Brigada Today
11 of July, 1997
Now with 5709 participants!!!
(. . . and as of this issue, over 500 pages
of resources since we began in March, 1995!)
News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
On the WorldWide Web, browse http://www.brigada.org
Compiled by Doug Lucas, this week writing from Kenai, Alaska
[Pass this issue to a friend! To subscribe, see instructions at end.]
Wondering what's been happening in South Africa
at GCOWE 97? Well here's the report, written anonymously via an interview
with a delegate who is working in a very closed part of
the world and actually attended GCOWE under a pseudonym. Here we go! "Thank
you to the Brigada family for your prayers during GCOWE 97 this past week
in Pretoria, South Africa. It was quite inspirational to give God praise in
a room of 4,200 people reported to be from 135 countries. Personally I
don't like conferences but I left happy that I had made over 10 key
ministry contacts that are usually very hard for me to make since I live
and work in a very restricted part of the Muslim world. One of these new
contacts with a politician who attended the Business Executives
sub-consultation may very well lead toward the placement of workers in a
currently very closed country. I attended the Mission Executives
sub-consultation and I was concerned it would be yet another inspirational
time with little work done. My fears melted away when Luis Bush handed us
all a copy of the new book compiled for GCOWE by the AD2000 and Beyond
Movement called the "Global Guide to Unreached Peoples." The book was the
catalyst for arranged small group work over the next two days in groups by
regions of the world. When the results were tallied on the final day 390
previously unengaged groups from this unreached peoples list now had agency
leaders who had adopted them as peoples to present to their organizations
in hopes of sending new church planting teams. I was encouraged by this
but more optimistic when it was reported that the leaders in the African
National Initiatives sub-consultation had taken on 222 of the peoples in
Africa still without known church planting teams. Since these were mostly
African leaders adopting peoples in their own countries I am quite
optimistic that something will come of this commitment. Luis Bush reported
on the last night that now 90% of the 1,739 peoples in this book (though
some data not shown for security reasons) now have names and addresses
registered indicating a church planting movement in their midst or at least
a commitment to mobilize a team of church planters. Though this "Global
Guide" book will not be for sale to mission leaders who did not attend
GCOWE for another month or so I heard that the Southern Baptist
International Mission Board had already ordered 150 copies to give to all
their regional leadership." Now we're talkin'! That's the kind of "nuts
and bolts" tangible outcome that we've all been waiting for! Bravo Luis
Bush! Bravo GCOWE 97 delegates! And thanks to the anonymous interviewee!!!
Well, I guess you could say that
this particular baby was a real hit!
In fact, it almost seems like
Brigada participants were breathless waiting for this inquiry to come along!
Seriously, remember last week's item,
"HERE'S A SURVEY YOU'VE
GOT TO SEE TO BELIEVE" ??? Dr. Dale Carroll (who is very much a "he" and
not a "she" as we reported; yikes;
Sorry Dr. Dale! Will you ever forgive me?
) reports over 100 immediate responses to the request for those who
were pregnant or delivered or miscarried overseas. He hastens to add that
all reports will be considered very confidential and that snail mail
addresses will be needed so he can send out the actual survey. He'll be
ultra-careful to guard identities and roles for those in sensitive
countries. If you're interested in participating or learning more, contact
Dr. Dale Carroll at
TravDoc@compuserve.com, The Pregnant Traveler, 983
Miners Road, St. Joseph, MI 49085, phone 616-428-4996 (fax--616-428-0977).
Dr. Carroll has agreed to make available an abstract for all Brigada
participants to "get" as soon as the project is completed. Thanks!
with only this line in the text of your email (Note
that if you're not a member of Brigada-peoples, you'll have to join first
by using the "subscribe" line listed first):
If you'd like to unsubscribe, just send another message later that reads,
unsubscribe brigada-peoples.
Thanks to Eric Derry for bringing this file to our attention!
Now before you write me [again] and jump me for criticizing them, note that I used past
tense -- "deserved." Maybe they're turning over a new leaf... or realizing
their wicked ways.
