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Brigada Today
22 Dec 2006

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In this issue...

  1. IT TRULY IS A WONDERFUL BRIGADA-LIFE
  2. WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF MAKING OUR GOAL...
  3. ONLY FIVE DAYS LEFT TO REACH OUR 2006 NEEDS: $16,650
  4. WANT TO KNOW THE TOP 3 CRITICAL ISSUES?
  5. VISIT THE PRAYER ADVOCACY MINISTRY: CHRISTIANS IN CRISIS
  6. SPECIAL BRIGADA REPORT: WHAT MAKES A MISSIONARY EFFECTIVE?
  7. 50% OFF ON PEOPLE RAISING 6-HOUR TRAINING
  8. LIFEHACKER IS A GOOD READ
  9. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR HARD DRIVE CRASHES IN THE BUSH
  10. AMAZINGMAIL TURNS OUT, WELL,... AMAZING MAIL!
  11. RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR IN LIBERIA
  12. BEIJING OLYMPICS, DO RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT, THEN SERVE
  13. SEARCHING FOR A PAST ITEM IN BRIGADA?
  14. GREAT "BOOK NOTES"
  15. BARREL AQUAPONICS: CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION
  16. AQUAPONICS CONFERENCE
  17. THE BACKPAGE: WHAT'S YOUR WISH-FOR-2007?
  18. CLOSING STUFF
  1. IT TRULY IS A WONDERFUL BRIGADA-LIFE -- Thanks to gifts from an anonymous Virginia participant ($250), another from Oregon ($100), Salem Alliance Church from Salem, OR ($100), a medical missionary in Tanzania ($200), $50 from another employee at Johnson Bible College ($50 -- that's two employees in as many weeks!), a worker in Germany ($50), another in Richmond, VA ($50), yet another from Rockville, MD ($50), a servant with www.christiansincrisis.net and finally, Roland Muller of Roland Muller Books, rmuller.com ($100 gift). That takes us from our previous base, as reported last edition, of $11,054.74 to $12,054.74.
  2. WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF MAKING OUR 2006 NEED -- So as you can see, we're *so* within striking distance. That means we only have $4,595.26 to reach our 2006 need of $16,650 ----- by Sunday. Gulp. But it wouldn't be so hard... It looks like this. We just need:

    1 to give 1000 --- (Nobody has taken this dare yet)
    5 to give 500 --- 3 down, 2 to go
    8 to give 250 --- 3 down, 5 to go
    10 to give 100 --- 9 down, 1 to go
    20 to give 50 --- 16 down, 4 to go
    50 to give 25 --- 7 down, 42 to go

    Look how many folks have pitched in! Yet there are 11,000 Brigada participants in all. The question remains: Can we cover this ground by Sunday. Someone asked, "What will you do if you go *over* the goal amount?" Well please hear this: We will refuse to apply more than the $16,650 to 2006. In fact, if more money were to come in (great leap of faith), we would apply it directly to 2007. If enough money came in to cover 2007, we wouldn't mention finances through the entire *year*! :-)
  3. ONLY FIVE DAYS LEFT TO REACH OUR 2006 NEEDS: $16,650 -- Gulp. Please note... one of our partners mentioned this past week that he wished it would be possible to donate without registering for a PayPal account. Your wish is our command. We have now configured the donations site so you no longer need PayPal. You can now pay directly (simply, and quickly) with any major credit card. Just click on "Sponsor/Donate" in the top menu (to use PayPal or a credit card), or if you prefer, send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada secretary), 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.) As always, be sure to let us know if you'd like us to promote any particular service or ministry, or if you'd prefer your gift be anonymous.
  4. WANT TO KNOW THE TOP 3 CRITICAL ISSUES? -- ... for the Cross- Cultural Church-Planter? Find the book at:

    http://www.rmuller.com/ 

    (And thanks, Roland, for your gracious gift to Brigada this past week.)
  5. VISIT THE PRAYER ADVOCACY MINISTRY: CHRISTIANS IN CRISIS -- You'll be inspired to advocate prayer among your own agency. See their site at:

