MarkandAndreaSmith.com
Ordinary lives. Extraordinary God. Incredibly Journey.

Getting ready for the "teams"
In July, Shalom will be hosting 5 teams plus a "Purpose-driven Church" conference with nearly 500 pastors in attendance. While all the pastors share many responsibilities, I have the privilege of being responsible for three teams: Clearview in Frankln, TN; Immanual in Lexington, KY; and Brentwood in...well, Brentwood, TN. Please pray for me and my family as we host these teams and watch as God changes lives. A few days ago, I came across a great article in Discipleship Journal that is good advice for any team or individuals doing missions. I hope you enjoy these suggestions as well as many of the stories on this site. Thanks for visiting and praying for our family.

Be a Dream Team
By Joyce Wallace

As church-planting missionaries, my husband and I have hosted a number of missions teams. Although we’ve worked with some winning teams, some groups have brought more difficulty than relief. If you’re leading a mission team from your small group or church, these principles can help your team serve most effectively.
Go for the lost, not the experience. Whether your team is painting a building or doing street evangelism, remember that your mission is to make Christ known.
Seek to serve. Ask the local staff how you can help them, rather than expecting them to prepare a program around your team. Offering special skills (“We’re bringing our worship ensemble”) is fine, but avoid giving directives (“Could you schedule a concert for us?”).
Know your role. Because seekers will gravitate toward familiar faces, highly visible roles such as teaching and directing activities are best filled by local staff who will cultivate relationships with these people after you’re gone. So unless asked otherwise, missions team members should take supporting roles that free up local staff to forge relationships.
Communicate your scheduling needs. The local staff will likely plan activities according to their schedules. Be clear about how much your missions team is willing or able to do. If you don’t, your once-energetic missions team may be grumbling halfway through the trip because they assumed evenings would involve free time, not door-to-door evangelism.
Learn from the home team. The local staff have invested time and energy into understanding their community. Before initiating an evangelism strategy, ask the staff what has and hasn’t worked. Don’t underestimate the impact of cultural nuances, even within the same country.
Keep a proper perspective. Remember that your team’s purpose is to lend a hand, not to save the day. The staff you’ve come to support aren’t incompetent, but they may feel lonely or overwhelmed. Express confidence in them, especially when talking to the local people.

Boy Wonder! We spun up a web of fun for Reuben's 5th Birthday party in June, including a visit from Spiderman himself. In the middle of Spidey's show, Reuben asks, "Why don't you use your webs?" Our hired wall crawler explained that he had to save them to use on the bad guys, but Reuben wasn't buying it. Later, Reuben says, "Take off your mask!" Spiderman refused stating he couldn't reveal his secret identity. Then Reuben yells, "You're Peter Parker, take off your mask!" I think the illusion was finally up when someone asked about where the black Spiderman was, and our Spidey explained he was off in Argentina visiting a cousin. Reuben later confessed to me, "Daddy, I don't think that was the REAL Spiderman." Nevertheless, we all had a gread time, except for Spiderman, of course. Check out the latest images… (click here)

Uncommon Stories...The Hope of Transformation The Year 2008 marks Shalom Baptist School’s tenth year as an institution of education and transformation. I say transformation because it’s been amazing to see God’s hand moving in the lives of our students and graduates. Click the link to read more... (click here)

Shalom School...Shalom's Everyday Hero Our world needs heroes, especially here in Guatemala, where there seems to be a deficit of role models and examples for the culture to follow. Not only do we need people like Wesley Autrey, who are made famous for one heroic act, but we also need individuals who, on a daily basis, serve as heroes for others to follow. When I think of these daily, often unrewarded heroes, I can’t help but remember one of our directors at Shalom Baptist School, Mercedes Franco. (click here to read more)