameroonian fashion must have a moral to it. The idea of Seinfeld - a show about nothing - makes no sense. Music is huge, Cameroonians love to sing. Cameroon is the 2nd most corrupt nation in the world. It is also the 2nd most stable country in Africa. Many non-government organizations - charity and relief and development organizations - have their African headquarters here in Cameroon.

One question that must be asked is whether this trip has been worth the expense. Our overall costs were roughly $30,000 - the bulk of that due to airfare. With a team of twelve and spending 11 days in-country, that works out to a burn rate of about $200 per day per person. Granted the longer you stay, since the costs in-country are so low, the better your value. Is running this kind of camp, building these relationships and encouraging our missionary family worth $200 a day? Missions is not untouchable - it is unrealistic to say that as long as it is missions, it is inherently good and valid. Each trip needs to be critically assessed to make sure that the investment is wise. One of the best ways to do hedge our bets regarding our investment is to work with missionaries that we know and trust - ones that also know us. Another great way is to put the experience together in partnership - knowing what talents and gifts each party or team bring to the experience. Finally, we make sure that our hosts know at the beginning of the conversation that they can decline to host a team if it doesn't work for their ministry in the significant context or time.

Was this trip worth it? Was it wise and a good investment of our time and resources and not just a token missions trip? We get our answer later this week.

Photos: EllyK, TriciaB and G talking from up front, the human knot game, playing on the beach at sunset at Kribi.

20060726Cameroon photoset

Monday July 31 - Day 6

One of our team members, BB, has spent a part of the early morning in the bathroom with stomach issues. I readily offer him up as a token sacrifice to the stomach gods that be so that I may escape his dire situation. But hey, I'm a leader. Around mid-morning, NLind is with him as it comes out the other way - well she wanted to be a nurse. We let him sleep it off for the rest of the day. The rest of the day is simply known as "Pygmy Village." Not a store in the mall, but an excursion that all of the camp will take - riding in dugout canoes upriver into the jungle to visit a pygmy tribe. No I'm not kidding.

Right after breakfast, we pack it all up into three Toyota Minivans that serve as our transport. We drive about 20 minutes and then get in a combination of 4 canoes.

The lodging caretakers at the beach have set this up for us, including bringing a list of basic staples for the village - soap, matches and salt, and a huge bottle of whiskey we all thought was water. We are told the pygmy village is a touristy kind of thing, except we don't see any other people the whole day. Touristy is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. G ends up staying back at camp to take care of BB, also using the time to continue to tweak his talks.

The canoe ride is uneventful. We hear monkeys but don't see any, although people in another canoe later said they saw a few. I thought I saw an antelope, but it turned out to be a goat. Give me a break, I live in the suburbs.

Cameroonians believe that there is a spirit of water, a spirit that does not have the best interests of humans in mind. Couple that with not knowing how to swim, you have a chicken-egg combination - people die because they don't know how to swim and they are afraid of the water because people have died and there is a spirit that lives there. Many of the students here ran into big opposition from their parents about the camp because of both the beach and the river ride. It's pretty amazing that most of them were allowed to come in the first place.

The pygmy village is a surreal experience. There is no water or electricity and they live in a complex of thatched roof structures, built out of branches, leaves and sticks. They are all fully dressed in clothes when we arrive, and there are all ages of them from little kids to older, grandmotherly types. They are just a bit shorter than us and top of the roofs come up to about my shoulder. They marry other pygmies from other tribes and they go into town only when they need something vital. They don't speak English or French, except one of them named John. That's kind of random. They also have a dog or two.

In the back of my mind, I've been asking myself if this kind of thing is even morally right. The scenario is a bit too exhibitionist and consumeristic - bring a boatload [literally] of white people to see a village of pygmies. To be blunt - it sounds too much like a zoo. I love exposing students to the concepts of engaging another culture - I don't think we have a choice, the future depends on it. But it has to be an engagement, not a viewing.

At one point, JM tells me that she wants me to talk to the tribal chief about why we are there and about Jesus. I collect a few thoughts ranging from "I'm going to do what?" to "Maybe other gods talk to this guy," to "This should be interesting." In the end, I share just a little bit about how we are here from America because there is a God that talks to us, gave us a book and created everything that you and I see here. Not necessarily right from the Four Spiritual Laws. I would speak to Wlson, who spoke French to one of the canoe drivers, who spoke the pygmy language. The answer would come the other direction. After our short dialogue, there was also a short question and answer session and then the pygmies did a dance for us, with hand made drums, singing and pulling some of our pale skinned teammmates into the circle of dance. Surreal.

