19981220 Brigada Today

Now with 8606 weekly participants!
News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
On the WorldWide Web, browse https://brigada.org or http://www.eGroups.com/list/brigada-today
Brigada Today is “the missionary helper newsletter!”
Compiled by Doug Lucas <DLucas@teamexpansion.org>, Louisville, KY
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In this issue….

WHOA! BRIGADA PARTICIPANTS JUMP TO 8600+

Maybe one of you did a “membership drive” for the Christmas holidays??? … or put some kind of “free coupon” in your company’s stockings???

Musta’ been some company. We normally grow by 1, 2, or 10 subscribers per day… and we’re thankful for that! But on the fateful and memorable day of Dec. 23, our number of Brigada participants (subscribers to Brigada Today) jumped by 661 individuals! Over 8600 people are now involved on a weekly basis! Thanks to whomever played Santa!

(I don’t know — maybe MAFxc just reindexed the counting mechanism!

)

FIVE CENTS PER MINUTE WORLDWIDE LONG DISTANCE

Sort of. I’m not sure I understand it yet. Apparently, if you happen to live in the USA, you could start using 10 10 629 today. Reportedly, for a limited time, you’d be able to dial long distance for just 5 cents/minute… not only to other cities in the USA but also to several other points throughout the globe, including Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Apparently during the first use, you have to put in a “project code,” which is 200615. The service doesn’t require a credit card and it doesn’t make you change long distance carriers. Supposedly, all you have to do is dial 10 10 629 then dial 1 (or, if dialing overseas, 011 + the country code) + the Area Code and the Phone Number. One hitch… and only one as far as I can determine… you are billed $4.50 for any month that you use the service. But if you knew you were going to be calling the UK several times in January, it would be worth it! Thanks for the tip! If you need to know more, you might be able to find out more by writing zhafamba@cja.inext.ro or cupcake1002@chorlo.cpel.uba.ar.

FREE COPIES OF THE JESUS FILM!

Would you like to use the Jesus Film on your next mission trip? Got a missionary to whom you’d like to mail a few hundred copies??? Now you can! Brigada has a friend in Canada who has connections!

For a limited time, email Keith Keithk@idmail.com and ask away!

NOTE: There are several small hitches. First only about 400 languages are being offered… and they’re only from Asia, Africa, Greek and New World Indian languages. Second, if you’re ordering from outside Canada, you have to pay shipping. Ask for more info. on this. Third, not every request can be granted… since funds for this project come directly from a foundation grant, which is limited. But there are great options. In fact, you might even be able to purchase “master copies” with rights to copy the film at your site! Again, write Keith for more info. Fourth, and finally, we think you should have to agree to send Keith a great story from your use of the films. (Maybe Keith won’t require it, but we think it’s the least you could do!

) Thanks loads, Keith! Canada comes through again!

LOOKING FOR THAT HARD-TO-LABEL LANGUAGE?

Go to the web! Browse http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/countries/xxxx.html where xxxx represents the first four letters of the country you’re interested in (=indo). This is from the brand new edition. Thanks again Keith!

AUDIO TAPES TO GO

Maybe your target people group doesn’t have access to VCRs or projectors, so the Jesus Film couldn’t be passed around en masse. But maybe you could distribute a few audio cassette players??? If so, write Audio Scriptures at asint1@xc.org. Keith (again!) says they have a great catalogue with about 70 languages, mostly Gospel portions.

A FUN WAY TO PRACTICE LANGUAGE…

Tim (from Cincinnati) writes, “If you have a TV set-top or PC-based DVD drive, and can buy or rent movies on DVD, you’ll notice that many of the disks give you the option of listening to the movie in several languages, with closed captioning in any of those languages. You can often listen to a movie in, say, Spanish, and watch the subtitles in English. You can often even print out all the subtitles, or even the entire script, in several languages. AND, you can repeat sections at will so that you can use the DVD as a language dialog tape. So instead of that Pablo Goes to the Market tape you’ve been slaving over, you can check out Lost in Space!” Great idea, Tim . . . especially for those folks buying those new laptops, wondering what they’ll do with that fancy new DVD drive!

