July 19: "Scars"

In the chapter "Scars", Mack Stiles lists 3 steps that are super important and should be included in the preparation of all short-term mission trips:

Cultivating a Compassionate Heart: In this section, Mack tells a short story of a missionary friend who was so moved by a leper girl that he wanted to give her money but he knew that creating a "lifestyle of begging" was not the right thing to do. We all have experienced situations like this and Mack tells us that we should do what God has put in our hearts! He states a important concept, "acting as if spare change to beggars is going to give rise to some new problem for the poor grossly underestimates the problems of the poor". We should be able to give because God has placed compassion in our hearts and we should not be worried about the way they will use their money.
In our team time in Mancora we can share some of the little things that we experienced or saw or heard that touched our hearts, situations when we felt compassion for the people.

Developing an Understanding of What the Bible Says About Injustice: Mack asks us a question, "What's the good news about injustice?" and the only andswer is that God totally hates it. He lists some verses that say that God is compassionate, He is a just judge and He seeks rescue for victims. He died in the cross for us and he doesn't want us to sufer anymore. Mack gives us an interesting idea, "We believe in one (Jesus) who has so closely identified with us that he shared in our misery and tasted our death". Jesus wants to take all the pain and suffering from our shoulders. And one day God will judge the world and he will save us from our sufferings if we truly believe in Him. Here is one more thought, "One day God will judge the world, and then the justice we long to see in the world and experience only in bits and pieces will be done in full and done perfectly".
In our team times in Mancora we can talk more about injustice and what the Bible tells us about injustice. We could even memorize some verse that can help us when we face injustice.

Take Action: He wants us to be willing to take some action and be involved in the solution. Just as Mack states it, we can't just go in a mission trip, do our thing and totally ignore the problems in the community, "ignorance and denial is unacceptable". We do not have to come up with a resolution to all the problems but we do have to recognize them and know they exist.
In our team times in Mancora we can pray for the people and for their pain and suffering, we can pray for the little situation we shared that touched our hearts and we can pray so that God not only gives us a compassionate heart, but the will to take some action.

Prayer Request!

Here is a list of my prayer request for this trip:

Pray for safety during the bus trips and the flights.

Pray for health so that we will not get sick.

Pray for us a team and that we would be humble, patient and flexible during this trip.

Pray that we would honor our hosts and the people in Mancora with our thoughts, words and actions.

Pray that we would build trust and not break trust with them.

Pray that as a team we would be unified and cooperate with each other. Pray for no major conflicts or arguments within the team but that we would love each other and respect each other.

Pray for our hearts as God is preparing us for this new experience. For the one that are going for the first time, may God talk to them as they go out as missionaries for the first time. And for the ones who have been there before, may God talk to us and show us what he wants from us in the future.

Pray for our solo times with God during the trip so that we will connect more with Him and be able to not only talk to God but also listen to His voice.

Pray for our leaders as they take care of us.

Pray for the congress and the concert so that there will be no technical difficulties., no problems in general.

Pray for the people in the Band, musicians and singers. We want our music to honor God and to attract nonbelievers.

July 5: "Questions of Trust"

The letters PQT stand for "Prior Question of Trust." This questions says, "Is what I'm thinking, saying and doing building or undermining trust?" This question is just a tool that help missionaries determine whether their thoughts, words, and actions are building or destroying trust between them and the people they are visiting. If something is destroying the trust between them then it has to stop because it can distract from the message the missionaries want to give.

In this article, Mack and Leeann listed twelve nonmoral issues that can build or break trust. Three of those issues that will be important for us to work with are:
Time Views: The people in Mancora are like the panamenians or even worst with time. They can tell you lunch will be serve at 12 pm but not until 12:45 - 1 pm will you get your food. And this is totally normal to them. We as a group need to be very patient and very flexible because things can change over there and the schedule we have might not match theirs so we have to respect their culture and their way of living. We have to go with the flow and obviously enjoy te time we are spending with them because in those 45 minutes we will be waiting for our food we will get to know each other a lot better (as a team) and we will get to know the people in Mancora and spend time with them and have fun with them.
Frame of Reference: There is a lot of poverty in Mancora and we will experience that from the first day. That does not mean they are complete ignorants but they do have a smaller frame of reference. They might not know a lot about international news and happenings or about the newest technological advances or about the best clothes brands or designers. They are simple people, humble people but with a big heart. We need to be careful when we talk to them.
Food: Besides having to wait for our food, maybe we might not like the food they serve us, or maybe it isn't like the one we eat at home, or maybe we are not very hungry, etc. When it comes to food we have to do our BEST to eat and eat it all. When we eat the food they prepared for us with so much love and dedication, they will be honored but most important, God will be honored. And the food in Mancora is not so different from what we are used to so it will not be a big problem for us.

