Welcome & Introduction

Finding Information & Getting Started

There are two main sources of info for your project preparation:

1) Our website, mk2mk.org is your key link to info and assistance for THIS SPECIFIC MK2MK SUMMER MISSION.

• Notice the project menu box on the Summer Project main page

• Check for updates regularly and READ EACH COMPLETELY! We try hard to only post what is essential and helpful so read it thoroughly.

2) Cru's website, mpd.uscm.org is the generic summer mission resource website.

• This is the link included in your acceptance email.

• It has some awesome interactive tools for you. More on that later.

Note: If you see a contradiction between the info we post on the mk2mk.org site and the general Cru site, you should ALWAYS DEFAULT TO OUR MK2MK SITE’S INFO. Our site is concerned with only our specific summer projects. The gosummerproject.com site is the resource site for hundreds of Cru summer projects – mostly for college students.

Who to Contact

Travel Coordinator: Jon Yturralde  – He will be facilitating the travel process and working with our travel agent. Contact him at jon.yturralde@cru.org

Project Directors:
South Africa: Paul Snider– He will be planning and leading your teams on the ground. Contact them him Paul.snider@cru.org

Project Administrator: Brenda Friesen – responsible for financial and other logistical details for both projects before departure and after our return. Contact her at brenda.friesen@cru.org

Project Coach: Assigned – This is your primary contact person. This is an mk2mk staff member who will contact you shortly. They will oversee your support development and preparation for your mission trip. It is critical that you maintain good communication with your project coach.

MK2MK Office – Please direct all correspondence to the MK2MK Office at: 407-541-5223
Hours are 9am to 4pm Eastern Time zone, Monday through Friday.

MK2MK Mailing Address
MK2MK MC 2800
100 Lake Hart Drive
Orlando, FL 32832

General Guidelines

This Guide is designed to help you succeed in:

• Funding your summer mission

• Preparing your heart for the mission trip

• Getting vital information to you

• Equipping you for the mission trip

Follow these instructions to make the most out of your step-by-step mission trip preparations.

1. Read through ALL the guide pages.

Just do it! It’s important to become familiar with the trip and the responsibilities, dates, and requirements of the mission trip. Your coach is going to ask you if you have! Weekly updates will be posted.

2. Ask your parent(s) to read this guide AND the parent guide.

It is important that they are informed about your trip participation but they are not responsible for any of your tasks. They have their own parent's guide with some of this same information.

3. Check for updates/emails several times a week

Updates will be posted regularly from the MK2MK office and the project director. These updates will contain the most recent and accurate information.

4. Check the Deadlines sheet for deadlines.

Look over the calendar regularly.
Keep the deadlines! Just do it! This is absolutely critical. Plan well in light of your school and activity schedule.

5. Find faithful prayer partners.

Prayer support is just as important as financial support. Find five individuals who will commit to pray daily for you, write down their names and pray for them too.

Mission Trip Purpose and Plan

There are four major purposes for this mission trip:

1. To help you prepare for a lifetime of fruitful ministry. You are very important to God and all of us at MK2MK. This mission trip, through the preparation time, ministry in the host countries, and specific follow through will give you the opportunity to grow in your faith and develop skills to enable you to have more fruitful ministries throughout your life.

2. To be part of helping to fulfill the Great Commission: This mission trip can have historic significance. By participating in this project, you will discover and help accomplish God’s purpose for our world.

3. To grow spiritually: Stepping out in faith and out of your comfort zone helps that happen!

4. To experience community in service with other MKs.

Specific Ministry Purpose and Plan

What we will be doing during these mission trips?
In general, this is what all mk2mk mission trips do:

• Expose students to the gospel, share our faith with them

• Seek to win people to Christ

• Aid the spiritual growth of those who respond (follow-up)

• Serve in ways that build the local movements

 The specific plan for your mission trip will likely include these strategies:

• Creative Outreaches:

  • English Camps

  • Sports

  • Drama

  • Music

  • Humanitarian efforts/mercy ministry – in a relational context

• Personal evangelism

  • Share your personal story (testimony)

  • Share “Would You Like to Know God Personally?"

  • Meet with students as we build relationship

  • The Soularium tool/The FOUR

• Follow-up

  • Some basic follow-up can be introduced as people come to Christ

  • Equip Believers to Multiply their Faith

A Couple of Urgent Steps to Take

1. OBTAIN or UPDATE your passport

Check the expiration date; it must have a 6 months remaining from the end of your project date, which means it can’t expire before January 20, 2020. It also needs to have two blank visa pages facing each other

You need to do this immediately. Details on Passports are in the Travel section. You will need the following to apply for a passport:

• Birth Certificate

• Two passport photos

• Passport application

For non-Americans Please check with your embassy to see if you need a visa, and if so, begin the process (Americans do not need visas for South Africa). Please inform your coach if you are beginning this process so we can track with you. You will likely also need help and information directly from the Project Director and our Local Coordinator in South Africa.

2. WRITE your first draft of your support letter

Send it to your coach. Read the finance section before you begin this as it explains how you need to do this. Submit your first draft to your coach who will be assigned shortly, by March 15th. It will be proofed and sent back to you as soon as possible.

Use the letter writing tool on the gosummerproject.com link or draft your own. You can also use the examples from our resources page here. Please do not write a generic letter! If you use our examples you still need to modify the letter! Make it personal and include a photo of yourself.

DO NOT SEND OUT ANY LETTERS UNTIL YOUR DRAFT HAS BEEN PROOFED AND APPROVED BY YOUR COACH.

Calendar and Deadlines

Summer Mission Dates: 

South Africa Project 1: June 13 to July 12

South Africa Project 2: July 20 - August 18

[These dates do not include travel days]

All students must be available for the entire mission trip, you may not arrive late or leave early.

Please see the deadlines page for a full list of your preparation deadlines and support goals.

Finances & Support Raising

God’s Perspective

In a unique way, God has chosen to use young men and women throughout history as a driving force behind the expansion of His church. Many of the great revivals of the past began as a result of students praying together. As they experienced personal and corporate spiritual renewal, they came away with a burning desire to share Christ with everyone, leading to missions efforts worldwide.
It’s your turn now!!  You are part of a new generation of young people worldwide. You have accepted the challenge to help reach the world for Christ by deciding to join other students on an international mission trip. You are in a unique position to invite others to invest in His cause. By offering individuals the opportunity to join as prayer and financial partners, you give them a chance to invest in eternity.

God’s Promises
The pertinent promises that follow as you trust God for support are backed by the character and authority of our all-knowing, all-powerful, immutable God. Meditate upon and claim these while raising your funds.

• The Lord will guide you and direct you (James 1:5).

• He will give you what it takes to develop your support team (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

• God not only gives you the desire to obey Him, but He also gives you the power to be obedient (Philippians 2:13).

• He will protect you from Satan’s lies (i.e. “You’re a beggar,” or “You aren’t good enough for Christian work,” etc.).

• All God lets happen to you during your support team development time will be for your good (Romans 8:18).

• He won’t fail or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6; Romans 8:35).

• He will give you faith to see your requests fulfilled (Luke 11:9-13).

• For additional encouragement, read Psalm 37:23-26 in the Living Bible.

The most important thing you can do in raising your support is to pray.
God is concerned about you and is able to meet your needs. He wants you to depend on Him. The next step after prayer is action. Developing a team of ministry partners is part of the MK2MK summer mission experience and takes a great deal of discipline and work. After you are given your summer mission costs, the following pages will give you many ideas on how to begin and follow through with the actual process of developing ministry partners.

Summer Mission Costs: How This Works!

Flights & Paying for Flights
MK2MK will be booking flights through various hub cities. The Travel Coordinator will communicate with you and your parents about your specific arrangements. Because this is a process that will not be finished before your support letter is sent out you will need to estimate the cost. Do not choose the lowest price you see on the internet! It is much better to have a higher support goal in your letter and then adjust down. You will not be required to raise the higher amount if the ticket is less. Because we accommodate crazy missionary family summer schedules your support goal will be personalized. Should your family change plans after tickets are purchased this could impact your goal.

Here is the simple process: Our travel coordinator will email parents and ask where the student is traveling from and back to. Once we have your information we will make your flight reservation. We will pass this reservation by your parent if we have questions. Then we will purchase your ticket using the support you have raised. Sounds simple right? It isn’t! But we will all get there and get back home again, we have never lost a student!

TRAVEL COORDINATOR:
Jon Yturralde: jon.yturralde@cru.org

Total Support Goal
Summer Mission Designation Number: You should have received this by e-mail from summer.missions@cru.org. If you have not received it yet, then contact Brenda Friesen: brenda.friesen@cru.org. Use this number when sending checks and forms to the MK2MK office.

Cost varies depending on travel expenses. Some will be flying direct to our summer mission location.
We are committed to keeping the cost of your summer mission as low as possible without compromising any standards of travel or accommodations that would hinder your effectiveness and safety. Here is the simple answer about your goal, but we will be giving you specifics as we start to set up travel. 

BASE COST: $2900
+    AIRFARE* $________    
=    TOTAL      $________

*Your airfare will be determined by the travel coordinator and you will be informed. Until then you will need to estimate to set a temporary goal.  Choose a moderately priced ticket from the internet, not the lowest. Also note that the Cru administrative charge of 12% will be added to the cost of airfare. 

Financial Deadlines
In order for your coach to see that your efforts are progressing well, specific dates are established for mailing sponsorship money.

On these dates, mail all checks that you have received to:
MK2MK—MC 2800
100 Lake Hart Drive
Orlando, FL 32832

The financial deadlines (see the Deadline page) indicate the total amount you should have raised and sent to MK2MK, by the dates listed. Please honor these dates.  If for some reason you are unable to meet a deadline please email your coach.

Failure to be attentive to deadlines may result in your being dropped from the mission. Communication is the key!

The amounts are goals to aim for, realizing that God’s timing and ours may not be the same. Because of the time lag between when you ask for money and when you get a response from people, it is reasonable to assume that a higher percentage of your sponsorship funds will come in during the last month before the mission trip. This is reflected in the dollar goals for the due dates. However, if on any of the dates your support is significantly below the specified amount, it will raise concerns. Your summer mission staff members will call to discuss this with you.

Deposit Deadline
A non-refundable, non-transferable deposit of $200 is required no later than March 25th. This should be submitted by giving online, through your designation number on give.cru.org. This will ensure your place on the trip and will allow our office to pay for necessary upfront expenses or deposits. If we do not receive your deposit by this date, we will assume that you decided not to participate on the trip. This deposit will also count towards your total goal.

If you are still under your support goal when the deadline passes, you will need to show your assigned coach how you plan to raise the rest of your funds in order to remain on the trip.

Money received after the final deadline must still be mailed to MK2MK.