Recently, they've picked up some improved
features... For example, you can now send and receive binary files --
graphics, documents, spreadsheets, and the like -- seamlessly over the
Internet. You can also personalize your e-mail address, turning your User
ID number into a name. With a click here and a click there, you can
transform 70006,101 into JSMITH. Oops! Don't like that Personal Address
anymore? Now you change it so JSMITH can become J.SMITH or Jim_Smith. All
of these features are part of CompuServe's new mail system and are part of
CSi's ongoing commitment to bringing you the very best e-mail. To take full
advantage of these rich features, you must use CompuServe's new mail
system. To learn about this and switch to new mail if you haven't already
done so, GO NEWMAIL. Thanks to Sharon, our official Brigada Compuserve Help
Specialist, at
71712.3534@CompuServe.COM, for sending this tip! And for
those CSi loyalists who have written, I promise to stop raggin' on CSi.
As far as we can tell, this is a Brigada Today exclusive, thanks to a hot tip from TC!
(Thanks TC! As long as there are people like you around, Brigada Today
will be valuable for the nearly 6000 subscribers who receive it each
week!!!) PGP version 5.0 is now available internationally via anonymous FTP
at
ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk:/pub/crypto/pgp/pc/windows95. (PGP is a program that
allows you to encode your email so no one can read it except the person to
whom you've sent it. For this process to work, both the sender and receiver
need to be able to use PGP.) What this means is that international users no
longer have to wait for all that OCR/source code/re-write stuff that we all
thought would have to happen first. If you're in the USA, you can get PGP
version 5.0 at
http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html and if you're outside
the USA, you can get version 5.0 at
ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk:/pub/crypto/pgp/pc/windows95 today! Thanks TC!
Thanks to Rod who refers readers to
http://www.pgp.net/pgpnet/pgp-faq/ for answers to frequently
asked questions about PGP. Also, don't forget
http://www.ifi.uio.no/pgp/ or
http://axion.physics.ubc.ca/pgp-begin.html if you want to learn more
about what might be the world's best encryption program. And remember that
the freeware version is available at
http://web.mit.edu/network/pgp.html
for Win95/WinNT users. Win 3.1 users start at
http://axion.physics.ubc.ca/pgp-begin.html then go to
http://www.seattle-webworks.com/pgp/. Rod writes, "From here, advice is
given on downloading and configuring PGP262 and the AEgis Pretty Good
Privacy Windows Shell. Since PGP262 operates from DOS and looks a bit
strange, a shell makes PGP much easier to use."
I felt the same way. Then this Brigada participant approached me one day and asked me why I
should ever expect others to start using encryption when I didn't' use it
myself. He used the logic that PGP's author uses, "What if everyone
believed that law-abiding citizens should use postcards for their mail? If
some brave soul tried to assert his privacy by using an envelope for his
mail, it would draw suspicion. Perhaps the authorities would open his mail
to see what he's hiding. Fortunately, we don't live in that kind of world,
because everyone protects most of their mail with envelopes. So no one
draws suspicion by asserting their privacy with an envelope. There's safety
in numbers. Analogously, it would be nice if everyone routinely used
encryption for all their E-mail, innocent or not, so that no one drew
suspicion by asserting their E-mail privacy with encryption." Made sense to
me. So I bit the bullet and started trying to learn PGP262. Yikes.
It wasn't easy. So I began using a "shell" program and it got lots easier.
Now with version 5.0, it's easier still -- in fact, now it's almost like
fallin' off a log! So my commitment is that if anyone is willing to write
me using PGP, I'll always return the reply in the same form. So will you
take the dare and use PGP? Today, with this new version, there are no more
excuses. And there are versions for everyone, including MAC users.
Want
more info? Get Rod's latest help file by sending a note to
hub@xc.org
with only the following words in the text of the message:
Want to make the most of search engines? Gill says to
check out
http://searchenginewatch.com/.