We arrive back at camp in the late afternoon, have a snack and continue on that evening with normal camp stuff, including a talk and small group time. Quite a day in Cameroon.

Photos: one of the canoes, NLind dancing with the tribal chief, me and the chief.

20060726Cameroon photoset

Another Update from Cameroon

Here is another update. Please remember the health of this team in your prayers!

Good Morning America!!!

Just talked to G and we need to keep praying for the health of the team. L and E are doing better. L is still on a BRAT diet with a tender tummy. B woke up early in the morning with loose stools and feeling yucky. They are working to keep him well hydrated and he is resting today.

Let’s really pray that the enemy would just leave them alone, please! And we do know that some great things are happening down there…even more reason for the enemy to be upset with us.

S has been a bit more engaged yesterday and Y (one of the guys that gave his life to Christ yesterday) has really jumped in with both feet and shows a true hunger and thirst for the Word. Praise God.

G said that even though this is a much more expensive facility (and therefore a pretty nice place to be) than we had originally desired, it has left no reason for complaining and therefore the teens are more able to be focused and there are less distractions. This is great news!

Love and hugs and thank you for battling with us!

W and the kiddos

Sunday July 30 - Day 5

Sunday is our first full day of camp. The schedule is similar to a retreat with talks immediately followed by small group time, meals and games and beach time in the afternoons. G is smart enough to know that small groups are the medium by where relationships are built and lives are transformed. Therefore, small groups are a major component of this camp.

Besides the games, our team also has responsibility for small groups, along with the Cameroonian Nav team. Out of six small groups, our team has been split so that each group has both American and Cameroonian leaders. Although not quite as straightforward, our team's job is to assist, dialogue, ask good questions and listen a lot. The relationship between teacher and student in Cameroon is a 'teacher talks, student listens' idea. Interactive discussions are not the norm but is the environment we are trying to shape.

LF and I are in JM's group. She's a fabulous lady who works as a teacher in Yaounde and has intentionally 'adopted' about 8 or 10 high school students over the years and a bunch are here at this camp. I'm amazed at our first few small group times, some of the students are sharing very deep parts of their soul. JM first met G - get this - 13 years ago when they were both on a summer YWAM project in Benin. Now, G and W live across the street from her and serve together. The wild adventure that is God's plan.

During the morning talk, ADress from our team shares his story about how he became a Christian. It's a good story, one that I know a lot of students, American or not, can relate to. I'm convinced that one day, someone in Cameroon will point back to the time here as the beginning of their story with Jesus.

Cameroonian men have this really cool handshake. It's kind of hard to describe, but its the normal shake your hands, which moves into both of your hands gripping each other like you are arm wrestling and then your fingers pull on each other as your hands move away and you end the shake by making a snapping sound as your fingers pull off of each others. Like I said, hard to explain, but very cool.

Today is also my anniversary. D is a saint for letting me be in another country on this day, the second year in a row. I would call her, but I don't see a phone booth anywhere. (haha)

Our team is a bit more vigilant during beach time today. I assign the three lifeguards to stay at the outermost line in the water so the Cameroonians will know how far is too far. I can relate to the concept of water being a new medium, whereas our students don't remember a time when they couldn't swim. Some of our kids give beginning swimming lessons to the Cameroon students.

Besides G, my two other roommates are NDne and Wlson. NDne is a closet evangelist. Soft-spoken with a gregarious smile, he comes alive when speaking about the Scriptures. Wlson spends as much time with students as he can, usually right after small group time, getting to know them and what is in their head. Both are high school teachers and both have a heart of gold.

Photos: mealtime at camp; G and ADress upfront during one of the talks; NDne, me and Wlson.

20060726Cameroon photoset

News from Cameroon

This is Deanna posting. I just heard from WN with these prayer requests for the team in Kribi. Here is what she sent. Please, if you feel led, life these up in prayer.

Thanks!

