19990725 Brigada Today

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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….

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS BRIGADA?

Brigada, pronounced “bree-GAH-dah”, is the rough Russian and Spanish equivalent of a “brigade.” The idea is to stand side by side to pass buckets of hope for those most in need of Christ’s eternal message! Read 4+ years of weekly back issues at https://brigada.org. See recent back issues and links at http://www.eGroups.com/list/brigada-today. Compiled by Doug Lucas DLucas@teamexpansion.org, Louisville, KY

CHILDREN OF WAR FACTS (INT’L DAY OF PRAYER)

According to Ray, one out of every 115 people on earth has been forced into flight, and a least half of these are children. As Christians throughout the world come together in unity and spirit for the Children of War – International Day of Prayer, Ray and the folks at Mission Twenty Eight Nineteen would like to invite you to join with the thousands of intercessors in praying on the behalf of the millions of children who face the pains of war on this day, Saturday, November, 20th, 1999. For more information on this special day, write Eaglesoar@northstate.net.

PAID TO BROWSE THE WEB?

If you’d like to check out a scheme whereby you are paid the browse (presumably from ad-supported revenue?), Jon invites you to checkout http://www.alladvantage.com/go.asp?refid=DPD311 (you can also write jonandhols@juno.com). I believe Jon will get some credit because you used his id… but evidently, so will you! By Jon’s calculations, for every 40 hours you browse, you’ll receive $20! That’s 50 cents per hour for free! Check it out . . . and let us know if you find out it’s not worth it.

INFO NEEDED ON THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

A mission team in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is needing to update its understanding of the doctrines and structure of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church worldwide. Can anyone point them to useful resources on the topic (books, articles, websites, etc.)? Send your tips to LarryStephKraft@xc.org. Thanks! (Larry will create a compiled report of his findings.

TIPS FOR INT’L EMAIL TRAVELERS – PART 5

Thanks to those who are contributing URLs for even more tips for email travelers. Here are a few new sites from Keith:

http://kropla.com/ – Great info including worldwide phone and electric guides and sources
http://www.roadnews.com/home.htm – Lots of resources for the computer equipped traveler
http://www.laptopproducts.com/ – Seems to be a good source at reasonable prices. Check out the multi globe electric connector which works in 140 countries for $25 and the set of two multi-telephone adapters which work in 120 countries for $65. A New York Times review on each is available via a link at this site.

IRANIAN BIBLE SCHOOL START-UP

The Iranian Bible School’s Fall Semester will begin Oct 2. A two-semester hour class – Old Testament Introduction I – is being offered. It will be taught by Saro Kachikian. Registration deadline is Sept 1st. The Iranian Bible School provides biblical, theological, vocational, and educational training for Iranian pastors, missionaries, church planters, and other church leaders. Classes are taught in Farsi. The purpose of IBS is to equip these leaders for effective and meaningful service among Iranians worldwide. The school offers a Diploma of Christian Ministries (DCM) which requires 28 semester hours of study (14 two-hour courses) and a Diploma of Theology (DTH), a 62-semester hour program (31 two-hour courses) designed for advanced training for ministry. A high school diploma is required for admission to the DTH program. For further contact write persianwo@csi.com.

MISSIONARY SAFETY RESOURCES

Know of any good resources (written, electronic, seminars, etc.) dealing with various issues pertaining to missionaries’ physical safety? If so, please contact EuniceH@iolt.com. She’ll compile a report that we’ll post here for all to see.

INTENSIVE SPANISH REFRESHER COURSE

Wendy would like to know if anyone knows of a GOOD intensive Spanish refresher course that would be about 2 weeks in length and held in the States. Please reply to awbeerbower@juno.com. She’ll supply us with a compiled report.

DO YOU KNOW A SOURCE FOR BILINGUAL BIBLES?

Mark majacobsen@msn.com works with Haitian immigrants in South Florida, and would like to know if anyone knows of a source for bi-lingual French/English or Creole/English Bibles (preferably Old and New Testaments). He’ll be glad to post his results here.

ETHNIC CHURCH PLANTING IN AMERICA

Mark majacobsen@msn.com is also looking for suggestions on how to approach the linguistic challenge of 2nd generation ethnic peoples while planting a church in the US. A Haitian church has been started using French/Creole for the adults, and English for the children. A long-range vision, however, presents the challenge of what to do when the young people of the church become adults. Should one change the church to become English speaking? Should the 2nd generation be encouraged to find an English church that meets their need? Should the church attempt to have a service in two languages? If anyone has worked through this, or has suggestions, Mark welcomes them. He has contemplated this for years, and still does not have a satisfying solution. Write Mark with your ideas. He’ll supply a compiled report.