... it happened 5 minutes from the best hospital in Africa; car had unusual
bumper that caused my leg to break in a "good" place, and flipped me up
rather than running over me and crushing me; no brain damage (did my hat
protect me? I don't remember
); I've had time to realize some good
lessons from the Lord, perhaps with wide application; others were
motivated to give my presentations, which helped them turn out well; I've
had lots of opportunity to be Christ's light in others' lives here at the
hospital; What a JOY!!!" So how did this happen? Pete summarized, "So I
looked both ways before crossing the street. But when someone yelled "look
out!" I had to react; no time to think. And my reaction was exactly
wrong: I looked to the right instead of the left [because Pete's
orientation was USA, but drivers use the other side of the street in South
Africa?], and ended up almost dead. Literally." What has he learned from
all this? "In new situations (x-c ministry, a changing world, "tentmaking",
new friends, new paradigms, new locations, etc etc), if we have time to
think about our situation we usually do OK. But when we must react
without thinking, we often make terrible mistakes! Some conclusions (lots
more than this...): In new situations, give yourself time. Absorb
the "new" quickly so that you'll react well. Don't assume you've adjusted
to the new just because you feel like you fit in: will you react properly
in an emergency?" Thanks for taking a lemon and turning it into lemonade,
Pete! Pete's homepage is
http://www.xc.org/pete. He's one very busy guy
at
Pete@XC.Org.
Remember last week's item, "HOW DO
WE GET THEM 'FROM HERE TO THERE'???" Well don't forget that you can access
the Finishers Project online at brigada-projects-finishers by sending email
to
hub@xc.org with only these words in the text of the message:
According to "Finishers" leadership, "The Finishers Project is a movement involving leading mission agencies to give mature candidates (35 to about 55) the information and challenge necessary to consider an assignment from the Lord somewhere in the missions infrastructure - before the conventional retirement at 60 something. The method to accomplish the task will be to hold "Urbana"-like conferences for second-career people." Sounds like a super idea. They're planning their first major face-to-face conference in Chicago, September 17-19, 1998. For more information, join the on-line brigada-projects-finishers conference today!
Thanks Wade.
and we'll get to the bottom of this hot tip!
___ _ _____ _
| . \ _ __ _ ____ __ _ __| | __ _ |_ _|__ __| | __ _ _ _
| _/| '__| |/ _ \/ _' |/ _' |/ _' | | |/ _ \ / _' |/ _' | | | |
| . \| | | | (_| | (_| | (_| | (_| | | | (_) | (_| | (_| | |_| |
|___/|_| |_|\__, |\__._|\__._|\__._| |_|\___/ \__._|\__._|\__, |
|___/ |___/
Okay. So the new graphical Brigada logo at the top of each issue is totally unreadable in your email
client??? Sorry about that. Well I'm a missionary, not an artist.
Actually, to see it, you'd have to set the default font to something
"fixed" like Courier New (as opposed to proportional, like Times Roman). If
you don't like it, just ignore it... (after all, it's only five lines!
). However, if it's really in your way and you'd like it cut from all
future issues, please send a message to
hub@xc.org with only this line in
the message:
The "c" in this case stands for "cut"!
Here's your chance to speak out!
August 20 to October 3, they'll run a 5-week training course to help new and veteran
missionaries understand the cultural context of their people group and how
to develop a relevant cross-cultural ministry strategy. Tuition $600,
Lodging - $ 25 per week, Instructor - Dr. Richard G. Lewis. For more
information, contact: Center for InterCultural Studies (CICS),
71035.704@compuserve.com or look at their website at
www.ixctraining.com. Wow
-- that's a great price on housing. I think we
might sell our house and just move in at their Center!
Did you hear about the Reaching Your City Conference, July 17-19, 1997, Norwalk CA, at Southern CA
Community Bible College, 12400 Studebaker Rd, Norwalk tel. (562) 868-0072??? Well now you did!