Hi Warriors,

Just heard from G and they are doing well. The weather is not rainy and they are having a good time. This morning, Ndoune, one of our Cameroonian team members, gave the Gospel message and 5 kids came to Christ!!! What a praise!!!

Some key things to be praying about…

Elly and Lauren, from the US team, were down yesterday with a bad tummy…They are both feeling better today, but let’s continue to pray God’s protection over all the US team.

One girl, Sophie, a Cameroonian, has been making herself scarce each time God is talked about. They are working to love her to the group and Christ and we are praying for an open heart and that she would be more involved.

The whole schedule that Gilles worked painstakingly to put in place has had to be changed and almost scrapped. We are learning the true meaning of flexibility and are praying that the US team can roll with the punches…they surely aren’t in Kansas anymore!!! J

Marie Paule, Ndoune’s wife, is staying with us while he is at the camp. She is 36 weeks pregnant and we are really praying that little Jean Samuel (the unborn little guy) doesn’t feel the need to come early…wouldn’t that be like the Lord’s sense of humor…NOT!!!

Thank you for praying for us and I will keep you updated as often as I have news. Gilles sounded encouraged and upbeat…he is so flexible and God made him for Cameroon, I think! I sometimes just do better to stay at home and pray!! J

Love you and thanks,

W and the kiddos

Saturday July 29 - Day 4

The process of putting on this camp is a major logistical spider web - funny that Mission Advance was a precursor to the summer in that fashion. Luckily for me, I just had to show up - 6000 miles away. G Nen manages all of it effortlessly. Incredibly adaptable, laid-back and soft spoken, he's got a huge heart for the students of Cameroon and a well thought out vision and strategy. As you hear the story of the Nens, you can tell that God has been preparing them for the French speaking African world.

We load 37 Cameroonian students, probably another 8 or 10 Cameroonian youth workers, our team of 12 and everyone's luggage onto a coach bus that seats about 60. We also load about 100 bannanas, plantains, tomatoes and avacados - 100 each. Kribi is about a 3 hour drive south from Yaounde and our bus is full. Everyone brims with anticipation. I'm just trying to watch the road in an effort to keep from getting motion sick. One of the endearing traits of this particular mission team leader.

The ride there is uneventful - which I'm told is a big relief in Africa. We enjoy watching the African countryside, with farms, houses, little market areas and roadside stands. These stands sell bushmeat - the real stuff - like water rats, porcupine and monkeys. The day's special hangs on a stick next to the road - by the tail. Yummy.

Our housing at Kribi is incredible. Americans would pay a ton to live here. We have two lodging areas adjacent to each other. The girls are about 50 feet away from the beach, on a little bluff a short staircase up from the water. This area contains about 8-10 4 bedroom apartments - each with a private bathroom including a toilet, shower and sink - and a few eating and meeting areas and serves as our meeting space. There are another set of 4 apartments around the corner where some of the boys will stay. A 5 minute walk around the corner and up another flight of stairs are where the rest of the boys stay, high up on a hill. Same lodging set up - 4 to a room, private bath. Better breeze than down below, the view of the ocean is spectacular.

After check in and getting their gear into their rooms, the whole camp heads down to the beach for some fun games. Getting here was a part of it. Executing now that we are here is what its about. Our students run the games and even with just a bit of confusion at the beginning, they run well. After the games, everyone gets in the water and has a blast. We have chosen a spot on the beach where you can wade out 75 feet while the water is only up to your waist. Even so, good thing our team has three lifeguards on it.

Since Kribi is a major fishing village, dinner is fresh fish, delicious. Our team is fully engaged over dinner and the evening, playing UNO, hanging out, trying to learn/practice French - most of these students speak both English and French. Watch a group of American students befriend other students in another culture sometime. It will give you hope and resolve for the future.

Photos: the bus ride, games on the beach and LB and ESunde eating fish.

20060726Cameroon photoset

SPACE Cam team Friday update

A quick update from Friday's activities -- today had a bunch of cultural orientation and planning sessions for the student camp that will start tomorrow. The team is all well and healthy and enjoying their time together while planning for the camp and enjoying their time with their host families.The student camp starts tomorrow and runs through Wednesday afternoon.

Tomorrow we take a bus for about 3 hours to a beach area known as Kribi. About 20 other Cameroonian students and leaders come with us and we will help out with a camp for high schoolers until Wednesday.

