In this issue…

  1. INCREDIBLE OUTPOURING: $2000 GIVEN TO BRIGADA IN ONE WEEK!
  2. “THE TRAVEL DOCTOR” WILL MEET YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS
  3. INTERNATIONAL GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE FOR “COUNTRY SPECIFIC” TEAMS
  4. RELY ON LIFE SKILLS TO FINE-TUNE RELATIONSHIPS
  5. FIVE MORE DAYS FOR VIDEO STORYTELLING
  6. AD 2005 – THE YEAR OF THE TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY
  7. SUPPORT BRIGADA WITH YOUR PURCHASE OF THIS MISSIONS DVD
  8. LEARN HOW TO DRAW THE SEARCH ENGINES TO YOUR SITE
  9. GET YOUR MISSIONS PAGE INTO THE DIRECTORY
  10. BECOME A GROUPER AND GET FREE ENCRYPTED FILE SHARING AND MORE
  11. CHURCH PLANTING AMONG UNREACHED PEOPLES
  12. WEBSITE REVIVAL
  13. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF RECONCILIATION STUDIES
  14. FRONTIER MISSIONS FOCUSED DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING!
  15. MISSIONARY UPDATE IS NOW ONLINE
  16. WORD TRAINER (WT) … A HANDY TOOL
  17. WYCLIFFE ASSOCIATES(UK) EASYENGLISH GENESIS COMMENTARY READY
  18. CHURCH PLANTING AMONG UNREACHED PEOPLES (CIU)
  19. HELP ASSEMBLE A REPORT ON TOP-NOTCH CONFERENCES
  20. PROFESSIONALS IN MISSION
  21. LEARN A PRACTICAL SKILL FOR MISSIONS
  22. ISSUES IN ISLAM (CIU)
  23. CLOSING STUFF
  1. INCREDIBLE OUTPOURING: $2000 GIVEN TO BRIGADA IN ONE WEEK! — What a week it has been! As you know, we’re trying to wrap up our 2004 year in the black so our Brigada-sponsored secretary can be paid. These gifts and her work make it possible for us to keep Brigada going out the door ontime and full of resources for you. Many recall what it was like prior to bringing her on board. We were sometimes as much as 6 months behind. Now, thanks to her work, we are always at least within 1 week of the published date. (And that’s with her working just 3 days/week.) Thanks this past week to workers in Russia who sent $40, our good friends at the Chalmers Center who sent $200, and the ICE folks who sent $50 along with this note: “We so appreciate your ministry! Like so many Christian organizations that rely on you for networking, the International Council of Ethnodoxologists (ICE) is behind you 100%. May God bless you all the more in 2005 as you help so many participate in the spread of Christ’s kingdom!” We received a grand total of $568 from a “story-teller,” a tentmaker mobilizer with Global Opportunities, workers in Alaska, PA, the UK, Arizona, from a fellow missionary, from Denver, Texas, Panama. Want to help with the 2004 cost of our Brigada-sponsored secretary? This is absolutely your last chance. Just click “sponsor” in the top menu (to use PayPal or a credit card), or just send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada secretary), 13711 Willow Reed Dr., Louisville, KY 40299. Thanks! As always, be sure to let us know if you’d like us to promote any particular service or ministry, or if you’d prefer your gift be anonymous. Your gift can still be considered as part of the 2004 giving year as long as you postmark it by Dec. 27. So far, 2004 gifts total up $8,575.79 out of a total budgeted $16,140. What will happen if we run short? Well something will have to give. We’ll try our best make sure she’s paid, but it will have to come from somewhere. Please pray with us during this final week that God would empower a partner or several partners to step forward to make up the missing $7,500.
  2. “THE TRAVEL DOCTOR” WILL MEET YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS — We get support from The Travel Doctor, Grandville, MI, an organization dedicated to the health care of missionaries and other expatriates. Find them on the web at http://www.travdoc.com and http://www.pregnanttraveler.com Their services aren’t free, but the charges are fair and square and the knowledge can’t be beat anywhere. Trust them for your travel questions. (Thanks to the Travel Doctor for a $1000 sponsorship, the largest so far in 2004! They wrote, “Our accountant tells us that by giving to most charitable organizations, we can deduct 10% of our donation as a ‘charitable donation’, whereas by donating to Brigada, we can deduct 100% of it as ‘advertising costs.’ ” Yahooo! :-)
  3. INTERNATIONAL GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE FOR “COUNTRY SPECIFIC” TEAMS – Often it is difficult to get all workers in an agency on-board for group health insurance. But some insurance companies will provide group insurance for all workers in a specific country. If your agency is not able to provide an agency-wide group medical plan, it may be that you can provide a field-wide group plan. For more information on how to set up “country-specific group health coverage” contact: jeff(at)gninsurance(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] or call 480/813-9100; Toll free in USA: 866/636-9100. Visit http://www.gninsurance.com (Thanks to “Good Neighbor” for $100!!!)
