Recap: Team Meeting #1

We had a great first team meeting at my house tonight. It was cool to see everyone together in the same room and to get to hear from each of you why it is that you want to go on this trip. Here is a quick list of things to do after tonight's meeting.

1. apply for passport. If you haven't applied for your passport this needs to be your #1 priority in life. It can take some time and we don't want anyone getting their passport the day before we leave (like last year). apply today!

2. type support letter. Priority #2 is getting our funds for this trip. Use the sample letter I gave you to get an idea of what to include in your letter and write your own so that it is personalized. Nobody wants to get a letter from you that I wrote. Remember that you are responsible to bring in all of your money for this trip. If you receive more than what you need you may choose to save that for next year, or contact the donors to see if it may be applied to others who have not raised their support. You may not use extra funds received as spending money. I will keep a running total of all of the checks that come in. You may indicate in your letter for checks to be sent to you, or directly to the school with "c/o Mr. Neill" in the address and I will process them through the business office. If you choose to have checks mailed to your house make sure you bring them to me as soon as possible so that we can get them cashed and get tax receipts printed. I will give each of you a list of all those who donated money before we leave on the trip so that you can contact each donor for personal thank yous. You may also want to include the team website in your support letters so that those who support you can get a glimpse into what we are doing on this trip. Some have used bookmarks or postcards with a picture of themselves as both a fundraising letter and a reminder for those who are supporting you financially or through prayer.

3. check out the website. If you are reading this then you can check this off your list of to do's. But make sure to navigate back to this site on a regular basis so that you can be up to date on the latest stuff. Remember to be doing all you can to learn about Costa Rica. Read about their customs and their dominant religion. Find out statistics about the climate and about the population. Check out the things that you may see in the city. If you learn something interesting send me an email or post a comment on this blog so everyone can learn too. If you find an awesome website with cool info pass it on and I'll add it to the link list on this site. Make sure you tell your parents about this site also so that can be informed about all that is going on.

4. check your e-mail. I sent you all an email today. If you didn't get it then click here and send me an email. If you did get it make sure you reply to me so that I know i have your address right in my database. E-mail is the easiest way for me to let the whole team know what is going on and to send out updates. If you don't have an email account... well... you ought to get one, they are really handy.

5. start praying. As if I needed to say this, right. We've already seen how prayer has been an important part of this team coming together. We only had two applications in one week ago and now we have a group of 18. That's pretty cool and the trip is still months away. We've got lots of time to be praying about this trip and to be looking for ways God is at work.

I have three suggestions regarding your prayers.

• pray specifically. don't just say "God, bless this trip." Instead, tell God the specific kinds of things that you are hoping to see (not talking about tourist attractions). What does blessing look like to you? Ask God for those things.
• pray earnestly. Don't let this be another one of those routine prayers that we all have from time to time. Get serious about the discipline of prayer and really spend some time talking with God.
• don't do all the talking. One thing that I think we can easily overdo in prayer is talking. We get done and say amen before we have given any time for God to say anything to us. Consider praying and before closing in prayer, try opening your bible and reading some psalms as a way of listening to God. After that, sit for a while and be still. I know what you may be thinking, that sounds like it could take a while. Exactly. That's why prayer is called a spiritual "discipline"... it takes discipline.

6. mark your calendar. The next team meeting in on Monday, March 19th from 7-8pm.

The Fact Sheet: Costa Rica '07

Updated 2/13/07

Destination: San Jose, Costa Rica

Dates: June 10, 2007 through June 18, 2007

Cost: $1,300. Cost includes air and ground travel, meals, and lodging.

If you do not already have a valid passport you will need to apply for one immediately. Passport application can cost up to $130. See “What documents will I need” section below for more details.

Additional funds will be needed for spending money and souvenirs.

Transportation: We’ll travel by bus from JCS to Detroit Metro Airport and fly from there to Houston, TX. and then on to San Jose, Costa Rica.

Adult / Student Ratio: There will be a minimum of 1 adult for every 7 students.