I don't think any of these nonmoral issues will be really difficult for me. I have been there twice already and I kind of know what it will be like. But there is one that I have been thinking about lately, Gift Giving. There is one little girl whom I love and I have missed a lot during the past year. Her mom has called me a couple times this year and everytime I talk to her I cry because I desperately want to go back a see her. She has touched my heart in an amazing way so when I go back I want to go up to her and give her gifts, and toys, and clothes and just a lot of things. That was my plan for this year's trip. But I know I can't just do that. As we saw on the videos, we need to give something that is meaningful to me and to her. I am still thinking of what to take with me and what to give her because I want it to be meaningful and also I don't want other kids to see the gifts I've given her and not them, because there are lots of kids with whom I spent a lot of time with and I know they will remember me but I don't want them to feel left out when I give thing to Cesia and not to them.

June 14: Feelings and Thoughts on Risks.

There will be times when we will have to take risks in order to honor God, build trust with the people, and show love to them. There is nothing wrong with taking risks but we still have to take some precautions. We don't want to base our trip on the risk we will take but on the work God will do. But one thing we can have in mind and it is something Mack Stiles said in his article is that Jesus will reward the risks we take for Him, that is a promised he made, and he will also be honored by them. God is in control and we just have to trust in Him.

June 14: "Mack and Leanne's Guide-Risks!"

The point they are trying to make is that mission trips are risky and we can't control it. There are going to be times were we have to decide, either to stay safe or take the risk, and the best decision is to take the risk. Just as Mack Stiles said, "But those who live for safety alone end up living joyless lives". We don't want to live joyless live, we want to live in Christ and Christ is joyfull. We will become the people we want to be in Christ if we take some risks.

Froms the seven points made, I strongly agree with number 3, "All life involves risk, but we don't look for risk either", and number 7, "Don't make the focus of your trip eliminating or managing risk".

June 14: "Dos and Don'ts"

When reading about all the safety and crime dos and don'ts I got kinda scared =) But it is true, we have to be very careful, pay more attention to our surroundings, be in mixed groups, don't give out too much personal information to strangers, etc. We don't want anything bad to happen. In the past 2 trips we have handle this and nothing has happened. If we obey these guidelines, I'm sure everything will go fine.

Some of the things that will be difficult are: journaling, not taking too much pictures (that's why I'm not taking a camera) and not flushing the toilet paper =) (it's just that I'm so used to flushing it). But over all I think that I will be able to flollow these guidelines because I know that they are for our good, our safety, and to honor and glorify God. We are not tourist, we are missionaries!

May 31: "The African Planter"

Some of the ideas that really touched me were the following ones:

"Americas tend to be poorly informed about the world. America generates enough news on its own that its news organizations don't have space for international news. Yet America exports so many movies and so much news that everybody around the world knows about America, whereas America knows about nobody."

"Short-term missions tend to be like that: they come and completely take over the agenda, the programs, the life of the church. But that's not the way you visit a friend."

"In each of these churches (African churches) it's een important to find a bridging relationship-someone who comes in quietly, speaks slowly, is a good listener, and is trying to learn."

The first idea talks especifically about the people form the U.S. but it can still apply to us. Even most of us who live in Latin America don't know much information about the African countries, Asian countries, the Middle East, etc. We know they exist, we know there is poverty, death, persecution, but that is it. We do not show that sincere interest in them, we are more focused in our lives, and our culture, and our problems. We need to change this. We need to start to care more about them.

