Joe Patterson: Pre-Mission Training for the 80 Day Adventure in Liberia
Since this particular mission trip outside of the United States would be my eleventh experience, training was very specialized. Of course, all previous lessons for missions preparation were carried into this practicum. Especially helpful would be those sessions which had dealt with cross-cultural sensitivity, the need for flexibility, submission to my host's authority, and preparation for health concerns.
My sponsors for this mission trip were my parents, Rob and Cathy Patterson. As the pastor of First Baptsit Church of Galt, my Dad desired that someone would travel to Liberia in the year 2006 to further our church's involvement with the ongoing work of the Greater Love Bible Baptist Church. Early in the fall of 2005, I had volunteered to be the one to represent my church's interests there. Although I would later become reticent about the value of my involvement in this mission, I complied with my commitment. I reluctantly engaged in the focused training necessary for our church's third mission trip to Liberia.
Vital to the mission was the gathering of personal information about the family of Pastor Richard Wesley, facts about the current operation of the Greater Love Children's Home, feasibility of potential new-ministry endeavors, and a constant transmission of these findings through the Internet. It was hoped that regular reporting would build more confidence among the current donors and stimulate the desire to support Pastor Wesley in the future.
Therefore, I concentrated on training in five specific areas:
1) I needed to become more proficient in the ability to journal on a daily basis.
2) Before I left America, I learned how to record audio signals with a wav-file digital recorder.
3) The utilization of my digital camera would become the most effective manner for email transmission of digital photographs. Therefore, I needed to learn how to become a better steward of that tool.
4) I had to become proficient with the current technologies for effective Internet communications (gmail chat, yahoo-group mail, digital slideshows, and VOIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol).
5) I studied a phonics-based reading program provided by a school teacher with the hope that I might further the level of literacy among the children I would meet there.
Journaling: In order to facilitate this required skill for the mission, I insisted that my father follow-through with his commitment to design an 80-Day Devotional Study which would require a daily response from me. I had doubted my ability to regularly report each day's activity without a strong prompting.
The preaching at our church is closely connected with the experiential theology espoused by Henry Blackaby in his book "Experiencing God". Therefore, the first half of my pilgrimage would involve interactions with daily excerpts from Blackaby's main points. This devotional journal was created to be online as a way to draw others into a shared experience with me during this trip. This community-oriented aspect of my mission would become quite successful in making this particular mission more meaningful to the other members of our church.
The final 40 days of the "80-Day Spiritual Adventure in Liberia" would involve my third reading of Rick Warren's book: The Purpose Driven Life. As I would read each day's entry, I knew that I would be asked to select one passage and write 3-5 sentences about it. This training proved to be an efficient way for me to complete the task. Although my daily devotional writings were hand-written on a hard-copy of the manual created by my Dad, I emailed my responses every ten days. They were then uploaded to our church website. An average of thirty-five viewers would visit those responses each day during this mission trip.
Digital Audio Recording and Transmission: Pastor Wesley had requested that the church acquire an mp3 voice recorder for potential use in recording programs for radio play. We purchased a unit which a salesclerk told us would record in the mp3 format, however, upon further study of the recorder, I learned that it actually recorded with a wav file. Limited time (and limited funds) required a quick pre-mission search of the Internet for a wav-to-mp3 conversion program.
During the mission trip I used the unit to record Pastor Wesley answering my questions about the possible implementation of Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan at his ministry sites. I emailed the wav files as attachments to my home church. They were immediately uploaded along with slideshow visuals on our church website.
I later served as an amenuensis for Pastor Wesley as he verbally created several scripts for radio programs. These files were emailed to my home church for consideration and suggestions. Further exploration of purchasing radio time in Liberia did not result in a broadcast during this mission trip, however the potential for doing so was increased by my efforts to assist Pastor Wesley.
Digital Photography for Mission: In preparation for my trip I read the owner's manual for my camera, acquired rechargeable batteries, memory storage, and various cables and adapters. Knowing that a picture is worth a thousand words, it was vital that this mission goal of sending high-quality photographs on a regular basis would be fulfilled.
Fortunately, my training and preparation was fruitful and yielded a great interest among those who were reading my journal entries. The accompaniment of photographs enhanced my online reports. Further interest was gained when I started sending very short video clips of the pastor's children. These motion-pictures (with audio) were received with much enthusiasm.
