Hi friends,
We now have two weeks in June that we need mission teams to come serve at Operation Exodus!
June 18-25 - We need to team to lead our after school program so that we can having training and planning for our summer program staff.
June 25-July 2 - The new start date for Summer Program at our Inwood site (Heights will start a week later)
Please contact MTW for more details
Will you pray with us that the Lord will provide teams for these weeks?
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Team leaders do not forget that your Project Orientation Trip rsvp forms are due by 2/15
Showing posts with label summer teams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer teams. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
THE SHOCK!
Your team will not be leaving the country this summer during their trip to New York, but that doesn't mean they won't experience culture shock. Many teams may not be used to "Big City" life, different smells, different people and personalities, being away from home, eating food that strays from their usual diet, etc. In order to give you the heads up on how to deal with the situation if it occurs on your team, please read the below information and read some from the suggested reading list from your Project Orientation Manual!
What are the typical phases of going through culture shock?
•Honeymoon: Everything is great, nothing is wrong, you’re having a wonderful time.
•Shock: There are so many differences that you don’t know how to deal with them. You didn’t think things would be like this.
•Negotiation: You learn to deal with the problems set before you and try to integrate them with your own opinions.
•Acceptance: You are able to live well in the environment with the differences you are experiencing.
What are some symptoms of culture shock?
1.Feeling very angry over minor inconveniences
2.Irritability
3.Withdrawal from people who are different from you
4.Extreme homesickness
5.Sudden intense feeling of loyalty to own culture
6.Overeating or loss of appetite
7.Boredom
8.A need for excessive sleep
9.Headaches
10.Upset stomach
11.Depression
12.Loss of ability to work effectively
13.Unexplainable crying
14.Relationship stress
15.Feeling sick much of the time
You will most likely not experience many of these symptoms in just a week's time. But be aware of these things. The stress of being away from home and in an unfamiliar place can open the door for conflict in the team (an article on conflict resolution can be found in the post from April 20, 2010).
There is a lot you can do to prepare your team for culture shock. Reading books and articles, watching films, documentaries, and movies, as well as keeping up with the local news will help you learn more about the people and culture you will be interacting with.
Remember to PRAY without ceasing!!! Pray for your team before you go, while you are there, and even in the days and weeks after your return. Team members may also deal with culture shock once they return home. There will be a debrief time while in New York to talk about the week, but you may wish to have a final debrief once home. A good idea to help the team process what happened is to have a time for them to share with others about their experience whether it is in Sunday school, church, youth group, or just with a small gathering of friends. This allows for the team to process, as well as a way to get more people interested for next year!
What are the typical phases of going through culture shock?
•Honeymoon: Everything is great, nothing is wrong, you’re having a wonderful time.
•Shock: There are so many differences that you don’t know how to deal with them. You didn’t think things would be like this.
•Negotiation: You learn to deal with the problems set before you and try to integrate them with your own opinions.
•Acceptance: You are able to live well in the environment with the differences you are experiencing.
What are some symptoms of culture shock?
1.Feeling very angry over minor inconveniences
2.Irritability
3.Withdrawal from people who are different from you
4.Extreme homesickness
5.Sudden intense feeling of loyalty to own culture
6.Overeating or loss of appetite
7.Boredom
8.A need for excessive sleep
9.Headaches
10.Upset stomach
11.Depression
12.Loss of ability to work effectively
13.Unexplainable crying
14.Relationship stress
15.Feeling sick much of the time
You will most likely not experience many of these symptoms in just a week's time. But be aware of these things. The stress of being away from home and in an unfamiliar place can open the door for conflict in the team (an article on conflict resolution can be found in the post from April 20, 2010).
There is a lot you can do to prepare your team for culture shock. Reading books and articles, watching films, documentaries, and movies, as well as keeping up with the local news will help you learn more about the people and culture you will be interacting with.
