Ten Commandments for mission trip participants

This also came from missiontrips.com

1. Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou has them at home, for thou hast left thy home to find things differently.

2. Thou shalt not take anything too seriously. A willingness to accept things as they are lays the foundation for a good trip to another country.

3. Thou shalt not let other group members get on thy nerves. Thou raised good money and set aside this time to enjoy thyself.

4. Thou shalt not forget that, at all times, thou dost represent thy own country and the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Thou shalt not be overly worried. He who worrieth hath no pleasures. Few things people worry about are ever fatal.

6. Remember thy passport (or other identification document) so that thou knowest where it is at all times. A person without documents is a person without a country.

7. Blessed is the person who says "thank you" in any language. This is worth more than tips.

8. When in Country, do as the Local's do. If in difficulty, use common sense and thy American friendliness.

9. Do not judge all Tanzanians by the one person with whom thou hast had trouble.

10. Remember, thou art a guest in Tanzania. He who treateth his host with respect shall be treated as an honored guest.

Admittedly, these 10 commandments weren't given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They are, however, based on some foundational principles of success in short-term cross-cultural experiences. So, breaking them can spoil your short-term experience and even tarnish your witness for Christ.
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Pray that our team will follow these 10 Commandments for missions with an attitude of humility and patience. We are there to serve and to grow! May we come away knowing God better because of what we have seen and done!

For God Alone!
Jaclyn

Ten ways to ruin a short term mission trip

Thanks to missiontrips.com for the following:

Believe it or not, it's possible to have a bad short-term missions experience. Usually, this has less to do with the situation or organization than it does with the short-termer's own attitudes and expectations.

To help you maximize your short-term experience, here's a checklist of what not to do!

1. Keep narrowly focused on spiritual activities. You want to win that country to Christ. So, focus on your loftiest expectations. Avoid doing such menial work as data entry, loading trucks, or working on buildings. Such things will only distract you from your primary task.

2. To tighten up your schedule, eliminate personal prayer and Bible study. Likely, you will be so rushed that you really won't have time anyway. Besides, can't you get all the spiritual food you need from church services and from group devotions?

3. Stay organized. Set goals before you go. Establish a detailed schedule. Do not deviate from that schedule. Refuse to accept delays, last-time changes, and impromptu visits and invitations. Those things will just keep you from getting things done for God.

4. Help the missionaries by pointing out their mistakes. Bring them up to date on what you've heard are the latest missions trends. Missionaries can sometimes be stubborn. So, you may need to enlist some support among the nationals for your views about how the mission should be running.

5. Get involved romantically with someone. Being away from family and friends make this the perfect time to get involved in a romantic relationship. While it may distract you slightly from the work, you will be able to expose national Christians to America's progressive dating customs.

6. Don't embarrass yourself by trying to pick up the local language. People are always saying that English is spoken all over the world. So, insist that those people use it with you.

7. Immediately begin pointing out your team members' faults. Time is short. It may be difficult for people to make the needed changes in their lives if you don't help them from the start. Especially focus your criticism on team leaders.

8. Make hygiene a top priority. Don't eat any of the local food. To be sure, you may miss some friendly opportunities with "the natives," but you'll avoid all those germs!

9. Keep your distance from team members who couldn't raise their full support. They may try to mooch off you. Don't give in. Letting them sweat out their finances will build their faith.

10. When you return home, castigate your home church and friends for their lack of commitment, for their weak prayers, and for their inadequate giving to missions. This may be one of the few times you will have their deferential respect; so make the most of it.

These things truly CAN ruin a mission trip. Pray that our team will be open, flexible, adventuresome, healthy and God-glorifying!

Just Jesus,
Jaclyn

Getting Closer!

Three weeks tomorrow, actually, before we leave... but as Ben said, it is really two weeks, for one week is full of holidays! Our team is trying to finalize plans and review details before the holiday rush sets in. We have a group meeting tonight and then our next all group meeting will not be until January 4th!!! Three days before we leave!

I cannot believe that Christmas is nine days away! I am not sure if I will ever again go on a major trip like this right after Christmas. My schedule has been crazy. Not just busy, but insane. I think I might sleep for a month when I get home!

Climate
The climate of Tanzania is tropical on the flatlands with cooler weather as you travel up the mountain. The current temperature in Dar es Salaam is 81 degrees, with a high of 90 degrees and a low of 77 degrees, with 84% humidity. January is part of their rainy season, which makes for lush landscape and frizzy hair!

Swahili
The language we will most commonly hear and communicate with will be Swahili. Although there are many different family dialects, Swahili is the "language" of Africa. The following phrases are some that we are learning:
- Jambo! Hello, welcome!
- Asante Sana. Thank you very much.
- Sahara! Good-bye!
- Pole sana. I'm sorry.
- Tafandhali. Please.
- Lala salama. Sleep well.
- Hakuna shedia. No problem. (The most frequent Swahili phrase used in America, yet we say it, Hakuna matata. The natives know what you mean, but it can also mean a strong alcoholic beverage!)
- Uio Mbwana. Good-night.
- Bwana as a feway. Praise the Lord.
- Yesu anakupenda wewe. Jesus loves you.

Housing
At our meeting tonight we saw some pictures of the lodge we will be staying at in Moshi. It is like a resort! It is fairly new, indoor bathrooms, nice mosquito nets, fans, closets and I am sure a gorgeous view out the window! The other places where we will be staying are not as nice, so I am sure that we will enjoy it while we can! It is from this town that we will have a vast view of the Ngorongoro Crater (where we will finish our trip with a 2 day safari!). It is absolutely beautiful.... I hope 20 rolls of film and our digital camera are enough.

Dress
I have started scrutinizing my wardrobe. I have no idea what shirts I am going to take. I have many broomstick skirts, but limited shirts to go with them that will be cool. I also do not have a good pair of walking shoes/sandals. I broke my favorite pair of sandals in Romania and have never replaced them. I may have to break down and visit my favorite store... Goodwill! Although, I might go ahead and get some new shoes. Wow, what a treat that would be! Ahhh, I am sooo cheap!

Finances
Ben and I received an update on our financial donations. Wow. What a blessing. We are almost fully covered for our trip expenses! God is so faithful and perfectly good. He has supplied for all our needs. Thank you to all who have supported us!

That is all for now! Sahara! Bwana as a feway!
For His name and renown,
Jaclyn

Drumroll...please!

Does anybody know how long it is until we leave? It's like 2 stinkin' weeks! Only 2!!!!! I'm so excited and I pray that anyone reading this can catch our enthusiasm and apply in their daily life while we're gone. God is getting a thing going in our hearts and I pray it catches your heart ablaze with His passion as well! Fan the flames!

For His renown,
BenZ