  4. RELY ON LIFE SKILLS TO FINE-TUNE RELATIONSHIPS — Life Skills International exists to reach out to individuals who want to break free from behavior that can cause strained, broken or abusive relationships. They teach skills to promote growth as each person learns the reasons for behaviors without placing guilt or blame. “Fine-tuning” for any marriage occurs in gender-separate classes, as each person becomes a healthier adult and better parent. Life Skills Centers in the United States can be located by calling (303)340-0598 or log on at http://lifeskillsintl.org/ (Thanks for the $100 sponsorship gift!)
  5. FIVE MORE DAYS FOR VIDEO STORYTELLING — They’re continue their discount through the end of the year—“Toolbox For Video Storytelling” is 15% off through December! Here’s a great book on how to write and produce your missionary video, and a portion of your purchase price still goes to support our Brigada secretary. So please visit http://www.VillageAve.com/Brigada and read the order instruction on that page. The book is a great resource to help you communicate a video story — great for missionaries and ministry workers, too. (Thanks for their partnership gift of $25!)
  6. AD 2005 – THE YEAR OF THE TALKING BIBLE SUNDAY — Audio Scriptures International (ASI) in California in partnership with World Mission in Michigan is appealing to thousands of churches to participate in the Talking Bible Sunday Movement! They are asking congregations to designate one Sunday in AD 2005 as their church’s “Talking Bible Sunday.” Each church’s “Talking Bible Sunday” special offering will enable ASI to provide Talking Bibles in needed languages to Bibleless people who need Bibles but cannot read. Among Bibleless people are millions of Christians, many of whom are new believers, who cannot read. To enable them to learn God’s Word by listening, they urgently need Talking Bibles in their languages. ASI is asking people to pray that God will lead thousands of churches to observe a “Talking Bible Sunday” in this new year, AD 2005. For details and to learn more, visit ASI’s website, http://www.audioscriptures.org or call ASI and ask for Dori at 1-800-318-7262 (Thanks to the Hoekstras for the gift of $30!)
  7. SUPPORT BRIGADA WITH YOUR PURCHASE OF THIS MISSIONS DVD — International trainer and consultant, Paul Borthwick, speaks on the “Role of the West and Rest: Where do Western Churches and Missions Agencies Fit Within the Context of Global Christianity.” This 4-hour DVD will help you to help your church become more mission minded. http://acquirewisdom.com/g.o/brigada 35% of your purchase price is given to support the work of Brigada.
  8. LEARN HOW TO DRAW THE SEARCH ENGINES TO YOUR SITE — Check out Aaron’s site and his “SEO Book” http://www.seobook.com/ Find out how to pull people into your missions site. (Thanks, Aaron, for the $25 sponsorship.)
  9. GET YOUR MISSIONS PAGE INTO THE DIRECTORY — Stop by the Web Atlas http://www.webatlas.org/ This is a Directory-oriented search page. (And thanks to Rachel for her support of $25.)
  10. BECOME A GROUPER AND GET FREE ENCRYPTED FILE SHARING AND MORE — That’s right. Check ’em out at http://www.grouper.com You can chat in groups, IM with individuals, share large files at will, all peer-to-peer without circulating the files through 3rd parties. The install file plugs into your computer and creates a secure tunnel all the way to the computer of your buddies. Use it with a whole team in a sensitive area. It’s free during beta… and the publishers have sworn that there will always be a “basic” service level that’s free or ad- supported. Someday, there will probably be a small fee for the more advanced services. Become a grouper!
  11. CHURCH PLANTING AMONG UNREACHED PEOPLES — Attend an important class at CIU, January 10-14, 2005. How do you plant churches in a Muslim society? Explore major issues involved in pioneer church planting among unreached people groups and develop principles for establishing and nurturing biblically rooted churches in Muslim settings. In addition, vital aspects of apostleship, ecclesiology, evangelism, discipling, eldership, accountability and team life will be explored in their New Testament dimensions, with application to current field realities, and with an eye toward church planting movements. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from an authority who has written a book on the subject!