Remember to PRAY without ceasing!!! Pray for your team before you go, while you are there, and even in the days and weeks after your return. Team members may also deal with culture shock once they return home. There will be a debrief time while in New York to talk about the week, but you may wish to have a final debrief once home. A good idea to help the team process what happened is to have a time for them to share with others about their experience whether it is in Sunday school, church, youth group, or just with a small gathering of friends. This allows for the team to process, as well as a way to get more people interested for next year!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Conflict Resolution
Even Christians can fall prey to the work of the enemy! He loves to use every means possible to get to us, eat at us, tempt us, create conflict between us. If he can get just the tip of his finger on our efforts to expand the kingdom, he's doing what he loves - creating mayhem. Conflict among teams can cause damage unimaginable.
Please be advised that your team is not necessarily sheltered from conflict by the mere fact they are Christians. Conflict creeps in sometimes when we least expect it. Team Leader, you should always first try to help resolve the conflict as soon as you are aware of it.
A few ways of responding to conflict are:
(from "Guiding People Through Conflict" by Peacemaker ministries)
Overlook the offense- Many disputes can be resolved by quietly overlooking the offense and forgiving the offender. (Prov 12:16).
Reconciliation- Wrongs that are too serious to overlook should be resolved through loving confrontation or confession, which allows for reconciliation and forgiveness.
Mediation- When it is impossible to resolve a conflict one-on-one, bring a third party in (Matt. 18:16) and allow for a mediator to help. (If it is unable to be resolved, the team leader should talk with the MTW administrator on the field and figure out the best course of action).
Remember that we are all sinners, and in need of God's grace. Having been given grace by God, we should in turn give grace to others. Each day give him the glory, take the log out of your own eye first, seek restoration in conflict, pursue genuine peace and reconciliation. Seek to be a good steward of your time, and maintain a Christ-like love for those you may not completely get along with - for our Lord has loved us when we've least deserved it!
Even if conflict arises, God can use it for his great purposes! If resolved, it can allow for a witness of the church, restoration, team building and strength, the witness of God's power and love and forgiveness, and a way for non-believers to see the Gospel played out in a concrete way!
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Cor. 10:13
One website that is extremely helpful in this area is http://www.peacemaker.net/. There, you can sign up to receive a free publication on biblical peacemaking.
Also, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis provides wonderful insight from Lewis about the ways the enemy likes to create conflict. There are excerpts from the book here: http://bama.ua.edu/~casey006/216/screwtape.html
Please be advised that your team is not necessarily sheltered from conflict by the mere fact they are Christians. Conflict creeps in sometimes when we least expect it. Team Leader, you should always first try to help resolve the conflict as soon as you are aware of it.
A few ways of responding to conflict are:
(from "Guiding People Through Conflict" by Peacemaker ministries)
Overlook the offense- Many disputes can be resolved by quietly overlooking the offense and forgiving the offender. (Prov 12:16).
Reconciliation- Wrongs that are too serious to overlook should be resolved through loving confrontation or confession, which allows for reconciliation and forgiveness.
Mediation- When it is impossible to resolve a conflict one-on-one, bring a third party in (Matt. 18:16) and allow for a mediator to help. (If it is unable to be resolved, the team leader should talk with the MTW administrator on the field and figure out the best course of action).
Remember that we are all sinners, and in need of God's grace. Having been given grace by God, we should in turn give grace to others. Each day give him the glory, take the log out of your own eye first, seek restoration in conflict, pursue genuine peace and reconciliation. Seek to be a good steward of your time, and maintain a Christ-like love for those you may not completely get along with - for our Lord has loved us when we've least deserved it!
Even if conflict arises, God can use it for his great purposes! If resolved, it can allow for a witness of the church, restoration, team building and strength, the witness of God's power and love and forgiveness, and a way for non-believers to see the Gospel played out in a concrete way!
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 1 Cor. 10:13
One website that is extremely helpful in this area is http://www.peacemaker.net/. There, you can sign up to receive a free publication on biblical peacemaking.
Also, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis provides wonderful insight from Lewis about the ways the enemy likes to create conflict. There are excerpts from the book here: http://bama.ua.edu/~casey006/216/screwtape.html
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