The other two ideas can be linked together. The first one shows how were are not supposed to be (doing things our way and controlling everything) and the second one shows how we are supposed to behave (listening and willing to learn). We can choose any of the two options and behave whoever we want, but if we choose option 2 and we go with a humble attitude and as a servant, our trip will succeed!

May 31: Jahango Fair

What aspects of God's character did you witness in the Jahango activities you witnessed?

In the Jahango activities, I witnessed God´s inmense patience. He is not in a hurry but he is patiently waititng for the day the Jahango people will open their eyes, ears, and hearts to Him. I also say God´s grace and mercy for the Jahangos. He is not only waiting for them but He is also blessing them every day and sending more missionaries and opportunities for them to know God and to feel his love and forgiveness.

What similarities / differences do you notice between the Jahango culture and the Kenyan culture we've been observing on "Round Trip"?

The Jahango and the Kenyan's physical appearance is very similar since they are both African cultures. In the Kenyan culture we've been watching, there is a christian church and there are some Kenyan Christian people living there, not only missionaries. But in the Jahango culture, the only Christians are the missionaries, not the people from the village.

What cross-cultural challenges do you anticipate the Galvez family will face as Colombians living in Panama moving to Guinea?

Some of the cross-cultural challenges I think the Galvez family will face are:

• The Jahangos will not be fully educated as the Galvez are. Their culture is not based on world-wide education but on their people, on what they do, what they believe, their religion.
• The community is not an advanced community but there is poverty everywhere. Their houses might not be as sanitized as ours here in Panama and there might not be enough hygiene among the people.
• Their religion is completely different and it influences their way of living. They are all Muslims.
  

May 24: Jeff's Challenge

1. We are not going to Mancora to serve: we are going to Mancora because we are servants.
How are these ideas different? What are the implications of being servants rather than serving? And how does that connect with the idea of "We cannot truly serve those we do not know and love"?

I totally agree, we are going to Mancora because we are servants. It is completely true and these ideas are completely different because if we were to go to serve then that menas we only serve when we go to Mancora but if we are servants then we serve wherever we go. This connects with the idea of "we cannot truly serve those we do not know and love" because as servants we are able to communicate with the people, build relationships and love them. As servenats we serve God and by getting to know the people and living the people we are serving and glorifying God. We can serve people without knowing them and loving them but we can't be servants without at least loving them.

2. "To get closer to God" should not be a goal of mission trips; that is the goal of being a Christ-follower. Missions is something we do because we want to be obedient. Look at the "QUESTIONS" portion of the CBC Short-term missions philosophy. What one or two of these questions do you hope this trip gives you more insight into? Why? What specifically do you hear God speaking to you about as you pray for, read scripture, and prepare for this trip?

Two of the questions that I hope this trip gives me more insight into are:

• WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST? What can I learn about discipleship? - I chose this question because I really want to learn more about what following Jesus and being more like him. I want to be a follower of Christ so I have to learn more and more what does it really mean to be one.
  

• WHERE AM I GOING? What might God call me to be and to do as a result of this experience? What can I learn about my vocation?- I chose this question because this is my prayer. I want God to speak to me during this trip and just give me a glimpse of what He wnats me to do with my life.

As I'm preparing for this trip I hear God calling us to be more like Him and I think that in order to prepare for this trip we have to be like Jesus. It is just so important.

My main goal and hope is that we may think, act, and speak like Jesus Christ!

May 24: "A Community of the Broken"

What will it take for our trip to be a step in the right direction - both for us at Crossroads and for the church as a body?

I think that for us to be in the right direction we have to be loving, patient, humble, flexible, willing to serve, and open-minded. We can't let our team be fragmented, divided, nor ineffective! If we want to set an example to that church we gotta be united and I think that as a church we do a pretty good job at that, even though we have so many cultures mixed up.

Why is it important that our short-term missions trip be more than "sanctified tourism"? What will it take to keep ours from becoming a kind of tourism?

For our mission trip not to become a "sanctified tourism" we have to leave behind our comfort zone and also leave behing our selfish nature and just go and spend time with the people, do whatever they want to do, love them and serve them too obviously and of course just be Jesus to them. It is not about us, it is about them and about God.

