Sunday, November 16, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
NOLA College Trip, January 2009
Hello All!
The NOLA trip is shaping up. We will be driving, leaving January 3rd and arriving in NOLA on the 4th, staying through the 10th (home most likely on the 11th unless we drive through, then i will be the middle of the night sometime).
Costs are still estimates, but should be pretty close ...
We think it will cost 350-400 for van, gas, and hotel (includes breakfast). Meals and souvenirs or whatever are extra, but Laura has a few ideas for group fundraisers so that should help.
We have the Country Inn and Suites reserved for all the days, so that's awesome ...Please reply to this or email zackweingartner@hotmail.com if you are definitely going. We are capping out the initial run qt 30, but can add if the numbers make sense.
You can obviously choose to pay your own way to fly, but please let us know that's your plan so we can squeeze more in the cars.
Street ministry, Ronnie's house (we hope), Habitat for Humanity, The Oz are all a go for projects - plus whatever else you want!
Hope this is good info - let me know if you have other specific questions!
Zack
Monday, August 25, 2008
2009 Trip Brochures are available!
If you didn't grab one of these suckers yet, come to Roots or to church and get one! You should be able to click on it here, too if you want to save yourself some time! (but come to Roots anyway - Thursday, 7-9 at the Mikulas house).
Friday, August 8, 2008
We need your stories NOLA people
We are collecting stories of ALL NOLA trips from the last three years, hoping to have them in the next few weeks ... If you're willing and able, send them to zack@forestridgechurch.org
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
NOLA 08 ... It's a Wrap
NOLA 08 was everything we prayed it would be , and so much more. I hope that the stories of this trip - what God did with us and among us - will live on forever.Thank you to everyone for a wonderful experience. I had the time of my life!
Join us at Roots on Thursdays to hear the stories, share more, and experience the community that we have built as a group of friends, as a family ...
We have the best youth group I can imagine - I love you all!
Zack
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Oh Mama Mia, Italy was AMAZING!
We are obviously back. I am hoping to have more stories and personal accounts on here in the next days or weeks, but we leave for NOLA next weekend, so it might be a bit.Italy was, simply put, AMAZING! Our team was so great - Karly, Troy, Sara, Drew, Stevie, Tommy, Ryan, Shelby, Katelyn, Ron, Josie, even Zane. English Camp seemed to go over really well. We had about 20 students after they had to cancel it for lack of interest last year. The first day we had just 3 students, and it was discouraging. But our team was really skilled in making relationships around town, and it paid off!
We met so many wonderful people. The church in Montefiascone is a place of great faith from great people. Every one of them holds a place in our heart, for sure. We got to spend time with them in a number of ways, from sharing meals to staying with them in their homes, and more.
Our friends from the piazza and the lake are just plain awesome people. We won't forget any of them, ever. We enjoyed getting to know them over the course of the two weeks we spent there, and we hope against all hope to be back in Montefiascone again soon!
God blessed the trip with safety (aside from Shelby's finger) and I saw Him doing things in our lives as we spent all of our emotional and physical energy making friends. And eating pizza. And, yeas, the gelato is wonderful I like Ananas and Coco the best (pineapple and coconut to you English speakers). Actually, I wish I was having some right now ...
One last meeting ...
Hey NOLA team - we are going to meet at the Dunstons barn next Wednesday night, 6 pm for prayer, details questions and more. We want you to invite anyone and everyone to the meeting - come share with friends and family what you are doing with your summer, namely NOLA!
The barn is located at 5525 Hodgen Rd., take 83 south, left on Hodgen, the barn is on the right side after a few minutes.
Please try to make it, we've had three meetings, and this is your last chance. I think all of the information that you need is on this blog, but I'd be glad to give you more...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Hey Everyone,
We are having a great time in Italy! After having gone for three years in 2002, 2003, and 2004, I am excited to see that we are picking up right where we left off. We have been mingling with many of the Italians in Montefiascone- both in the church and in the community at large. It has been such a blessing to be a part of the church for the last few days. It is incredible to see the things that the Italian church cares about, and it puts things into perspective when considering the unimportant issues that become a problem in American churches. The people of the Italian church are so passionate for Jesus Christ, and it has been a blessing to be a part of that.
