Urbana 09, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s 22nd Student Missions Conference, will address some of the most pressing global issues presently faced by missions practitioners around the world. More than 20,000 people, from every state and many nations, are expected to attend Urbana 09, December 27–31, 2009, in St. Louis. Each day at Urbana 09 the program will focus on a different issue and the challenges it presents.

The four issues in focus are:

Movement of Peoples
Millions of people are being dramatically affected by immigration, migration, and human trafficking. In the midst of great human suffering, there are opportunities for people to come to know Christ, who was Himself a refugee and understands their sufferings. Urbana will provide an introduction to the different types of people movement around the world, both voluntary and involuntary, and will create the case for why it’s important for both missions practitioners and those who support them to understand this issue.

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This issue’s interview is part two with Chester and Amy Davis. I’ve known Chester and Amy for 15 years now. They live with their four young children in Lincoln, Nebraska while Chester finishes up a mechanical engineering degree.

Chester and Amy present some ideas here that are challenging and outside of the norm; I was hoping for this when I emailed them about doing this interview. In their own words, they are living intentionally. Their intention: To serve God in the area of missions that uses their gifts and fills a need. They are as dedicated as anyone I’ve personally known in living out this desire. While not everyone will agree with all of their observations or exhortations, the sacrifices they’ve made along the way are something every aspiring missionary needs to seriously consider.

Propel: How long have you been interested in long-term missions? When and how did this interest begin?

Chester: I was brought up in an environment where it was not possible to be completely self-absorbed and where ministry in all forms was encouraged. So it really has never crossed my mind to not be involved in some type of ministry. Going the standard route of fifty-plus hours a week and watching football on weekends has been something that is near repulsive to me. The only specific change I recall is that while in the Military my heart was enlarged towards other nations and cultures.

Amy: When I was young my parents wanted to be missionaries, so I’ve always looked up to missionaries as some sort of celebrity, hoping that someday I would be that cool. With age that has taken different forms; I chose to major in computer science in college so that I could perhaps use that computer skill to work with Wycliffe. During college I was involved with International student ministry, then I wanted to go to India or a Muslim country. After getting married, we learned that JAARS does research and development in the missionary aviation field, and think that this is a good match for the passions and abilities that God has given us.

Propel: You’ve been pursuing missions aviation for a number of years now. How and why is aviation important to missions?

Chester: Aviation remains a key component to world missions because of the lack of transportation infrastructure in the undeveloped portions of the world where missionaries are doing Bible translation and humanitarian oriented ministry. While the need has declined since the advent of radio and satellite communication, some locations simply require access for supplies and personnel that is not feasible by other means. Missions and aviation has always turned my crank, and so when the opportunity to combine these things exists why would I look for anything else?

Propel: You’ve committed to a significant amount of schooling in order to fulfill a specific need in the missions community. How does a person interested in missions weigh the pros and cons of such lengthy preparation in lieu of getting to the field more quickly? (more…)

by David Armstrong

Why get formal education and training?
Why repeat other people’s mistakes? Why not make original ones? Other people have gone before you and learned things that can aid you in preparation for the mission field.

Whether it is formal or informal, benefiting from the experience and wisdom of others is what education and training are about. And it is not something you do once and then forget about it. It must be a lifetime habit. Whether it is a conversation with a peer over coffee, four hours listening to a conference speaker or the distillation of a leader’s best thoughts into a book, you regularly need it to sharpen your mind and skills.

Formal training is regularly scheduled and available at various Bible Schools and Seminaries. Training at one of these is recognized by mission organizations and ministries. You can accomplish the same on your own, but you are on your own – both to figure out what you need, how and where to get what you need and then to convince an organization that you now have what you need.

Bible school
I grew up in a good solid church where the Bible and life application were regularly preached; I taught vacation Bible school, Sunday School and clubs such as AWANA during High School, which further got me in the Word. So for me, Bible School is where I synthesized what I believed. There I systematized what I had learned in church and on my own and, in a sense, systematized what I teach as well.

Bible Schools offer one to four year programs which will give you a certificate or a Bachelor’s degree in Bible or a ministry area. Some of them also offer a one year intense graduate program giving you a Bible background to complement your Bachelor’s degree in a non-ministry field.

Seminary
If you grow up in a church and you sense God leading you into ministry, you usually go to Bible School for training. If you are saved while in college, and then sense God leading you to ministry, you usually go to Seminary. Seminaries commonly offer a two year Masters of Arts program, a three year Masters of Divinity and a four year Masters of Theology. Other people go to both Bible School and Seminary. (more…)

The Journey Deepens has retreats coming up in October and November. This weekend retreat will deepen your relationship with Jesus and help you explore what it is like to be a missionary, discover whether a missionary or sender role is God’s fit for you, and connect with mission agencies. The core of the retreat and the key distinctive is the discussion groups with six prospects and two missions coaches which meet four times throughout the weekend.

Find out more by following this link.

by David Armstrong

Communication, information and a loved mother are the keys to preparing your kids to go international.

Communication is about adventuring together rather than alone. It is the sharing of what one is thinking, how one is feeling and the decisions one is wrestling with. Start when God begins to call you to missions. As you ask other adults to pray with you, ask your kids to pray with you. As you learn about the country and the people you are being drawn to, involve them in that learning. Communication between family members is crucial, especially for those six years and older.

Not everyone is an out loud processor, but everyone will benefit from the interaction and sharing. It does take longer to keep several people in the loop, but the unity as a family and the positive attitudes will be so much better.

Information is crucial to preparing you all, and the more the better! Research the people you plan to serve and the places you plan to go. Go through the discovery process together as a family. You will find that each person in your family will be interested in different parts of the culture and each will ask questions you never thought to ask. Take the time and energy to make it fun.

Try books from the library and visit Barnes and Noble. Look for DVDs and videos. Search the internet and make a notebook of what you find. Look for common recipes from that country and try them out. Locate students, businessmen or neighbors who have lived in that country and have them over for dinner and a visit. Search out any blogs talking about that country, and pay attention to news items relating to that part of the world.

Ask questions. What is the country like? What do people do for jobs? What do they produce? What kinds of clothes and what colors of clothes do they prefer? What smells and sounds would one find? What kind of cars do they drive? What are their favorite foods? What will your kid’s schools be like?

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