LOVE THE KIDS!
You represent Jesus in the unchurched villages where we work. Loving the kids is the reason we're there.NUMBERS DOESN'T EQUAL SUCCESS
The evil one wants you to be discouraged because there "weren't a lot of kids." The chance of the kids you'll work with going to church is close to zero. That's why we "Take the Church, to the People!" You'll see that the days when there are smaller numbers of kids will also be the days when they pay attention and have the best behavior.PUT YOURSELVES IN THEIR SHOES
Imagine you're at your house and you hear a commotion outside your window. You look out and there are a group of Guatemalans putting up a tent near your front yard. They knock on the door and say, "Buenas tardes! Me llamo Mario. Nosotros tenemos muchas cosas para sus ninos, como globos de animals, galletas, pinturas. Todo es gratis. Queres venir?" Do you think your mom would shove you out the door and say, "Go play with the nice Guatemalans?" It takes a lot of trust for the mothers to let the kids go with complete strangers.SMILE BIG AND SHAKE HANDS
The International Village is an oral culture. You may not speak Spanish, but everyone understands a big smile.SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE
You need to learn a few simple words:
Hola (Oh lah) Hello!
Fiesta (Fee es tah) Party
Gratis (Grah tees) Free.
Ninos? (Neen yohs) Children? The last word is said as a question, where you're asking if they have kids.WEATHER HAPPENS
You are a Special Forces soldier. Can you imagine your team being dropped off in Afghanistan and it starts to drizzle. Do you think you'd call the chopper back to come get you? If you have fun in the rain, so will the kids. It's all about your attitude.RELATIONSHIPS ARE #1!
Getting to know the kids is the main reason you're there. Spend time with a few children and really find out about them. Ask them where they're from, what they eat, do they go to church? Don't worry about getting through everything in your program if the kid has a real problem he wants to talk about.FIND THE KIDS
Be a detective. As you and your partners go around the complex, look for kid's toys. Knock on those doors first. Then ask the kids who live there to help you find the other kids.TAKE NOTES
To be the most effective ministry possible we need your help. Take a roll of who is there every day. Take names and find out their apartment number. That will help you the following day, will help the teams that come later in the summer and will help our missionaries keep track of the decisions that are made during the week you're there.HAVE FUN!
The kids at the missions look forward to "the Teams" coming all year round. You are the high point of their summer. You and your team are making the difference in hundred's of kid's eternities. Take your job seriously, but have fun and LOVE ON THE KIDS!
Here is the basic flyer that we use to get out information. Adapt it to reflect the apartment's name and the time of the event.