19990228 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….

FRIENDS OF BOSNIA CONFERENCE: 15 SLOTS REMAINING

If you aren’t already registered for the Friends of Bosnia Conference in Washington, DC, April 9-10, you’d better get your registration in soon. Only the first 60 people registered will be able to attend this small-group working session on missions in the future of Bosnia-Herzegovina. 18 have already paid registrations, and another 27 have signaled their intent to do so. Assuming they follow through, only 15 slots remain. For more information about the conference, send an email to that simply says,
subscribe fobih-input

The subject line is ignored. A few moments later, the hub computer will email you complete information automatically. Note that this is a small working group conference, with emphasis on those who want to make a difference in Bosnia. The programming includes informed speakers who will be flying all the way to DC directly from Bosnia & Hercegovina. Those attending should come away with a good idea of what it would take to get started there.. and how they can make a long-term difference. John Rowell, author of the new book, Magnify Your Vision for the Small Church, will also be speaking, along with George Miley, Founder/Director of the Antioch Network. Anyone registering after the first 60 slots will be placed on a waiting list in case someone cancels. The conference is scheduled to take place at the Wyndham Bristol Hotel, just 6 blocks from the Whitehouse. Senator Bob Dole has agreed to issue the greeting, assuming he’s back from ongoing negotiations with ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. (He thought he was done today… but apparently he was a bit optimistic.)

HAPPY99 WORM SEEMS EPIDEMIC!

Of the emails I’ve received in this past week, 3 were infected with the Happy99 email worm. Maybe you’re getting them too? You’ll recognize them because they’ll look like two duplicate messages from the same sender. The one message will look normal, while the other will carry a simple attached file. If you choose to execute it (and contract the worm), you’ll be treated to a pretty fireworks demonstration. From that point on, totally unaware, you’ll be sending out the worm too — with your messages acting like trojan horses, infecting others along the way (if they, in turn, execute the attached file on the 2nd message). To get rid of the worm, get an up-to-date virus checker, or learn how to delete the virus manually by reading http://members.tripod.com/docsmiley/happy99.htm (available in 6 languages) or http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/3652/SKA.HTM or ask your nearest web guru to help you look at those pages. And please don’t forget to warn your buddies (anyone you’ve written since the fireworks!) that they might be infected too, if they chose to execute the fireworks file! Yikes.

WHO DOES A GREAT JOB PRINTING PRAYER LETTERS?

Boyd BGriffith@GEMission.com, of Greater Europe Mission, wants to know! He’ll compile a list, then we’ll post it here in Brigada Today for all to see. He knows who can do prayer cards, but who does a great job at churning out prayer letters?

IF NOT DIAMONDS, WHAT?

Several Brigada participants wrote that they couldn’t afford diamonds. I answered them with the suggestion that they try to find a “dynamic equivalent.” Can they make a hand-carved wooden chair for their wife to sit in by the campfire? What about a driftwood sculpture? If we use our imaginations, we’ll think up some way to say “I love you” in a diamond-like fashion! And by the way, diamonds start at $60 at Service Merchandise.

Maybe there’s one near you or your forwarding agent?

JOSHUA PROJECT CONSULTATION DATE CHANGE

For those of you who were already aware of the JP 2000 consultation scheduled for Sep 23-25, 1999 in VA Beach, you need to know that the date has been moved to Jan 27-29, 2000, location to be determined. (It will definitely be in a warm southern city!) The JP 2000 gathering will be for leaders of influence in missions among local churches across the body of Christ in America. Its purpose is to assess what has been accomplished among UPGs, what therefore remains to be done, and what each mission entity in the U.S. can/will do to make closure on the task during the last year of the decade/century, and into the early 21st century. For more information, write Bill Waldrop 104412.2631@compuserve.com.

WOMEN AS RISK-TAKERS FOR GOD

That’s the name of the new book by Lorry Lutz which, with a companion video by the same name, challenges women to evaluate the gifts God has put within them, and helps them to find a place in building His Kingdom. Replete with stories of women throughout history as well as biographies of modern women who have taken risks for God, it will “build a fire under women, making them aware of God’s gifts and calling on their lives.” (Pamela Heim, Director of Women’s Ministries, Baptist General Conference) The book and video are available from the AD2000 Women’s Track, 4585 Hilton Pkwy, #202., Colorado Springs, CO 80907 for $15 each or $25 for the two. Add postage and handling of $1.25 per item, and Coloradans add state tax.