    http://www.christiansincrisis.net 

    (And thanks to Christians in Crisis for helping Brigada out the door with a gracious gift this past week!)
  6. SPECIAL BRIGADA REPORT: WHAT MAKES A MISSIONARY EFFECTIVE? -- Rebekah is 22 years old. Next year, she'll move to India to begin work as a missionary there. She'll finish Bible college in May . . . and she's preparing in every way she can. But she's eager to know... what's your top-ten list of tips, thoughts, ideas, and principles that can help her become super-effective on the mission field. She's particularly interested in hearing from veterans on the field... those who can tell her, "Here's what made the difference." She'll assemble all the input into a report and file it here in Brigada in two weeks. So everybody who contributes will be able to see what everyone else recommended. When you write her, be sure to tell her if you'd rather your input be anonymous (like if you're in a sensitive land). Likewise, be sure to tell her if you'd like to be credited... and if you'd like any particular email address or website to be listed with your input. Here's a chance for training and resource institutions to be listed along with others around the world, all with a simple goal of saying, "Here's how to get ready for the field." It's simple to participate: Just write Bekah at this address:

    bekahsabs3(at)yahoo(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]

    (If you'd like to see a copy of the kind of thing she might compile, take a look at Heather's recent compilation for MK's at this URL:

    http://www.brigada.org/today/articles/mk_resources.pdf 
  7. 50% OFF ON PEOPLE RAISING 6-HOUR TRAINING -- Need to raise personal support or funds for your organization? People Raising has its 6-hour award-winning video kit 50% off. Discover firsthand how the 12-step People Raising system can help you raise the needed funds in record time while reducing the fears commonly associated with asking for funds. The video kit includes: 4 90-minute videos by author and fundraising expert, Bill Dillon; 72-page Study Guide, 72-page Facilitator Guide, The People Raising book (now in a 13th printing) and handy Presentation Reminder card. People Raising is providing this entire kit at 50% off while supplies last. To get more information and take advantage of this unique fund raising 6-hour training program go online

    http://www.peopleraising.com/purchase.cfm  or contact

    Bill(at)PeopleRaising(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
  8. LIFEHACKER IS A GOOD READ -- Thanks to our long-time friend and contributor, Tim (a well-connected I.T. & missions guy from Cincinnati), for putting us on to

    http://www.lifehacker.com

    It makes for a fun and entertaining read. (If those folks get the missions bug, Brigada would be out of business. :-) ) Sometimes I think the blog format would be great for Brigada. But then I think about all the folks who still receive Brigada via a very small pipe. (Contrary to popular opinion, not everybody has broadband yet, you know. We currently estimate that fully 1/3 of our 11,000 participants still view Brigada from developing nations with very slow Internet channels.) Still, if you're speedy on the Internet highway, check out Lifehacker, a self-proclaimed "software and productivity guide -- a blog that covers tips and tricks for streamlining your life with computers (and sometimes without)." Updated several times daily, Lifehacker "points out software downloads, web sites, do-it-yourself projects, how-to's, tutorials, shortcuts and tips for going beyond the default settings and getting things done in the most clever, unexpected and efficient ways." Our MAC users should be pleased. They seem to have a decided slant in that direction, if you ask me. :-) (Finally *something* mac-ish. Wait -- just teasing! :-) )

  9. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR HARD DRIVE CRASHES IN THE BUSH -- What do you do when (not "if") your hard drive gets trashed while you're traveling or living in the middle of nowhere? Well according to Brigada participant Jonathan, your first concern will actually most likely be email and internet access before file recovery. Here is a quick fix he suggested. PuppyLinux is a free "live" CD operating system that can work without a hard drive present. Just go to

    http://www.puppyos.com/ 

    to download the ISO, burn it to a CD and boot from that CD for a simple, yet complete OS and office solution. You can save settings to a USB drive, or install the whole thing on a 64MB USB drive, if your computer can boot from a USB drive. It's even possible to access files from a "dead" hard drive through Puppy Linux - so burn a Puppy Linux CD and keep it nearby. Who needs a hard drive anyhow?