What other ideas or quotes from this article struck you?

There is one satement I liked a lot and it says: " Many in WMF (Word Made Flesh) have found that giving up the freedon that comes with the developed world in order to offer the freedom that comes with knowing Christ is hardly a sacrifice" I just love it because it is a truth for me and for my live.

May 24: "Aligning with God's 21st century moves"

The main title of Pastor Gary’s message last Sunday was Aligning with God’s 21st century moves and he mentioned 5 main points:

1. The world has been turned upside down! - Here Pastor Gary stated how in the 1900s, only 10% of the Christian missionaries were living in the Southern parts of the world and 90% of the Christians were living in the Northern parts of the world. But in the year 2000, 80% lives in the South and 20% lives in the North, meaning more missionaries are going to those places. He also used a quote that said, “I looked, I saw and I heard” which means that we have to go and look for those needy places, see the people and hear about their needs. He finished his point by stating how the very hard and difficult places belong to God and the people from these places are the ones Christ died for.
2. The Gospel is about the Kingdom! – Pastor Gary mentioned that Jesus wants to bring his reign, his rule and his kingdom to the earth.
3. Social unity is essential for credibility! – He said that God wants us to be united. He wants us to bring the world into complete unity; just as he (God) and Jesus are united. If we as a church become one, then the world will believe in God because of our example.
4. Send the right people to the right people! – The easy places have been captures and the tough places are the ones left. So, as members of a church, we have to recognize the calling some of our people have for missions and send them because Jesus’ mission is to capture all the nations.
5. You will run into pain and suffering! – God wants us to be a part of the pain, suffering and persecution of the world because we are the church of Christ and this is our calling.
He finished by saying that to be a follower of Jesus is to participate in the greatest moves!


The points that are most relevant to us as we prepare for our trip are:
¤ Mancora has been turned upside down! This little town is changing with time. Last time we went we prayed for a youth pastor and now God provided one. God is changing the lives of the people in Mancora because Jesus died for them too and he is also sending people like us to love and serve the people in Mancora.
¤ If we as a team are united, we will be setting an example to the people in Mancora and they will believe.
¤ Mancora is not one of the hardest places to go as missionaries but that does not mean that it doesn’t have its problems. Jesus wants to capture the whole town of Mancora and we have to obey his calling to go and serve and love.
¤ When we go to Mancora, we will run into pain and suffering because of the poverty there is and the need for God’s love and forgiveness.

May 17: "Experiencing Life at the Margins."

The ideas in this article that surprised me were:
"You never discover how racist you are until you have the opportunity to be a racist."
"Africa's crisis is not poverty, it's not AIDS. Africa's crisis is confidence."
"God so loved the world- how dare we say we identify with him in that love if we don't go there, if we don;t choose the margins."

Idea that will apply:
The article stated how we are to go and spend time with the people, with no agenda but just to be with them. This will apply to us because thats what we are going to do down in Mancora, just spend time with the people, lovng them and serving them.

Idea that don't apply:
The idea of racism will not apply to us because we come from a latin country so we are used to this type of community.

May 17: Commitments!

I do not disagree with any of the commitments. I think they are all very necessary and if we do them we will have a successful trip.

Two commitments I feel strongly about are:

• WE WILL stop thinking of short-term mission trips as a service to perform and see them as another expression of a seamless life of missional living that includes giving and receiving. It’s a time to learn. When we’re with brothers and sisters from another part of the world, let’s spend less time thinking about how we can tell everyone back home what we did for them and more time finding out what they’re truly facing and getting their perspective on how we can help.
• WE WILL humble ourselves before God as His servants, and humble ourselves towards those we are serving as their servants, too.

I agree with these statements because they define what missions are. We are supposed to go and SERVE the people, SPEND time with the people, and LOVE the people. The only things we have to build are RELATIONSHIPS! I know God wants us to go and be brothers and sisters to the people in Mancora, he wants us to serve Him and love Him by serving and loving the people in Mancora. Another important thing is that we have to learn from them because we are not perfect. We are christians just as they are christians trying to live for God in a sinful world.