Food & Lodging: Our week will be spent at the YWAM base in San Jose. We will have our meals prepared for us by the YWAM staff. (Take a virtual tour of the facility at http://www.ywamsj.org/pages/tour.html#1)

What will we do:

1. Build relationships – above everything else, we want to build relationships with people. This takes priority over all of our other goals because we recognize the eternal nature of relationship. We want to learn from the people

2. Help build houses for people without homes or living in desperate conditions.

3. Help make the city parks usable for kids in poor areas of San Jose

4. Hopefully, we will spend one day playing soccer with some local kids in San Jose.

How do I pay for the trip?
You will be responsible for all of your trip expenses. Support may be raised through support letters sent out by each participant. All gifts toward this trip will be tax deductible. A sample fund raising letter is available and should be modified to reflect your personality. Support checks or payments should be made out to Jackson Christian School with your name and “Costa Rica Mission” in the memo line.

In addition to the $100 deposit, three payments (or raised funds) of $400 each will be needed by the following dates.

· Monday, March 5, 2007

· Monday, March 26

· Monday, April 23, 2007

What documents will I need?
Passports are required for travel anywhere outside the U.S. Applications for passports are available at the Post Office, or online at http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/forms_847.html

Passport application fees:

Ages 16 or older = $97

Under 16 = $82

Once your application is filled out you will need two passport photos and a certified copy of your birth certificate.

Photographs for passports are an additional $15 if taken at the post office. They can be purchased elsewhere for around $8 (available at AAA, Walgreen’s, Kinko’s, Office Max, etc.) but you ought to know that the post office is sometimes picky about exactly how the photos look, they may send you back for re-takes before accepting your application.

Birth certificates are available from the county office in the county in which you were born. Fees for certificates vary but should be available for less than $15. The application along with birth certificate and photos can be taken to the post office for processing.

Passports usually take 30 days to process so if you do not have one, you’ll want to apply immediately. Expediting your passport application costs an additional $60.

What vaccinations do I need?
Health Information for Travelers to Countries in Mexico and Central America is available on the Center for Disease Control website: www.cdc.gov

Please, consult your physician before proceeding with any immunizations.

No vaccinations are required to make the trip, however, due to the nature of the trip it is recommended that your Tetanus shot is up to date.

Who are we working with?
Mr. Neill will be the leader of this short-term missions trip from Jackson Christian School. In an effort to make this a great experience, we have chosen to work with two ministries, Ultimate Goal and Youth With A Mission (YWAM).

Ultimate Goal is a ministry based in Nashville, TN. Their purpose is to obey the Great Commission by using soccer as a cultural bridge to develop relationships and share Christ in a natural, non-threatening way. We also recognize the tremendous opportunity to train, motivate, encourage, and challenge teenagers and young adults in the areas of missions, evangelism, and ministry.

Read more about Ultimate Goal at www.ultimategoal.net

Youth With A Mission is an international movement of Christians from many denominations dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world. Also known as YWAM (pronounced "WYE-wam"), their calling is to know God and to make Him known. Back when they began in 1960, their main focus was to get youth into short-term mission work and to give them opportunities to reach out in Jesus' name. Today, they still focus on youth, and also involve people of almost every age (even many people who choose to spend their "retirement" in active service). Their many ministries fit into three main categories: evangelism, training and mercy ministry. YWAM is currently operating in more than 1000 locations in over 149 countries, with a staff of nearly 16,000.

Read more about YWAM at www.ywam.org

When is my application due?
JCS Mission Trip Applications (available from Mr. Neill) must be turned in to Mr. Neill by 3 pm on Friday February 23, 2007. A deposit of $100 is required with each application.

Meeting Dates:

Parent / Student Information Meeting (not required)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

7:00 – 8:00 pm @ JCHS in Mr. Neill’s room

Required Team Meetings

· Monday, February 26, 2007 – 7:00 – 8:00 @ Mr. Neill’s house.

· Monday, March 19, 2007 – 7:00 – 8:00 @ Mr. Neill’s house.

· Monday, April 16, 2007 – 7:00 – 8:00 @ Mr. Neill’s house.

· Monday, April 30, 2007 – 7:00 – 8:00 @ Mr. Neill’s house.

· Monday, May 21, 2007 – 7:00 – 8:00 @ Mr. Neill’s house.