What is Covered
The following items are all covered in the Mission Trip Fee:
All housing
All food
All non-flight transportation
Evacuation insurance
All ministry supplies and materials
Briefing and debriefing

What’s Not Covered
Miscellaneous Summer Mission Expenses:
As you prepare for the summer mission, you will have expenses not included in the Goal. For example:
The cost of raising support (postage, telephone calls, printing, and thank you notes)
The application fee
Immunizations and medication (if applicable) – use insurance!
Toiletry and clothing items
Obtaining a passport/visa
Personal spending money
Small gifts to take to your new friends in your host country

All of these expenses are variable so we don’t include them in the goal. If you raise over your goal you can potentially reimburse them all (except for toiletry/clothing items and personal spending money) including costs for notarizing papers needed for immigration, etc. However you need to pay for them upfront and then keep receipts if you’d like to reimburse them later. Contact Brenda Friesen on how to do this, once you have exceeded your final support goal. 

You can also use money from checks you receive which are made out to you, from individuals who do not want a tax receipt from Cru. Most people receive cash gifts too, which means if you are over your goal and those people don’t want a receipt, you can also use that for these extra expenses.

Spending Money
You may want to take an additional $100-$150 of your own money for personal spending, or gifts for ministry partners, friends, and family. Traveler’s checks may be hard to cash. It is advised your spending money be carried in small denominations ($20, $10, and a few $5 bills).

Fundraising – Follow These Steps!

You may raise funds to help pay for all or part of the summer mission fee listed above and airfare. Although you are not obligated to raise sponsorship funds, most people do because:

• Most students do not have the personal finances to cover all the summer mission expenses.

• It follows the biblical pattern of giving others an opportunity to be a partner with you in ministry.

Remember: When raising funds, you are raising money for the summer mission, not yourself. Your partners are giving to the MK2MK International Summer Mission. Therefore, if you receive more funds than needed, those funds will be used to help other students who have not raised enough to cover project expenses.

Note: All checks should be made payable to Cru. These will be responded to with a tax deductible receipt.

Key Ideas to Remember as You Raise Funds

1. Keep your coach informed of your progress. He or she will help you by answering questions about the trip, giving advice on raising funds, and tracking your progress.

2. Begin as soon as possible to develop your sponsorship team. Start by mailing your letters to any out-of-town sponsorship prospects.

TIP! In telling your sponsors when you need to receive their contributions, remember to give yourself enough time so that if a check is altered, there will be time to return it to the sponsor to rewrite the check and have it returned to you. This could take up to one month! An altered check is when the sponsor makes a mistake and crosses it out and initials it.  Our bank will no longer accept checks that are altered.

Begin now raising funds, following specific instructions and guidelines (i.e. Name storming, support letter draft, etc.). Note that your support letter draft is due to MK2MK on March 15th, and the final edit is due March 25th. (See the sample letter)

You will begin with this logical process, explained in detail below:

Collect Names:  Use the Name Storming section
Record your potential contacts on Contact Cards/or spreadsheet – see the Contact  section below
Determine Your Support Goal (we will help you)
Write Your letter (download two samples here. Also see the Tips to Help Your Letter Stand Out section)

Every letter needs to include the following paragraph. Cut and paste it into your letter, adding your designation number.

"There are different ways to make your gift:

• On-line through give.cru.org

• Cru Staff account Transfer (email brenda.friesen@cru.org with my designation #____________, amount, and your staff account #)

• Check made payable to “CRU“ and sent to... (Supply them your mailing address if you are living in the U.S. or your U.S. contact person’s address if you are living overseas)

      Please include my designation #__________ on all transactions."

What to mail to potential sponsors:
Your letter
Self-addressed*, envelope (to make it easy for people to respond).
E-mail the draft of your letter to your coach for approval before sending it out!
Follow up with a phone call
When you have talked with a contact and gotten their decision on support, record the decision on your Contact Card AND/OR on your spreadsheet (if you only use a spreadsheet then it only needs to go there) AND write a thank you note (record that too so you don’t forget)

*IF YOU ARE USING A CONTACT PERSON IN THE U.S. – if you are having checks sent to a relative or someone else in the USA, put that address on the envelope and explain in your letter that this person is helping you because of the challenges of international mailing.
YOU MUST email the MK2MK office [brenda.friesen@cru.org) and tell her the name, phone number and email of the person helping you.  We will send them the forms and instructions for handling your donations.

Step One: Name Storming

The first step to take in raising your funds is to make an initial list of people you can challenge to become involved in your mission trip. This is “Name Storming.” Remember, anything goes . . . No name is disqualified. Don‘t decide whether an individual will be interested or not. If you limit yourself to those you feel will or can give, you may be prematurely disqualifying some who God wants to become sponsors. Later you will need to prioritize those you should contact first, but for now, don’t disqualify anyone!

First, see if your parents or the staff you know would be willing to help. Then begin Name Storming by associating various professions, businesses, and places with the names of friends and acquaintances.

Note: Be sure to check with your pastor and/or missions board before asking people who are involved at your church to be your ministry partners.

Your goal is to have a solid list to be able to send at least 75 letters. A good range would be somewhere between 75 and 150 letters. So if you can add more to your list, add more. 

After taking an hour or so of “Name Storming,” prioritize your list. Divide your list
Into three groups:

• top priority – very likely to respond

• medium priority - likely to respond

• low priority - less likely to respond

Step Two: Contact Records

Contact Cards/Spreadsheet
You will want to have a system for keeping track of your donors, both for now, for when you send the report letter, and later when you want to go on another mission trip. You can create a contact card for each person and include: 

Name, address, and home/work phone numbers
Person who referred them (if relevant)
Current plan with this person (write letter, call, etc.)

You will find it helpful to divide your contact cards/spreadsheet into the following sections:
--Those you need to write letters to
--Those you need to call or contact
--Those you need to call back for a decision
--Those who have become your ministry partners

We strongly encourage you to also set this list up on a spreadsheet and save it on your computer in a place you can access later (for example a google drive). We will not be able to provide you with donor addresses after the summer!

Step Three: Determine your Support Goal

We will help you determine this goal, watch for more info on this.
Your airfare will be determined by the summer mission travel coordinator and you will be informed. Until then you will need to estimate to set a temporary goal.  Choose a moderately priced ticket from the internet, not the lowest.

Step Four: Write your Letter

Write and Call Strategy
This “Write & Call Strategy” describes how to develop summer mission partners by writing letters and making phone calls. The vast majority of your letters need to be sent via the MAIL, not over email.  This is because we have found that this is much more effective than email. If you need to send some by email be sure to do each one individually, do not send a mass email.

You can see a great deal of success by writing a personal letter presenting your needs and then making a phone call to ask potential sponsors to join your team. While it would be best to send a handwritten note to each contact, if you have a large number of names (150 is a good goal), you may write personally to the top priority group in a mail merge format (25 to 50 people). Then you can type a general letter and have 125 copies printed to send to the rest of the people. You might consider having your letter mail-merged and personalized. The sample letter in this section is a model you can use to start with as you write your letters. If you prefer to write one of your own, make sure you include information about yourself and the summer mission and tell why you want to go on this summer mission. Be sure to invite them to become involved financially.

Generic Sample Letter
Here is a sample letter, it is very simple, yours should be personal! Be sure to see our website for other sample letters and ways to make your letter stand out, this is just the basic info.  Fill in the blanks with specific information about our summer mission.

Dear _____________,                                                                                                           Date
(If this letter is going to a referral, begin with “(name of person giving referral) suggested that you might be interested in considering the challenge to join me ….”   Then give a brief personal update (this helps your letter not be generic so don’t skip this!). 

Then “An exciting opportunity has come up for me to take part in an international outreach trip sponsored by MK2MK, the international staff kid ministry of Cru. I will be going to ___________ to talk to people about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We will be involved in evangelism, in training national believers to reach their country for Christ, and we will also serve alongside local staff and missionaries, ministering to children and students. I would like to invite you to join with me to make a difference in the world.

The __________________ mission trip will bring the life-saving message of Jesus to national teenagers. I’ll be going as part of a team of _____ to _____________ from __________ to ___________. Our ministry will be outreach to high school students through their classrooms, sports and drama. We will also be involved in humanitarian work including working in a hospice.  I’m excited to invest my summer in such a significant way.
In order to make all this possible, I need to develop a Ministry Partner Team. This is a group of people like you who want to join me and others on my mission trip by praying and giving financially.   My total need is $________. This includes a briefing and training time, airfare, lodging, meals during the trip, and a debriefing time.

In order to meet this need as quickly as possible, I am looking for contributions of $50, $100, $200, or whatever God leads people to give. All gifts are tax deductible. Be assured that any money I raise over my goal will go to help other students on this international outreach trip.  I need to have all my funds by _______.

Would you consider helping send me on the _________________ summer mission? If God leads you to give, there are different ways to make your gift:

• On-line through give.cru.org

• Cru Staff account Transfer (email brenda.friesen@cru.org with my designation #____________, amount, and your staff account #)

• Check made payable to “CRU“ and sent in the enclosed envelope...(Supply them your mailing address if you are living in the U.S. or your U.S. contact person’s address if you are living overseas)

      Please include my designation #__________ on all transactions."

If I don’t hear from you by _________, I’ll call you to see what you’ve decided. I can try to answer any questions you have at that time. I would really appreciate your help and look forward to giving you a report when I return. (insert “ways to give” paragraph here)

Thank you for considering joining my team to reach young people in _____________. Please pray for me and for all of the other people going on our mission trip. It’s an incredible opportunity for all of us to influence the world for Jesus Christ.
Sincerely, (your Name)

IMPORTANT: Your letter should explain where to send the money, either to YOU or the person who is receiving your funds in the USA, NOT to our office or to Cru headquarters. This is very important.

Tips to Help Your Letter Stand Out
People are often overwhelmed with ads, bills, and other mail, so the more you can do to make your letter stand out, the better. Some of our tips will work only if you currently live in the USA or are planning to send your letter from the USA. Others will work for anyone. Feel free to see what works for you. Please do not use the starting point sample letter above as all you do!

Use a readable font. Remember most of your readers are older than you, so don’t use a really small font that makes them need to search for their reading glasses. If you need a small font, your letter is probably too long.

Have one of your parents proofread your letter for typos; spell check is great but it doesn’t catch every mistake! (Please do this before sending the letter to us to review; we prefer not to have to spell check for you).

Use nice paper. Depending on where you are, you might want to purchase paper that has a design.

Envelope: Some people like to use a different looking envelope either in color or size (check on difference in postage cost before doing this). You can also use a fun art stamp in the corner of the envelope (a globe, a map, something that connects to what you are doing).

Use a cool looking postage stamp. If you are in the USA, use a commemorative stamp, they make the envelope stand out and cost no more than a regular stamp.

Leave plenty of ‘white space’ in your letter—that means space where words aren’t. 

Have some sort of small graphic in your letter (map of your summer mission country, etc.) AND include a nice picture of yourself; one that is clear that it is you (not a group shot). You can use the pictures and graphics from the Downloads section of this packet. 

Give the reader a deadline of when you need the funds. People get a lot of summer mission trip mail and it can be confusing as to who needs the money when.

If possible, hand-sign all of your letters (or send a scanned [colored] signature if someone in the States is printing and mailing your letters for you. 

Step Five: Calling Strategy

Making Phone Calls
The degree of your success in the write and call strategy depends on following up your letter with a phone call.