You can pray specifically that our team works well together in running both game and small group discussion components and for the students that will be involved in the camp. Also continue to pray for health and safety while we travel to and back from Kribi.

Thanks for thinking and praying for us

Friday July 28 - Day 3

It would be safe to say that most teams had a jolt last night due to the culture. Cameroonian homes are not like ones in the States. One team has no running water inside the house - they have plumbing just no water through it. Buckets are used for both showers and flushing the toilet. NLind, the leader in that house, absolutely loves it. The Lord has groomed her for Africa. Regardless of the luxuries, the host families are imprinting their hearts with ours.

My team has the least culture shock, since we are living with Americans. We have hot water and our house is very close to American standards. It is still Cameroon and the sounds of the city don't drift away until deep into the night. The weather here is mild, chilly at night for good sleeping with highs in the 80s during the days. There is the under-aroma of burning in many parts of the city - from people burning their trash. The smell reminds me of my time in the Dominican Republic - one of the most evocative triggers in my memory.

This morning was spent doing some administrative things at the Nav center. This included two sessions - one on cultural orientation and one on the history of the Nav ministry here in Cameroon. Both were vitally important. I'm beginning to see that our team is here at a very crucial, significant and unique time in the history of Cameroonian students - and for that matter, the future of Cameroon.

Lunch is at the Nens. Our main task while we are here is the assistance of running a student camp that will take place Saturday through Wednesday. This camp serves as the catalyst for jump starting student ministry here in Yaounde. The team here has thought about, prayed over and dreamed about this camp for many months and us being here signifies the culmination of a huge vision. After lunch, we sort out all of our team bags while the Nens kids have a rest time upstairs. It's Christmas time for this family. We have brought a huge amount of amenities for them - things we can get at any corner store back home and things they long for here. Cheerios, chocolate chips, Bible studies, Christmas napkins. Makes me wish that we had brought more - packages sent to Cameroon sometimes arrive, maybe arrive a year later or disappear forever. Our time this afternoon here is also great hanging out with the Nens' kids. They are a fun bunch.

We also spent the afternoon putting together our plan for the games segment for camp. Games will be run on the beach, in the later part of the afternoon. Gross youth type games won't go over here and most of our team aren't big fans of those anyway. Instead, we plan some relay-type games, with one of the goals to build community and relationships among the 6 different small groups that the camp will be broken into. As some of my mentors say, Cause Creates Community.

This trip, nor SPACE, isn't necessarily about this week. It is about shaping the future - specifically by preparing our students to engage culture and reach the world. Therefore, our leaders have purposely tried to stay out of the discussion about games and let the seven students brainstorm, decide and outline the plan of implementation. Although awkward and tense at times, our team prep time is a valuable experience - both for the leaders and students. Sometimes the most difficult task of a leader is to purposely stand down in order to force someone else to step up.

The evenings are spent back in the host homes where they have dinner together, continue to get to know one another and pack for the beach. Camp is tomorrow. Three hours on a bus with all of us to a beach/resort area called Kribi. 90% of Cameroons don't know how to swim. We will find tomorrow that none of them have ever been to the beach before. What is everyday for us in the States is nothing sort of the miraculous for them. And maybe vice versa.

Photos: Sorting through our team gear, trampoline time with the kids.

20060726Cameroon photoset

Thursday July 27 - Day 2

We flew from DC via Paris and Douala to Yaounde. 12 people, 24 checked bags. Miraculously, all of us and our stuff made it to Yaounde with no issues. Our flights were on time, we had seats and the gobs of stuff we packed all made it.

On our flight, we met an American church planter that was in Yaounde for three years. He was heading back over for a short time to speak at a conference. We also met a Canadian family working for Wycliffe/SIL working on Bible translation with a pygmy tribe, coming back from a year long furlough - Cameroon has an estimated 286 languages. Indeed, a small world.

When we landed, there was a mass of humanity that came to meet us. They all knew our names and faces, had been praying for us for months and carried all of our luggage for us. Included in that were our hosts G and W Nens, who moved from Howard County about 18 months ago and Ptrs, the Navigators Cameroon director. It was a small glimmer of the hospitality and warmth that we would experience for the rest of our trip.