English camps begin tomorrow. As I mentioned, we have been mingling with the Montefiascone youth and have been advertising the English camp. That will be our main starting point for relationships and conversations about faith. I am excited to see how God works this week. We have already met a lot of kids and seen a lot of people from past English camps that are excited about our trip. We look forward to reporting more once camps begin!
God bless,
Ryan June
We are having a great time in Italy! After having gone for three years in 2002, 2003, and 2004, I am excited to see that we are picking up right where we left off. We have been mingling with many of the Italians in Montefiascone- both in the church and in the community at large. It has been such a blessing to be a part of the church for the last few days. It is incredible to see the things that the Italian church cares about, and it puts things into perspective when considering the unimportant issues that become a problem in American churches. The people of the Italian church are so passionate for Jesus Christ, and it has been a blessing to be a part of that.
English camps begin tomorrow. As I mentioned, we have been mingling with the Montefiascone youth and have been advertising the English camp. That will be our main starting point for relationships and conversations about faith. I am excited to see how God works this week. We have already met a lot of kids and seen a lot of people from past English camps that are excited about our trip. We look forward to reporting more once camps begin!
God bless,
Ryan June
Saturday, June 21, 2008
In Italy!
We are here, and we are already a few days in! Yesterday we spent all day in Rome, seing unbelievable sights of the past, places where Paul was inspired and wrote, and even the Colloseum, where the Gladiator dominated.
We are having a wonderful time in this beautiful place, full of wonderful people. Internet access is spotty, so there might not be many updates, but keep praying! Englsih camp starts Monday, but tonight we are going out to meet Italian teenagers and stir up interest.
All are well!
Zack
We are having a wonderful time in this beautiful place, full of wonderful people. Internet access is spotty, so there might not be many updates, but keep praying! Englsih camp starts Monday, but tonight we are going out to meet Italian teenagers and stir up interest.
All are well!
Zack
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
In Cincinnati ...
The Italy team has arrived at the Cincinnati airport where we are currently enjoying the best the place has to offer: Starbucks and chili.
Pray for our flight to Rome, and keep us in thought and prayer as we head over to English Camp 2008!
Love,
Italy Team
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
NOLA details for leaving
Please join us for a meeting and prayer time for NOLA on Friday, July 11, the night before we leave for the trip. We are going to meet at Fox Run Park by the Stella Rd. entrance, rain or shine at 6 pm. Invite friends, family, etc. We have 90 people on this trip as of today, and we could have a powerful time of prayer that night!
The next morning we will meet at the NEW church office, 1840 Deer Creek Rd., right off of Woodmoor Drive towards the highway. We need to be to the airport early, so we are meeting at 6:30 am, and leaving no later than 7 am to get there. We have the baggage figured out for the way up, too - but we need volunteers with big cars to help us get back on the 19th, because we won't have our bus that day!
Leave a comment to volunteer your mom's soccer bus as a way to get home!
Flight details, for those on our group flight.
• United 1601, leaves 10:09 AM on 7/12
• United 1469, arrives 7:57 PM on 7/19
NOLA packing list
Packing List - NOLA
You really don't need anything crazy. It is HOT in the South, it's humid and you will sweat. A lot. Keep that in mind when you pack clothes.
Clothes. Modest clothing, nothing too special. You need one "church" outfit, but it can be shorts and a shirt, skirt and a shirt for girls (just no denim for either that day). 3-5 sets of work clothes, or however many you personally think you'll use. Clothes for nights and off-project times are just casual and normal.
Work gloves, closed-toe shoes for work projects and Second Harvest.
Kingsley House - no low-cut shirts on girls or anything, the little boys are pretty crazy there! T-shirts and shorts are good.
Street ministry - casual clothes are fine.
Bible, journal, pen and stuff like that.
iPod and phone are Ok, but we're going to ask you not to be on them all day, you can use them at night. Your Bff and Bf and Gf can wait to hear about your LOLs until the night.
Bathing suit (we ask that girls have a one-piece and that no boy wears a speedo. ever. Not just on this trip).
Toiletries: sunblock is a must. Bug spray is a good idea. Bring a toothbrush, I guess. Oh yeah, boys - wear some deodorant.