The follow-up phone calls are critical for three reasons:

1. Most people suffer from “information overload.” Mail may be ignored or forgotten.

2. You have a lot of money to raise in a short period of time. A follow-up phone call will help you get decisions as quickly as possible.

3. Many people want to help but won’t unless you call to answer questions and get their decision. This takes the burden of a response off of them and puts it on you.

Often you will need to leave a message.  Be prepared!  Write out exactly what you will say.  You can read it but keep it natural.

The following is a sample conversation which may help you make calls.

Introduce yourself.
“Hello, Mr./Mrs. _____. This is _____ calling. How are you?”
Let the person respond. Take a few moments to establish rapport, but be brief.
Explain your ministry plans.
“As I mentioned in my letter, I plan to go on a summer mission to ___________ sponsored by MK2MK, a ministry of Cru.”
Share what you hope to see God do as a result of your time in _____________.

Be very specific to ask for a definite response.
“In my letter I mentioned that I’m developing a team of ministry partners for the summer mission. I asked you to consider becoming a partner through giving financially. Would you like to be a part of my ministry team in this way?”
Let the person respond.

If your contact decides to become a partner:
Arrange a time to come and pick up his/her check. If he lives out of town, ask him to mail it in the self-addressed, stamped envelope you enclosed with your letter.

The check must be made payable to Cru. If it is made out incorrectly you will need to follow up to get it corrected. 

If you arrange to have your ministry partner send you a check and it doesn’t come, you need to follow up with a phone call.

If he/she has not made a decision, set another time to call within a day or two. If they have decided not to become a partner, thank them for considering it. Always be courteous and polite.

Getting More Contacts: if you feel you do not have enough contacts then you can ask those interested in your ministry for names of others who may be interested in helping you. 

Step Six: Record Gifts and Write Thank you Notes

Either use a spreadsheet or a contact card for each person or both to keep track of your gifts and thank you notes.

Thank You Notes
Send a thank you note the same day you call for a decision. Be sure to keep a record of this on your contact card so you’ll know whom you have thanked and to whom you still need to send a thank you note.
A thank you note is an important part of developing a relationship with your partner. It should always be a personal, handwritten letter. Do not send a form letter. Always write something personal in your note to show specifically how you and Christ’s cause have benefited by their generosity. You will need to send every ministry partner a well written thank you note.

Following is a sample of what to write in your thank you notes.
(Date)
Dear (Sponsor’s name),
(Include something personal first.)
Thank you for your decision to become a summer mission sponsor. Your prayers and finances are greatly appreciated. Your investment will have far-reaching results as I go to __________ to help reach people for Christ.
Please join me in praying that God would continually deepen my commitment to the cause of Christ. Your prayers are most important. Thanks again for your generous partnership.
Sincerely, (Your name)

Processing Funds

This is what you need to do with the money you receive. It is a lot of details but you need to read it all carefully!

You will need to know how to properly handle the checks you receive. Let’s suppose that you are beginning to receive checks from your sponsors who have agreed to be a part of your team. What now? Your job is only half over. In order to complete the process correctly and avoid any delay that might hinder your participation in the summer mission, follow these steps very carefully.

COLLECT CHECKS MADE PAYABLE TO CRU. (Please read the following very carefully).
Ask your sponsor to make his or her check payable to Cru in order to receive a tax-deductible receipt.

If you receive a check written to you personally do the following:
DO NOT MARK ON THE FRONT OF CHECK IN ANY WAY!
ON THE BACK OF CHECK:
Sign just your signature. 
Write “Make payable to Cru” under your signature. 

Note: If your sponsor is a Cru staff member and he/she wishes to sponsor you directly from his/her personal Cru account, instruct them to email Brenda Friesen [brenda.friesen@cru.org] and give:
their name
their account #
amount of gift
your designation # [Brenda will assign this number to you]

Important: All investment checks must be given to you (or your Contact Person in the USA receiving checks for you) because they need to be submitted together. Explain to sponsors and staff who may be accustomed to mailing checks directly to Cru that if they do so, it may be impossible to credit the investment check toward your summer mission.

BEFORE SENDING CHECKS:
-MAKE SURE THEY ARE MADE OUT TO CRU
-MAKE TWO PHOTOCOPIES OF THE CHECKS. A copy for you and a copy for MK2MK.  (YOU CAN PUT MORE THAN ONE ON A PAGE). You can also just take photos of the checks and email them to Brenda.friesen@cru.org

• High Speed Forms. You will receive an email with a document titled “High Speed Processing Forms.” You or your contact person needs to print this out and include one completed form with each round of checks you send in.
  This is a summary of your investments for each mailing.
  Remember: all investments must be recorded under your designation number.

TIP! - Use the Sponsorship Checklist to double-check for errors.

Review your checks and forms for any errors made in completing them. Use the “Sponsorship Checklist” on the next page as a guide to look for errors on checks, before mailing them to MK2MK.

MAIL ITEMS TO MK2MK.
Support checks
HI-Speed Form filled out
1 Set of Photocopies of all checks

Mail the items listed above to:
MK2MK MC 2800
100 Lake Hart Drive
Orlando, FL  32832

REMEMBER TO:
Photocopy/take pictures of ALL checks and send them to MK2MK. 
There can be multiple checks on a page
Save a copy for yourself as well.
Complete the very simple High Speed form

VERY IMPORTANT: FOR STUDENTS LIVING OVERSEAS WHO CAN’T RECEIVE CHECKS WHERE THEY LIVE:
We realize that many students will not be able to easily receive checks where they live. In this case, please ask a relative or friend to be your CONTACT PERSON and receive checks for you. If you will be doing this please email Brenda Friesen (brenda.friesen@cru.org) the name, address, phone number and email of the contact person so she can be of help to them and send them information.

What to do with the Checks
Sponsorship Checklist
1. Be sure you keep a record of your totals.
2. All check dates (especially the year) are correct.
3. All written and numerical amounts on checks agree.
4. All checks are made out to Cru that you are mailing in.
5. Checks payable to you should be signed by you on back and below your signature write “Make payable to Cru”.
6. Checks are photocopied twice-one copy for you to keep and one to send in with checks.

Forms & Supplies
The following materials for support development are found in the Summer Mission Partner Development Packet:
Form: ¨ Hi-Speed Processing Student Donation Form
Supplies
Envelopes addressed to MK2MK
Q & A Sheet (You can photocopy these with your sponsorship letter.)

Tracking Your Support
Checking Your Account Balance– there are now three ways to check your account balance:
Email Brenda.friesen@cru.org (not more than once a week)
Watch for the MK2MK bi-weekly update (this not only reflects what MK2MK has received from you but also includes credit card and account transfers)
You will also be receiving information on how to use the MPD Tool which will give you access to who has given to your account. If you have any problems accessing this tool please email summer.missions@cru.org

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]

Can I send my letter out via email?
Please do NOT send your letter out by email! It is much less effective than a mailed letter. If you are not able to mail your letters from where you live then send the letter to someone in the USA to print and send for you. It will be essential that you let us know if you are doing this and if that person is going to receive your funds. 

Can I use Social Media/GoFundMe etc to raise funds?
Please do not use these methods to raise funds. They are impersonal and a poor reflection on Cru and MK2MK. You can send updates on facebook later but do not use it as a fundraising tool at all. 

Is there a way to see how much money I have received?
Yes!  There are two ways to check your account balance:

1. The MPD Tool (mpd.uscm.org) will give you access to your account. Summer Missions office will be sending you info on this soon, if they haven’t already. You will need to remember what username and password you used to apply for the summer mission to be able to gain access to the MPD tool. If you have any problems with this you can email summer.missions@cru.org and they will assist you.

2. If the MPD Tool doesn’t work, email Brenda Friesen (brenda.friesen@cru.org), our administrator, and ask her for an update but please do not do this more than twice a month.

What if I discover that a sponsor has given me a check made payable to me, but I’m not sure he/she wants a receipt from Cru?
If you receive a check written to you personally do the following:
DO NOT MARK ON THE FRONT OF CHECK IN ANY WAY!
ON THE BACK OF CHECK:
¨ sign just your signature. 
¨ write “Make payable to Cru” on the back of your check. 

My aunt sent me a check made payable to me that arrived two days before my mailing deadline. She assures me she doesn’t want a receipt. May I use it toward my trip goal?
Yes. (Same instructions as above.) OR you may use it for your extra expenses if you have reached your goal. 
What if a supporter sends a check to Cru under a separate cover (not in my envelope)?
With thousands of checks being processed daily at headquarters, time constraints make it virtually impossible to trace separate checks before your full sponsorship reporting date. This is why you need to receive the check from your sponsor. If you know that one of your donors sent such a check, please inform the MK2MK office in writing. Tell us the sponsor’s name, amount of the check, and the check number.
What if my full sponsorship reporting date arrives and I know that checks are on the way to me in the mail?
Send them to MK2MK in Orlando.  But this problem can be eliminated if you will:
Begin early to develop your sponsorship team.
Ask for all checks from out-of-town sponsors to be sent to you soon enough to arrive before the financial reporting dates.
Keep your coach informed of your progress.

What if I want to sponsor myself?
You may, but you will not be receipted. Your check will be handled as an anonymous donation.

My church took up a collection and gave me cash. How should I handle it?
Ask your church treasurer to convert the cash to a check from the church; have it made payable to Cru. Cash can also be used towards your out of pocket expenses if not needed to reach your trip goal, but no tax receipt can be given to the sponsor. If you receive cash from other donors they can receive a receipt as long as you give the name and address of the person who has given the cash. The cash must be put into a money order made payable to Cru. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH IN THE MAIL AND DO NOT HAVE YOUR PARENTS SEND A CHECK FOR THE CASH. IT MUST BE A MONEY ORDER. 

What if my plans change and I can’t go?
If your plans change and you must withdraw from the mission trip, please email Paul Snider at paul.snider@cru.org. There will be a charge for withdrawing, depending on the expenses incurred to date. It is also mandatory that you notify your sponsors. If you have mailed any sponsorship fund to MK2MK, they will be donated to others participating in the summer mission. Funds can not be returned to the donors. 

What if I raise more money than I need?
All funds raised above your sponsorship goal (mission trip fee + airfare) will go toward helping other students on the mission trip who are short of their financial goals. You may request through the MK2MK office to whom you would like to designate the extra funds. We will try to honor that request, but there are no guarantees. 

What if I don’t have enough money raised by the financial deadlines?
Send in what you have raised so far. This helps us know how you are doing, and whether you need some coaching or assistance in raising your funds.

What if I am still short of my sponsorship goal by the final deadline?
If you are close to reaching your goal, this is usually not a problem. Your mission trip staff will coach you with ideas to help you raise the last amount.  Situations where people have more than $300 to raise on the final deadline will be evaluated on an individual basis. If it appears they could still raise the money by the start date, they would be encouraged to keep raising money and go on the trip. If it looks like they would not be able to raise the rest of the money, they would be asked to withdraw.  The key is to communicate with your MK2MK coach!  We want to be of help to you.

Follow-up of Supporters

Using a Summer Mission Report Letter
A Summer Mission Report Letter should be written and distributed shortly after returning from the trip. We create a mission trip letter that will be made available to all students but you are welcome to create your own letter. You should mail a copy to each person who committed to pray for your trip and/or who was part of your financial ministry team. Please do not neglect to do this in some form!