AUDIO MISSIONS PROGRAMS (IN SPANISH) TO GO

In August of 1997, C.E.T., International and the Bible Society of Bolivia began a joint venture in producing professional audio missions programs in Spanish, called (NMM) EL NOTICIERO MISIONERO MUNDIAL (The World Missionary News). The program objective is to inform, challenge, and motivate the Latin Church to missions action. The program format is 3-minutes of the following: unreached people group profiles, with their folkloric music in background; statistics; interviews with Latin missionaries in World A; persecuted church information; legislation that will affect missions, upcoming missions events; bi-vocational opportunities; various other missions news. There are 14 programs produced per month, and to date, 183 programs have been produced and are available. These programs are being used in 8 Latin American countries on over 50 radio stations. COMIBAM, International joins with CET, International and Bible Society in 1999 to begin expanding this ministry to the continent. Another goal of the NMM for 1999 is to put images to the 3-minute missions programs for TV use. CET and Bible Society subsidize the program so Spanish broadcasts can obtain these monthly cassettes of 14 programs at mailing cost only. Contact CET for details by email: cetintl@pino.cbb.entelnet.bo or by snail mail at Casilla 5588, Cochabamba, Bolivia or by fax: 011-591-4-245523. Address correspondence to Paul Confer, Vice-Director CET, International.

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE CLOSED?

Evangelical Baptist Missions is involved in developing a specialized ministry that focuses on ministering in limited access countries. One of their missionaries, Doug Boisvert, is looking at the closing of the African countries and would like to compile a list of the recent restrictions and evacuations of African countries especially in the last ten years. He desires to research the possible patterns in anticipation of future creative means of reaching in these countries through neighboring nationals that are not as limited. Do you have any links that list the history of countries closing to Western Missionaries in Africa? Maybe you could report on your own evacuation experience and/or current (or future) anticipated restrictions in an African Country. Anything that might help in this research can be sent to Doug Boisvert trimbois@Compuserve.com.

METHODIST MISSIONS CONFERENCE

The first Malaysian Methodist Missions Conference will be held in Penang April 15-17. This conference will bring together key people in missions from all 5 conferences on Malaysian Methodism. The purpose for this event, according to Eric Cheah, “is to promote networking relationships and strategic partnerships and in getting people into the field. We want people to know what becoming a missionary would require in the modern context and that crteative access is imperative.” “The Malaysian Connection” is planned to be held at Genting Highlands, May 9-12. This is a Joshua Project Consultation where some 40 UPG’s in Asia will be promoted. John Robb will be one of the key speakers. Three key mission leaders from each of 100 or more Malaysian churches will attend. A unique feature will be the presence of 10 facilitators to help nurture continual linkage between home supporter and field work. For more info, write Loh Hoe Peng Peacehp@pacific.net.sg.

NET2PHONE LOWERS RATES ON THE 1ST

IDT’s Net2Phone recently announced that it will reduce the rates on its PC-to-phone service for U.S. callers to 4.9 cents a minute. The cut goes into effect Jan. 1. Previously costs within the U.S. were 10 to 15 cents per minute for domestic users. “Users will save up to 75 percent on their domestic phone bill,” said Net2Phone chief operating officer David Greenblatt, “but our international rates are also incredibly low, with rates to most of Europe at 10 cents per minute.” Users can download Net2Phone free at http://www.net2phone.com.

WOMEN’S SUMMIT ON THE WINDOW

A “Women’s Summit on the Window” is coming February 6-8, 1999 to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Organizers are billing it as “an international prayer and mobilization conference focusing on the needs of women and children in the 10/40 Window and strategizing to meet those needs.” Note that there is a special price for attending both the Women’s Summit on the Window and the Praying With Power conference (see next item). The sponsor is Christian Information Network. For registration information contact Glory of Zion Plantern@aol.com or browse their site at http://www.christian-info.com .

PRAYING WITH POWER

CIN is hosting a “Praying With Power Conference, February 9-13, 1999 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The theme is “Empowering Ordinary people for Extraordinary Exploits in the 10/40 Window.” This conference on intercessory prayer for the nations will show how to bring down strongholds and mobilize Christians to network together in prayer. Speakers will be internationally known field workers experienced in overcoming the principalities and powers of darkness. It’s sponsored by Christian Information Network. For registration information contact Glory of Zion Plantern@aol.com or see their site at http://www.christian-info.com .