Leave comments below if you think that I forgot anything!!
You really don't need anything crazy. It is HOT in the South, it's humid and you will sweat. A lot. Keep that in mind when you pack clothes.
Clothes. Modest clothing, nothing too special. You need one "church" outfit, but it can be shorts and a shirt, skirt and a shirt for girls (just no denim for either that day). 3-5 sets of work clothes, or however many you personally think you'll use. Clothes for nights and off-project times are just casual and normal.
Work gloves, closed-toe shoes for work projects and Second Harvest.
Kingsley House - no low-cut shirts on girls or anything, the little boys are pretty crazy there! T-shirts and shorts are good.
Street ministry - casual clothes are fine.
Bible, journal, pen and stuff like that.
iPod and phone are Ok, but we're going to ask you not to be on them all day, you can use them at night. Your Bff and Bf and Gf can wait to hear about your LOLs until the night.
Bathing suit (we ask that girls have a one-piece and that no boy wears a speedo. ever. Not just on this trip).
Toiletries: sunblock is a must. Bug spray is a good idea. Bring a toothbrush, I guess. Oh yeah, boys - wear some deodorant.
Leave comments below if you think that I forgot anything!!
Italy Money
We leave in about 24 hours! We paid for our plane tickets 6 weeks ago, and have to send our ground money over today (most food, materials cost, etc.). The cost of the plane tickets was about 1400 each, and the ground costs are 765.65 apiece, making the trip total 2165.56.
A quick note is that some of the difference of the original estimate is due to gas prices. But, also, the word estimate is always an important one to consider here. Anyway, hope that we can all get that money over.
And if you happen to be reading this, please get me your passport copies and testimonies today!
Can't wait for tomorrow!
Check this space for updates while we travel, for those of you praying for us at home.
Zack
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Italy Flights
We leave on Wednesday morning - are you packed yet??
Delta Airlines, June 18 (Wednesday)
Flight 3944 to Cincinnati, 11:05 am - arrive at 3:43 pm
Flight 32 to Rome, 7:30 pm, arrive on the 19th at 10:45 am
RETURN
Delta Airlines, July 1
Flight 33 to Cincinnati, 10:45 am - arrive 3:15 pm
Flight 45, 5:00 pm, arrives in Denver at 5:52 pm
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Money, Money, Money, Money ... Mon-ey
Sorry to do this, but we sent $27,000 to United today for plane tickets. We've only collected about half of that, and we still have hotels, rental cars, and other stuff to pay for. It's all budgeted and everything will work out in the end, but the sooner we can get paid up the better!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Mardi Gras Night THIS Sunday!!
Please come help us out at Mardi Gras night at Creekside, this Sunday the 8th from 5-8 pm! This is our major fundraiser for New Orleans, and we need not only your help, but for you to invite your friends an neighbors, even the creepy guy down the street. The more the better, because they need to shop for us to do any good. Thanks be to Doug for taking care of this event for us all.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Upcoming Meeting Schedule
NOLA
– We've had two informational meetings, so please contact us if you missed either of those.
– Upcoming meetings: 6/1, 1-2 pm at Fox Run Park by the playground
6/8, 1-2, same deal
WEEK of July 7 - one more meeting TBA, please check back here!!!
7/11 - prayer meeting at Fox Run park, same place, 6-7 pm
Italy
– We had dinner together the other night, it was lovely.
– June 1st - dinner at the Pipes' house, 6 pm
– June 14th - dinner at the Pipes', same deal - NOTE new date!! Father's Day is real?!?
– June 17th - prayer meeting, TBA
Saturday, March 29, 2008
NOLA and Italy money deadlines
Sorry to just get these here, they went out months ago on flyers, but I know parents don't always se that information.
NOLA
Before April 6 a deposit of $50 0r more makes the total cost of the trip $650 (So, if $100 is put down, the trip is $550 more, etc.)
May 15th - $100 deposit due (or $100 more for those who paid an early deposit)
June 15th - $150 additional due
July 1st - balance of trip is due.
If there are hardships, please just communicate them, we'll figure something out!
Italy
We are ticketing really soon. It's looking like 1400-1500 for the plane ticket, so we really need to see as much cash as possible come in soon! Since this is a small trip, we can work together as individuals to get this going. The money all needs to be in before we leave.