NEW PRAISE & WORSHIP SERIES FOR MISSIONARIES

Leston lestmotc@global.co.za is putting together a new Praise and Worship series which features 8 new praise and worship songs as well as backing tracks for each song on the same CD. This enables home cell groups who do not have a musician to use the music as backing during their worship. The CD’s inlay comes with lyrics included. Let him know if you want to order or distribute – from anywhere on earth.

HERE’S A FOUNDATION THAT WANTS TO SUPPORT YOU!

Adopt-A-Missionary International Foundation is a new organization that wants to provide additional financial support to missionaries overseas. Check ’em out at http://www.adopt-a-missionary.org or write Melanie melanie.owen@cwix.com. I hope they’re ready for a ton of mail!

WEBWATCH: NEW MISSION FRONTIERS SITE

Have you checked out the new site for the US Center’s Mission Frontiers magazine? Visit them at http://www.missionfrontiers.org and tell ’em you heard about it on Brigada!

PERSPECTIVES TEXT REVISED

The New Perspectives Revision is finally done! The 782-page, 124-chapter whopper of a book is hot off the press with 60 new or extensively revised articles. It is well worth the reading whether you have taken the Perspectives course and read the previous editions or not. Order from William Carey Library by calling 1-800-MISSION if you’re in the USA or can use Net2Phone. The item number is WCL289-1 and it’s available for just $21.00. If you’re out of the USA, try faxing them at (818) 794-0477.

AWM MIDDLE EAST PRACTICUM

The Middle East Practicum is a training program to be held June 7-25 in Detroit, Michigan. It is designed for those who desire to minister within modern Arab culture. Participants will be introduced to the historical, religious and socio-cultural background of Arab peoples with the objective of constructing appropriate channels for relationship and mutual exchange within this context. Through involvement in a particular Arab community the course will introduce principles and tools that will enhance the participant’s capacity to sensitively serve within any Arab context. The combination of classroom lecture and discussion, coaching in field assignments, and living within the Arab community will encourage personal lessons critical for sustained service in the Arab world. For more information, contact ej@awm.org or, in the USA or via Net2Phone, call 800-447-3566, ext. 7314.

FOR MOBILE MISSIONARIES ONLY

Have you heard about the new GSC 100? Check it out at http://www.magellangps.com/frames/frame2.htm or email gsc100@mgln.com or Fax (909)394-7050. With this little gizmo which doubles as a GPS locator unit, you can send “Global Grams” (sounds like a new breakfast cereal, right?). Basically, you get global email plus the locator. After the $1000 (and $50 start-up fee), you spend just $30US/month and for that you get 30 receives and 10 sends per month! You can even insert your location in the email (in case you’re lost, I guess!

) Data rate is slow at 2400 bps in & 4800 bps out and it’s heavy (37 oz just over a kilo) but with its own alpha/numeric key pad and email storage, what do you expect!? It comes with its own whip antenna. (Thanks for the tip, Mike!)

HOW DO YOU GET A BRIGADA PASSWORD?

Have you ever stopped by the page that MAF maintains for Brigada messages? It’s at http://hub.xc.org/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=brigada&textmode=0 and it’ll let you see Brigada messages as soon as their sent! If you can’t remember your password, just scroll down and enter your email address. One will be automatically emailed to you lickety-split. Within about a week or less, all Brigada Today messages are posted at https://brigada.org and they’re lots prettier there, with a nice full text string search engine and everything. Thanks to MAF for the first site and Bob, our web servant, for the Brigada site.

WITH PLANET 1, IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

Purchase a Planet 1 Satellite Telephone and get 300 minutes of FREE SATELLITE AIRTIME! For a limited time MAF is offering a 300-minute (voice only) prepaid smart card with the purchase of every satellite phone. This is about $1,000 worth of FREE airtime! Now is the time to buy your missionary the gift of connectivity. These units have full voice, fax and e-mail capability. For details contact Planet1-info@xc.org or call Rex Howard at (909)794-1151 x313.

NEW BOOK: THE MOVE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE 10/40 WINDOW

Now you can get a compilation of stories and testimonies describing the wondrous events and extraordinary occurrences orchestrated by the Holy Spirit in the 10/40 Window, where less than 2% have access to Christ’s message. With a list price of US $9.99, WorldChristian News’ sale prices begin at $7.99 and go down depending on quantity. For more information, email wcn@xc.org, or call tollfree within the USA: (888)WCN-NEWS (926-6397).

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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>.”
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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
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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!