Brigada

1) Updated Insurance for Travelers & Short-termers –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:59:56 +0000

ISA (Insurance Services of America) has recently reorganized their coverage for missionaries and cross-cultural travelers. The URL remains the same,

http://www.missionaryhealth.net/brigada

and they have included a few new plans for those who need international health and travel insurance. All the brochures, application and quoting / application links have a unique code which identifies the customer as a Brigada customer. ISA appreciates your referrals and they are dedicated to providing Brigada readers with prompt and professional insurance services. Thanks ISA!!!

2) Catch this Orality Training in Louisville, Kentucky –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:58:23 +0000

In our mission structures and strategies, we’ve heard exciting things about the strategic work of Bible storying (orality). Entire villages and towns have been transformed from faithless to the faithful because of the simple but profound work of teaching scripture through the spoken word. Bible Storying can be used strategically and successfully in any ministry from local/national outreach to international work; whether at the local coffee shop or with a group of students or adults. Because they believe so deeply in this approach to missions, Simply Tell the Story has partnered with StoryRunners to form a 3-day training conference June 7-9 in Louisville, KY. This is their first training of this kind in the Louisville area, and it will equip you to use storying as you engage with people about the Word. You will learn how to use story sets, from creation to Christ with any one in any context. Register today! To learn more, visit

http://www.SimplyTellTheStory.com

3) Our Org is Looking for Coaching Skills –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:57:52 +0000

And there are a ton of resources out there. So check ‘em out…

[Note: These URL’s, below, will ‘wrap.’ But no worries — just log onto the web version of Brigada at www.Brigada.org and we’ll have all of these working on that version.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1562863444/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=888abc456-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1562863444

I haven’t seen this in person, nor had Keith, who recommended it to us, but we know the series:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1562863444/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=888abc456-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1562863444

This is older and useful.

http://www.amazon.com/Coaching-The-ASTD-Trainers-Sourcebook/dp/0070534438/ref=pd_sim_b_12

and

http://www.amazon.com/Coaching-The-ASTD-Trainers-Sourcebook/dp/0070534438/ref=pd_sim_b_12

To comment or mention additional resources, check out the link below.

4) Get Trained in Survival Skills and/or Bush Living –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:56:35 +0000

If you like to camp, or would like to learn how, and/or if you’re about to be posted in a primitive mission location, this training service could be the berries for you!

http://www.MtnX.info

Mountain Cross Outfitters, Inc., will train you in “Bushcraft,” Primitive Living, and all related Survival Skills. No matter how remote, regardless of how rough — Mountain Cross should be able to train you on every condition. Check ‘em out. This is one training that sounds like fun!

5) Seize the Che-Day —

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:55:04 +0000

If you’d like to learn CHE (Community Health Evangelism), register for this week-long workshop with the very folks who invented CHE. It’s limited to 30 seats and it’s first-come, first-served for those paying in advance. Learn more at….

www.che.teamexpansion.org

Last I heard, 20 of the 30 seats were already taken.

6) Learn TESOL Asia’s Center for TESOL –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:54:40 +0000

The dates are June 4-July 6, 2012 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Asia’s Center for TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) conducts intensive, five-week courses leading to a TESOL certificate. This certificate is supported by Cornerstone University of Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. For the first three weeks the classes are Monday-Friday, 8-4. For the last two weeks, the classes are 8-12, followed by a two-hour practicum in the afternoon or evening. This totals 120 hours in class and 20 hours of practicum (10 hours observing and 10 hours teaching. The same course is taught once a year in Manila (April/May).

Contact Melody Kuka, infothaiactesolcom, for more information or

http://www.actesol.com

7) Would you read Brigada if it came via Kindle Format? –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:53:08 +0000

We’re considering it… but it’s yet another publishing step… and it’s not like we need the extra work. Still, if it somehow made the content more effective, enjoyable, and efficient, we’d try to make it happen. If that would help you, please jot something in the “Comment” box under the web version of this item. Thanks!

8) Missionary Health Can Help You with Cancelled Flights –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:52:28 +0000

In a recent Brigada, we inadvertently put an “.htm” on the end of a website. The proper URL should have been…

http://www.missionaryhealth.net/brigada

Use their policies to make sure you’ll always be prepared for those flights that cancel right in front of your eyes.

9) Calling all Parents of Third-Culture Kids and MK’s –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:51:17 +0000

Here’s a website that is designed by a third-culture kid who is now a parent of third-culture kids. The same insights can also apply to parents of missionary kids (MK’s) as well.

http://www.ptck.org

It’s clean and simple, but loaded with great insights — and it’s all completely free as a labor of love.

