1. Mission (Serve) Team Preparation
Elisa Velez-Makar

2. Missions How would you best describe Mission work?
The act or an instance of sending.
synonyms: assignment, brief, business, charge, detail, job, operation, post

3. Cultivating the Fruits of the Spirit
Cultural Sensitivity
Foundation
Embracing lessons
Skits
Spiritual Foundation
Principles
Prayer
Faith Story
Relationships
Skits – International Version and Role Playing with team and 2 audience members

4. Empowering Tools
Spiritual Foundation, Equipping Teams, Post-Trip, Methodism, Practical Info, Team Info, Devotional and Journal

5. Quiet, Reflection and Prayer
On-field Daily Debrief Trip Evaluations Jesus Letter Team Debrief

6. Team Gatherings Community Team Preparation Cultural Preparation
Trip Overview & Team Introduction
Cultural Preparation
Emergency Health & Safety
Packing Party

7. Community Team Preparation – PART I
Opening Prayer
Agenda
Spiritual & Cultural
What If….
The Big Three
Brief Partnership History
Team Covenant
The Next Mile
Wrap Up
Closing Prayer
Agenda – includes all topics, partnership outline, resources and time frame for CTP pm / Breakout 3-430p / Comm 430-5p

8. What would this look like. What do I need to do
What would this look like? What do I need to do? How can I achieve success?

9. Learner/Servant Attitude
How do we begin to embrace what is at the heart of a serve trip?
The BIG Three
No complaining
Do everything you’re asked
Leave every place cleaner than you found it.

10. Spiritual Foundation Wesley Covenant Prayer Jesus as Missionary
Spiritual Aspect
Wesley Covenant Prayer
Jesus as Missionary
Why go?
Standards of Excellence
Prayer
Personal Testimony

11. Ministry of Presence/Relationships
"If it was not for the blancs (whites) I saw come to Haiti when I was a young boy, I probably would not be a Christian today. I always wondered why these people would come so far from another place to Haiti. I knew God must be real if they would come all this way”.
- Haiti Translator
The most important reason we go on mission trips is to build relationships.
Cayce…expand on this?
Rudy story: “I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for missionaries like you.”

12. Cultural Foundation Equipping Teams Cultural Sensitivity: pages 1-7
Walk With Us In Our Search
Dealing with differences
Cultural Awareness Cues
Anthony Bourdain – Haiti no reservations
“You then, why do you judge your brother?
Or, why do you look down on your brother?
For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat”
Romans 14:10
If this is your first time traveling to another country or another part of our country you are about to see, hear, taste and smell many new and exciting things.  While this will be a wonderful opportunity to learn about a new culture in a short period of time, a one-week work trip can often be overwhelming.
Life in the rural communities where we work is quite.  Some of our older volunteers often compare it to growing up in rural parts of the US, when life was "simpler."  Expect to head to bed shortly after sunset and will likely be up early when the roosters start crowing.  Families are large and households often include parents, children, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.  Buildings and homes in the communities where we work are usually small with only a few rooms and generally have dirt floors.  Volunteers will have your own bed and personal space, but privacy is limited and everyone will want to see and meet the visitors in their community.
important that your know that your stay in the community will be rustic.  Families in the communities we serve are in rural areas, often without access to electricity or indoor plumbing.  Your trip will be both challenging and rewarding as you experience and are immersed in a new language, culture and way of life that is different from home, our team members consistently tell us that being part of a host community is one of their favorite parts of the trip because it gives them an opportunity to connect with local families that most travelers never have a chance to experience. 
As mentioned earlier, we will need to think about how to adapt our standard story for an international context. We will be having conversations with Christians who don’t come from our culture.