If you have to Withdraw from the Summer Mission

If for some reason you are unable to participate on the summer mission, you must contact the MK2MK office at
MK2MK MC 2800
100 Lake Hart Drive
Orlando, FL
407-541-5223
brenda.friesen@cru.org

You will be expected to cover the cost of any expenses incurred by MK2MK prior to your withdrawal from the trip.
Also, it is mandatory for you to send each of your ministry partners a withdrawal letter. Please note that it is rare for a student to need to withdraw from an mk2mk Summer Mission.  

Sample Withdrawal Letter
Dear ____,
Thank you for your support of my upcoming summer mission to __________ with MK2MK. I know this trip will have an eternal impact as many people are presented with the gospel of Christ.
As you may know, circumstances have changed and I am no longer able to participate in the summer mission.
Your gift to my ministry has been credited to the MK2MK account for the 2018 Summer Mission in _____. Since I am not going on this summer mission, your contributions placed in this account will be made available to other students who are in need of financial assistance.
With sincere appreciation, (your name)
 

Parent Information

Insights and Instructions for Parents

Welcome to the mk2mk Summer Mission

We are excited that your son or daughter is planning to take part in a summer mission trip. We firmly believe that this is one of the best things an MK can do with his or her summer. These students are given a rare opportunity to develop skills, leadership abilities and character traits that will become part of the foundation of who they will be for a lifetime.

We desire that you be informed about our summer mission trips and what they involve. We support you, both as a parent and in your role as a guide and guardian of your child. We encourage you to explore the information on this site and contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

This project will involve high school and college staff children of Cru, missionary kids from other Christian missions, mk2mk staff and full-time Cru staff. All project participants will receive written and verbal training in preparation for their international experience. Your son/daughter will be supervised by qualified staff members. They will stay in modest, but clean hotels or dormitory rooms.

mk2mk is dedicated to the care of missionary kids and their families. Cru has over 24,000 staff and 500,000 trained volunteers ministering in 186 countries. Our emphases are evangelism (communicating our faith in Christ with others) and discipleship (building Christians in their faith).

We are committed to providing students on our summer projects with opportunities to grow in their relationship with the Lord in the context of community and life-changing personal ministry. We also seek to provide a positive international experience that helps expand an ongoing movement in the host country. Some other benefits to project participants are international travel in a supervised Christian context, greater confidence in communication skills, serving in humanitarian aid ministry, a greater appreciation for our world, deeper understanding of themselves as Third Culture Kids, and the development of leadership skills.

Your Role as a Parent: What We Hope You Will Do & Won’t Do

One of the benefits of the mk2mk mission trip is that the students learn to trust God for their support, their ministry preparation, and a myriad of details – including some demanding deadlines. They will develop greater responsibility as they do these things. However, if you, as the kind parent you are, step in to “rescue” them from the consequences of failing, they won’t grow and learn responsibility. Please be careful in what you WILL help them with and what you WILL NOT help them in. Here are a few guidelines for you to consider.

“I will...”

• Pray for them to trust God, grow in their faith, and develop responsibility

• Help with ensuring your son or daughter has a passport that is valid for at least 6 months following the end of this summer project

• Help them get a visa from your embassy or consulate for the host country, if needed (not needed for US citizens)

• Help them gather contacts from your family or friends for their support development letters and calls, and for a prayer team

• Sign and assure they send in their forms (Medical Consent; Liability Release)

• Help them plan ahead so they take into account major school assignments, mid-term and final exams, extracurricular events, family or church events, etc. in meeting the project deadlines

• Respond to communication from mk2mk to parents in a timely manner.

“I will not…”

• Prepare and send out their support letters for them

• Make support calls for them

• Send out their Thank You notes for them

• “Nag” them about their deadlines (a few gentle reminders are OK)

How We Can Resource You

• We provide a Coach for your son or daughter

• You can contact the Project Director with questions

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section, you will find information about:

• Safety

• Project Leadership

• Finances for Summer Missions

• Communicating with your child while on project

Safety

While no one can guarantee the complete safety of anyone, anywhere, we do take common sense precautions. Upon their arrival to project students will have several days of orientation to life in their location including street smart travel and what to do in case of an emergency. The mk2mk summer mission has project policies that help to provide for your son or daughter’s safety.

How do I know these trips are safe?
During every phase of a summer mission, safety is given the highest priority. Before a location is even selected as a destination, it is evaluated for political stability, recent and previous history, as well as any national issues that may have the potential to escalate. Locations are monitored continually to ensure stability. A risk assessment process is done before every trip.

The project leaders are trained in basic areas of crisis management and contingency plans are developed for each trip. Our mk2mk Team constantly monitors all travel advisories issued by the U.S. State Department and SOS International (an international emergency evacuation service). This team is in frequent communication with local contacts in the areas that the trips operate. During their visit they will work with local contacts to ensure the safety and viability of all food, housing, transportation and ministry locations. If at any time during the preparation process a country becomes unsafe, it will be immediately cancelled and all affected students will be assigned to another country.

What happens in the case of a natural disaster or other unforeseen emergency?
During the trip, every policy upholding the safety of the students will be followed at all times. If conditions were ever to become unsafe during the trip itself, the appropriate emergency protocol for that destination would be followed. Our team in the U.S. will be notified of the emergency and information will be available for the families including important phone numbers.

Each participant of an international mission trip will be signed up as a member of SOS International, our emergency evacuation service if they are not already a member. With this service comes medical referrals and advice about medical facilities around the world. Their service is available to the summer missions 24/7.

Leadership

Who will be leading my son/daughter?
On a typical mk2mk mission trip, one male and one female Project Director, along with the team, will oversee all administrative operations and are responsible for scheduling, logistics, teaching, training, and disciplining the entire group. Each Project Director has been hand-selected by the mk2mk staff and interns for their experience and proven leadership. They strive to provide a quality experience for each student.

Finances

What does the cost of the trip pay for?
The base cost of each trip includes the student’s training, briefing, debriefing, in-country transportation, housing, and food. Trip prices offset costs such as mission trip materials and literature, administrative, and summer mission setup costs. Every effort is made to keep the budget modest.

In addition to the base cost that is listed for the mission trip, students raise additional support to cover their transportation to and from project or briefing (domestic and international flights) as part of their project budget.

They can also use some support for supplies they bought to raise support for the summer (Note: this must be covered through cash gifts or checks made out to the student).

Each student on a summer trip has the opportunity to grow their faith by trusting God to provide the financial resources needed to attend the summer mission. We will provide great resources to help your student learn how to invite others to partner with them this summer by giving financially and praying for them. Every one of our staff members in the world is responsible for building a team of ministry partners and God has provided for each of these as well as for the 50,000 plus students who have gone on projects the past 43 summers.

Why do you need a deposit?

A deposit of $200 is requested by March 23rd. This money secures the student's position in the mission trip and is needed for upfront expenses such as housing deposits and these preparation resources for the student. The $200 amount is ALREADY a part of the total summer mission costs and counts toward the final goal.

Because the deposit is needed before the student may have begun support raising parents have often paid the deposit by check or account transfer and made it part of their student’s support to encourage their student.

Are all donations tax deductible?
Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and is registered with the IRS as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, making all donations to the ministry tax-deductible. In order to receive a tax deduction, the IRS requires donors to release to Campus Crusade for Christ the control of how their donations are spent. This means all contributions raised for mission trips must be payable to Campus Crusade for Christ in order to receive a tax deduction. Please Note: The application fee is not considered a donation.

How will my son/daughter get the money for their trip?
Each year mk2mk helps many students and leaders raise the money for their ministry, and we will help you too! Raising the money is probably easier than you think. Once your student has been accepted to a mk2mk Summer Mission Trip, they will receive coaching in writing support letters, making phone calls and following up with potential sponsors. We have found that there are two major resources that will help students raise their money. As we go through them, remember – GOD is always our source!

1) Family and friends: It is very important for your son or daughter to share the story of what God has done in their heart with family and close friends. We will coach your student in writing a support letter to share where they are going, why they are going, and how the family member or friend can be a part of what God wants to do through them. It is important for your student to let them know how much the trip is going to cost so that they know how much help will be needed. This will give them the opportunity to be a part of your son or daughter’s summer. Support letters not only give people the opportunity to help financially, but also prayerfully. It is a great way to allow people to see what God is doing, especially to those who may not know you very well. Family and friends, regardless of their religious beliefs, will often be very willing to help - all you have to do is ask. Remember, the money that they give is for God, not for you, so don’t hesitate to ask. It is also tax deductible which is a big plus!

2) Pastor and youth pastor: Churches desire and are often able to be a part of sending your son or daughter on a mission trip like this. Your son or daughter could set up a meeting with the pastor and/or youth pastor to share what God has placed on their heart. See if they would be willing to help by allowing your student to address the church, take up an offering, or talk with the mission’s board.

These are the resources we are providing for your student’s support raising:

• Personal Coach

• Step-by-Step Guides to:

  • Name storming

  • Writing a letter

  • Phoning Contacts

  • Follow-up

  • Writing Thank You’s

  • Tracking donations

Communication

Once your son or daughter has been accepted to a mission trip, they will receive a welcome packet from their mission trip leadership team with all kinds of information they will need and you most likely you will want to know. Please read through this material! The project leadership team has the most current and specific information regarding the summer mission. If you and your student have questions not answered in this packet, we encourage you to contact the assigned coach by email or phone. Their contact info will be in the welcome packet.

How do I communicate with my son or daughter while they are on the summer mission?
We know that simply knowing your student has safely arrived eases your mind. Once the team has all arrived at our destination we will send an email to all parents letting them know this. When local internet affords it, students will be given the chance to communicate every 7-10 days via email. Students will not be using cell phones on project but may use them during travel to and from project.

It is the family’s responsibility to discuss expectations about communication. As long as technology cooperates, students will have time weekly to email, we encourage them to write their parents (and we check back that they did), but we will not monitor who they email. From time to time we have internet issues in the locations where we serve but you can be assured we will do our best to ensure regular communication and if that is not possible we will let you know. There will also be regular updates to parents from the team leader.

Can my son or daughter leave the summer mission during the summer?
We ask that all students who have been accepted to be a part of the mission trip make themselves available for the entire trip. We do not allow students to leave the trip for overnight trips due to safety concerns, and in light of trip activities. They also may not leave the mission trip early except in cases of emergency.

Calendar and Deadlines

On the deadlines page, you can find the student’s one-page month-by-month checklist. Please keep this handy so you can give those gentle reminders! This is an opportunity to grow their faith by trusting God to provide the financial resources.

A NOTE ABOUT DEADLINES:

The financial “Deadlines” are more or less goals to keep us on track and to develop discipline in your student. If they are not met the coach will be talking with your student to see how it is going.

We fully and personally understand that God’s timing and life are not so predictable. If the student is doing the work then grace will be practiced along the way. But they must be fully funded to participate on the mission trip. If a deadline for a certain amount will not be met then the student informs their coach and sends in whatever amount there is.