MAKE YOUR OWN MINISTRY BROCHURES

Kingdom Graphics is ready to print your ministry brochures. Order any of their Computer Paper pkgs. for only $19.50 per pkg. (normally $25. per pkg. … save $5.50 per pkg.). ALL designs are Global/Ministry and in full-color! Plus …order 5 pkgs. and receive 2 free creatively designed ministry Notepads (a $4. value). The Computer Papers are all 8.5″X11″ flat and come scored to fold easily to a Tri-fold or to a Single-fold … and are compatible for laser & ink-jet printers and most copy machines. These products, and others, are produced by KINGDOM GRAPHICS and can be SEEN or ORDERED at their secure credit card Web Site: http://www.kingdomgraphics.com…or by their Toll FREE phone: 1-800- 618-3133 (only within the USA) …or at: 215-657-5888 …or by E-mail at: kingraph@navpoint.com Payment MUST accompany ALL orders.

THE BACKPAGE: SO HOW DO YOU HANDLE FAILURE?

Well, the day finally came. This past week I received a large manila envelope from the US Soccer Federation that would tell me whether or not I passed the “C” license (See THE BACKPAGE: TO COMPARE IS TO ERROR from the July 9th issue of Brigada Today). I swallowed hard, sat down at our breakfast nook and hesitated only for a moment. I then gently opened the end of the envelope and a quick glance confirmed my fears — I had failed. I carefully read the evaluations. To be honest, there was very little tangible input. I’m not sure how my peers did, but if their playing proficiency made a difference, as I fear it might have, most probably did a lot better than I did. I’ve only been playing for five years. I was well out of my league.

So now I’m curious… How do you handle failure? What do you do if you don’t pass the boards, you don’t get the promotion. or your wife leaves you, threatening divorce. Here’s what I’m trying, after my fiasco with higher-level soccer coaching:

Are you sure you’ve really failed? — My first step with the US Soccer Federation is to write and ask them to reconsider. For example, I’m 100% positive that I answered every question correctly on my final oral exam. But my summary score sheet says the instructor gave me the next-to-lowest score!! Now maybe he didn’t like my play on the field, but I knew the oral stuff backward and forward. So I’m going to ask the Federation to check with the evaluator. Maybe there was a mistake… maybe he had formed a subjective opinion that influenced the score. Either way, I figure I’ve got to ask the question.
Can you arrange for a second chance? — I had to re-take the Morse code test for my General Amateur Radio license (3 times!). Each time, I practiced ’til I was sure I could copy 13 words per minute. But on each occasion, once in the testing environment, my nerves would take hold and I’d lose track of the fast-paced dots and dashes. So… I repeated the test . . . and finally, it paid off! Maybe you can ask for a second chance too! In the case of my soccer-coaching clinic, it would be expensive. But . . . I could start saving again.
How can you prepare more effectively? — If you can retake the test, find out what you can do better. In my case, I’m asking the Federation if they have any indication of what I need to change. My hunch is, they’ll not be able to give much specific input… because there’s sure not much detail on the score sheets from the sessions. “Get more coaching experience,” they might say. Well I can do that . . . and try again. In the case of my ham radio license, I finally figured out that I needed to study at 15 or even 17 words per minute if I hoped to copy 13 words per minute during the heat of the test! When I tried that, I passed easy as pie!
Never, never, never, never, NEVER quit — Even if your spouse has told you there’s no use begging for another chance, try begging anyway. Even if you feel that you’ve studied that foreign language ’til you’re blue in the face, study some more. In my case, I’ll admit — I’ve had it pretty easy. I received comprehensive scholarships for both undergrad. and graduate school. I graduated with honors in both cases. Many people say that foreign languages seem to come easy for me (although it doesn’t seem that way to me when I have to rehearse each phrase a million times to say it correctly — so maybe they’re judging the result rather than the effort!). But no matter how you slice it, life has been good. I’ve had few really hard times… and rarely failed miserably. I guess that’s why this particular failure hurts so much. Maybe it’s an ego thing… or maybe I hate the thought that the money I paid for the course is “down the drain.” Our family isn’t rich. So in the thick of the battle, I almost caved in. Thank goodness I had a very understanding wife, who hugged me and said, “Maybe you can try it again in a couple of years.” It was all I needed to pick myself back up. (Score one for faithful wives.) Maybe there’s a corollary: Always, always, always, always, ALWAYS encourage your spouse (or your best friend).

So anyway… that’s my story. I’ll write the USSF. They’ll probably say the decision is final. So then I’ll go back to work. And in a few years, if you’re still reading the Brigada Tomorrow, maybe you’ll hear “The Rest of the Story.” Each day, we write the next chapter of our lives. It’s up to us to author it according to our dreams rather than our nightmares. Mine’s got “C” license written all over it.

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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!