Thanks!!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Montefiascone web links
http://www.romeartlover.it/Francige3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montefiascone
And this last one links to the church that we will be working with
http://www.visitare.net/veravite/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montefiascone
And this last one links to the church that we will be working with
http://www.visitare.net/veravite/
NOLA 2008 information
NOLA 2008 Mission Trip
Goal: To see high school and college students grow spiritually through the combined experience of serving the community of New Orleans physically and spiritually, through worship, through teaching, and through prayer.
Background: Forest Ridge Community Church Youth Program has sent teams to New Orleans in the summer of 2006, 2007, and January of 2008. These mission trips have provided life-changing experiences for our students while making an impact on the people of New Orleans. The ministry organizations we have worked with estimate it will take another 8-15 years of restoration for the region. There is a complex economic cycle of rebuilding infrastructure, businesses to provide jobs, businesses to provide services, and housing for the people.
Approach to Service: Our primary mission focus is on Monday through Friday. Students are assigned tasks across four main areas:
1. Kingsley House. Each day we will send about 30 students to serve inner-city children at a day camp. These elementary students come from homes that suffered loss of family and homes in Katrina, or they have parents suffering from drug addictions.
2. Second Harvest Food Bank. This is the regional food collection warehouse for the greater New Orleans region. Truckloads arrive each day and need to be sorted and organized for distributions to various charities that help feed the poor.
3. House Cleanup. We will work with our local contacts to help the working poor that are struggling to cleanup and restore their homes. Many people continue to live in trailers while working on their homes, and finding workers is difficult.
4. Street Ministry. We will work with the homeless and street people to help with food, clothing, and encouragement.
We strive to have each student spend at least one-day in each of these four service areas, especially first times participants. This means some students will be assigned to different teams each day – we try to keep friends connected, but there may be days that send friends or siblings in different directions.
Spiritual Impact: Each evening we will have a time of sharing, devotions, worship, prayer, and small group discussion. This is where we help students understand and process the spiritual aspect of their service and understand it in the context of the teaching of Jesus Christ.
OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Delay in signing up and committing to this trip is the biggest problem to solve. Late signups can create cost problems, and make complete planning of the logistics, work plans, and budgets a problem. We strive to bring as many students as are called to serve: please help us with early commitment.
Details
This is still a work in progress – some of these details will change depending on special donations, transportation, final lodging costs, and total number of students signed up. We are estimating costs at $700 at this point. Early commitment allows us to reduce that to $650. This cost provides:
∑ Transportation to and from Monument. If we find quality charter bus service at a reasonable cost, final trip costs might be reduced.
∑ Lodging at the Country Inn and Suites near the New Orleans Convention Center. This is a busy, popular tourist area that is safe, and within walking distance to numerous interesting sites including the historic French Quarter.
∑ Breakfast is provided each day at the hotel.
∑ Lunch each day – we had supplies so each student could make their own sack lunch each morning before leaving on work assignment.
∑ Transportation to work sites using rental cars driven by our adult chaperones.
∑ Work supplies for the team.
∑ Team T-Shirt
Students need to plan on having their own money for the following:
∑ Dinner each day (depending on the student’s interest it can be $10 or more per day
∑ Snack money – the Beignets (French Donuts) are popular, plus sodas or other treats in the area around the hotel.
∑ Souvenir money
Lat year we had several generous donors provide money for some team dinners. If that occurs that will reduce the amount of money needed by the students (although your student would certainly find other ways to spend it !)
EXPECTATIONS
1. Finished 8th grade (incoming freshman) or older (including college)
2. Respect for the whole approach, willingness to follow the leadership, and participation in all activities (selective.
3. This trip includes mature believers, new believers, and non-believers interested in serving. We pray that all would grow in maturity, and that the non-believers would see the teachings of Jesus demonstrated by the team.
4. Team Meetings. There will be a number of required meetings to prepare for this trip. Some meetings will have an obvious connection to missions preparation while other serve to help with team bonding or being prepared spiritually
EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENTS
1. Ask questions of your student, of Zack, and of the other chaperones. There is discussion on NOLA 08 every week at Roots (the Thursday evening youth group meeting) and we have handed out some materials already.