SPANISH 30 DAYS OF PRAYER

“30 Dias De Oracion por los Musulmanes” (30 days of Prayer for Muslims) is being offered in a special way for Brigada participants in the Muslim world. You get one Spanish Prayer Guide booklet, one full color Poster (English), plus the “El Mundo del Islam” video, for the discounted price of $11 (regular price: $20.45), US Postage included (add $4 for shipments outside the USA; specify video format if other than in NTSC). Additional booklets: $1.50 (includes postage). They can invoice North American customers; others need to prepay with US$ checks or visa or mastercard. Contact: WorldChristian News, PO Box 26479, Colorado Springs, CO 80936. Tel: (719) 380-0507, Fax: (719) 380-0936, Email wcn@xc.org.

MAKE IT A SLAVIC SUMMER

The Indiana University Summer Workshop in Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages (SWSEEL) recently announced summer courses for the study of AZERI (first year), KAZAK (first year), TURKMEN (first year) and UZBEK (first and second year). The summer workshop will be held at Indiana University (Bloomington) on June 18-August 13, 1999. Tuition for each course is $917.40 for both in-state and out-of-state students. FELLOWSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. The deadline for fellowship applications is APRIL 1, 1999; thereafter applications will be accepted on a space-available basis. Each eight-week, six-credit course entails approximately twenty-five hours of classroom and lab instruction each week. In addition, students can take advantage of many educational and cultural activities related to the language they are studying. For applications and additional information, write to swseel@indiana.edu or check it out on the web at URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~iuslavic/swseel.html . Thanks for the tip, Kerry!

NEW BOOK TO HELP US UNDERSTAND AFRICA

Black Samson is a book by veteran missionary, Levi O. Keidel. It’s reported to be “A deeply-moving, true story of the emergence of a black man from the jungles of Zaire to a position of prestige and influence. Maweja was a marked man – a known “lifer” feared by all for his violent temper and great strength. The miracle of his release from prison is as strange and exciting as the unfolding of this astonishing story of a black man’s discovery of himself and a new power greater than he had ever possessed before. Excellent resource to help missionaries understand cross-cultural differences.” You can get a free subscription to a weekly, consecutive chapter will be sent to online subscribers each Saturday of the month, beginning February 1, 1999. To subscribe, send an email to blacksam-subscribe@onelist.com. Or, alternatively, each chapter can be printed out from the Black Samson web page at: http://misslink.org/blacksam.html

TEN KEYS TO KEEP YOUR EMAIL FRIENDS

Lately I’ve been seeing more and more articles about how emailed junk mail is such a terrible problem. In fact, one writer (Paul Tinnirello in PC Week) recently called email, “The Silent Killer of Productivity.” What I can’t understand is … Why is emailed junkmail any worse than the snailmail variety? And why should it take us any longer to deal with it? When our mail comes at our mission office, I look at each letter and can already tell by the wrapper what most of the envelopes are about. If it’s a “bulk mail” stamp, I already suspect that I’ll toss it. I glance at the headlines of a church newsletter, scan the major topic sentences of the first couple of paragraphs of a notice from Symantec about a coming upgrade of WinFax, then read a report from one of our missionaries in Taiwan. Those are choices I have to make based on the amount of paper coming across my desktop. I don’t see why email is any different. I get maybe 100 emails daily. Many… many are bulk mailed. If I see 35 addresses in the header, I already suspect that I’ll only glance at it. I scan the subject line, then look at the first 2 or 3 sentences. By then, I’m already guessing whether or not it’s spam, junkmail, one of those notorious emailed jokes (that I never read), an email virus (“If 15,000 of us write to Disneyworld, the boy with cancer at the office of the FCC can finally get a new copy of AOL Gold!”), etc. I discipline myself to decide in the first 5 seconds whether or not I’ll actually open the email. (At this point, I’m just looking at it in the preview pane of my reader.) So… why is email any worse than written mail. Even if someone sends me an attached file without asking permission (a real no-no in email protocol), I still don’t have to download it if I don’t want to. (I almost never download unsolicited files.) So… if you ask me, it’s all a bunch of hype. I figure if someone really wants my attention, they’ll email me direct… (rather than copy me and 150 other people on a 5-page thesis). And… to be honest… I figure if they want me bad enough, they’ll come up with a good enough subject line and first 3 sentences to let me know what they’re expecting. Does this mean I don’t care about them? Not at all! All it means is that I’m trying to take steps to stay sane!