Spiritual Prep & Cross-Cultural Training

How to Use This Material

This is one of the most important parts of your participation in the summer mission. Now you might look at this and say “no way, too much to read!” Our suggestion? Use two or three quiet times a month to give this attention, and you will be done, except June where we have given you enough for daily quiet times--good practice for summer mission!

This material is split into seven sections as well as reading Jacked, a book you will receive in your acceptance packet. There are two sections for March, three for April, and another two for May. We suggest you set aside three or four times each month to sit down and really spend good time on this. It could be during a quiet time or on a weekend. Whatever time works best for you to engage with God’s word as well as how he is working in your heart. Then for the book you’ll need about five weeks to work through one devotional each day. You’ll need this packet, a Bible, notebook/journal, and pen. We suggest you use a journal you’d be willing to bring on with you.

We’ve dedicated May and June (until you leave) to read Jacked. It’s not long, but if you think you’ll need more time, start as soon as you want. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to both read and reflect on each chapter before boarding your plane.

Reflection Questions: Be sure to work through the questions in the box at the end of each section. These are what your coach will use to check in on your progress.

Even if you’ve been on an MK2MK Summer Mission before, you still need to complete this preparation. We’ve edited and updated it, so read on to see what’s new.

The True Story of the Gospel

(March: Part 1)

“A richer way to understand the gospel is as a story – the true Story that speaks to our purest aspirations and deepest longings. This Great Story has four chapters.” *

CREATION: THE WORLD WE WERE MADE FOR

• Read Genesis 1:1-31 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What does it say about God?

• What does it say about Man?

• What does it say about God’s Creation?

“The story begins, not with us, but with God. Deep down, we have a sense that this is true. We sense that we are important – that there is something dignified, majestic, and eternal about humanity. But we also know that we are not ultimate. Something (or Someone) greater than us exists.

The Bible tells us that this Someone is the one infinite, eternal, and unchanging God who created all things out of nothing (Genesis 1:1-31). This one God exists in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Because God is Triune in his being, he wasn’t motivated to create the world because he needed something – be it relationship, worship, or glory. Rather, he created out of the overflow of his perfection – his own love, goodness, and glory. God made human beings in his image (Genesis 1:27), which is what gives us our dignity and value. He also made us human, which means we are created beings, dependent on our Creator. We were made to worship, enjoy, love, and serve him, not ourselves.

In God’s original creation, everything was good. The world existed in perfect peace, stability, harmony, and wholeness.” (p. 7-8)

FALL: THE CORRUPTION OF EVERYTHING

• Read Genesis 3:1-7 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What does it say about God?

• What does it say about Man?

• What do does it say about Sin?

• Read Romans 6: 15-23 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What does it say about Sin?

• What does it say about righteousness?

“God created us to worship, enjoy, love, and serve him. But rather than live under God’s authority, humanity turned away from God in sinful rebellion (Genesis 3:1-7, Isaiah 53:6). Our defection plunged the whole world into the darkness and chaos of sin. Though vestiges of good remain, the wholeness and harmony of God’s original creation is shattered.

As a result, all human beings are sinners by nature and by choice (Ephesians 2:1-3). We often excuse our sin by claiming that we’re “not that bad” – after all, we can always find someone who is worse than we are! But this evasion only reveals our shallow and superficial view of sin. Sin is not primarily an action; it’s a disposition. It’s our soul’s aversion to God. Sin is manifested in our pride, our selfishness, our independence, and our lack of love for God and others. Sometimes sin is very obvious and external; other times it’s hidden and internal. But “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Sin brings two drastic consequences into our lives. First sin enslaves us (Romans 6:17-18). When we turn from God, we turn to other things to find our life, our identity, our meaning, and our happiness. These things become substitute gods – what the Bible calls idols – and they soon enslave us, demanding our time, our energy, our loyalty, our money – everything we are and have. They begin to rule over our lives and hearts. This is why the bible describes sin as something that “masters” us (Romans 6:14 NIV). Sin causes us to “serve created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25 NIV).

Second, sin brings condemnation. We’re not just enslaved by our sin; we’re guilty because of it. We stand condemned before the Judge of heave and earth. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We are under a death sentence for our cosmic treason against the holiness and justice of God. His righteous anger toward sin stands over us (Nahum 1:2; John 3:36).” (p. 8)

REDEMPTION: JESUS COMES TO SAVE US

• Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What is the gospel according to Paul here?

• Read 1 John 4:7-21 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What does it say about God?

• What does it say about Man?

• What does it say about God’s love?

“Every good story has a hero. And the hero of the Gospel Story is Jesus. Humanity needs a Savior, a Redeemer, a Deliverer to free us from the bondage and condemnation of sin and to restore the world to its original good. This Rescuer must be truly human in order to pay the debt we owe to God. But he can’t be merely human because he must conquer sin. We need a Substitute – one who can live the life of obedience we’ve failed to live, and who can stand in our place to bear the punishment we deserve for our disobedience and sin.

This is why God sent Jesus into the world to be our substitute (1 John 4:14). The Bible teaches that Jesus was fully God – the second person of the Trinity – and also fully human. He was born to a human mother, lived a real flesh-and-blood existence, and died a brutal death on a Roman cross outside Jerusalem. Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to God (Hebrew 4:15), making him the only person in history who did not deserve judgment. But on the cross, he took our place, dying for our sin. He received the condemnation and death we deserve so that, when we put our trust in him, we can receive the blessing and life he deserves (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Not only did Jesus die in our place, eh rose from death, displaying his victory over sin, death, and hell. His resurrection is a decisive event in history; the Bible calls it the “first fruits” – the initial evidence – of the cosmic renewal God is bringing (1 Corinthians 15:20-28). One of the greatest promises in the Bible is Revelation 21:5: “Behold, I am making all things new.” All that was lost, broken, and corrupted, in the fall will ultimately be put right. Redemption doesn’t simply mean the salvation of individual souls; it means the restoring o f the whole creation back to its original good.” (p. 9)

A NEW PEOPLE: THE STORY CONTINUES

• Read Romans 8:1-17 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What does it say about God?

• What does it say is true of man “in the spirit”?

• Contrast (list the differences) between “the flesh” and “the spirit.”

“So how do we become a part of the story? How do we experience God’s salvation personally and become agents of his redemption in the world? By faith or trust (Ephesians 2:8-9). What does that mean? We trust a taxi driver when we count on him to get us to our destination. We trust a doctor when we agree with her diagnosis and entrust ourselves to her care. And we trust in Jesus Christ when we admit our sin, receive his gracious forgiveness, and rest entirely in Jesus for our acceptance before God. Faith is like getting in the taxi. It’s like going under the surgeon’s knife. It’s a restful, whole-hearted commitment of the self to Jesus (Psalm 31:14-15). This is what it means to believe the gospel.

When we trust in Jesus, we are released from sin’s condemnation and from its bondage. We are free to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God. We are free to die to ourselves and live for Christ and his purposes. We are free to work for justice in the world. We are free to stop living for our own glory and start living for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We are free to love God and others in the way we live […].

God has promised that Jesus will return to finally judge sin and make all things new. Until then, he is gathering to himself a people “from every nation, tribe, people, and language” (Revelation 7:9 NIV). As part of that called-and-sent people, we have the privilege of joining him in his mission (Matthew 2:18-20) as individuals and as part of his spiritual family. By grace, we can enjoy God, live life for his glory, serve humanity and make his gospel known to others through our words and actions.

This is the good news – the True Story – of the gospel.” (p. 9-10)

* All quotations taken from Gospel Centered Life for Teens by Robert H. Thune and Will Walker (2014).

Walking in the Spirit

(March: Part 2)

I. WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

• Read John 14:15-21, 25-27 and 15:26-16:15 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• According to these passages, who is the Holy Spirit? What is he called, what names is he given?

• What does the Holy Spirit do?

“The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. You need to know He is a person. He can be grieved (Eph 4:30); lied to (Acts 5:3); teach us (Luke 12:12); lead and direct us (Acts 20:28). Thus, He has volition, emotion, and intellect. He is a person distinct from the Father and the Son. He came to glorify Christ and He works in Christians to conform them to the image of Christ.” (from: Cru.org)

II. WHO RECEIVES THE HOLY SPIRIT?

• Read Romans 8:1. The book of Romans is written to believers or “saints” who are in Rome. Now Read Romans 8:9. What do you learn about these believers?

• Read John 7:39 and Acts 2:38 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• Who receives the Holy Spirit?

“All Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the moment they trust Christ (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 1 Cor 12:13). The moment you trusted Christ, the Holy Spirit entered your life and will never leave you. We have to know this to understand how we can enjoy the empowerment of the Spirit.” (from: Cru.org)

III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT?

• Read John 14:12-14 and Acts 1:8 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What do these verses say will happen with the Spirit?

Imagine that you are a glass of plain milk. When you believed in Christ, He identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). That’s like squeezing chocolate syrup into the glass of milk. The chocolate is in there, but settled at the bottom of the glass – you can’t necessarily see a changed life. Being filled with the spirit, however, is a constant walk with the spirit. It’s like stirring up the chocolate until the milk is transformed and looks like Chocolate milk. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_teYa2iGk8).

When you believe in Jesus you receive the Holy Spirit. He “indwells” you or lives within you. However, this indwelling alone doesn’t mean you are walking with the spirit or living full of the spirit. You won’t be receiving the fruit of the spirit if the spirit has settled down at the bottom of your life just like milk doesn’t become chocolate milk while the syrup is settled at the bottom. You’ve got to stir it up and that takes a bit more intentionality.

• What do you think it looks like to “stir your chocolate milk” or walk in the spirit?

When we talk about different ways we stir our milk or walk in the spirit we sometimes call them “Spiritual Disciplines.” Use the following verses to take a look at five of these. For each, list out what the practice is and identify one way in your life you can practice this.

1) Philippians 4:8, Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8

a. What is the practice?

b. How can you practice it?

2) Matthew 6:5-15

a. What is the practice?

b. How can you practice it?

3) Psalm 147:1, Matthew 4:10

a. What is the practice?

b. How can you practice it?

4) Galatians 5:13, Matthew 23:11

a. What is the practice?

b. How can you practice it?

5) Psalm 46:10, Psalm 62:5

a. What is the practice?

b. How can you practice it?

• Read Galatians 5:16-26 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What does v. 17 tell you about the desires of the flesh and the desires of the spirit?

• Look at the list in v. 22-26. What do you think it means that these are “fruits” of the Spirit? How do these come as a result of being filled with the Spirit (stirring the milk)?

Who I am In Christ

(April: Part 1)

Now that you’ve explored the story of the Gospel and walking in the Spirit we want to move on to explore our Identity as believers in Christ. When you step from death to live in Christ the core of who you are changes. It’s no longer just you, but Christ who lives in you.

Below is a list of things that are true about you in Christ if you profess faith in Him. First, Take a moment to read through that list. Many of us “know” these things are true. But there is a different between knowing and believing. When I know something, it doesn’t change me. But when I believe something, I’m living as if it is true. Having read that list, can you honestly say that you fully believe everything on that list? NO! No one can, but we aren’t stuck in unbelief. “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

Pause for a moment and pray. Ask the spirit to reveal to you where you are not believing. Ask for help to believe more each day.

