Short-Term
Mission Trips |
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You
are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand,
and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Matthew
5:14-15
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Short-term
missionary profile
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Some people have a sense of God's call on their
lives at an early age. For others, that "call" may develop and
change over the course of a lifetime. Often times in Scripture (and in real
life today) individual callings are born out of some combination of the
following circumstances:
- Recognition
of a certain existing need, and a growing desire to be used by God to
meet that need.
- A "time of preparation" whereby
a believer's past experiences and service are consistent with and
helpful for the future task.
- Increasing faith and confidence in God to
meet any specific challenges.
- Circumstances which seem to indicate an
"open door" of opportunity.
- Confirmation of your calling by other
trusted and respected believers.
- Personal confirmation through prayer and
Scripture.
Short-Term
Missions Participant Requirements:
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Be
a born-again believer, able to share your testimony with others, while
evidencing a life filled with the Holy Spirit.
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Prayerfully
seek God's will for going at this particular time.
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Be
diligent in personal preparation through prayer, study, and learning
practical skills which would be of benefit for the outreach
Have the recommendations and encouragement of at least three other
believers (one of whom should be a pastor, elder, or other staff
worker), who support your involvement at this time.
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Be
responsible for raising your own support and/or letting God
supernaturally provide for your participation.
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Participate
in whatever training sessions and/or prayer meetings as may be required.
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Learn
as much as possible about the culture before going into it.
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Get
all necessary shots and/or medications, and find out what's needed for
personal hygiene, clothing requirements, and other practical matters.
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Be
prepared to "become all things to all men" (in order to win
some), by being ready to eat strange food and being gracious and
appreciative --even in culturally uncomfortable situations.
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Have
a servant's heart by putting others before yourself.
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Complete
all necessary paperwork for your trip (including obtaining a valid
passport, and visa(s) as may be required for particular countries.)
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Appoint
a designated "contact person" here at home during your absence
who will be a point of contact for New Beginnings, and also handle
emergencies and other situations which may arise. (NOTE: You are
responsible for all matters pertaining to personal insurance, and the
transference of medical or other emergency funds.)
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Arrival
after a long trip from America. |
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Experiencing day to day activities. |
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Making
new friends. |
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The
purpose of short-term missions
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- To obey Christ's "Great
Commission" of going into all the world to preach the gospel.
(Matt. 28: 19-20)
- To see
unbelievers saved and then nurtured and discipled in the Word. (John
3:16, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:13-15)
- As ministry to the totality of human need
as motivated by Christ's love. (Matt. 22: 37-39, & 25: 31-46)
- As encouragement and assistance to
missionaries and existing ministries. (Acts 11:29; Galatians 6:10;
Philippians 4:14-18)
- Provide experiences which facilitate
personal spiritual growth and a clearer understanding of your calling.
(Heb 6:6-12; James 1:27
- Promote a God-centered world view which
influences life-style choices, prayer life, and financial
responsibility, and imparts that vision to others. (1 Tim 6:17-19)
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Team
from Modesto, California works in one of the garden projects |
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Individual and group mission options
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Effective short-term
mission trips can be individual, family, or larger organized groups.
Different ministries may have their own preferences or guidelines for
missions trips.
Individual or
family group trips
Individual or family
groups ministering in Romania will often have opportunity
to assist in daily ministry activities including:
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Interaction with
children in the direct care of a ministry.
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Ministry and
interaction with children in the local Romanian state orphanages or
hospitals.
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Assisting and facilitation
of weekly church services and outreaches to both adult and children.
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Evangelism.
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Various helps
ministries to the community.
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Developing
relationships with Romanian staff members and American missionaries.
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Daily Bible
study and prayer meetings.
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Misc. ministry
duties that arise day-to-day such as home or hospital visitations.
Larger group /
organized mission trip
The same basic
ministry opportunities exist for larger groups, however timing and planning
are more prominent concerns. To be most effective with larger groups
it is necessary to work closely with the the specific ministry you will be
visiting to develop a specific plan.
Depending upon any
specialized goal / skills of a short term mission group (e.g. evangelism,
medical, construction, etc.) a ministry's staff members can work with you
before hand to insure the timing and your opportunities for ministry are
optimized.
