Brigada

How many of us have made videos from our mission trips? (Hands raise all over the room.) How many of us, while on a mission trip, have been bumped from a flight? (Almost as many hands go up.) How many of us have witnessed those flights (that bumped us) going down and killing every passenger on board, sobering us with the realization that we were scheduled to have been on that flight? (The room is motionless… except for the makers of this video.)

Journey to Everest is the video of that group’s experience in the Himilayas. They are a group from Nashville that recently completed an expedition to Everest Base Camp. They became participants in a story that made world-wide news when the plane that was scheduled to fly them into the Himalayas crashed on its way into the mountains, killing the 18 passengers on board. Their team was bumped from Yeti Airlines flight 103 just before it took off, sparing our lives.

Eventually, they made it into the Himalayan mountains and experienced an adventure that changed their lives and challenged their faith. Ultimately, they were exposed to mission work in Nepal that compelled them into action once they returned home. They documented their story in this film. It tells their story as it unfolded, from the plane crash, the expedition to Everest, and the mission work of which they were a part. Since completing the film, they have used it as a tool to spread the Gospel. To date, they have raised over $60,000 for mission work. They have also used the film to raise support for over 300 Nepali refugees that were brought to our city by the United Nations.

View the trailer at…

http://vimeo.com/8166719

See the film’s website at…

http://journeytoeverest.com/

Buy a copy for $19.95 at…

http://davidkiern.com/jte_buy.html

The trailer is spectacular. This is the way mission films should be. This is the way I want to shoot movies when I grow up. :-)

The Rethinking Forum has recently released the second in a series of journals called Rethinking Hindu Ministry. This issue is for those with an interest in contextualization in Hindu contexts and ministry among immigrant Hindus and students in the U.S.A. To receive your complimentary copy within the U.S.A., just contact

info@rethinkingforum.com

Learn more about the Rethinking Forum at…

http://www.rethinkingforum.com

The study consists of both a large PowerPoint Presentation and a pdf article. This study includes: 1) Percentage of Evangelicals in each U.S. state; 2) Evangelical Church to Population ratio in each U.S. state; 3) A sampling of some U.S. counties with an evangelical population of less than or equal to 10% AND the evangelical church to population ratio in each of those counties; 4) A list of U.S. metro areas with less than 10% evangelical population; 5) A specific list of U.S. metro areas with less than 3% evangelical population; and 6) The number of evangelical churches and the evangelical church to population ratios in selected Canadian metro areas. The report and presentation may be found at:

http://bit.ly/7Skb9V

or from the blog

http://www.jdpayne.org

Or go there directly by clicking here:

http://www.northamericanmissions.org/files/From%2035000%20to%2015000%20Feet%20%20Evangelical%20Statistics%20in%20the%20US%20and%20Canada.pdf

Note that this latter link will “wrap”. If you have any trouble at all, just go to brigada.org and find this item.

Dr. E Davis, Training Consultant for SIL International (partner with Wycliffe Bible Translators), with others assisting, will facilitate Preparing Leaders for Prayer Days and Short Retreats at a U.S. session May 12-21, 2010 at White Oak Conference Center near Winnsboro, SC (close to Charlotte, NC). Participants will experience numerous prayer and reflection topics, as well as work in a small group with a staff member, learning how to lead the topics for others. Those who are unable to attend the full session may register for the shorter session, May 12-17. Funds are available for partial scholarships. Contact

for the detailed information and the application form. Also, please pass the information on to anyone else that you think might be interested.

JTI is a two-week exposure trip that will aid those considering cross-cultural service in India as well as those seeking to better understand ministry in Hindu contexts. Contact

to learn more about this semi-annual event.

Media, Communications, and IT experts, as well as linguists, translators, and ethnomusicologists, will meet near Frankfurt, Germany 21 September to 01 October, 2010, for the Eurasia Media and Distribution Consultation. For information contact

Headed to Haiti to change a life? Leave a resource that will keep the wheels turning. Visit the page…

http://www.brigada.org/resources-in-haitian-creole

for a boat-load of resources in Haitian Creole, all provided by Brian W

Included are sources for complete Bibles, New Testaments, DVDs, childrens materials and tons more.