Our indiviual and team preparation will be characterized by...our humility, our flexibility, our unity as a team, our desire to serve, our love for Christ and our desire to be like Christ!

May 10: Summary!

How do you hope this short-term experience affects you, changes you, shapes you, molds you?

Well, I hope this experience touches my heart and shows me what God might have for me in the future. I want God to make me a servant, just like Jesus, I want to serve God and His people. I hope this third trip to Mancora strenghtens my relationship with the people in Mancora. And I want to come back with a deeper and stronger relationship with God.

May 10: Objectives!

• Assist participants in learning to work well within a team that must strategize and plan ministry programs together and then function effectively in a foreign culture

• Provide participants with many opportunities to share their faith in Christ through word and deed and develop and exercise their unique gifts and abilities

• Provide opportunities for participants to develop relationships across cultures through face-to-face partnership with host ministries and national Christians and through interaction with children, youth and adults in various settings

I hope God speaks to me during this trip. I have a strong desire to serve him in the mission field but I know that God is the one who decides and the one who will guide me. I want to be able to serve and honor Him by serving other people and I also want God to make me more like Jesus and help me be an example of Jesus to the people we are visiting.

May 10: Outcomes

God has given each individual specific talents and gifts, and a unique personality that reflects a unique part of His personality. These gifts have been bestowed on mankind to be used in His service and to bring Him glory.

It is amazing how God has blessed us all by giving us unique personalities that reflect on His own personality. It is very important for us as christians to know that God gave us gifts and talents and He is expecting us to use them for His glory and for His kingdom. Something I've learned is that God give us specific gifts and with those specific gifts we can do specific things and I say this because I always want to be involved in everything and I always want to do everything and I can't because there are things that God wants others to do. Well, in conclusion, the gifts and talents God gives us should be use during this trip to Mancora.

May 3: Assumptions

Are there any of these assumptions with which you disagree? Which ones? Why?

There is one assumption with which I disagree: "Most of the reports about the positive impact we have had on a community come from the goers, not the intended receivers". I think that if we as goers do an excellent job at loving, serving, and being Jesus to the people we are visiting, then there will be a positive impact on the receivers because they will remember us and remember the God-centered lives we are trying to live.

Choose three assumptions strongly agree with. Explain why you feel strongly, then explain what we need to do because of or as a result of the assumption.

Three assumptions I strongly agree with are:

• The biggest challenges lie in communication, misunderstanding, personality conflicts, poor leadership, and bad teamwork
• Generosity brings with it the subtle but important issues of power. We must not imply that we are blessed because of our wealth, while those with less than us are not. We also must not believe that those we serve want what we have. We do not wish to import the idol of consumerism. There are ways we are both poor, and both rich. Nor do we wish to imply that we know what they need.
• Our mission trips usually assume we have something to offer the churches and communities we visit, but there is much to learn from them as well

I agree with the first one because in order to succeed we need, as a group, to communicate, to have patience, to work together and to try our best to understand each other. God placed us in this team and we need to honor him by working together with a smile. I agree with the second one because it isvery essential for us to be humble. We need to leave everything behind (our possesions, our comfort zone), have an open heart,and be who we really are. The people we are going to visit do not want to know how much money our parents make, they want to know who we are in Christ. And I also agree with the third one because there is so much we can learn from the people in Mancora. They are content people and they love God with their whole hearts.

April 26: Letter to myself.

Dear me =)

One of the things God is doing to prepare you for this trip is that He is molding your self-centered heart into a humble heart. It is not that you are extremely self-centered but as humans I think we all have a little bit of it that needs to change.
I feel it is super important for us to go because we need to keep this relationships. It is all about relationships and we can't just forget about this people. If we don't go back, then all the work we did the last 2 years will be almost for nothing. God is calling us to go again because he wants us to create a greater impact in the lives of the people in Mancora, Peru. And like youtold your mentor, you have a heart for this people sso in your heart you have this need to go back.
What I want the most for when you come back, is for you to keep that spirit and attitude towards serving God and serving people. It's weird how sometimes when we are here in Panama, it is a lot harder to serve people. That is why I want you to do your best to maintain that desire to serve.

