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News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
[Pass this issue to a friend! To subscribe, see instructions at end.]

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In this issue….

* MAP ORDERS INDICATE LOVE FOR LEAST REACHED…. PRICES REDUCED TONS
* ORDER LINE SWAMPED
* YOUR CURRENT ORDER WILL BE TRANSFERRED
* WORD ON THE STREET IS THAT JUNO IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS … FOR FREE!
* “MORE THAN GOLD” FREE FOR THE ASKING
* GLOBAL GLIMPSE FROM ISRAEL
* MISSION FRONTIERS ON-LINE CONTINUES TO GROW!!!
* GOT A HEART FOR YOUR MUSLIM FRIENDS??? WANT TO GET ONE???
* JUST LUCK!
* TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA TODAY

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MAP ORDERS INDICATE LOVE FOR LEAST REACHED…. PRICES REDUCED TONS
At times like this, it’s hard to miss your love and concern for the least reached. When we announced (two issues ago) the new global maps that would show thousands of people groups (instead of political subdivisions), we were hoping there would be some interest… 100, 200 or maybe 300 maps ordered. But we had no idea that the response would be this intense!!! These maps will indicate in red the “last frontiers”, showing clearly for the first time ever in history exactly where we need to focus our energies if we’re going to finish the task of establishing at least beachhead churches among every people. They’ll also show the progress among other peoples…. thousands of them! Well — you have shown your concern!!!! Brigada readers have now ordered well above 1000 maps and, thanks to your response and the response of others, we all now enjoy the results of working together!!!! Global Mapping has heard the clear clarion call of the quantity needed and has responded by ordering a much larger quantity from the printer, which decreases the price for everyone.

The new prices, announced yesterday, are as follows: The poster size (24×36″), full color map of least reached peoples: $6.95 (this is printed on 80 pound glossy paper, rolled and shipped in a tube)

The Large (36×64″), wall-sized map of least reached peoples: $9.95 (big enough for church foyers and reception areas, again, in a tube)

These prices are nearly 1/3 of what we originally thought would be needed… and we owe a huge debt to Brigada readers and others for standing together to make this kind of order a possibility.

ORDER LINE SWAMPED
If you tried to call MSA to place your order, you know their lines were swamped by this. Their phone rang off the hook! Now, as a result of this new pricing, we’re anticipating an even greater response. So, [IMPORTANT] we’re asking that you delay your order until next Wednesday, at which time we’ll announce a new toll free order line for these maps. At that time, we’ll put out a special announcement giving new order instructions. PLEASE DO NOT CALL OR EMAIL MSA TO ORDER THESE GLOBAL MAPS. They are very kind people… with overwhelmingly loving hearts for the least reached people of the world, … but this kind of response — taking hundreds of orders by email, hundreds by fax, and hundreds by phone all in a matter of a few days — is beyond their current staffing levels.

YOUR CURRENT ORDER WILL BE TRANSFERRED
Therefore, your current orders will be transferred to the new provider. YOU DO NOT NEED TO REORDER. You may of course call in and order more maps… but your first orders will be fulfilled.

Again, thank you for your terrific response… and please, once again, do not call, fax or write MSA for additional maps at this time. Wait until Wednesday, May 1st….. $6.95 / 9.95. Thanks! And many thanks to MSA for fielding zillions of requests for these maps!!! We owe you one MSA!

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WORD ON THE STREET IS THAT JUNO IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS … FOR FREE!
Remember the free email people that we mentioned a few issues ago??? Word on the street is that they’re ready for your orders. The deal is, you see an advertisement once and awhile, apparently, but all your email passes to the whole world for free… no monthly charge… no time charge.. no charge of any kind! ONLY FOR THE USA [sorry!] , send your mailing address to signup@juno.com for more info. Or check out their web site at http://www.juno.com/ You can also call 1-800-799-JUNO (tell them “Extension F” and when they ask for your “personal response code”, tell them this was a referral). They give you free personal software for email… and you’re in business! If you find this to be helpful, tell a friend who has been complaining about the monthly cost an email subscription would entail. Then suggest to your friend that he/she subscribe to Brigada! :-)

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“MORE THAN GOLD” FREE FOR THE ASKING
Thanks to Mark Snowden, Media & Sports Ministries Consultant with the Foreign Mission Board, SBC, for making “More Than Gold” available at no cost to Brigada readers!!! As the Olympics draw closer, you might want to sample these lessons, which are based on the first half of Daniel and interweave fitness information with biblical truths. There are teachers’ guides included with each lesson. These are meant to be photocopied. Great for a Sunday School session or home Bible study with an evangelistic emphasis. In case you hadn’t heard, More Than Gold is the theme being used by evangelicals at the Atlanta Games. To order, write Mark at 7568785@mcimail.com — but don’t expect personalized responses! [grin] :-) Mark’s kindness will be limited by the number of emails he receives!!! :-)

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GLOBAL GLIMPSE FROM ISRAEL
According to Messianic Jews in Israel, over a dozen previously Islamic villagers have converted to Christianity in the past few years. One of the new converts was kidnapped, bound and hidden in the bathroom of a Fatah-movement hideout in the city Nablus. After his escape he said, “I did not find it in the Koran. What I was looking for, I found in the Bible.” Local Christians report that 215 Arabs showed interest in following Christ during door-to-door evangelism.
(Source: Friday Fax, 15-96, (c) DAWN Europe, http://www.tecc.co.uk/jesusa/dawnindx.html).
Global Glimpses are compiled each week by John Hanna, Caleb Project, Littleton, CO

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MISSION FRONTIERS ON-LINE CONTINUES TO GROW!!!
Have you noticed the crowd at MF-Online??? There are now 796 subscribers to brigada-pubs-missionfrontiers. To join, just send email to hub@xc.org with this one line of text in the message:
subscribe brigada-pubs-missionfrontiers

There are tons of resources available there. For example, if you would like an e-mail report on the progress of “Joshua Project 2000” and its goal to see church planting teams sent to 1,850 peoples most needing a church send a message to hub@xc.org and on the first line of the message write:
Get brigada-pubs-missionfrontiers MF96.03-04.16-JP2000

[you can probably copy that line to your “clipboard” then paste it in your email software???]