(Brian, thanks for your work and your willingness to share them unselfishly!)

If you live in or near Langley, British Columbia (or would like to travel there like… *today*… :-), you’re in luck. The course literally starts March 1st and lasts for one week. Learn more at

http://www.itpartners.org

It will be held at the Gateway Missionary Training Centre, Langley BC. The cost is $250.00 CDN or USD equivalent and includes lunch and materials. Some accommodations are available at Gateway. Questions?      Contact Melanie at 1-888-476-9376 or (604) 530-4283 or email

Missonary teams can earn income to support their mission work in areas that have internet access by selling goods and services in more than 190-countries of the world through the internet. They can also recieve royalties for introducing companies. Learn more, from one Brigada reader’s perspective, at…

https://www.quickinfo247.com/10907892/FREE

and

https://www.tripleclicks.com/10907892/ECA

Talk directly to the Brigada reader himself by writing…

Note that we here at Brigada have not personally joined nor checked out these opportunities. Be sure you investigate all such opportunities with eyes wide open.

Thanks to the Brigada participant who wrote, “Each time I open a Brigada email, I learn something new. Thank you for widening my world view.” If that happens indeed, God be praised. If you’ve ever been blessed by a Brigada, please empower future Brigadas to make it to some 10,000 readers the world over by praying for our ministry and giving whatever God calls you to give. Just click on one of the “Donor” links at the top of this page. Both are safe, the one with PayPal and the other with one of the most well-known “real” online merchants on the web. Neither requires you to open an account with anyone … and neither ever spams you. We can even set up a regular once-a-month automatic withdraw from your checking account or major credit card. Set it up once and rest easily, knowing that you’re regularly helping get Brigada on the way to the nations. Or, if you prefer, just send an old-fashioned check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada), 11327 Jefferson Trace Blvd., Louisville, KY 40291. (Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA citizens; your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) A gift of any size would help, whether monthly or one-time. If you know someone else who might like to help, just hit reply and tell us about him/her/them. Thank you for your help in fueling the fire of Brigada!

Comment or inquire about this item at…

http://www.brigada.org/2010/02/07_4017

Kelly and Michèle O’Donnell are just stellar people. They recently wrote to offer helps for those headed to Haiti or Chili to help with disaster relief. For example, for more on the handling the broad-scaled logistics in Haiti, they suggested we direct readers to…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8466595.stm

They also suggested an even broader perspective from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs at…

http://ochaonline.un.org/ocha2010/

OCHA set these as core goals:

*** Alleviate human suffering

*** Advocate for the rights of people in need;

*** Prompt preparedness and prevention;

*** Facilitate sustainable solutions

Next, Kelly and Michèle tipped us off about an entire library of information offered by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the longest URL that I’ve ever seen – bar none. There’s just no use pasting it here. You absolutely have to go to our site at…

http://www.brigada.org

then find this item and click on the link. It’s the only sane way to handle it. But the site is great, once you’re there. In fact, it’s probably the most complete electronic information resource on public health for emergency preparedness and response and complex emergencies in the world. For example, check out their free 74-page guide on Best Practices for offering Psychological Support to those who are victims of trauma. (Again, the URL is the size of Australia. Please just go to the Brigada site to click on it.)

The O’Donnells also recommended “Caring for Yourself and Others” by Mental Health Workers Without Borders, available as a free download at

http://mhwwb.org/disasters.htm

and the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, available at…

http://www.who.int/hac/network/interagency/news/mental_health_guidelines/en/

(Note that this link will ‘wrap’. If you have trouble assembling it, just go to our Brigada site and click on it there.)

We’re grateful to Kelly and Michèle O’Donnell for sharing these resources. Kelly and Michèle are widely thought of as among the most respected member care specialists on the planet. Learn more about their ministries at…

http://www.MemberCareAssociates.org

Thanks Kelly and Michèle!

