19981108 Brigada Today

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News and Notes about Brigada, Your Gateway to Missions Networking!
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Brigada Today is “the missionary helper newsletter!”
Compiled by Doug Lucas <DLucas@teamexpansion.org>, Louisville, KY
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In this issue….

ARE YOU CASUAL ABOUT KOSOVO?

Maybe God wants us to be otherwise. As the headlines tell yet another story of a Balkan nightmare, this time in Kosovo, many Christians have begun praying for this unreached part of the world. God has already begun calling His servants to minister to the Kosovars. During the early days of the Bosnian war, many people assisted by sending containers of aid to on-site Church planters. If you are interested in giving materially to this effort, please email JTE at 70303.475@compuserve.com. If you would like to investigate ministering among the Kosovars, please write us at Pioneers@compuserve.com.

FAMILY SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIPS

Thanks to Brigada reader response, Debbie Wood of AD2000 and Beyond International Office has compiled a list of 35 organizations which take families on short term mission trips.
If you have more agency info to add, or if your family has had an interesting experience in short term mission to share in an upcoming article, please contact Debbie@ad2000.org. The article she was researching was published in the Nov. Discipleship Journal, available at Christian bookstores or by calling 1-800-366-7788 (if you’re in the USA or have Net2Phone).

VIRUS WARNINGS: HOLLOW SCARECROWS

Okay, here’s the bottom line on virus warnings. ____ That’s it. In other words, they’re hollow scarecrows. They’re basically all fake. To this day, there’s never been a real live virus warning that anybody has needed to circulate around the Internet. If anyone asks you to relay anything having to do with viruses to other friends on the Internet, then as Nancy would say, just say no. Honest. Don’t waste your time. Don’t waste your friends’ time. Don’t waste your enemies’ time. They’re not that bad.

Just say no.

FIRST-CLASS MEDICAL CARE FOR FREQUENT TRAVELERS

Do you travel a lot? Know someone who does? Debbie thinks the $150/year is small change compared to even one emergency medical evacuation. Write info@medjetassistance.com for more information about MedJet assistance plans. $225/year for families.

THREE CHEERS FOR MAFXC

We heard some great words of testimony for MAFxc (when we recently asked for feedback on the possible price increase — I VISITED “THE SECRET ROOM AT MAF!”). One reader wrote, “I have been using the MAFxc service for nearly 3 years and have found it to be flawless. In that time, I’ve changed internet service providers at least 4 times, yet I’ve never had to change my email address! Not only is the service great, but it feels good to know I’m a part of MAF’s world-wide communication network for missionaries. MAFxc is worth a lot more than a buck a week. I think EVERY Brigada subscriber should use MAFxc, not just 1000.” ‘Course, his uncle owns MAFxc!

(Just kidding!) Anyway, no one seemed to be complaining if MAF raised the rates.

WHERE DOES ONE TURN FOR INFO FOR EACH COUNTRY?

Is there anyone anywhere still listing prayer requests and information by country (rather than by people group)? If so, pass along a list to Roger RogerDoriot@XC.Org. He’ll summarize and we’ll publish his results here. Please also send him any great sites you have for researching unreached peoples.

WORLD-BEAT

Dan DanHenrich@XC.Org wrote that, of the world’s population,

40% are not supplied with regular electrical service
60% do not have plain old phone service
half live over two hours away from the nearest phone
a third have never made a phone call
less than 20 percent of households have a TV set
less than five percent have a personal computer!

HEARTLAND MISSIONSFEST PLANS EXPAND

Heartland MissionsFest organizers wrote this past week, “Plans continue to develop for the February 25-27, 1999 conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their web site is now active at http://www.allpeoples.org/hmf. In addition to speakers like Luis Bush and Terry Law the organizers have just confirmed that Neal Pirolo will speak in 3 of the 50+ workshops. Pirolo’s topics will come from two books he has written, Serving As Senders and Prepare for Battle, as well as from his series Building Your Support Team. Of special interest to Brigada participants will be the Brigada exhibit with Doug Lucas live and in-person. Organizations that cannot exhibit in-person can even send brochures to be pre-stuffed in the sack which each attendee receives with their program. At the last Heartland conference over 2,000 participants came from 16 schools, 23 states, 100 churches, and 101 missions agencies. To receive a brochure or exhibitor/advertiser packet send your snail mail address to hmfinfo@usa.net or phone 1-800-366-6641. But don’t delay. The exhibitor/advertiser advance discount requires a postmark by November 30.”

CHECK OUT CHINA ’99

“China ’99…For A New Century” is a conference for Chinese students and scholars, designed to address issues of vital interest to Chinese students and scholars as well as to provide for their spiritual growth. The talks will relate to all levels of one’s spiritual experience – from those who are still considering the matter of God’s existence, to those who have been believers for some time and are ready to minister to others. In addition to stimulating plenary sessions and workshops, conferees will take part in small group discussions led by trained student leaders. Individual ministry time will be available with conference instructors and student leaders. Unique to this conference will be the opportunity to stay with an American host family during the conference, as well as sightseeing in the beautiful San Diego area. Plenary sessions will be presented in Mandarin, with simultaneous interpretation in English available through the use of radio headsets. Conference dates are July 10-17, 1999, to be held at Horizon Christian Fellowship; San Diego, California, co sponsored by International Students, Inc., and Horizon Christian Fellowship. For further information, contact China99@isionline.org or by phone at 719-576-2700, ext 139.

USING THE NAME BRIGADA

For what it’s worth, this past week, a reader asked if he could use the name “Brigada” for his new bookstore. We kindly requested that he not do so, not because we were trying to be selfish with the name, but rather so as to avoid confusion.

