Trivia Night = Success!

Cupcakes, soda, friends and fun described what happened on Sunday at our Trivia Night. We had 16 teams show up with about 85 people all together. The room was packed! Our team baked their little hearts out. Some of the cupcakes that came through the door could have been in a Martha Stewart magazine! I was impressed… We raised a total of $636.44! What a blessing! As you can see, we are almost there with our total funds as a group and we still have 1 more weeks to go.

We had one of our last team meetings last night. We will have one more meeting and then some group packing time before we go. I went over a handful of logistical types of things and then shared a “Learner, Servant, and Storyteller” model that is an important aspect of short term mission experiences.

Here is a short description of each:
Become a Learner-
You take responsibility for yourself and what happens to you. You trust God to use you. Ask questions to make the most of your experience- questions about what you are seeing, hearing and feeling. As a learner, you come to another culture to find out how people think and what God is doing among them. Your expectations are based in learning what God is already doing and not in your own ability to convert others or to make a lasting contribution.

Become a Servant-
As a servant, you follow Christ’s own example. He labeled himself a servant rather than a leader. Servants are rare in our culture, but our attitude allows them to facilitate in their own unique visions. A true servant asks, “How do you want this to be done?” instead of saying, “Let me show you the right way to do it.” God has given His vision to people all over the world. As a servant, you try to understand the particular vision God has given His people in your host culture, then offer your help to facilitate others.

Become a Storyteller-
As a storyteller, you feel free to tell your own story because it belongs to you. It is easier to share what God has done in your life, though, if you listen first to others’ stories of their lives, their culture and their perceptions of the world. The students are encouraged to share their experience with others as the return to the states.

Things that you can pray for:
Safe travels
Open heart, open hands, open ears
Good health
Students International staff
Our host families that will be taking care of us while we are there
Our ministry sites

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers! We are very excited for our trip!

(We will be departing from Greenville at 3:30am Monday morning (the 25th) and catching our plane at 6am. We will be arriving in Guatemala around 2pm....)