Internet Communications: Some aspects of the current state-of-the-art of Internet transmission have already been recorded in this paper. However, the training for learning how to communicate effectively with \nGmail Chat and Yahoo-Group mail would be invaluable while learning how to apprehend the new technology of creating web-based Slideshows and VOIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol) during my trip. Our church website featured several slideshows of work-in-progress almost immediately upon receipt.
A moving pictorial of photos I took of continuing work on the Greater Love Medical Center was accompanied by excerpts from Pastor's Wesley's letter requesting funds and equipment. After this slideshow was emailed to member of our church, one member made contact with a donor in Memphis for an Ultra Sound machine valued at $9,000. This resultant gift emphasizes the significance of my pre-mission training and preparation.
In online interactions with my Dad, I encouraged him to try Gmail Chat for the first time. He liked suspense created by the script-like style and decided to both publish and email some of these chats. The newness of this form of online communication seemed to attract the attention of online viewers. Rather than a lengthy bit of journaling, these 'chats' were easier on the eye and were basically in a question/answer format.
Yahoo-group email was rather new to our church\'s online community. The personalized updates sent by members of my church helped me to feel connected from so far away. As well, some of my more personal news was limited to the local church through this avenue of internet communication.
Before this trip I had used the program Skype (VOIP) but I had to learn a different program to phone home from Liberia. Due to previous working knowledge of Skype, the transition was relatively easy. These phone calls over the Internet were very helpful to me as I talked to my Mom and Dad at great length during especially trying times. Without the VOIP, the cost of such phone calls would certainly have been prohibitive.
Phonics-based Reading Program: In preparation for this mission trip, I wanted to be certain that I would not have much 'down-time'. Therefore, well-meaning individuals thought it good to train and supply me with materials for the teaching of reading. Although I had once thought I could possibly teach English or Reading in another country, I became doubtful of my ability before the trip. Still, I trained with my mother (and a school teacher) to introduce a phonics program to the residents of the Greater Love Children's Home.
I was told that it didn't matter whether I actually taught the program if I would be willing to deliver it to the teachers there. Although I didn't ever teach the program, I did play some alphabet games with the children on my visits there. I also showed the materials to the teachers and explained somewhat how they worked.
Overall, I feel that I was well-trained for the practical ministries I was expected to perform during this Mission trip. Most of the elements described above are still available online and will probably be useful to me (and others) for years to come.
My sponsors for this mission trip were my parents, Rob and Cathy Patterson. As the pastor of First Baptsit Church of Galt, my Dad desired that someone would travel to Liberia in the year 2006 to further our church's involvement with the ongoing work of the Greater Love Bible Baptist Church. Early in the fall of 2005, I had volunteered to be the one to represent my church's interests there. Although I would later become reticent about the value of my involvement in this mission, I complied with my commitment. I reluctantly engaged in the focused training necessary for our church's third mission trip to Liberia.
Vital to the mission was the gathering of personal information about the family of Pastor Richard Wesley, facts about the current operation of the Greater Love Children's Home, feasibility of potential new-ministry endeavors, and a constant transmission of these findings through the Internet. It was hoped that regular reporting would build more confidence among the current donors and stimulate the desire to support Pastor Wesley in the future.
Therefore, I concentrated on training in five specific areas:
1) I needed to become more proficient in the ability to journal on a daily basis.
2) Before I left America, I learned how to record audio signals with a wav-file digital recorder.
3) The utilization of my digital camera would become the most effective manner for email transmission of digital photographs. Therefore, I needed to learn how to become a better steward of that tool.
4) I had to become proficient with the current technologies for effective Internet communications (gmail chat, yahoo-group mail, digital slideshows, and VOIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol).
5) I studied a phonics-based reading program provided by a school teacher with the hope that I might further the level of literacy among the children I would meet there.
Journaling: In order to facilitate this required skill for the mission, I insisted that my father follow-through with his commitment to design an 80-Day Devotional Study which would require a daily response from me. I had doubted my ability to regularly report each day's activity without a strong prompting.
The preaching at our church is closely connected with the experiential theology espoused by Henry Blackaby in his book "Experiencing God". Therefore, the first half of my pilgrimage would involve interactions with daily excerpts from Blackaby's main points. This devotional journal was created to be online as a way to draw others into a shared experience with me during this trip. This community-oriented aspect of my mission would become quite successful in making this particular mission more meaningful to the other members of our church.