Take a second pass through and do the following:

• Look up the verse associated with each statement (feel free to split this up into a couple of days).

• Choose one from each section (Accepted, Secure, Significant) that are either most meaningful to you, or are the hardest for you to fully believe.

• Write those 3 down in a journal as well as the verse that goes with them.

• Post these somewhere that you can see them. Read them every morning and night for the next month and see what God does.

God’s word does not go out and come back without accomplishing it’s purpose (Isaiah 55:11). So as you read and re-read His word is working – that’s a promise. Whether or not you feel it or notice it, change is going to take place in your heart.

________

Who I am in Christ

Taken from Living Free in Christ by Dr. Neil Anderson. C1993 Regal Books.

I am Accepted. . .

I am God’s Child. John 1:12
I am Christ’s friend. John 15:15
I have been justified Romans 5:1
I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
I have been bought with a price. I belong to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I am a member of Christ’s body. 1 Corinthians 12:27
I am a saint. Ephesians 1:1
I have been adopted as God’s child. Ephesians 1:5
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:18
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. Colossians 1:14
I am complete in Christ. Colossians 2:10

I am Secure…

I am free forever from condemnation Romans 8:1-2
I am assured that all things work together for good. Romans 8:28

I am free from any condemning charges against me. Romans 8:31-34
I cannot be separated from the love of God. Romans 8:35-39
I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
I am hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3
I am confident that the good work God has begun in me... Philippians 1:6

I am a citizen of heaven. Philippians 3:20
I have not been given a spirit of fear… 2 Timothy 1:7
I can find grace and mercy in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me. 1 John 5:18

I am Significant…

I am the salt and light of the earth.Matthew 5:13-14
I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life.John 15:1-5
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.John 15:16
I am a personal witness of Christ.Acts 1:8
I am God’s temple.1 Corinthians 3:16
I am a minister of reconciliation for God.2 Corinthians 5:17-21
I am God’s co-worker.1 Corinthians 3:9
I am God’s workmanship.Ephesians 2:10
I may approach God with freedom and confidence.Ephesians 3:12
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.Philippians 4:13
Walking in the Spirit

3 Enemies

(April: Part 2)This project is going to put you on the front lines of spiritual battle. We want first encourage you that though spiritual battle is hard, it is such a lovely sign that God is working and doing amazing things in and through you. We want to help prepare and equip you for this fight with the Enemy.

This section is going to focus on who the enemy is and how to recognize the battle. The next section will focus on how God has prepared us as believers for this battle.

_____

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

______

In spiritual warfare there are Three Enemies: Satan, The World, and The Flesh. This should prepare you for the fight and diminish fear.

1. Satan: Read the following verses and jot down what you learn from each.

A. Who is Satan?

• 1 Peter 5:8

• 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

• Revelation 12:10

• John 8:44

• John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2

• Revelation 9:11

• Matthew 4:3

• 2 Corinthians 4:4

B. What kind of power does Satan actually have?

• Luke 11:14-20

• Revelation 2:13

• 1 John 5:19

• Job 1:10-12

• Ephesians 6:11-12

C. What are some of Satan’s strategies or tactics?

• Genesis 3:1-6

• 1 Timothy 3:7

• John 13:2

• Mark 4:15

• 1 Thessalonians 2:18

• Revelation 12:10

• Matthew 4:1-4

D. We are assured of victory because of Jesus’ triumph and have been legally set free from Satan’s power through salvation. Therefore, what is now true for us?

• Romans 8:38-39

• 1 Peter 5:8

• James 4:7

• Hebrews 2:13-14

• 1 John 5:18

2. The World

Here “the world” does not refer to the earth or people. It refers to the world system, which leaves God out and is a rival to Him. Read the following passages and answers each question.

• 1 John 2:16. The world operates though what 3 avenues? (we could call them passions, possessions, and positions)

• The

• The

• The

3. The Flesh

The flesh” refers to the sinful nature still present in believers and the things done apart from God working in and through them. This includes those desires that are not God’s desires (Galatians 5:16-25).

• Read Romans 8:1-11

• What are the differences between living in the flesh and in the spirit that this passage points out?

People who do not have a personal relationship with Christ are slaves to sin and the flesh (Romans 6:17). However, when people receive Christ, their sins are forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14) and the old self has been crucified with Christ; therefore, Christians are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:5-7) and they are given a new nature by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14-17).

The power to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God comes from dependence upon the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives believers the power to “put off” or choose not to obey the old self, but rather “put on” or choose to obey the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24).

• Read Galatians 5:16-17 and Ephesians 4:22-24

• What do you think it means to no longer be a slave to sin?

Fighting the Battle

(April: Part 3)

"Now that you’ve gotten up close and familiar with the battle you’re in, how do you fight it? We learn in scripture that, through the Holy Spirit, we have been prepared to fight this battle. In fact, we have been commanded to fight against the enemy.

Summarize each passage in your journal. Then go back and highlight or underline what is similar in each passage. Then answer the questions below in a journal.

• Ephesians 4:25-32

• James 4:6-12

• 1 Peter 5:5b-11

• What do these passages say about our words or speech? (Eph 4:25, 29, 31; Ja 4:11)

• What commands do you see in these passages? (“do not” OR do like in Ja 4:7)

Each following category shows up in the passages above in some form. The categories are possible strategies the enemy uses against us. Use these questions to take inventory of how the enemy might already be searching for a “foothold” (a secure position from which progress can be made). Record your thoughts in a journal.

Fear

• What fearful thoughts or feelings are you already experiencing on this journey?

• In what areas do you find yourself worrying or being anxious most?

Disappointment/Discouragement

• How do you deal with situations when they do not go as expected?

• What expectations do you have for this summer? (ministry, friends, fun etc.)

• How do you think you’ll respond if those expectations are not met?

Pride

• In what ways do you find yourself being prideful?

• How have you been relying on yourself instead of God so far in this process (because we all do it all the time, just name a few).

Judging Others

• Where do you find yourself judging others in daily life (big or small)?

• How do you think your personal judging tendencies might impact the relationships you develop this summer?

Complaining Spirit

• Think about today – what have you complained about? (continue to notice throughout this week – it’ll be convicting).

• How could a critical or complaining spirit or attitude affect your ministry and relationships this summer?

Luckily for us we’re not left with just the knowledge that the enemy is searching for a foothold in our lives. We’re commanded to resist him AND we’re given some tools to use in the battle.

Read Ephesians 6:10-17 and answer the following questions in a journal.

• What are the five pieces of the armor of God?

• How do the commands you listed above fit into each piece of armor?

Read Ephesians 6:18

• What weapon is mentioned here?

Prayer is our greatest weapon in the battle against the enemy. Prayer keeps us in communication with God and focused on Him, the one who has the power to fight this battle (1 John 4:4). It can be hard to know what to pray sometimes so we’ve included below ideas for how to pray aligned with the armor of God.

Read through these and pick 1 that stands out. Copy it out and post it where you’ll see it ever day for the rest of the month.

Helmet of Salvation

I put on the helmet of salvation. Lord, protect me today from the power of sin. Keep the enemy from successfully tempting me in any way. Help me, Holy Spirit, to keep every thought under the control of the Lord Jesus. Help me today to recognize the temptations and lies of the enemy every time he tries to trick me or get me to believe a half-truth or to be suspicious of someone. Let me think only your thoughts. Control my tongue so that I speak only your words. Let my words be edifying (positive and building up) to everyone. Let me only speak the truth and do so in your love. I submit my will to yours so that I only do what you want me to this day.

Breastplate of Righteousness

Lord, I put on your righteousness to protect me in all I do this day. Let everything I do be done in a right way. Let me be squeaky clean in all I do, say, or think. Let me walk in your righteousness and not try to walk in my own power. Holy Spirit, show me any time I am trying to live in my own goodness, strength, and abilities rather than yours.

Belt of Truth

Lord Jesus, you are Truth. I therefore put on truth to cover every act, every expression, every word I say. Help me not to compromise or shade the truth in any way. Let your truths be foundational to all I do this day. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Reveal to me the areas that I am not perfectly believing your truth about myself, others, and about you. Help me to believe, to live out your Truth today.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Father, I need the peace of Jesus to saturate all my day, to be part of everything I do and say. I need your peace in my mind, no matter what the situation. As I look at you and not the situation, let your peace rule my heart and mind. Thank you that you will help me to walk in peace throughout my day. I am available to share your peace with anyone you want me to.

Shield of Faith and Sword of the Spirit

Help me to use my shield of faith in a strong, effective way today to stop all the fiery darts of the enemy in whatever form they may take. When I face temptations, help me to use my faith to resist and quench his attempt to make me doubt you or to view myself or others in a negative way. Cause my faith to be strengthened as I use it, and as I see you and who you are in each and every situation I encounter. Bring to my mind appropriate verses to help quench every fiery dart of the wicked one. Let your Word be a sharp instrument in my mouth to come against all the lies and deceptions of the enemy.

General

Father, as I walk through this day, let me walk in confidence that I am prepared for this day’s battle, for I have on my armor. More importantly, I know that you who indwell me are greater than he who is in the world and is my enemy. Help me to remember that he is a defeated foe and only roars as a lion does, that he has no ability to touch me apart from your permission. Help me also to remember that I am a victorious soldier in this warfare today because of who I am in Jesus and who He is in me. Thank You for the great confidence these truths give me to face all that this day will hold. I place this day in your hands and give you permission to change my plans for this day in whatever way you see fit. May you be glorified in all I say and do today.

Here are some others ways to pray in preparation for this summer:

• Pray according to God’s desire that all people be saved (2 Peter 3:9), and His promise to answer (1 John 5:14-15).

• Pray specifically. Pray by name for the salvation of people you meet or for those you see as you go on a prayer walk. Perhaps no one has ever prayed specifically for those people!

May and June, “Jacked”

In your acceptance package you received the book titled “Jacked: An irrepressible passion to share the Gospel” by Shelby Abbott. You can choose whatever pace you want, but you must have finished this book before you come on mission.

Structure:

Jacked is designed to be a daily devotion. You’ll see it’s split into five main section. Each section has seven chapters or daily devotions. They’re short, just a couple pages, and have questions at the end of each.

We suggest that you take five weeks and do this each day. Please ensure you read the scriptures and answer the questions at the end of each day. These questions would be what you might discuss with your coach.  

Why this Book?

Jacked is all about sharing the Gospel. That is the primary purpose of this summer mission and needs to be a primary part of your preparation. This book will help you prepare to share your faith, to understand your faith, and to overcome fear and intimidation. It will also help you to start building a habit of spending time in God’s Word each day, which is something you’ll continue to do on Summer Mission.

May, Part 1, Crossing Cultures

Cultural Exchange Preparation

You’ve entered into a lot of spiritual preparation in the previous sections. That is no light thing and the work doesn’t start there. Continue to pray, to be in scripture, and every day to refocus on Christ. We are not leaving that behind, but the next two sessions on culture and unity are going to dig into a little bit more of the particulars of a summer mission trip.