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STM team
member participates in worship at a local Romanian congregation. |
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| Street evangelism.. |
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Short
term mission opportunities in Romania
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New
Beginnings Romania
Ministry
Location: Bistrita, Romania (Northern
Transylvania)
U.S.
fellowship affiliation: Calvary
Chapel Boise
For
more information contact: Kelly
Link,
klink@calvarychapelboise.org;
208.321.7440
Short Term Mission
Trip Overview |
| Who: |
Short
term missionary profile for this trip:
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Is
willing to sacrificially serve for two
weeks.
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Has
heart to see God at work in Romania.
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Meets
the requirements
for short term missionaries.
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| When: |
Anytime
of the year with pre-approval. |
| Where: |
Bistrita
and/or Bucharest area. |
| Why: |
See
the purpose of short term missions. |
| What: |
Opportunity
to minister through:
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Hands
on ministry to children in New Beginnings care.
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Outreach
ministry to children in State care.
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Evangelism
outreach.
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Encouragement
of Romanian believers.
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Various
helps ministry.
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| How: |
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Carefully
and prayerfully review the short term missionary profile
and requirements.
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Contact
Kelly Link at
klink@calvarychapelboise.org
or 208.321.7440.
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Complete
all guidelines in our travel preparation
section.
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Medical
and dental ministries are
always in high demand. |
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A
Construction team helps a church in Bucharest prepare a new
facility. |
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VBS
village outreach. |
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Travel
preparation
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Once you have gone through the
process of responding to God's prompting, decided on His primary purpose
for your trip, and aligned yourself with an
organization/destination, it's time to get down to the planning details.
The following information
is general information only -- keep in mind
that each mission trip and destination may call for unique preparation and
travel plans. Please work closely with the ministry organization
with whom you will be serving regarding any unique preparations.
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Romania Entry
Requirements:
A U.S. passport is required for all individuals
traveling in a party, including new born babies. For stays longer than
ninety days, visas should be obtained from a Romanian embassy or
consulate abroad. If you decide to stay in Romania for more than
one month the U.S. Dept of state recommends you register with the U.S.
Embassy.
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Immunizations
/ Health Information: Romania does not require any specific
immunizations for entrance. However, it is recommended that you
contact your local/state immunization authority. They will be
most qualified to provide you with current immunizations
recommendations for Romania.
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General
Instructions and Guidelines for travel in Romania from the U.S.
Department of State:
General
Romania Travel Information
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Health /
Travel insurance: Some
U.S. health insurance companies extend direct or reimbursable coverage
of your policy overseas. However, coverage and policies vary by
company so it is strongly recommended that you contact your insurance
provider with the details of your stay outside the United
States. If your insurance company does provide direct or
reimbursable coverage in Romania, it is suggested that you carry with
you while traveling a copy of your insurance policy, or as a minimum,
basic account and contact information. If your health insurance
policy does not provide coverage for hospital or medical costs abroad,
you may want to consider purchasing a temporary health policy that
does provide this type of coverage. There are short-term health and
emergency assistance policies designed for travelers. You can find the
names of companies that provide such policies from your travel agent,
your health insurance company, or from advertisements in travel
publications. Useful information on medical emergencies abroad is
provided in the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs'
flyer, Medical
Information for Americans Traveling Abroad.
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Money: Bistrita
has plenty of ATM's which accept American bank cards. Funds can
be withdrawn via ATM's from your
bank account(s) just as you would in the United States. The
money is automatically converted from U.S. dollars and issued as
Romanian Lei. While not accepted in many Bistrita businesses,
your credit cards should work just the same in Romania as in the
U.S.
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Cultural
Study Resources:
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Romania's
current economic, social, and spiritual crisis: |
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Airfare,
ground transportation, and lodging
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Please
be sure to work closely with the Romanian ministry organization with whom
you are staying for your unique travel and lodging requirements.
International
Airfare
It is recommended to
utilize a travel agency specializing in international missionary travel for
making your air travel arrangements - primarily because pricing is typically
lower than other sources, and secondarily because the travel agents can
provide more tailored structuring of itineraries, layovers, and
seating to insure a streamlined trip. [see
listing]
You may also want to consider utilizing a
western European or American airline for the lengthy international leg of
your journey. Eastern European airlines, including Malev (Hungarian), Tarom (Romanian), and LOT (Polish), may be found most
suitable for connecting flights after arriving in Europe. An experienced
travel agent will be able to book domestic European flights for you.
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Travel
Agencies offering discounted missionary rates and/or bulk ticket
discounting*
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*Note: These travel agencies are
provided for information only and are not connected with nor
endorsed by New Beginnings.
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