Are you nervous going into this summer? If so, why? I imagine it could be a number of reasons, but I’ll bet that one of those is the fear of how you’ll actually do ministry in a country that is so foreign to you. There are a lot of obstacles you’ll face in that process. You’ll come up against a language barrier, and there will likely even be a nervousness on their part to interact with you. But perhaps the biggest, most impactful difference you’ll find is that of culture.
Culture is all around us. You only really see it if you look for it or if it’s unfamiliar to you. But it has an impact on almost every part of who we are! You can never truly get to know someone without seeking to understand the culture in which they grew up. The impact your culture has on you is immense! It affects what foods you do and don’t like, what you consider polite or impolite, and even has a hand in determining how you view the world as a whole.
So what does that mean for your summer? Ministry is all about working with people. Whichever country you go to, the people there will be able to tell if you’re there to feel good about yourself or if you truly want to get to know them. And the best way to start that, even before you meet the people you’re there to work with, is to learn about the culture of the area. You can even do this before you leave home! Try to do some research, but hold your findings lightly. You may find something you learned to be quite different from reality; but, at least you have a starting place!
Then when you’re in country and culture is no longer a research topic but a living, breathing world, look for the most unfamiliar aspects and find the beauty in them. Absorb what makes that culture unique and let it open your eyes to how God works and moves outside of the culture you know. Absorb it and use what you’ve absorbed to show people that you’re not here to preach American culture, but the Good News of salvation!
Important Information
Travel Documents
Last week we mailed all of the travel related documents that you will need. These include an Updated Mission Trip Schedule, Domestic Travel Form, Hotel Request Form, Travel Health Insurance Form, Travel Consultant Form, and Unaccompanied Minor Form (if applicable). These forms were also emailed to you. With the release of the Updated Mission Trip Schedule, you can now arrange your domestic travel. All these resources can be found here.
Visa Information
This year, the only teams requiring a visa are our Kenya and Nepal teams. For those of you on those teams, you will be receiving an email from your Trip Leader in the next few weeks with instructions on how you will be applying for the visas. You can contact your Trip Leader or myself if you have any questions before then.
Mission Trip International Airfare Amounts & Deadlines
In your prep packet, we let you know that we are required to start booking international tickets at the beginning of May. Listed below are the actual dates we will be booking each trip. That means each participant must have enough money in her or his account to cover that cost on that day. If you have enough funds in your account, we will automatically book your ticket. However, if you don’t have the funds in your Royal Servants account, you may also give us a credit card to cover the cost.
We won’t charge your credit card—really! We will simply put a hold for that amount and then remove the hold when your account has enough funds to cover the ticket. We would only charge the card if you dropped from the program and didn't have enough in your account to cover what we paid for the ticket. Reign Ministries is only able to process holds for Visa, MasterCard, and American Express cards (debit cards may be used, but there has to be enough funds in the account and the hold will make those funds inaccessible until released). You can find more information on this under "Financial Deadlines" in your Preparation Packet booklet.
If you want us to purchase your ticket by putting a hold on a credit card, you will have to call the Reign Ministries’ office before the booking deadline. You are not able to use our online giving to place a hold. You can make a tax-deductible donation for your ticket online, but the amount is immediately charged. You can call our office 763-535-9555 ext. 721 for the Royal Servants Department or ext. 718 for the Finance Department. We are in the office weekdays between 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM CDT.
Please note: Donations made online via ACH giving (via your checking account) after April 23 may not clear the bank in time to count towards the airfare. Therefore, this online giving feature will not be available April 24 - May 13.
Trip - Airfare Cost - Booking Deadline
Europe - $1870 - May 1
Kenya - $1970 - May 8
Nepal - $1790 - May 8
Costa Rica - $1100 - May 13
Ireland - $1250 - May 13
Peru - $1110 - May 13
Packing Tips
The Amazon wish list can be your friend. Every summer many of our staff send out an Amazon wish list for the items they need for the summer. We have found that our supporters enjoy being able to meet practical needs in such a direct way. You may want to consider putting together your own list to send out to friends and family.
If you’re not into Amazon, here's another idea: in Google Drive, create a Sheet with a list of the items you need. Maybe have a column with links to the items from different stores. Then have people sign up to purchase and send you (or hand you in church) those items. Make sure to have a deadline in mind so you can get everything you need in time.
Nehemiah Team Only
Nehemiah Team please note that your team is on a different time schedule than our other teams this year, so some of the deadlines you see in the PreSummer Letters will not pertain to you. Please be sure to read all emails sent to you from your Trip Leader with your team specific information.
TIP: If your registration has been accepted, be sure to read through all of the materials sent to you. There is some pretty important info in that packet - make sure you don’t miss a thing!
If you haven't submitted your registration, don't worry, you still have time! Go hit submit today!
If you have any questions about Royal Servants or the registration process, please email us at lmacdonell@reignministries.org.