DISCLAIMER: We know you’re an MK and therefore have likely crossed many cultures and are used to cross-cultural living. However, don’t skip this or tune it out. Entering someone else’s culture on a summer mission is a whole new thing and you need to prepare your heart, mind, and body for that just as you did spiritually. This is a matter of giving respect and dignity to the relationships you’re about to enter into.

Cultural Overview

Culture refers to the way of life of a particular group of people. It includes everything that a group of people thinks, says, does, and makes. It is the customs, language, material artifacts, and shared systems of attitudes and feelings. Culture is learned and transmitted from generation to generation.

One goal of your project is to communicate the gospel in a culturally relevant way. To do that you need to first be aware of some of the ways your own culture(s) has shaped who you are and the way you think, talk, and act.

Get to know your culture:

• All people have the Same Basic Needs You know this. This is why you are able to relate to anyone from any culture on some level.

• What are some basic needs that all people share in the following categories?

• Physical

• Mental

• Emotional

• Social

• Spiritual

• People have different ways to meet these basic needs. As you you spend time in a new culture, you relate over similarities, but also begin to identify and encounter differences. These differences are reflected not only in obvious and observable traits and activities, but also in underlying attitudes.

• How does your culture, as you experience it, meet needs in the following categories? (your culture may be that of the country you live in, or your parents, or something in between or other. Answer this based on how these needs are met in your life).

• Physical

• Mental

• Emotional

• Social

• Spiritual

• Take some time to do some research about the city you’re going to on Summer Mission. See what you can learn about their culture and how they might address theses same needs.

• After that research, what did you learn about how the culture you’ll encounter on Summer mission might meet the following needs?

• Physical

• Mental

• Emotional

• Social

• Spiritual

Remember that when you’re entering a new culture it is your job to be the learner, it is not the host culture’s responsibility to make room for you. So before you head out on Summer Mission prepare yourself and your heart to go in and observe, learn, and respect. As MKs we can be used to being “in the know” culturally and we may be quick learners, but we are not the experts and we need to make sure to lay aside any pride and be willing to make mistakes. Because we will, we’re not perfect, and that’s ok.

Principles to Apply

• Love beyond cultural difference: Cultural differences can turn you off. The way people look, the music they listen to, or even the way they talk can scare you and make you hesitant to try to reach out and start a conversation. Instead of letting these differences get you stuck, let them make you curious. Approach differences and unknowns with the goal of learning about another person. Taking an interest in them as an individual is loving well.

• Remember God’s concern is for people’s hearts: The external factors are not nearly as important to God as they are to you. His primary concern is to reach those people who are genuinely seeking Him. To help with this, meditate on the words of 1 Samuel 16:7: “for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

• Like God, live contextually: A huge part of ministering to someone well is knowing how to communicate and act toward them. You have to know your context. This is not just an idea we came up with. Read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Even Paul varied or “contextualized” his ministry, his style, his words based on who he was talking to and we have to do that too. Not just overseas, but at home too. You wouldn’t talk to a five year old the same way you do to a fifteen year old. Or you wouldn’t act the same toward a friend as you to toward your parents

• Use the Bible as your standard: There are two kinds of issues we might be talking about with someone. First are going to be the “absolutes” or the things that are addressed in scripture and are the same across cultures. Though we may communicate these things differently based on context (contextualize) we stand firm on them. Second are areas the Bible does not address. In these areas of difference we need to withhold judgment and wait. Our cultural solution is not the standard by which all people should live.

• Have the attitude of a learner: Throughout this project, remember that you are going to give of yourself and share spiritual truths, but you are also going to learn. You will find that as you seek to learn, people will be more responsive and willing to learn from you as well. This is where we really have to exhibit humility. We do not know everything, we don’t have a solution to everything, and even sometimes the things we’ve worked hard to prepare need to be changed because they are not what is best. Hold your knowledge, skills, and plans with an open hand being ready for them to need to change.

Guidelines for Communicating Cross Culturally in Ministry

• God has provided a great opportunity for you to share your life and faith in Christ with the people of Albania and Thailand. We want to be a good ambassadors for God in this community.

• During this mission trip, you will have the opportunity to share your story/testimony. You will be preparing your story during the project briefing (the first few days of project). Also, you will be making friends with many local students. Remember these specific points when speaking to both youth and adults.

1. Be friendly and gracious. People in other countries are often eager to get to know foreigners, but may be hesitant. Be approachable and willing to initiate with them.

2. Speak simply and slowly. While some do speak English, they often cannot understand it if you speak as you normally would. Be careful not to use unusual words. They may have limited vocabulary, especially with Christian terms such as “born again” or “salvation”. Depending on your location, an interpreter may sometimes be available. Avoid culturally specific figures of speech or else explain them.

3. Compliment the people you meet and their community. Do this at the beginning of conversations. It is very important that you show your interest in them. They are curious about how you view them and their community. Be honest, always looking for the positive.

4. Avoid using materialistic expressions. Don’t compare your house, car, or vacation with theirs. Rather, focus on relationships and people; talk less about things.

5. Don’t brag about yourself or your accomplishments. Be transparent and humble about yourself and your lifestyle.

6. Learn to use the word “you” more than “us” or “me”. Learn to focus on their work and accomplishments, not yourself. Ask them questions about themselves. Remember, they are hosts and we are guests.

7. Don’t discuss political views or ideology. Our only message is Jesus Christ and new life in Him.

8. Do not criticize any church or denomination or traditions. Do not get into theological issues. The people you meet, even Christians, will likely have different backgrounds. Getting stuck in a theological debate derails the ministry you’re trying to have.

9. Do not be pushy, boastful, or overly demonstrative with hugs or loud talk. Such behavior may be offensive to them. Always be gracious and courteous. Observe how nationals act to know how you should act and how you should be treated.

10. Do not dominate the conversation. Be aware of this especially if you are talkative. Draw others out and be sensitive. Be sure to ask questions and listen more than you talk.

Take a moment to write out in your journal 4-5 questions you have about the culture you’re going to enter into this summer. Bring these with you and seek out the answers when you get there.

Just as there are many things you want to learn about the people you will meet, they will have the same questions about you. Most teenagers will be interested in your lifestyle and values. Therefore, be confident and enthusiastic as you communicate with students and others you will be reaching out to.

Team Unity

(May: Part 2)

You’re almost there. It’s probably only a couple weeks before you board a plane. So what’s left? How else can you prepare to come on this MK2MK Summer Mission and have an amazing summer? Team life. That’s what we’ll talk about now.

Draw Close to God

This mission’s experience can be a life-changing experience for both you and those who you minister to. In each new opportunity, remember to draw close to, learn about, and trust God. He will direct you each step of the way. You’ll also draw close to other members of your team as you grow and minister together.

Let us first say that your primary reason for coming on this trip is the ministry you are doing in the community around you. That is the first focus and you need to be willing to put that first. Even when you aren’t in the small group you’d hoped for or on a ministry team with your close friend etc., the ministry is the reason you’re there. If you keep that in mind, team unity will come much easier. That said, let’s consider what it looks like to be a unified team.

Read Ephesians 4:1-16

• v. 2 Lists five things we are commanded to do/be. How would these help our team of students and leaders to be unified on summer mission?

• v. 4-5 List seven “ones.” What are they? How do these unify us as a team?

• What is the result of unity found in v. 14?

• v. 16 Says that all in the body are equally under the head, which is Christ. Though each part is different, they support each other and each part does it’s work. What does that mean for our team this summer?

One of the most valuable aspects of your experience will be learning what it means to work on a team. Your attitude as a team will greatly affect your overall success in fulfilling the purpose of your project. Remember, the project is not designed for a bunch of individuals to each do their own thing.

Read the following verses and write what they say about unity or being a team in a journal.

• Philippians 2:1-11

• Ephesians 5:15-21

• John 17:20-21

Reminders:

• Accept your team and leaders as God’s sovereign plan for you.

• Have the attitude, “You can’t make it tough enough for me to complain.”

• Have a spirit of abiding prayer.

• It is by the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and in the lives of others that love and unity exist. If you stop walking in His power, it will be obvious to you and your teammates that there is not unity. Only God’s Spirit can build a unity on your team. It is important to walk in the Spirit moment by moment.

Guiding Principles

Leadership

• Read Hebrews 13:17

Your leaders during this summer mission have not been appointed there lightly. Just like you’ve applied, raised support, and prepared to come, so have they. The Bible commands us to support, respect, and diligently follow our leaders. Choosing to trust and respect your leadership even when they make mistakes will have a huge affect on your Summer.

Your leaders keep watch over you and give an account for you. They do not teak decisions lightly, but rather put a lot of though and intentionality into the way things are done. There’s usually a lot that has gone into a decision that doesn’t appear on the surface, but there is not usually time or reason for you to know all of that. Therefore, it needs to be a choice you make to listen, respond respectfully, and follow your leaders. If for some reason you have an issue that needs to be discussed, some to the leader afterward and respectfully present your opinions.

Pray for your leaders, believe the best, know that God is in control, and have fun! Your time will be SO much more restful and enjoyable if you choose to trust.

Servanthood

• Read Philippians 2:3-4

Projects work well when everyone goes in with an attitude of serving. Philippians 2:3-4 says that each person must “look out for the interests of others.” Leaders are to seek the best for the team, and team members are to encourage, support and affirm each other. You’d be surprised how much changes when you are constantly seeking the good of others.

Teamwork

Read the following passages. What appears in these verses that a team can share?

• Numbers 11:11, 16-17

• Hosea 4:6

• Ecclesiastes 11:4

• Galatians 5:22

A united group is committed to carrying out the overall goal or mission. Several things are essential to teamwork: shared burden, shared knowledge, shared commitment, and shared walk in Christ. Each of us has something to offer or release in this area.

Obstacles to Overcome

Any time a group of people works together as a team, there will be obstacles to love and unity.

What are some of the obstacles that could arise on a team that would hinder love and unity? Below we’ll look through some of these together.

Expectations

• Unspoken, but deeply held values

• Example: You were expecting to choose your own roommate and instead it was assigned and you didn’t end up with the person you’d hoped.

• Response: Be honest about this with a leader and pray with them. Try and realign your priorities and take this unexpected change as an opportunity to get to know someone new.

• What are some of your expectations for this project? (can be like the one above or related to ministry, outcome, feelings etc.)

Conflict with Peers

• Things that drive you nuts.

• Example: Your evangelism partner always talks first and dominates the conversation so you feel like you’re just along for the ride.

• Response: Before confronting someone, ask yourself if it’s just something that bugs you but isn’t necessarily wrong (someone’s laugh annoys your or the way they organize their stuff etc.). If it is, then use this as an opportunity to learn to be more tolerant and adjust to other people and their particularities.

However, if it is a recurring situation like the one described above that you feel needs to be addressed – go straight to the person (and not in front of others). Use this model of communication to talk to them about it in a way that respects you both:

- Describe the behavior: When you_______...

- Explain your feelings: I feel _______...

- Empathize with them: I understand that you _____...

- State a desired change: I would prefer ______...

- Invite another perspective: How does that sound to you?

