Rethinking Jesus Trinkets

Inflammatory title maybe, but far catchier than – Rethinking Vacation Bible School Methods for Short Term Teams Serving in the Majority World towards a Sustainable Model. That title doesn’t even make sense.

I am a fan of Vacation Bible School programs, I see the importance for short term mission trips, and I am one of the few nerds who sees the world through an economic development lens. Many short term missionary teams go to the majority world bringing in tons of supplies, or as I fondly call Jesus trinkets, for a VBS program.

Here I propose a new model of VBS by short term mission groups in developing countries. I understand that this model is not the most inexpensive nor the most time efficient. I also know that each of these things is difficult – thus the name “challenges”. And, I recognize that I am not an expert – so arguments welcome.

Preparation Phase (still stateside)
Challenge 1 – Schedule a 2-week mission trip as opposed to a one-week trip.
Challenge 2 – Plan as little as possible! I don’t mean not to prepare your team. I mean that team preparation should focus 95% on team building, Bible studies, skills profiles, and prayer. Save only 5% of the time for logistics.
Challenge 3 – Pack as little as possible. Possibly try to get all of your belongings in a carry-on. (Checked bags could be saved for furniture and goodies for my family, just kidding, kind of)

Planning Phase (in country, week one)
Challenge 4 – Meet with key leaders (elders, children’s ministers) of the local church and brainstorm with them to identify an area that the congregation's children are currently struggling with or could use encouragement in (ex. Fear, slavery, pride, jealousy, etc).
Challenge 5 – Have team members work with local church members to create a curriculum for the week. Simple, Bible-based, culturally appropriate curriculum.
Challenge 6 – Have musical team members collaborate with gifted musicians in the local church to create heart-language, culturally meaningful, simple, original children’s songs.
Challenge 7 – Attempt to purchase ALL necessary supplies for the VBS program from the local markets. This could include decorations, snacks, paper, pencils, art supplies.
Challenge 8 – Employ local artisans to make simple prizes for the children. This could be simple sewn rag dolls or carved wooden toys. It may mean having an idea in mind and helping church members learn a new creative skill.

Program Phase (in country, week two)
Challenge 9 – As much as is feasible, share responsibility of the program with the local church. Encourage leadership of church members while playing a side role of crowd control, games, and building relationships.
Challenge 10 – Ask the church body for feedback.

Benefits for the Team
-learning to be flexible and rely on the local church
-knowing the feeling of scarcity

Benefits for the Local Church
-leadership development!
-a model of VBS that they can reproduce without a team
-boosted local economy

These challenges wouldn’t all have to go together. I would encourage your next group to just try one or two if you can. And truly if you can only try one – I’d really encourage you to leave the Jesus trinkets with Oriental Trading Company and buy prizes locally.

Answers

Well, I was pretty convinced that all my health issues were not simply stress related. Sure I have stress in my life right now. But what joyous stress it is - preparing to fulfil a calling on my life I've had for 15+ years.

This week I received a clinical diagnosis of Chronic Lyme Disease. The rode to recovery could be a long one that will involve plenty of antibiotics, dietary changes, and rest. But I am hoping and praying for full healing and that soon, very soon, my hands will be healed enough to sew again. After all, Easter is only a few months away and dress ideas are brewing.

Thank you to all those who have stood by me in this difficult time. Thank you for all your prayers. I would appreciate continued prayers as I continue to heal.

50/50

Praise the Lord! He is faithful. These past couple months have been quite the struggle with my (Sara) health. I've needed to use what energy I've had for work and our efforts to raise support slowed. But God is good and we are ringing in the New Year with 50% of our monthly support committed and 50% of our start-up funds raised.

Thank you so much to all of our supporters, friends, and family. We are blessed.

Mystery and Relief

Some of you may have heard rumors regarding my (Sara) health. So I thought an update was in order. On Wednesday, November 16th I noticed a raised, red splotch on my left breast. It was originally diagnosed as mastitis and I was given antibiotics. A few days later my left arm went completely numb. It was extremely heavy, fatigued even when at rest, and very painful. I was experiencing shooting pain from my left breast through my shoulder and down my arm to my fingers.

The next two weeks were a blur of antibiotics, pain killers, extreme pain, extreme fatigue, vertigo, confusion and nausea. I went through a myriad of tests. Blood draw after blood draw, a trip to the ER, spine X-ray, mammogram, ultrasound, breast tissue biopsy, and a brain and shoulder MRI. The MRI was actually a pleasant experience - I even fell asleep. I felt like an astronaut. Anyway, what did I learn from all this testing? That I am an extremely healthy woman free of any life threatening or long-term disease. I was glad to learn that I do in fact have a brain and it works correctly.

I also learned that my immediate and extended family love me very very well. My cousin, Krista, became my hero - driving me from appointment to appointment and checking in on me often. My hubby, as always, showed extreme calm through the storm and picked up the slack around the house with apparent ease (at least he wasn't complaining). My sister-in-law, Angie, became my on-call doctor, helping me know what tests to ask for next and reassuring me that I am not insane. My mother, Barb, saved the day - the week actually. She came up the week after Thanksgiving to take over all the many tasks of a mother. Eloise asked her, "so you are sort of like our maid?!" My mother-in-law and her whole family showed great concern and wanted updated frequently.

What I didn't learn is the exact cause for my mysterious illness. My fatigue, vertigo, confusion, and nausea have lifted. The shooting nerve pain has ceased. I have been able to resume work and some household tasks. My left hand remains very sore and unable to perform fine motor skills for any significant amount of time. Being left-handed this makes writing, eating, and brushing my teeth quite difficult. But I am surprising myself at how quickly I am becoming ambidextrous.

I am trying my best to reduce stress in my life, rest, and recuperate. This means that any of you can feel free to scold me if I try to take on another "project". I may follow up with a neurologist in a few weeks. But now that I know it is nothing extremely serious I need a break from all the tests.

Thanks for all your love, concern, and prayers!

Van is Done!

TapTap

So our van is limping along and we pray it will last until we depart for Haiti this summer. For fun and randomness sake we are turning our van into a Haitian TapTap. Well trying at least. So far it just looks like a poorly done South Minneapolis Art Car. But I add more to it each day and it is improving bit by bit. I'll post pictures of ours when I get a little further in the process.

Got Networks?

We are marching along with support raising and doing pretty well. We are at about 43% of our monthly support which is a huge blessing. While we do need to be at 100% before we can move to Haiti, there are also benchmarks along the way that we must meet. Departing this summer means a string of trainings beforehand and we need to be at certain percentages to attend certain trainings. So here are our benchmarks: 50% by January, 75% by April, 80% by May, 95% by June, 100% by July.


We are fairly confident we can get to 50% in the next few weeks. However, to get to 75% by April we are going to need help. We are in need of people to help introduce us to others who may want to learn more about our vision for Haiti. This could be your small group, your church mission board, your neighbors, your friends, your colleagues, or your family. Would you consider hosting a gathering of your contacts and allow us to present? We are more than willing to travel!