    Important note: This strategy is like fire extinguishers and bug-out bags. It works best if you prepare things *before* the disaster.
  10. AMAZINGMAIL TURNS OUT, WELL,... AMAZING MAIL! -- Now that Christmas is over, I know what you'll say: "Thanks a *lot* Doug. Why couldn't you have reminded us about this in November!" :-) Well, better late than never. Just make a calendar entry to remember it next time. Here's the deal: My buddy in China used this service at...

    http://www.amazingmail.com 

    Where he uploaded his picture, uploaded the email list, then amazingmail.com did the rest. They print your postcards (quality job, too; very attractive) then mail them out for you complete with postage. All that's left for you to do is ... sit back and enjoy whatever other 65 things you have to do today. Seriously folks... this is a fantastic deal for someone in a sensitive country with a good VPN. Try it out... AmazingMail.com.
  11. RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR IN LIBERIA -- These R&D Modules of 2 weeks are open to sit-ins and participants from communities from February 5 to 16, 2007 in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa). The cost is US$ 450 for the two sessions. Applicants from all countries and nationalities are welcome. The organizers suggest you register ahead while slots are still open. Contact the Streams Center: streams7(at)juno(dot)com or phone: +639157843330 +639062343347

    http://www.streams.mysite.com 
  12. BEIJING OLYMPICS, DO RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT, THEN SERVE -- The first School Of Relief & Development (SWORD) will run in Jordan and Dubai in February 2008. A 2-year Field Assignment will follow, which will be spearheaded by the Olympic Outreach in Beijing July 2008. Teams will then disperse back to the Middle East and into their respective target countries. A team will remain in China. Pre-requisite: A successful DTS or CDTS. For more info, contact: The Streams Center - streams7(at)juno(dot)com -or- visit

    http://www.streams.mysite.com 

  13. SEARCHING FOR A PAST ITEM IN BRIGADA? -- Just click on "search" in the top-line menu above. Put in some key words like... TESL, or "MK" or "trojan" or whatever you're seeking. Watch the magic happen. :-)
  14. GREAT "BOOK NOTES" –- Want to keep up on current books? Subscribe to book notes. David writes notes on the books he reads on missions, church, leadership, culture, and other topics. He sends them without cost to an email list of subscribers and posts them on the web. To see samples or subscribe go to

    http://www.davidmays.org 

    and click on Book Notes or email davidlmays(at)sbcglobal(dot)net [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
  15. BARREL AQUAPONICS: CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION -- Do you want to learn to produce a constant supply fish and vegetables in an efficient, inexpensive small-scale system which will prove to be an effective "helps ministry" outreach? If so, you will want to attend a pre- conference workshop entitled, "Barrel Aquaponics: Construction and Operation" held at Camp Living Water, Bryson City, NC, March 26 & 27, 2007. Instruction will focus on "Aquaponics," which is the combining of aquaculture and hydroponics for mutual benefit. In addition to instruction, each attendee will be given an opportunity to construct a highly productive, small-scale system from barrels, capable of producing fish and a large variety of vegetables, greens & herbs. Full- time missionaries can register at the student rate of $30. For more information or to register, visit:

    http://www.aquacultureinternational.org  or email:

    aquacultureint(at)yahoo(dot)com "(As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address, please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .)". Also see the next item.
  16. AQUAPONICS CONFERENCE -- If you want to develop skills in the emerging technology of fish and vegetable production in a naturally balanced system, plan to attend the Aquaponics Conference held at Camp Living Water, Bryson City, NC, March 28 - 30, 2007. Course participants will learn the techniques of inexpensively constructing and managing these highly productive systems which are adaptable to all types of environments and proving to be an effective outreach ministry. Come and enjoy a rich learning experience, fellowship with believers of like interest and the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains. Full-time missionaries can register at the student rate of $60 or $75 for the Workshop and the Conference. For more information or to register, visit:

    http://www.aquacultureinternational.org 
  17. THE BACKPAGE: WHAT'S YOUR WISH-FOR-2007? -- Got a New Year's wish for 2007? For the final Brigada of the year, we'd love to share yours with the world. You can be personal ("I want to lose 25 pounds"), spiritual ("I *will* pray 10' per day"), or practical ("I will be on time to work throughout 2007"). You can attach your name, or make it anonymous. You can even be romantic, as long as you are sensitive ("By the end of the year, Gladys will agree to marry me" :-) [We reserve the right to edit these; we do have under-age participants in our mix. :-) ] ). (But at the same time, mum's the word: your secret is safe with me. We won't give out *any* of your identities! Have you ever read our "PRIVACY INFORMATION" in "CLOSING STUFF" below? :-) ) So send 'em my way. Please type "WISH-FOR-2007" exactly as suggested (hyphenated, all upper case). If there are just 10 or so wishes, we'll publish them right here in-text. If there are more than 10, we'll link to a PDF and your 2007 wish will forever be stamped in 2007 history! Give us a view to your life... It'll be fun to see where everyone is headed. Please limit your text to no more than 8-10 lines max... like a typical Brigada Today item. (ok... tease me all you want. I'm thick-skinned. *Some* go over 10 lines. I know. :-) ) So have at it. Please send your item to:

    WISH-FOR-2007(at)brigada(dot)org [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] Please don't copy me at my DLucas address. :-)

    In order for them to be granted :-) , all wishes have to be in no later than noon this Friday, December 29th, at which time Brigada will officially be "caught up" as we conclude 2006. Don't be late. Send your "wish-for-2007" today! :-)

    Doug
  18. CLOSING STUFF -- SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION -- Important! Please don't just hit "reply". Subscriptions are automated. First, you need to determine the mailing source of your individual copy of Brigada Today. We're now sending them from 2 sources. To find out, just look at the "From:" address of your last edition. The domain will tell the tale. Here's how to do it:

    If your Brigadas come via YahooGroups: To unsubscribe, write to brigada-today-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe, write to brigada-today-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

    If your Brigadas come via GoogleGroups: To unsubscribe, write to brigada-today-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com To subscribe, write to brigada-today-subscribe@googlegroups.com

    To change your address, you must unsubscribe using your old address then subscribe anew using your new service. If you are receiving this email via some "alias" that you'd like to unsubscribe, try putting that alias email address in the "From:" box of your email client temporarily, then send the unsubscribe message (mentioned above). It'll probably "spoof" the server into unsubscribing that old address. Then just change your "From:" box back to your new address.

    TO SUBMIT AN ITEM -- We love to feature your news & resources! To find out how, read our submission guidelines on the web at: http://www.brigada.org/submissions.html

    TO LEARN MORE -- Interested in learning more about Brigada? Read our site at: http://www.brigada.org and you'll learn the who, what, when, why and where of Brigada. By the way, we no longer provide server-sent files via email-activated commands. Just read all about us on the web!

    NEED SUBSCRIPTION HELP? -- If you're a sponsor, you can now write to help(at)brigada(dot)org [replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] and get a real human response. For information about becoming a sponsor, log on at: http://www.brigada.org and click on "Sponsor" in the top line menu. Note that due to the large number of subscribers (literally thousands) only sponsors get human help.

    DISCLAIMER -- We can't screen 'em all. Please forgive us if a particular site contains offensive information -- or no information at all! We *try* to visit them in advance, but often write "on the road" so we simply *can't* preview everything.

    PLEASE DON'T SUBSCRIBE US TO YOUR LIST -- Sorry -- nothing personal -- but we're already deluged. We'll eventually teach our spam filter to just delete it anyway, but in the meantime, we'll have a sad face because of the volume of mass mailings we receive. :-(

    WARNING ABOUT FORWARDING EMAILS -- Just say no! :-) Read our thoughts about forwarding emails at http://www.brigada.org/articles/opc.html

    WHY DO WE SAY, "[replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]"? -- More and more shady marketing types ("spammers" and "scammers") are using computerized searches to harvest email addresses from off the web without asking permission of the owner. We use this "plain English" addressing syntax to avert automated harvesting for our contributors.

    PRIVACY INFORMATION -- We will never give your information to anybody. We won't market you, won't hassle you, and won't ever bother you. You won't be signed up for mailings you didn't request. Your address is safe and your future is secure. Life is good. :-)

    COPYRIGHT -- This issue of _Brigada Today_ is Copyrighted 2006. However, permission is granted to freely redistribute these materials, including those available on the Brigada website, provided that such redistribution is to those who will help the Good News of Jesus Christ to reach the unreached.* To copy or reproduce _Brigada Today_ for any other reason is illegal and is not permitted. * When you quote or paraphrase material from Brigada, please include this phrase: "For a free subscription to Brigada's weekly missions publication, write brigada-today-subscribe@googlegroups.com and/or visit Brigada on the web at www.brigada.org."
---------------------
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*Brigada Website: WebServant@brigada.org
*For sponsors only: Brigada Customer Service Manager: Penny Lucas, help@brigada.org
*Brigada Coordinator: Doug Lucas, Team Expansion & Brigada, editor@brigada.org
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