This innovative organization has need for more Opportunities of Service in the European Area. All areas are encouraged to apply for a volunteer to come over to help you with domestic and homeschooling activities. In the past 18 years, over 120 volunteers have served many missionary families around the world. Check them out at…

http://www.missionnannys.org

Have you heard about the Day Tripper? It’s an international medical and medical evacuation plan for short-term teams. With rates as low as 52 cents per day you can’t go wrong with this plan! PLUS when you purchase this plan from Insurance Services of America on their web site

http://www.missionaryhealth.net/brigada.htm

you will be helping to support Brigada and protecting yourself and your ministry from financial loss! In addition to this plan, coverage is available for any international need – individual short-term trips, career missionaries, trip cancellation, short-term teams and term life insurance. At their site, check out their coverage details, rates.

The International Ministry Track at the Chalmers Center is designed to help you understand appropriate goals and strategies for conducting church-based economic development in poor communities within Africa, Asia and Latin America. It will benefit anyone preparing for Christian outreach and ministry among the poor, whether they plan to implement an economic development strategy or not. The next open offering of this course will be April 5 – 30, 2010. Cost of this four-week course is $120 (USD) plus the cost of separately ordered course material.

ChartsBin offers online interactive world maps, each one offering statistics for a wide range of topics. These are very helpful, both for research, or for a presentation in a seminar. You can save any map as a complete web page, and it will work offline to demonstrate later. Check, for instance, web users, mobile phone subscriptions, infant mortality, numbers of feature films produced annually, and much more.

http://chartsbin.com/

Join the FIGT global community for their annual conference March 4-6 at the Westchase Marriott in Houston, TX, USA (hotel rooms only $110/night single to quadruples until Feb 26th). FIGT is a non-profit, educational organization that was co-founded by a missionary who grew up around the globe, Ruth Van Reken. To help understand her own experience and that of others, Ruth wrote the groundbreaking work, Third Culture Kids. For over 10 years, those from the missionary world and many other sectors (military, foreign service, education, corporate, NGO) have shared best practices to help the families of those on overseas assignments survive and thrive while abroad. Ruth will be speaking this year at the conference on Teaching Locally, Thinking Globally. Read more about the FIGT sessions and speakers, including the World Bank, U.S. Department of State, several European and U.S. Universities and many more at

http://www.figt.org

Never Fear. Clover is here. Check ‘em out at…

http://www.cloversites.com/f/friendsofbrigada

See all the features they have now, as well as the new features they’ll have starting Apr. 28th in their “2.0″ service (which will be the same price, by the way; and current users will be upgraded automatically for free).

http://www.cloversites.com/greenhouse-updates

I personally have set up two different sites with this service. Like fallin’ off a log. Try them. Unlike other flash-based sites, the folks at Clover have figured out how to optimize flash for search engines. Hard to believe? Just go to your favorite search engine and put in, in quotes, the phrase “Multiply the Momentum”. Odds are, the first site listed out of 280,000 will be one of my Cloversites. (mtm2010.com) I’m tellin’ ya — they’re good. What’s more, they’re *fast*. Yes, the $1000 set-up fee is hefty, but after that, you pay just $20/mo. But the best part is, your site will pop. Graphics, pictures, text — it’ll all be easy to update and will look great.

The folks at…

http://www.wycliffeassociates.org.uk

are multi-talented people. They’re effective book searchers, and have found hundreds of rare or hard to find books, as well as modern volumes. You just pay the cost of the books and delivery costs. Questions? Write them at…

books@wa-uk.org

Maybe you’ve been there a hundred times. You had the whole Haiti thing down to a science. But you’re wondering, now that the earth shook, should you ask a set of different questions? You bet. Well now you have a script. Check it out at…

http://www.cricon.org/tech_bulletin.htm

These are the folks from Crisis Consulting Int’l. For as long as I can remember, they’ve been coaching cross-cultural travelers on security, safety, and international travel. They’ve got your back.