So… as the email glut continues to grow, here are:

Doug’s “Ten Keys To Keep Your Email Friends”:

Create a short, effective subject line that clearly identifies your email…
Say “Hi” in the first line (we’ve got to do something to keep email from becoming totally sterile and cold)
Try to keep your message only one screen in length! The longer it grows, the less effective it’ll be come.
If you inquote (include text from a previous or forwarded message), use an identifier (like xx or yy) at the beginning of each inquoted line.
Include only as much inquoted information as is absolutely necessary.
Don’t sign others up for your mailing lists without asking their permission… unless you positively know they would want to get it.
Don’t ask so many questions in one email that it’s overwhelming.
Remember that some people get lots of mail. Don’t take it personally if they are brief in their reply, or if they don’t even answer at all. Send the same message back to them again and, if they don’t answer after two or three attempts, try emailing a friend in the same town to check on the status of your friend’s account.
Make it really clear what you’re expecting in return. Instead of saying, “I’d sure like to hear back from you…” say, “Could I ask you to give me a green or red light on this by Friday?”
Finally, remember some people (granted… only a few) just aren’t making the leap to email. You might have to use the dreaded telephone with them… or even go see them personally!!!

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COPYRIGHT — This issue of Brigada Today is Copyrighted © 2001. However, permission is granted to freely redistribute these materials, including those available through email autoresponders, provided that such redistribution is to those who will help the Good News of Christianity to reach the unreached. But please include this phrase: “For a free subscription of Brigada‘s weekly missions publication, write <brigada-today-subscribe@egroups.com>.”
IMPORTANT: To copy or reproduce Brigada Today for any other reason is illegal and is not permitted.

DISCLAIMER — Please note that there’s no way we can possibly screen all the text on all the web sites or items we recommend. We try to check them out first… but if we miss something, please don’t assume that the opinions on those sites are identical to those of the Brigada family of networks. “Eat the corn, leave the cob!”
For subscription questions or problems, write help@brigada.org.

SUBMITTING CONTENT — To submit content or ideas to Brigada Today, first please get a copy of “Guidelines for submitting items to Brigada” Then, once you’ve composed your item in keeping with those guidelines, send your item for Brigada Today to DLucas@teamexpansion.org.
Thanks to for hosting the Brigada mailing list.
Emphasis is placed on items relating to unreached peoples and challenges faced by those reaching them cross-culturally.

PLEASE DON’T SUBSCRIBE US TO YOUR LIST — It’s always better to ask before manually force-adding anyone to your list-serve or mailing list. Recently, tons of well-meaning people have been subscribing Doug to their lists. Since he often travels overseas, he doesn’t join many of those, for obvious reasons (like being charged big-time for overseas access). So as a general rule, please don’t bulk-mail us! See the note above if you’d like to submit items for Brigada Today. Thanks for understanding. Bottom line: We will never create Brigada Today items from bulk mail. Bulk mail gets deleted immediately — sorry. Nothing personal. We suggest you apply the same standard to everyone. Ask first!

WARNING ABOUT FORWARDING EMAILS — Please, before forwarding any kind of request (even if it says “please send this to all your friends”), please check to make sure it has a VERIFIABLE ORIGIN, a VERIFIABLE PURPOSE, and a VERIFIABLE CLOSURE (OPC). By following this simple approach, many “email viruses” could be nipped in the bud… at least in the Brigada family. More information about the full Brigada OPC protocol is available. Thank you.

BRIGADA TODAY IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE FOLLOWING TEAM OF REGULAR VOLUNTEERS:

Global Glimpses: John Hanna, Caleb Project, jhanna@cproject.com
Brigada Website: Bob Mayhew, WebServant@brigada.org
Brigada Customer Service Manager: help@brigada.org
Brigada Coordinator: Doug Lucas, Team Expansion & Brigada, DLucas@teamexpansion.org
and many other occasional contributors too numerous to mention!: But thanks for working together! That’s the dream of Brigada!