April 26: God at work.

God is definitely at always work and EVERYWHERE! We might not see it but we can trust him. In my life God is doing a lot of work. Right now I feel like he is molding me and shaping me into a better woman. He is helping me with patience, not only with people but in the sense of having to wait for something. He is teaching me how to react to ugly circumstances in a better, christian way and to include him in my everyday struggles. Also, he is giving me the strength to wake up every morning at 5:30 am to pray. I want to create a habit of starting my day with prayer but it is REALLY hard for me to wake up (so whoever is reading this please pray for me!). But I am taking the challenge because I want to grow.
In my family, God is driving us closer as a family. In my church, God is touching the hearts of people with missions. More people want to be involved in missions and it is just because and for Him. In my city and in my country, God is creating a greater need for Him and this is providing ways for us as christians to spread his word.
God is at work everywhere and the things he does are amazing.

April 19: Summary

What role do you typically exercise on a team?

On a team, I am typically a leader and a person who works really hard and whenever a task has to be accomplish, I do my best to get the best results. I am a very commited person and I like to always be doing something, helping someone and giving ideas. I like to finish what I start.

What should members of this team know about you in order to work with you as best as they can?

Members of this team should know that I am a perfectionist, which sometimes helps a lot. I am also a very organized person and I love to have and do things in order. I am pretty flexible but I still like to do some plannig before acting. I enjoy working with people who are as hard working as I am.

How might God be bringing together your personality type and your spiritual gifts for use in his kingdom?

I think God might use my personality and my spiritual gifts together so that I can shine for him and be a light for the people in Mancora. He will give me so many opportunities to serve Him and serve the people.

April 19: Personality & Spiritual Gifts

How do my personality and my spiritual gifts fit together?

I think that my personality and my spiritual gits fit perfectly together. The gift of ADMINISTRATION and SERVICE fit in with what an ENFJ is, they are ready to get everyone organized and look for possible ways to accomplish a task. The gift of HELPS describe how the ENFJs are always there to comfort others and express the appreciation felt. And also, ENFJs have tons of creative ideas in which something can be done, and this applies to the gift of TEACHING.

April 19: Spiritual Gifts

MY SPIRITUAL GIFTS

My 5 main spiritual gifts are:

1. Faith : to discern with confidence the will and purpose of God for His work.
   
2. Service :to identify the unmet needs involved in a task related to God's work and to make use of available resources to meet those needs and help accomplish the desired results.
   
3. Administration : to undesrtand clearly the goals and execute effective plans for the accomplishment of those goals
   
4. Helps : to invest their talents in the life and ministry of others, enabling those others to increase the effectiveness of their own spiritual gifts.
   
5. Teaching :to communicate information about God in such a way that others will learn.
   

The 4 spiritual gifts with the lowest scores:

1. Ekballism
2. Miracles
3. Tongues
4. Interpretation of Tongues

I was not surprised with the results because the are very similar to last year's result, when I took the test for the first time. If I think about it, this is just a written confirmation of what I believed my spiritual gifts are. I love to serve God, I love to help, I love to teach about God and his gretness and through out time I have come to be a woman of faith.

April 19: Personality Test

EXTRAVERTED INTUITIVE FEELING JUDGING

The ENFJs make decisions on the basis of personal values, they seek stable, harmonious relationships and they tend to the environment, taking on board those valies that are held as important by their friends and family, or society as a whole. also, they expressed the appreciation that is felt towars others, they tend to coonsider other's feelings before their own and they are sensitive to praise and criticism, and seek to comfort others' reasonable expectations.
Under stress, they will get everyone organized, express appreciation for their effort, contribute creative ideas, and fail to consider the cost implications. But they also might get very critical and find fault with almost everything.

How can I contribute to this team?

• by promoting insight and common understanding amongst the team
• generating team spirit
  
• focusing on areas of agreement and building on others' proposals
• bringing discussions to positive conclusions
• seeking to arrive and consensus decisions

How can I hurt this team?

• by assuming I know the needs of everyone
• by trying to help them develope insight, the ENFJs can appear bossy
• talking too much
• taking criticism personally