We give thanks to Mission Nannys, who sent $100 this past week to become a true friend of Brigada. Thanks Mission Nannys! Find them at…

http://www.missionnannys.org

Likewise, we owe a big thanks to Spokane, WA, home base for the Coalition on the Support of Indigenous Missions (COSIM), who also just sent in $100!

We’re also thankful to Insurance Services of America and their customers John, Wade and Donna. ISA just sent $36.68 as a thank-you for utilizing their top-quality insurance policies. Learn more about their offerings at…

http://www.missionaryhealth.net/brigada.htm

Thanks also goes to a Brigada participant in Little Rock, Arkansas, who just sent $50, and another in Ventura, CA, who also sent $50. Thanks so much!

Here’s your chance: Help sponsor an issue of Brigada Today. Our budget for 2010 is exactly the same as it has been for the past two years: $17,120. The 2009 total was $14,224.38. Although we didn’t make budget, but we came very close. Can you help us hit it in 2010? If so, just click on one of the “Donor” links at the top of this page. Both are safe, the one with PayPal and the other with one of the most well-known “real” online merchants on the web. Neither requires you to open an account with anyone … and neither ever spams you. We can even set up a regular once-a-month automatic withdraw from your checking account or major credit card. Set it up once and rest easily, knowing that you’re regularly helping get Brigada on the way to the nations. Or, if you prefer, just send an old-fashioned check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada), 11327 Jefferson Trace Blvd., Louisville, KY 40291. (Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA citizens; your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) A gift of any size would help, whether monthly or one-time. If you know someone else who might like to help, just hit reply and tell us about him/her/them. Thank you for your help in fueling the fire of Brigada!

Comment or inquire about this item at…

We wrap up today our three-part series on Lausanne III in Cape town. Learn more about the upcoming Lausanne consultation in Cape Town at…

http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010

(By the way, if you’re from the USA, the delegate list is already set. Didn’t make the cut? Never fear. You can still participate via a “Globalink Site.” Emerald Hills is serving as just such a site, Oct. 16-24. So instead of traveling to Cape Town, just travel to Louisville and you’ll still get every word of every main session the same day they happen in Cape Town… but without the 18-hour flight from JFK. Watch for more information at…

http://www.emeraldhills.info

When Lausanne leadership talks about a session on “truth”, they mean bearing witness to the truth of Christ in our time. The question is, “How do we make the case for Truth and the uniqueness of Christ in a postmodern, pluralistic world? In particular, there are 7 great questions needing answers:

1) Identify the assaults and erosions of truth -

What we’re facing is a combination of ideas assaulting truth and social conditions eroding truth. For example, the world is teaching that truth is relative; Christianity teaches that it is absolute, based on God’s words.

2) Assess the damage to the church and to its message -

Most of the damage is not in the global south. The rot is in two places in the western world among evangelicals. We see clear and tragic softening of the evangelical movement, mounting relativism, and syncretism growing through the extremes of the emergent church.

3) Keep the crisis in biblical perspective -

Our Lord is His own best defender. We are merely the junior councils for the defense.

4) Warn against the neglect and carelessness of truth –

We are all affected by our climate, to one extent or another. Without truth, there is only power and manipulation.

5) We need to carry the arguments against the skeptical and cynical –

Whereas many hold certain things absolutely even in their relativism, everyone has something in their world view that their world view doesn’t account for.

6) Truth as one of the great secrets of our apologetic strength –

We’re entering into a grand era of apologetics. For all the talk of transparency, there isn’t much. Why? There’s no standard of truth.

7) We need to restore truth to its central place in faith and our growth in knowing the Lord –

In our personal growth, we’re not just called to believe the truth, know the truth.. but also to *walk* in the truth. Without truth, our faith is trivial.

The consensus was that evangelicals in America are as weak on truth as any people of God in the world. The challenge was to make Lausanne III provide a ringing declaration that Christ is still *the* way and that by following him, we enable and choose to be people following truth.

Do you have questions, comments, or advice on any of the above? Just click on “Comments” below.