The ride from the airport is in the dark and its pouring rain. Our first taste of transit in Cameroon includes potholes, an intersection with taxis everywhere the eye can see and lots of people out and about, even in the darkness and rain.

All of us went via a bunch of different cars to the Nav center, the house of the former director who had just left for the states a few months ago, for a little reception for our team. When we got there, we were told the power had been out for a few hours. A sometimes daily occurrence in parts of Yaounde, as well as other parts of the world outside the realm of a person from Columbia, MD.

After a short time of introductions and welcomes, all of us left for our host families. Our team split into 4 groups. All the other groups except mine stay with Cameroonian families, all who have deep investment in starting the student ministry here. Another small glimmer of the real depth and commitment of the people here. I and two other guys stay with the Nens, so that we can 'commiserate late at night.'

Photo: Some of our crew at the airport with Ptrs.

20060726Cameroon photoset

SPACE Cameroon has landed

Hi all
A quick note just to let you know that the team has arrived here in Yaounde safe and sound. All of our bags also made it safely and all of our flights had minimal delays. The team is now settling in with their host families tonight with cultural orientation and prepping for the camp tomorrow morning.
Our next email update will probably be on Friday or Saturday, right before we leave for the camp at Kribi.
Thanks for praying!

Difficulty Leaving Every Time

T minus 22

So we leave for the airport in about 22 hours. This will probably be the last post for at least a little bit. Here are some things I'm doing before we go:

- Putting all email addresses for parents onto a flash drive file. I'm not sure how much access we will have to the web once we get there. I know there is email but I think its only via dial-up, so we may use someone else's email client to send stuff out. So updates may come to this blog via Blogger's email feature [where you can email your post to a secret address and then it gets automatically posted.]
- We scan all of our passports into electronic files. We then print a copy of each passport for each leader and also email those files back to ourselves. The passport is probably our most important document, so we have multiple copies and can get one from an internet cafe if we need to. Leaders will also have copies of signed permission slips and health id cards.
- I think I have to buy some dog food.
- Finish packing - remember to always pack one set of clean underwear in your carry on.
- Laying out all the stuff for my team at work.
- D bought me some more bug spray.
- Set up my iPod shuffle for some music to soothe me when we are traveling. I very much appreciated the sentiment GM spoke of the other night when he predicted he would be throwing up on the 3 hour bus ride to Kribi. I told him we both could reserve the front row.
- And, yes, finally, I told my parents about my trip. Some might say I'm being a terrible example to my kids and students for withholding this pretty imporant information from my parents for so long. They might be right. But I know that the less time my parents have to mull over my decision, the better off we all will be. And I've told my kids - and will tell my students - embrace the good, right behavior, be liberated and free to toss the bad behavior - you have the choice for how you will live.

Strategy vs. Logistics

"Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics." - Omar Bradley, General of the US Army

I'm certainly learning about this idea this summer. More on that later. In the meantime, read the post titled Logistics and Movements from Sam Metcalf

Technorati tags:: Church+Resource+Ministries

Final Weekend

Another very busy weekend. But luckily, the fourth of our five teams is away. LA left yesterday afternoon and I had a fun time hanging with them in the final minutes before they departed. And our Merge team came home and they seemed to have a great trip all in all.

The Cam team also had a busy weekend with our final preparations. We got to stand up front during all the church services yesterday to be prayed over. And last night we had our final team meeting which included putting down some preparations for the camp we are going to be a part of, a packing party - packing all of our team stuff for the camp and our hosts, and hanging together during the first ever co-ed sleepover [lock-in] at the headquarters of the international SPACE office - ie my house.

All of our remaining visas were delivered this morning. Malaria meds start tommorrow. Departure is on Wednesday evening from Dulles. Keep praying for our support to continue to come in. We still need quite a bit.

Photo: After we packed our team stuff, I made the whole team take a walk around the block to get used to walking with about half of our stuff.

Visiting the Merge Team

KCoats [this coming year's SPACE intern], ESunde [last year's SPACE intern] and I went to visit the Merge team tonight. The team is doing great, they are having a great time. Intriguing first comment from JWhitt [one of the leaders], "This is nothing like I expected. It isn't a missions trip, it's a week long retreat."