13. Important Details Food, Alcohol and Smoking
Jewelry, Electronics and purchases
Island Time
Dogs
Photos
Water Bottles
Gift Giving and tips
Dress Code
Serve Team Covenant
It is perfectly normal, when you find yourself in a new climate and culture, to feel stressed out.  You do not have as much control over the way things go as you would at home.  Furthermore, when traveling in a group, you have even less control.  Requirements to be on time (and then perhaps sit and wait!) can be frustrating.   But the keys to group travel in a new culture are patience, cooperation, flexibility and positivity.  Try your best to “go with the flow,” enjoy your fellow travelers, and soak everything in.
If you are an animal lover, you will undoubtedly be disheartened to see the seemingly endless parade of malnourished, stray dogs scavenging for food. Remember there are families including children that also may not have meals as often as we are accustomed to, some may only get as many as one meal a day.
Can be insulting to others when used in public
Unspoken message can be heard loud and clear
While most people you meet will be happy to have you take a photo of them and their home, use common courtesy and ask people before you take their photo.

14. Trip Specific Breakout Session
Haiti – Room C139 Honduras – Room C140

15. Trip Overview and Team Introduction – PART II
Opening Prayer
Get to Know Each Other
Meeting Topic
Partnership History
Things to Know Before you Go
Vaccinations
Government Registration
Protocol
Pictures
Team Roles and Responsibilities
Typical Day
Team Building
Wrap Up
Next Steps
Closing Prayer
Pictures – partners, lodging, transportation, food etc

16. Eglise Méthodiste d’Haiti
Bishop Paul Gesner – Pétionville

17. Logistics
Accommodations
Airport and local transportation

18. Cultural Preparation – 2nd gathering
Opening Prayer
Meeting Topic
History
Facts & Statistics
Etiquette
Food
Language
Team Building
Next Steps
Closing Prayer

19. Haiti Facts Language - Haitian Creole French
Religion – 80% Catholic/16% Protestants
Traditions
Voodoo – African spirit religion
Carnival
Clothing
Education – 2.8 yrs adult average
Weather – avg. high 80’s / high 60’s -low 70’s (rainy season May-July)
Statistics:
Vast speak Creyol/ 5-10% pop speak fluent French/English currently 2nd language
Carnival – festival like Mardi Gras (3 days prior to Ash Wednesday)
Clothing – like US, traditional clothing very colorful
Homes-many live in one room homes with no indoor plumbing, bathroom is traditionally outside of home.
50% of primary school age children are not enrolled in school.
One-third of girls over six never go to school.
More than 50% of children attending school are over-aged.
Approximately 30% of children attending primary school will not make it to third grade; 60% will abandon school before sixth grade.
Literacy – 52% / 15 and over can read
HAITI-
Anaemia - #1 cause of death, followed by alcohol and prostrate cancer

20. Creole Alphabet 32 letters including 6 vowels
Creole pronunciation is very phonetic
Place alphabet page next to letter descriptions
NOW LETS PRACTICE A FEW WORDS WITH THE FOLLOWING VOWELS

21. Emergency Health & Safety – 3rd gathering
Opening Prayer
Emergency Outline
Plan
Security Practices and Procedures
Support
Equipment & Information
Event Management
Team Building
Next Steps
Closing Prayer
What support will I receive?
Who will train me?
What resources must be provided?
Who do I call if I need help?

22. Team’s Support During Emergency
Emergency Health & Safety Management Team (EHSMT)
Emergency Manager
Documentation/Logistics/Information Officer
Financial Officer
Medical Advisor
Congregational Care Representative
Communications/Media Officer
An EHS Team was created.

23. Emergency Levels Incident Event Major Event Catastrophic Event
Three categories of emergency levels were designed to fit the need of different action steps. We will be discussing these in detail shortly.
Questions to ask:
How do you raise the level of the event to the next category?
Who is responsible for making the on-field emergency level decisions?

24. Packing Party – final gathering prior to trip
Opening Prayer
Luggage
Inventory Sheet
Before You Land
Last minute details
Team Building
Closing Prayer

25. Looking back

26. Reflect & Share
What is one successful Team Preparation tool that your church uses to equip Trip Participants?

27. Your Action Plan Idea Plan Equip
One action step in each trip preperation area
Who, what & when?

28. Mission (Serve) Team Preparation
Elisa Velez-Makar