    12. It’s not to late to register for these winterim classes! Register online at http://www.ciu.edu/winterstudies. Questions? Contact Vanessa at vmagnus(at)ciu(dot)edu [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] or call (803) 754-4100 ext. 3327.

  12. WEBSITE REVIVAL –-Are you a Christian web designer or developer? Website Revival offers developer licenses to their content management system. E-mail: andy(at)websiterevival(dot)org or visit them http://www.websiterevival.org USA callers can dial toll-free (others can call via Net2phone) 1-866- 385-4129 x316. Local calls 401-861-3300 x316
  13. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF RECONCILIATION STUDIES -— This is a web- based, 9-12 month, self paced school for leaders that is now accepting applications 24/7. The faculty includes YWAM President, John Dawson and other significant reconcilers from around the world. For those registering and mentioning Brigada, the school will tithe to Brigada a portion of the registration fee. So you get world class training in reconciliation and Brigada gets a blessing as well. Check it out http://www.gracebridge.org or contact fawn(at)reignbridge(dot)com (Thanks Joey and Fawn!)
  14. FRONTIER MISSIONS FOCUSED DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING! — Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Turner Valley, Canada is running Discipleship Training School (DTS) to grow your faith and help you to participate in reaching the nations. The focus is on unreached peoples in Southeast Asia and North Africa. DTS includes 3 months of training and a 2 month mission trip. Here are the upcoming dates: March 23, 2005 – August 12, 2005, and September 14, 2005 – February 10, 2006. Prices: $ 3200 CND (tuition and accommodation) plus $ 1750 + airfare CND (missions trip). Please send an email for further information: turnervalley(at)ywam(dot)ca Or visit the website: http://www.ywamturnervlley.com
  15. MISSIONARY UPDATE IS NOW ONLINE — This sites hopes to be a total resource site for Missionaries. They’re still in the building mode. But they plan is that Christian Missionaries receive a free web site to which they can keep their family and church updated from their mission field. There isn’t even a charge for the design of the site! Also on the site is one of the Most extensive Missionary Forums online, a chat room, messages, and many other resources are being added daily. The site address is http://www.missionaryupdate.com or email them at mail@missionaryupdate.com
  16. WORD TRAINER (WT) … A HANDY TOOL — Catch this handy tool for studying a foreign language by learning new words from user-created dictionaries (you can make as many as you need). E.g. download a small sample dictionary containing about 800 most frequently used English words along with their semicolon-separated Russian equivalents (variants of translation can be separated from each other with commas). You can also create such dictionaries in any language provided that you have the corresponding localization on your PDA so that you can read special characters and input answers correctly. The dictionary can in be written in unicode. Check it out at http://www.freewareppc.com/educational/wt.shtml
  17. WYCLIFFE ASSOCIATES(UK) EASYENGLISH GENESIS COMMENTARY READY — Get this level B commentary, together with translated text, in four sections, and Deuteronomy at EasyEnglish level A from http://easyenglish.info . More information on EasyEnglish may be obtained from martin@easyenglish.info .
  18. CHURCH PLANTING AMONG UNREACHED PEOPLES (CIU) — Catch this class January 10-14, 2005. How do you plant churches in a Muslim society? Explore major issues involved in pioneer church planting among unreached people groups and develop principles for establishing and nurturing biblically rooted churches in Muslim settings. In addition, vital aspects of apostleship, ecclesiology, evangelism, discipling, eldership, accountability and team life will be explored in their New Testament dimensions, with application to current field realities, and with an eye toward church planting movements. http://www.ciu.edu/
  19. HELP ASSEMBLE A REPORT ON TOP-NOTCH CONFERENCES — If you know of a top-notch, cutting edge missionary conference in the USA in 2005 or 2006, please drop a note to Carolyn cjones(at)westgatechapel(dot)com When she’s assembled the report, we’ll feature it here in Brigada.
  20. PROFESSIONALS IN MISSION -– Here’s the Interserve USA Bay Area Conference, a gathering for individuals wanting to learn more about “tentmaking” in the “10/40 Window” and how you can use your professional skills in mission service. Speakers include Interserve USA’s Executive Director, Douglas Van Bronkhorst and Interserve workers serving in Central Asia. Join them on Saturday February 5, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Berkeley, CA. Lunch will be provided. There is no registration fee for this event. Please contact Jamie westcoast(at)ludlow(dot)net [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] or 626.252.5648 for more details.
  21. LEARN A PRACTICAL SKILL FOR MISSIONS — Simplified dental care can open many doors to evangelism and relationship building among the unreached. No drills, injections, electricity, or sophisticated equipment are involved – only simple hand instruments, a compassionate heart, and two weeks of your time. Now you can bring greatly needed dental care to your community. These folks offer courses monthly in Texas. http://www.dentaltrainingformissions.com or email dentaltrainingformissions(at)yahoo(dot)com [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .]
  22. ISSUES IN ISLAM (CIU) — January 17-21, 2005 — What is behind the anger and agenda of the militant Islam and what should our response be? This course looks carefully at the war waging for the minds and hearts of Muslims and at the roots of Islamic fundamentalism and the reasons for growing Muslim radicalization.

    It’s not to late to register for these winterim classes! Register online at http://www.ciu.edu/winterstudies. Questions? Contact Vanessa at vmagnus(at)ciu(dot)edu [As a means of preventing spam for our contributors, in the preceding email address(es), please replace (at) with @ and (dot) with .] or call (803) 754-4100 ext. 3327.

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