JWhitt was one of my students that I had brought to the SEMP conference in the summer of 2000 - SEMP being the precursor to Merge. It's been fun to watch as she has taken the lead this year to bring a team back.

They have definitely done some neat things at Merge. There was a replica tabernacle set up and part of the experience was to walk students through each component experientially, giving them a hands-on experience of what some of the elements of the Old Testament tabernacle really mean. There was also a 'stations of Jesus last hours,' also the same kind of thing - very experiential. They have also integrated small service projects that the teams are involved in. Good things no doubt.

Those good things aside, it wasn't quite what I expected either. Anybody that went to a week of SEMP got exposed and trained on how to share their faith, at multiple depths. Whether it was identifying spiritual roadblocks, writing a letter to a friend or sharing verbally on the street, they all got both classroom teaching and on the street experiences of sharing their faith in their own culture. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that standing on a street corner screaming the Four Spiritual Laws is the goal. I AM saying that there is a correct midpoint somewhere on the spectrum between:
1 - screaming the Gospel to strangers
and
2 - having kids go to another culture with zero training about how to talk about Jesus and their faith.
And I'm also saying that the combination of evangelism training and community service projects sounds like a real winner. But Merge was definitely not about the evangelism training.

Our purpose for sending students to Merge revolved around the evangelism experience and training - and service projects would have been icing on the cake. Sending students to serve in another culture requires them to have experience in their own culture first. Sadly, although Merge sounds like a great week, I'm not sure it fits the type of preparation we want our students to have. Not a concluded decision yet, but definitely requires more evaluation. And hey you guys that have spent time in other cultures with students, love to hear your opinions...

Photo: KCoats, ESunde, JWhitt - Merge team leader and JSutar - Merge team leader.

Technorati tags:: student+missions, Sonlife, Merge

Tuesday Potpourri

** The 5 hottest religions in Hollywood
My favorite - a purported benefit to the Vedic religion is flying... Of course, the article doesn't exactly make Christianity sound that intelligent either... via Thunderstruck

** An interview with Erwin McManus on the The Leadership Blog

6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Erwin: i would like to change the course of human history.
i'm pretty sure we cant pull this off alone-
so we're doing every thing we can to
identify,
develop,
maximize,
and unleash
the god given potental in every person we touch-
to awaken humanity-
any one of them might be the key.
mosaic exists to create the future.

other than that i dont make goals.

Hmm, I think I need to rethink my goals for next year - er, the next 500 years...
via Steve McCoy

** Dennis posts about the big three challenges in Mexico City - space, transportation and time. Good things to think about since we know the world is getting more and more urban.

Technorati tags:: Hollywood, Erwin+McManus, Mexico+City

SPACE Prayer Letter - July 2006

"Let others complain that this age is evil. My complaint is that this age is paltry. It lacks passion. " - Soren Kierkegaard

Hi Dear Friends of SPACE --

Hope this July finds you well - thanks once again for your thoughts and prayers for our students and leaders that seek to communicate God's passion for the nations and to live lives larger than themselves.

We've already had a busy summer which included a mission prep weekend with all of our 5 summer teams and the sending of three teams so far.  (We also had a fabulous Sheng family vacation in California - Disneyland included, of course!)

In late June, we took all five teams away to one of the Delaware beaches to run a mission prep weekend where we enabled our teams to bond together through some mission workshops, small service projects on the boardwalk and living together for a weekend.  It was an awesome time as our teams grew, worshipped and served together - hopefully setting up some great teams for their summer experiences.

As of this week, we've had two of our summer teams come home from their mission experiences - serving with the Center for Student Missions in Washington, DC; and serving with CMTS Ministries near Lancaster, PA.  One team - Baltimore - is in the field this week and return on Saturday, while our LA team leaves for a week on Sunday.  The fifth and final team for this summer, my team to Cameroon, leaves the following Wednesday.

It's been a pretty wild summer seeing our dreams and visions come true for 5 student teams this summer - what a joy to watch kids leave their personal comfort in order to bless and serve strangers.  Already, we've heard some great stories about kids experiencing the tension of making an impact on people while being stretched and challenged.