Thanks to Rick Wood and all the folks at the US Center for doing a great job on their Brigada conference Congratulations for the growth!

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GOT A HEART FOR YOUR MUSLIM FRIENDS??? WANT TO GET ONE???
Lincoln Christian Seminary is offering two intensive courses for people interested in work among Muslims. “Evangelizing Sufis and Folk Muslims”..June 3-7, and “Church Planting in Muslim Contexts”..June 10-14. Both courses will be conducted at LCS’s Chicago Urban Mission Center. They are available for credit or audit…and at a bargain price for missionaries on furlough or appointees on their way to the field. Others are also welcome to enroll. Housing is available…rather spartan, but inexpensive…$5.00 per night. Meals can be obtained from anyone of dozens of ethnic shops in the area. This part of Chicago is one of the most ethnically diverse places in the USA. Muslims are throughout the area….a living lab. For more information contact: Dr. Robert C. Douglas at LCS, 100 Campus View Dr., Lincoln, IL., 62656 or email rcdougla@prairienet.org. Dr. Douglas was head of Zwemer Institute for some 8 years following tons of years living in the Middle East in service to the King.

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JUST LUCK!
[I shared the following appeared this week in Team Expansion’s HeartBeat Online; it’s dedicated to the workers in the fields!] “It was just luck!” How many times have you said that!?? I know I have. I said it Wednesday night. In our attempts to not appear overly confident, we sometimes pass off that phrase flippantly, hoping that the hearers will appreciate the real root… that we don’t want to brag … and that we’re not in it for the glory.

But the truth is…. sometimes it’s not “just luck”. I’m reminded of Steve Martin’s movie, Parenthood. Remember the part in which Martin’s character, a father of a young boy of 9 or 10, describes to his wife the great catch their son had made (playing little league baseball that evening). She replies, “Well what do you expect!?!! You must have hit 12 million pop flies to him over the past 5 years out in the back yard!”

Wednesday night it occurred to me that it’s not luck at all if we happen to catch a pop fly… or blast a soccer ball into the far post corner of the goal… IF we’ve just invested zillions of practice attempts the week or two before, trying to prepare for the one special time when we’ll have the opportunity for a catch… or a full-volley airball kick.

Likewise, for those laboring on-site in some cross-cultural setting, is it “just luck” when someone finally accepts Christ, or attends church??? Never. First there are the years of preparation in Bible college and ministry. Then there’s the language learning that got you there. Then there’s the countless hours of relationship building, door-to-door calling, teaching, strategizing, presenting, praying, painting (getting a building ready for services maybe???), shopping (for supplies for a retreat maybe???), … the list goes on and on. We rehearse our presentation, we practice our sermon, we investigate the scriptures. When it all comes down to it… when that cell group leader finally succeeds in launching a new home group, is it just luck??? Nope. Is it any wonder? You’ve got the Spirit of God on your side plus years of “pop flies” in the back yard.

My conclusion? The practice time pays off. If you’re rehearsing the language, if you’re studying the culture, if you’re working on the sermon, … etc., etc., etc…. the practice time pays off.

Wednesday night I shot my first full volley into the far post of the soccer net during a game situation on a field full of other adult men and women, many of which (about half, in fact :-)) were trying to stop me. Was it just luck? Nope. Was it skill that I naturally possess??? Not a chance. (Believe me on that one!!! Not a chance!!!) A few weeks ago, my nine-year-old and I stood alone on a windy soccer field tossing each other “serves” for hours just to practice this one kick… so we could full volley a ball directly out of the air into the far post … without hesitation, without fear, without missing.

Just luck last night??? Not a chance.
Wizardry??? Not hardly.
Practice? Yes.
More needed? You bet..
Happy? Ecstatic! :-)

So keep up the practice on-site workers… on the language, the culture, the Bible, the sermons, the supplies, everything… Keep it up. We’re cheering for you from the sidelines!!! And in fact, we’re on the field with you in support!!!!! God bless your week!
Doug

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subscribe brigada

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unsubscribe brigada
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BRIGADA TODAY IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FOLLOWING TEAM OF REGULAR VOLUNTEERS:

Global Glimpses: John Hanna, Caleb Project, jhanna@cproject.com
ADVANCE: Mark A. Kelley, Kainos Press, 70420.1057@compuserve.com
Web Wizard: Bob Mayhew, Brigada Volunteer, Mayhew@xc.org
Web Art: Patti Mayhew, pmayhew@discover.net
Technical Development: Jonathan Marsden, MAFxc jonathan@xc.org
Brigada Customer Service Manager: Revis Ann Massey, RevisAnnMassey@xc.org
Brigada Coordinator: Doug Lucas, Team Expansion & Brigada, DLucas@TeamExpansion.org
and many other occasional contributors too numerous to mention! But thanks for working together! That’s the dream of Brigada!