CALENDAR OF PRAYER-SPECIFIC EVENTS

Did you ever wish for a comprehensive calendar of mission mobilization-specific events? Say no more! Done! Nate’s pulled one together at www.ris.net/~nwilson/calendar.htm.

ZERO BAD ABOUT NETZERO

We’ve heard nothing but good about NetZero. One Brigada participant wrote, “NetZero, It really works. And it is totally free for unlimited use. … I did have some problems with it working on my computer at first … but got it all taken care of, with help from their Customer Care Center, and I was up and runnin. You must fill out a “personal profile” the first time you use the service. They use this info to groom the banner ad which they place on top of your browser window. It is not THAT big and can be moved to any corner on your screen but you cannot get rid of it until you log off. It has worked great each time I have used it. In looking through their growing list of access numbers it seemed practically every area code in the country was mentioned. For those diehard freebie types it is a great service. … You can find out more at http://www.NetZero.net or write speedyresponse@netzero.net. Enter ONLY the following three numbers in the “subject line” of the e-mail: 102 In the body of the letter include your name and mailing address. They will send you a response right away but you will probably have to wait a month to receive the software. They are quite busy for some reason.

EXPIRED MEDICINE FOR INSPIRING RESULTS

Bill wbilling@execpc.com wrote this past week, “We currently have a source for approximately one million dollars (wholesale) of medications and various medical supplies annually. Most of the medications are samples that are about to expire or have expired within the past year or so. We are seeking outlets for distribution for these medications. We had been taking these medications down to Haiti, however the government of Haiti no longer allows expired medications to enter the country. This is the result of a World Health Organization(WHO) recommendation that developing countries not accept expired pharmaceuticals. As most know the meds do not loose their efficacy for many years and the only drug that should not be used beyond its expiration is tetracycline. The WHO policy is just a recommendation. It is not a law, but some countries have made it a law. We really don’t want to violate any of these laws. We do condense and re-package most of the meds so that there is no old expiration date on the container. This is done mainly for shipping purposes. The hospital where we donated the meds stated that 95% of what we brought was needed. That shipment was valued at approximately $100,000.00 U.S. dollars(wholesale).”

Bill also wondered if anyone knew of a country where they do not have a strict policy about expired medications — yet have a medical need? Write him at the address above please.

TOPS FOR ORIENTING MULTI-CULTURAL MISSION TEAMS

This is a great question. Rick rcbyham@centrin.net.id has to orient several multi-cultural mission teams. How ’bout a line on your favorite resource, simulation “game” guide, handbook, etc., for orienting multicultural teams. Please send them directly to Rick and he’ll report back here next time….

BUSINESSES FOR BRAD

Brad BStoops@XC.Org is trying to pull together a list of resources and pointers on:

Business training resources, esp those that incorporate Biblical principles & ethics (books, seminars, cassette/video series, etc).
Organizations that promote, support, and/or do micro-enterprise development, tentmaking, esp Xian-based groups.
Any other related resources: recommended books/journals devoted to topics of business/mssns, foundations/organizations offering funding, relevant e-mail conferences, helpful software (eg, writing a business plan), etc.

These are great questions. In fact, they just came up today in a lunch I attended! (So please give Brad lots of good answers! ) When he’s done, we’ll publish the list here.

Brad added, “I am looking for all available resources in English, but I very much would like to find out what is available in other languages, too, for use in Central Asia languages, (materials in Turkish and related dialects: Kazak, Uzbek, etc) and Russian would be most useful. Please pass this request along to others! Remember, he’s not looking for the actual resources now . . . but rather, pointers to the resources. Thanks!

TRACK A DISASTER

A new email distribution list has been formed to network people and organizations involved in the relief effort in Honduras in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Mitch. It will also serve as a source for current news from the region. Moderator Larry Wilson LWilson@xc.org wrote, “We particularly invite participation by officials of both governmental and private relief organizations, charities and foundations, churches and religious organizations, grass-roots organizations, schools, and individuals involved in disaster relief. Our objective is to facilitate communication among those involved, the networking of resources, and the dissemination of vital information. We invite any contributions of news items, information on resources, inquires from those seeking ways to participate in the relief activities, and requests for assistance from relief organizations and individuals. Those who just wish to keep current on the relief activities are also encouraged to join us.” To join this communication list, send a blank email message join-mitch-relief@xc.org

Please disseminate this message as widely as possible to reach interested parties!

NO FREE LUNCH… OR HOUSING

Oops! The housing mentioned last week (“GOT ANY INTEREST IN FREE MISSIONARY GUEST HOUSING?“) is not free. Rent is set to cover expenses of operating the facility. Those expenses are the responsibility of the missionary or their agency. No free lunch.

SEEMS LIKE SOMETIMES ONLY HALF THE MESSAGE COMES THROUGH

At least that’s what happened last week (“REGISTER YOUR HIGH-TECH SKILLS“). Pete clarified, “That’s right, we’re also creating a worldwide catalog of cross-cultural ministry high tech needs, so that the techies (and managers, and funders, and…) can find significant ways to help. African initiatives needing computers, SE Asian ministries interested in web sites, folks needing email help, Brigada conferences needing administrators

, evangelists wanting to create talking credit-card sized tracts, etc etc etc…. we need ALL of it.” Go for it, Pete!

IF YOU’RE READING ABOUT ISLAM ON THE NET

We had previously mentioned a URL for reading about Islam, maybe even on the Net. Instead of http://www.math.gatech.edu/~jkatz/Islam/Gilchrist/Vol1/ (which is the individual’s work account), we’re told we should have recommended, http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol1/ or http://answering-islam.org.uk/Gilchrist/Vol1/ — whichever you choose.

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

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