We would love for you to pray for:
- The Baltimore team and the rest of their week, as they participate in various service projects around the city and grow as a team and as individuals within God's story.
- The LA and Cameroon teams as they finish their final preparations and that their teams would make a lasting impact.
- Pray for my Cameroon team, that we would all grow a deep level of team unity.
- That support for all of our summer teams would continue to come in so that we could finish the summer break-even.

Thanks so much for praying and partnering with us. As always, more real time updates on the blog - tonytsheng.blogspot.com

--
tony sheng

DC team followup

From the CSM DC blog, some comments from our team from last week:

I have really enjoyed my stay here at CSM. It's been a great experience and a great opportunity to grow with my friend, Tyler. I'd actually like to come back here next summer, or go on another CSM trip to another city in need. Thank you CSM, for an awesome time!
-Trevin

Welllllll tomorrow is our last day, and we are so sad! We had alottt of fun! The week flew by so fast! It was an amazing experience and we learned so much about the city and missions. We want to thank Hannah and Jordan for being awesome CSM leaders!
-Britt,Tricia, and Elizabeth

See the full post.

Don't worry, there will be a lot more content in August about our teams and following them up.

Technorati tags:: student+missions, Washington+DC, CSM

Blur of a Weekend

This weekend was pretty much a total blur. But I think I was involved in some good things, including a lot of Skip-Bo games with K... I've never played before and she has consistently beat me for the first 9 or 10 games. But yesterday.... I dominated...

In other non-Dad-has-to-win items...

- Worked from 1am to 5am on Sunday morning - got paged at 10am but luckily it was a quickly closed issue.
- Was able to make it to 2nd service to be able to pray with the LA team in front of big church.
- Em and I were able to see the Merge team off. I'm probably going to go visit them this week.
- More pool time.
- The DC and LC teams came home yesterday morning. By most accounts, both were pretty successful. 2 teams are done. 1 is in the field. 1 leaves this Sunday and my team, the last one to depart, leaves in 9 days.
- 2nd to last Cam team meeting where we went over the travel info in detail. GM did a great job going over two short passages about team unity and the idea of a body. We are having a Cam team sleepover next weekend - the first ever co-ed sleepover I have been involved in. Oh, the tragedy. [Pray for the final set of 3 visas - they are being Fed-ex'd to the visa service today...]

Photo: The LA team waiting to go up to the stage to be prayed for.

LC 2006 team departs

Well, the LC team of 14 departed for CMTS this morning. There was a bit of confusion up until last night with some vehicles - most of that was because I was in the middle of it. I should have taken care of it before I left for vacation, but oh well. It worked out and it's SPACE.

It's very exciting for me to see them off. I love this trip because, well, to be honest, it was, sort of, my idea. [OK you are right - *God* gave me a fantastic idea.] Anyway, it has so many great elements in it - to engage middle schoolers in working and serving, taking them away for some nonglamorous work, exploding their worldview and faith by working alongside someone so unconventional, and the connection to a GCC supported ministry.

This is also the first time [but hopefully not the last] that I have released something I wholly owned and unleashed someone else to run it. That's exciting to me because it personally lightens my load. But even better is the fun to empower someone else to run it and see how they shape and infuse the experience from their perspective for middle schoolers. And, NLind is the perfect person for it.

Two teams away now, one of them returns on Saturday, the other one returns on Sunday, while a third team departs on Sunday

Photo: some of the team getting ready to leave this morning. Check out the mohawk!

Related posts: 2005 and 2004 trip wrap ups

Technorati tags:: student+missions

Dinner with the DC team

A few of us went to have dinner with the DC team tonight. They have had a few bumps this week, but overall, the team is doing great. Morale was high, they still had a lot of energy and most of them seemed to enjoy the Thai food.

There were six of us that went, and after reflecting upon our group, I can't imagine a better group of people to drop in on a team that has been living away from home, serving and blessing strangers, doing new and strange urban work projects and experiencing urban missions. If I were away, I would go crazy if a group like that were to visit me.

Tomorrow morning, the LC team departs. That will be the second team that leaves for the field, out of five this summer. Hey, check it out, all of our huge dreams for the summer are really happening!!

Photo: some of the team and their wacky visitors outside Jandara - NW, DC.

Technorati tags:: Center+for+Student+Missions, student+missions

Our So Cal Vacation

The Hollywood Sign

sunset at Venice Beach

The Korean Bell

VMK...