The final 40 days of the "80-Day Spiritual Adventure in Liberia" would involve my third reading of Rick Warren's book: The Purpose Driven Life. As I would read each day's entry, I knew that I would be asked to select one passage and write 3-5 sentences about it. This training proved to be an efficient way for me to complete the task. Although my daily devotional writings were hand-written on a hard-copy of the manual created by my Dad, I emailed my responses every ten days. They were then uploaded to our church website. An average of thirty-five viewers would visit those responses each day during this mission trip.
Digital Audio Recording and Transmission: Pastor Wesley had requested that the church acquire an mp3 voice recorder for potential use in recording programs for radio play. We purchased a unit which a salesclerk told us would record in the mp3 format, however, upon further study of the recorder, I learned that it actually recorded with a wav file. Limited time (and limited funds) required a quick pre-mission search of the Internet for a wav-to-mp3 conversion program.
During the mission trip I used the unit to record Pastor Wesley answering my questions about the possible implementation of Rick Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan at his ministry sites. I emailed the wav files as attachments to my home church. They were immediately uploaded along with slideshow visuals on our church website.
I later served as an amenuensis for Pastor Wesley as he verbally created several scripts for radio programs. These files were emailed to my home church for consideration and suggestions. Further exploration of purchasing radio time in Liberia did not result in a broadcast during this mission trip, however the potential for doing so was increased by my efforts to assist Pastor Wesley.
Digital Photography for Mission: In preparation for my trip I read the owner's manual for my camera, acquired rechargeable batteries, memory storage, and various cables and adapters. Knowing that a picture is worth a thousand words, it was vital that this mission goal of sending high-quality photographs on a regular basis would be fulfilled.
Fortunately, my training and preparation was fruitful and yielded a great interest among those who were reading my journal entries. The accompaniment of photographs enhanced my online reports. Further interest was gained when I started sending very short video clips of the pastor's children. These motion-pictures (with audio) were received with much enthusiasm.
Internet Communications: Some aspects of the current state-of-the-art of Internet transmission have already been recorded in this paper. However, the training for learning how to communicate effectively with \nGmail Chat and Yahoo-Group mail would be invaluable while learning how to apprehend the new technology of creating web-based Slideshows and VOIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol) during my trip. Our church website featured several slideshows of work-in-progress almost immediately upon receipt.
A moving pictorial of photos I took of continuing work on the Greater Love Medical Center was accompanied by excerpts from Pastor's Wesley's letter requesting funds and equipment. After this slideshow was emailed to member of our church, one member made contact with a donor in Memphis for an Ultra Sound machine valued at $9,000. This resultant gift emphasizes the significance of my pre-mission training and preparation.
In online interactions with my Dad, I encouraged him to try Gmail Chat for the first time. He liked suspense created by the script-like style and decided to both publish and email some of these chats. The newness of this form of online communication seemed to attract the attention of online viewers. Rather than a lengthy bit of journaling, these 'chats' were easier on the eye and were basically in a question/answer format.
Yahoo-group email was rather new to our church\'s online community. The personalized updates sent by members of my church helped me to feel connected from so far away. As well, some of my more personal news was limited to the local church through this avenue of internet communication.
Before this trip I had used the program Skype (VOIP) but I had to learn a different program to phone home from Liberia. Due to previous working knowledge of Skype, the transition was relatively easy. These phone calls over the Internet were very helpful to me as I talked to my Mom and Dad at great length during especially trying times. Without the VOIP, the cost of such phone calls would certainly have been prohibitive.
Phonics-based Reading Program: In preparation for this mission trip, I wanted to be certain that I would not have much 'down-time'. Therefore, well-meaning individuals thought it good to train and supply me with materials for the teaching of reading. Although I had once thought I could possibly teach English or Reading in another country, I became doubtful of my ability before the trip. Still, I trained with my mother (and a school teacher) to introduce a phonics program to the residents of the Greater Love Children's Home.
I was told that it didn't matter whether I actually taught the program if I would be willing to deliver it to the teachers there. Although I didn't ever teach the program, I did play some alphabet games with the children on my visits there. I also showed the materials to the teachers and explained somewhat how they worked.
Overall, I feel that I was well-trained for the practical ministries I was expected to perform during this Mission trip. Most of the elements described above are still available online and will probably be useful to me (and others) for years to come.
posted by pastorob at 11:55 PM
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