Hear John Robb and a zillion other
prayer and unreached peoples specialists -- and the registration is just
$25 if you do it in advance. Write
Prayercntn@aol.com for more info.
Revis Ann, our Customer Relations Manager just finished reading
it. She reports, "Easy to read and practical. He gives one idea per page
of ways to get involved in world missions. The goal is to encourage
grass-roots involvement in missions. The special offer for Brigada Today
participants is $4.50 U.S. (plus shipping costs) when purchased directly
from:
72072.3310@compuserve.com
Tel.: 604-437-8000
Fax: 604-437-8089
You can also try 1-800-708-5550 toll free
if you're in the USA or Canada." By the way, Revis Ann tell us he lists
Brigada in the Internet Resources in the back!!! So -- everybody should
order this book!
Thanks Geoff and thanks for reading it Revis Ann!
In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake flattened Armenia killing over 30,000 in four minutes. After the first tremor, a father rushed to the school where his son attended only to find the structure totally demolished. As he looked at the ruins he remembered the promise he made to his son: "No matter what, I'll always be there for you."The father went to the corner of the building where his son's classroom was and began digging. For the next 37 hours he searched through the rubble. Many people tried to stop him but to each he replied, "Are you going to help me?" No one did.
Then on the 38th hour he screamed his son's name and a voice came back. "I'm here! It's me Father." Fourteen scared, hungry and thirsty children emerged out of the devastation.
I think what strikes me the most about this story is the father's incredible determination. It's probably not uncommon for parents to make amazing sacrifices during these kinds of emergencies. But this guy took it to the max. He dug and dug and dug and then dug some more. Obviously, his love for his son motivated him beyond the norm.
In our work in world missions, we have been called to do some outlandishly difficult tasks. Sometimes, those tasks require all the gusto we can manage to pull up from our inner being. We need to be like the father in the story... and when you stop and think about it, we get to pull people from ruins for a living! Every person -- one at a time -- that we can snatch from the fires of Hell is just like the little rescued boy in the story above... only instead of helping them regain their earthly lives, we're helping them climb to eternal life.
So today, when you walk out the front door and enter the street or path where you serve, don't lose sight of the reason you're digging... and . . . may you have many happy rescues!!!
Doug
Writing this week from Kenai, Alaska
TO SUBSCRIBE TO BRIGADA TODAY, send email to
hub@xc.org
with only the following message:
subscribe brigada
TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send email to
hub@xc.org with this line in the text:
unsubscribe brigada
At http://www.brigada.org on the web, you can see tons more.
(This issue of Brigada Today is Copyrighted © 1997. However, permission is
granted to freely redistribute provided that such redistribution is to
those who will help the Good News of Christianity to reach the unreached.
But please tell your readers where you learned about the item, and if it's
not asking too much, include the 3 lines on how to subscribe -- see above.
IMPORTANT: To copy or reproduce Brigada Today for any other reason is
illegal and is not permitted.)
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. Kelly, Kainos Press,
MarkKelly@xc.orgBrigada Website: Bob Mayhew, Brigada Volunteer,
mayhew@xc.orgTechnical Development: Jonathan Marsden, MAFxc
jonathan@xc.orgBrigada
Customer Service Manager: Revis Ann Massey,
RevisAnnMassey@xc.orgBrigada
Coordinator: Doug Lucas, Team Expansion & Brigada,
DLucas@TeamExpansion.organd many other occasional contributors too
numerous to mention!11 of July, 1997
| "If you've been asked to lead, you've been asked to serve." | |||
 Page | Doug Lucas DLucas@TeamExpansion.org | Phone: +1 (513) 244 8149 |
 Index |
| PO Box 4100 | FAX: +1 (513) 244 8430 | ||
| Cincinnati, OH 45204 USA | Organization: Team Expansion | ||
| For Secure PGP-encrypted mail, extract my Public Key from:
http://www.pgp.com/cgi-bin/pks-extract-key.pl?op=get&search=0xB4F1EBE9 | |||