Disney fireworks

DC visit 1

Tonight I drove down unexpectedly to visit the DC team. They had an issue with one of their cars today and needed to switch it out. Since the Madre is here most of this week with her car, it was totally easy for us to switch one of our cars.

It was a lot of fun to drop in and see the team - I had already made some plans to have dinner with them on Thursday with some other SPACE peeps - and I got to see where they are staying and hear a bit about what they are doing so far. But more about the team later.

After I heard about the car issues, I literally just started laughing loudly to myself. It's just perfectly SPACE isn't it? The most random, unplanned, bizarre, ever-so-slight modification in plans. I couldn't help laugh and think, "I love it..."

As I was getting ready to drive back home, all the kids staying in the CSM church lodging were getting ready to have a "Dance-Off!" These are not your parent's missionaries...

ps - our family vacation was fabulous.

Technorati tags:: Center+for+Student+Missions

Visiting Mosaic

Wow... it was a good as I expected it. D and I visited the 5pm service at the Mayan, along with UncleDve. The music was great and loud. Erwin was, of course, right on, speaking on Pressure, in the middle of their SportsCenter series.

UncleDve was easily the oldest person there - call us cool.

Technorati tags:: Erwin+McManus, Mosaic

SPACE 2006 DC team departs

I wish I was there to see them off, but alas, I'm still in So Cal [at least as of when I pre-wrote this post.] They will be spending all week with CSM in DC. It's a great team - quality students and leaders and I'm sure they are going to have a fantastic time. I'm also sure that there are going to be some major transformation that happens with some of them this week.

This trip was a bit bumpy in the early summer as the primary point person had a change of lifeplan and moved cross country before the trip. The other two leaders totally stepped up and led and then also recruited two more leaders. Not an easy situation to step into. One other neat thing about this team - one of the leaders is a Dteam leader for the guys. Meaning that not only does he get to experience this with his students, he will see them all through this coming school year. That greatly increases the odds for a mission experience 'sticking' with these guys.

Photo: Some of the DC team at the sandcastle building contest during Mission Advance.

Technorati tags:: student+missions, Washington+DC, Center+for+Student+Missions

stolen Celtic Way of Evangelism notes

[Post pre-written before leaving for vacation - another fun day in Disneyland - at the urging of K, we both rode the Grizzly River Rapids and, of course, I got soaked and she was totally dry.]

LB's notes here.

Interesting to me --
- No major denomination in the U.S. regards the apostolic mission as its highest priority
- Usually, the higher-ups in the church do not push for apostolic missions because they are the ones who want some security
- Use the Celtic model of conversion, not Roman
Roman: presentation - decision - fellowship
Celtic: fellowship - ministry/conversations - belief/invitation to commitment
"Christianity is more caught than taught."
- A good communicator helps people see what they can become.
- Contextualize the message: "The Christian faith never exists except as translated into a culture." (Bosch)
- In most cities, churches are only responding to those who take the initiative to visit.

Technorati tags:: George+Hunter, Celtic+Way+of+Evangelism

My Homeage to a good friend

[Post pre-written before leaving for vacation - Disneyland today was pretty cool...]
A few weeks ago, our church van blew up. It was a good friend. When we think of partners in ministry, we talk a lot about people, financial and prayer supporters, teams of people and stuff. This van was a partner as well, like candy bars stuffed in the vents, tickets from that ezpass thing, and that overhead light that never could quite turn off. Oh the stories it could tell. The end of an era.

Technorati tags:: student+missions

Happy 4th!!

Happy Independence Day! We are having a great family vacation.

Photo: Venice Beach, the first time the girls put their feet in the Pacific.

While I'm Out

[Post pre-written before leaving for vacation]
** CRM has launched a new web page with lots of cool resources for leader development, mission, church planting, etc.
Podcasts
SpeedLead - 10 minute exercises in leadership development - great idea huh?

** All 92 sneezed at the same time.

** Blending in abroad.

THUMB - unreached peoples

[Post pre-written before leaving for vacation]
This is what my kids were learning about last week at VBS in CT with the Madre. I was very impressed and excited when they got home. My guess would be 75% of adult Christians in America have no idea what THUMB means and why they should at least know something about it.

Technorati tags:: unreached, T.H.U.M.B