10) Instant Resource for Bible lessons —

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:50:42 +0000

Do you need to lead a Bible Study, a devotional, or a Sunday school lesson? Missionaries are often pressed for time in preparing for their next study or lesson that they need to give. The newly released book, “Bible Stories 2 Go-An Instant Resource for Learning and Passing on God’s Truths covers 200 stories of the Bible and is meant for all ages. This book enables one to quickly and easily identify the truths of the Bible and aids one in sharing them with others. The exact references for the stories is given,a brief synopsis, clear lessons that can be taught, notes, connections with other references in the Bible on the lessons,possible memory verses, and applications questions for reflexion and/or discussion. Read about it and it can be ordered on the Tate Publishers website:

http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613468265

The price is $23.99 (paper cover) or $9.99 e-book.

11) We’re Grateful!!!!

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:49:06 +0000

*** Thanks to The Mission Network, Anacortes, WA, for another monthly gift of $100 to undergird Brigada’s global ministry! We appreciate you! If you or your church would like to add Brigada to your monthly budget, that would be awesome! And please let us know if you’d like us to visit you in person. We’ll do whatever we can to make it happen.

*** Thanks to World Outreach Missions, Tucker, GA, for the incredibly encouraging gift of $200.

*** Thanks to ISA for a gift of $57.06 as a result of flight interruption insurance purchased by Billy, Roger, William, and Daniel. We appreciate you!!!

12) The BackPage: Toward Cultural Resilience –

brigtoday — Mon, 07 May 2012 03:48:36 +0000

For nearly 15 years, our organization’s new missionary orientation has featured a workshop entitled, “Missions is High Adventure,” which pretty much seeks to establish a connection between cross-cultural service and whitewater rafting or an Outward Bound rock-climbing vacation. Seriously, we’ve said for some time that this job is hard work. If we’re going to be successful, we have to embrace it — nearly like a runner embraces a marathon or a mud-laden survival course. After all, people pay good money to hang on the edge of a cliff, with one rope and a couple of toe-holds being the only thing separating them from a 300-foot drop. Our cause, on the other hand, is a bit more eternal — and worth it. So — this is what we do. We believe strongly in member care and have now sought to infuse it throughout every single member of the organization. But at the same time, we also believe that the best way to stay healthy is to pursue our Great Passion of “creative, strategic perseverance until the results are achieved.” Here are a couple of ways one can observe our resilience at work:

*** If a critical incident happens on our team, the Protocol Guidebook calls for us to debrief it in the region rather than back in the USA. Research, along with our experience, has shown that our workers recover much more quickly and effectively when we follow this protocol closely.

*** In the case of kidnappings, we never pay ransom. Ever. We’re now in our 34th year and, by God’s grace, we have yet to experience a kidnapping. Let’s hope we never do. But if we do, whether it’s an “express kidnapping” (in which perpetrators ask for relatively smaller amounts of ransom payment and try to resolve the kidnapping quickly) or otherwise, for our strategy to continue to be effective, our workers, and their families, need to be of one mind and of one commitment to hold the line on ransom. Because the day we start paying it, our workers the world over will become a bigger target. For as long as we hold out, we lessen our risk. During my watch as president, I’m committed to holding out.

*** New to our protocols (as of the past year) — if a worker is expelled, he or she will now be asked to debrief and redeploy to another site in the region without breaking stride by returning to the USA. This mentality requires mental preparation in advance so please help us get the word out — we’re transitioning our thinking to a stance that assumes that, over time, there is now a much stronger likelihood that we might have to redeploy more often. Let’s be ready for it.

What are the matching protocols used by your own organization or family? Do these seem difficult or harsh? How do your practices differ and why? To respond, just click “Comment,” below. We appreciate your feedback!

Doug

1) Online Introduction to Missions Course

brigtoday — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:59:59 +0000

Kingdom Expansion 101 is a convenient and inexpensive six-week online course about world evangelization. This fresh and comprehensive class provides an overview of global outreach and how churches and individuals are involved in the Great Commission. Missions team members, short-termers and church leaders have commented on the quality of the variety of articles, videos, PowerPoint presentations, and interaction among the participants. The next class begins May 30. For more information see

http://dualreach.org/#!/ke101

and feel free to write to

KE101dualreachorg

with specific questions. Several agencies offer the course to their constituents. To learn how your mission organization can do this, write to the email address noted above. Again, a new class starts May 30. (Thanks to the originators of this class for a nice $25 gift to Brigada!)