“When we are sharing the Gospel with someone on the beach you tend to jump in and speak first each time. When you do that I feel like I’m not participating or like I can’t be a part of sharing. I understand you’re excited about this and feel super ready to go and that’s great. But I would prefer if you could slow down enough to let me take the lead some of the time. Does that sound ok to you? Or is there something I’ve missed?”

• How do you usually deal with conflict or confrontation? How do you feel about using this model?

Disagreements

• Differences in opinion.

• Example: You want to stay and finish a conversation with a student at the school where you are ministering. But the leaders are telling you it is time to go.

• Response: Let your leader know you’re in a really good conversation and ask if there’s a possible way you could stay just a few more minutes. Respect whichever answer they give and respond accordingly. Choose to believe the best.

Inappropriate Relationships

• Relationships are important to make teamwork possible. To ensure healthy relationships on the project, team members are not permitted to date or establish “favorite friends”.

• Those who are in an existing dating relationship are asked to forego any handholding, kissing, or public display of affection.

• We desire that the project be a place where everyone can be comfortable with everybody. Exclusive relationships cause others to feel left out instead of included. Instead, seek to see those around you and include those who are on the outside of groups.

• There is never any reason for a romantic or physical relationship of any kind between a leader and a student. Bring any concerns about yourself or others to the team leader and they will know how to proceed.

Project Norms

One of the ways that we maintain unity and a good environment on project is through our project norms. We will be talking about these and/or others specific to your context during briefing but please look these over so you are prepared to do life together.

• We will all work together as a team, cooperating with one another.

• We will all be involved in ministry and discipleship.

• We will all submit ourselves to the project leaders and our team leaders, even when we may not agree with them (see Philippians 2:1-5).

• We will all maintain a teachable spirit, willing to admit our mistakes, and make corrections in our lives when necessary.

• We will all be faithful to complete the responsibilities assigned to us.

• We will attend every project function and be on time unless excused by a leader.

• No participant will date or spend exclusive time with another person.

• We will all take our complaints only to the appropriate person, after we know our attitude is right. We will not be critical of others and will not allow bad feelings or bitterness to build up. We will seek to be quick to forgive.

• We will honor the Lord in our appearance. All participants will dress modestly and adhere to the context specific requirements as well as any leaders’ instructions.

• No student is to leave project housing alone or in a group without permission at any time.

• No one is to leave the project housing after dark unless the team is involved in an outreach or team activity.

• Students will never travel alone, but rather stay in pairs or groups.

• If the housing grounds are large, students will inform a leader or another student of where they are going prior to going on a walk etc. that will take them out of sight and hearing range.

When our entire team abides by these norms and any others laid out while on project, we are more unified and able to enjoy our time as well as minister well. Choosing to act in a way that is at odds with these norms is actively choosing disunity. Remember that your actions do not only affect you, but can affect the health of the entire team.

Other Resources

In addition to the studies above, you should check out some of the other materials Cru offers online. We’ve used these studies before and love them:

Thirsty: Thirsty is a two-week devotional that expands and develops on all the concepts of the Spirit Filled Life, devoting a day’s lesson and reflection to each principle.

Download Thirsty here.

https://www.cru.org/content/dam/cru/legacy/2012/02/Thirsty_Devotional.pdf

How Your Personality Connects You With God: This is an article based on the principle of Sacred Pathways, where you can learn about the different ways we all connect with God. This is just one small study but it could help you to plan many other devotionals in ways that will be more meaningful for you!

Read this article here.

https://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/devotionals/how-your-personality-connects-you-with-god.html

Other Cru Devotionals: Check out this page where Cru posts a variety of online devotionals and resources. Scroll through it and pick something that catches your eye, and then stick with it!

Check out these devotionals here.

https://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/devotionals.html

Travel & Health

Transportation

ALL flights will be booked by the Transportation Coordinator – Jon Yturralde, in cooperation with our amazing travel agent. YOU DO NOT NEED TO ARRANGE ANY FLIGHTS! He will be booking the flights and consulting with parents. More specific information will be coming to you and your student soon. 
 

SPECIAL NOTE FOR MINORS ENTERING SOUTH AFRICA: TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

In the past we have had a complicated process of forms, required by the South Africa Government, for students who are younger than 18 when they leave for South Africa. We may still need to do this process, but we’ve heard that it may have changed so we will update this section and email you once we know for sure.

Health & Immunization Info

READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY AND COMPLETELY!

All travelers should visit either their personal physician or a travel health clinic 4-8 weeks before departure.

This is a summary of numerous travel health related websites. Visit these to answer any health questions you have about South Africa. Our assumption is that you and your parents will make personal decisions about vaccinations after reading the information at these links and consulting with your doctor.

Be sure your routine vaccinations are up-to-date. Routine vaccines, as they are often called, such as those for influenza, chickenpox (or varicella), polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) are given at all stages of life.

CDC Recommended Routine Vaccinations

South Africa Health Recommendations:

CDC Webpage for South Africa

MD Travel Health Website for South Africa

Note that we will NOT be in a Malaria zone in South Africa and so we do not recommend that you take malaria medication.

IMPORTANT: Please bring a photocopy of your updated health record with you on the project.

Medications
Travelers' diarrhea is the most common travel-related ailment. The cornerstone of prevention is food and water precautions, as outlined below. All travelers should bring along an antibiotic and an antidiarrheal drug to be started promptly if significant diarrhea occurs.  Most cases of traveler's' diarrhea are mild and do not require either antibiotics or antidiarrheal drugs. Adequate fluid intake is essential. We will have access to medical care in country.

General advice
Bring adequate supplies of all medications in their original containers, clearly labeled. Carry a signed, dated letter from the primary physician describing all medical conditions and listing all medications, including generic names. If carrying syringes or needles, be sure to carry a physician's letter documenting their medical necessity. Pack all medications in hand luggage. Carry a duplicate supply in the checked luggage. If you wear glasses or contacts, bring an extra pair. If you have significant allergies or chronic medical problems, wear a medical alert bracelet. Pack a personal medical kit, customized for your trip. Take appropriate measures to prevent motion sickness and jet lag.

Packing

Once you have your itinerary, check the flight regulations for carry-on luggage for every airline that you are flying with to and from country. Some may have lower weight maximums, or only allow one carry-on instead of two.

Guidelines: Pack appropriately!

• Everyone is limited to one 50 lb bag (preferably one that rolls and is easy for you to manage on your own)

• If you’re coming from Orlando, you may be asked to check an additional bag of resources and materials we need for the trip (we thank you ahead of time for your help)

• You may bring mp3 players/ipods or other forms of personal entertainment for the plane (but not after that).

• Students will not be able to use cell phones or any other device that gets internet on project. Internet will be provided on a weekly basis. Therefore bring a camera and some sort of alarm clock/watch with an alarm clock in it.

Suggested Items:

Baby Wipes (to keep you fresh and clean between showering opportunities)
Antibacterial Gel (a small container)
Dual Voltage electronics (South Africa supply electricity at 230 V and 50 HZ, so appliances like hairdryers, straighteners, etc. should be checked for the right voltage or you will need a converter)
Camera
Protein Bars and other snacks (especially if you’re a picky eater or have dietary restrictions)
Dramamine (for the plane if you get air sick or have a hard time sleeping)
Toilet Paper, 1 roll or tissue packets (might not always be readily available)
Ear Plugs (if you’re a light sleeper)
Travel Clock (since you will not have your phone to keep time)
Extra contact lenses if you wear them
Bug Spray

Required Items:
Travel Bible
Journal and a few pens
Email addresses of supporters to keep them updated (saved in an email is best
Personal First Aid Kit (band aids, pepto bismol, antihistamines (you never know what you may be allergic to over there), Advil, calamine lotion, Benadryl, etc)
Sunscreen (personal size)
Wrist Watch (you won’t have your phone to check the time)
Reusable Water Bottle (important for staying hydrated)
A few small gifts for other students, staff, and locals you become friends with (note cards, magnets, trinkets, candy, etc. from your host country or from America)

Project-Specific Items 

SOUTH AFRICA:
A New Teddy Bear for a gift for a patient at the Care Center in Port Shepstone
Plug Adapter: Type F

Clothes to Pack:

It will be WINTER in South Africa so as you pack don’t think about it being hot in Africa. Port Shepstone is temperate. It will likely be cooler at our debrief location. 

It will not be acceptable for us to look sloppy. We will be representatives of the ministry and must therefore look put together and professional when doing ministry on campus and with students.

However, looking nice does not mean that you need to have a different outfit for every day of the trip or for every day of the week. Most people repeat their clothing often, and so we will be doing the same. So one and a half week’s worth of clothing will be all that we ask you bring. When in doubt about if something is appropriate, err on the side of modesty. Serving in a ministry context usually means being more careful about how much of our skin is showing.

Guys Clothing:
5 nice shirts (polos or button ups - must have collar)
5 T-Shirts (that can get dirty or for you to lounge in - solid or with appropriate designs)
1 pair of khakis
2-3 pair of jeans
2 pair of shorts for tourist days or sleeping or maybe soccer that can get wet and dry quickly
Socks & undershirts
Modest sleepwear or sweats for sleeping
Athletic shoes (for our touring days, physical activity)
1 pair nicer shoes for campus and church
Sturdy sandals (not flip-flops) [OPTIONAL]
Underwear for 1.5-2 weeks (10-14)
One modest bathing suit (no speedos or speedo briefs/shorts)
All the toiletries that you will need for the entire trip, do not expect to buy refills
A lightweight jacket for the evenings and days that get cool
A couple of sweatshirts or something warm
Rainwear: waterproof or water resistant jacket or umbrella

Girls Clothing:
1-2 nice pants or Capris (not tight)
1-2 skirts or dresses, modest, touching knee
7 Tops (these can be button up, or basic tees but they need to look nice and professional, modest and no cleavage showing please)
5 T-Shirts (that can get dirty or for you to lounge in - solid or with appropriate designs)
2 pair of shorts (ones that can get wet or dirty and easily dry and clean)
2 pairs of jeans (not tight)
Nice sandals (meaning not flip flops) that are comfortable to walk long distances in. 
Athletic Shoes (for our touring days, physical activity)
All the toiletries that you will need for the entire trip, do not expect to buy refills
Travel Hair Dryers (need to be able to use the 220 currency and have adaptor)
NO FLAT IRONS unless you’re able to find dual currency irons
Anything else you’ll need to keep your hair looking nice
Underwear for 1.5-2 weeks (10-14 days)
Sports Bra
Socks for athletic shoes or other shoes
One modest [one piece or tankini] bathing suit and cover up
Modest sleepwear or sweats for sleeping
A lightweight jacket for the evenings and days that get cool
A couple of sweatshirts or something warm
Rainwear: waterproof or water resistant jacket or umbrella

Financial Deadlines

Add these deadlines to your calendar so that you'll stay on top of them. These are the deadlines that your coach will be following up on.

We trust that God will be the one to provide the support you need, but we understand that we must be diligent as we step out in faith to follow Him. Pray over these dates and the summer God has in store for you!

All photography provided by Jared Chambers

Since 1950, we have led the effort to permanently protect nearly 110 million acres of wilderness. We have been at the forefront of nearly every major public lands victory.

Our Mission

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What We've Achieved