2. We know there will be planned family activities that conflict – please let Zack know ahead of time so we know that your student is still interested.
3. Help your student prepare. Help them write letters for missions support. Many students raise more than the cost of the trip through letters to family and friends.
4. Money students have collected above the required amount goes in to the general fund for the trip. We use that to help defer the unexpected costs that hit during a mission trip, or to help students with financial challenges.
5. Fundraisers are welcomed, but the responsibility of interested parents, or students with help from parents. Ideas from the past have included chili or spaghetti lunch right after church some Sunday.
WHAT TO BRING
A packing list will be provided as the trip gets closer. Generally it includes a Bible, a few clothes that are OK to ruin (if painting or removing mold), daily work clothes, comfortable clothes for evenings (it is hot there), a Bible, and normal travel stuff.
Goal: To see high school and college students grow spiritually through the combined experience of serving the community of New Orleans physically and spiritually, through worship, through teaching, and through prayer.
Background: Forest Ridge Community Church Youth Program has sent teams to New Orleans in the summer of 2006, 2007, and January of 2008. These mission trips have provided life-changing experiences for our students while making an impact on the people of New Orleans. The ministry organizations we have worked with estimate it will take another 8-15 years of restoration for the region. There is a complex economic cycle of rebuilding infrastructure, businesses to provide jobs, businesses to provide services, and housing for the people.
Approach to Service: Our primary mission focus is on Monday through Friday. Students are assigned tasks across four main areas:
1. Kingsley House. Each day we will send about 30 students to serve inner-city children at a day camp. These elementary students come from homes that suffered loss of family and homes in Katrina, or they have parents suffering from drug addictions.
2. Second Harvest Food Bank. This is the regional food collection warehouse for the greater New Orleans region. Truckloads arrive each day and need to be sorted and organized for distributions to various charities that help feed the poor.
3. House Cleanup. We will work with our local contacts to help the working poor that are struggling to cleanup and restore their homes. Many people continue to live in trailers while working on their homes, and finding workers is difficult.
4. Street Ministry. We will work with the homeless and street people to help with food, clothing, and encouragement.
We strive to have each student spend at least one-day in each of these four service areas, especially first times participants. This means some students will be assigned to different teams each day – we try to keep friends connected, but there may be days that send friends or siblings in different directions.
Spiritual Impact: Each evening we will have a time of sharing, devotions, worship, prayer, and small group discussion. This is where we help students understand and process the spiritual aspect of their service and understand it in the context of the teaching of Jesus Christ.
OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Delay in signing up and committing to this trip is the biggest problem to solve. Late signups can create cost problems, and make complete planning of the logistics, work plans, and budgets a problem. We strive to bring as many students as are called to serve: please help us with early commitment.
Details
This is still a work in progress – some of these details will change depending on special donations, transportation, final lodging costs, and total number of students signed up. We are estimating costs at $700 at this point. Early commitment allows us to reduce that to $650. This cost provides:
∑ Transportation to and from Monument. If we find quality charter bus service at a reasonable cost, final trip costs might be reduced.
∑ Lodging at the Country Inn and Suites near the New Orleans Convention Center. This is a busy, popular tourist area that is safe, and within walking distance to numerous interesting sites including the historic French Quarter.
∑ Breakfast is provided each day at the hotel.
∑ Lunch each day – we had supplies so each student could make their own sack lunch each morning before leaving on work assignment.
∑ Transportation to work sites using rental cars driven by our adult chaperones.
∑ Work supplies for the team.
∑ Team T-Shirt
Students need to plan on having their own money for the following:
∑ Dinner each day (depending on the student’s interest it can be $10 or more per day
∑ Snack money – the Beignets (French Donuts) are popular, plus sodas or other treats in the area around the hotel.
∑ Souvenir money
Lat year we had several generous donors provide money for some team dinners. If that occurs that will reduce the amount of money needed by the students (although your student would certainly find other ways to spend it !)
EXPECTATIONS
1. Finished 8th grade (incoming freshman) or older (including college)
2. Respect for the whole approach, willingness to follow the leadership, and participation in all activities (selective.
3. This trip includes mature believers, new believers, and non-believers interested in serving. We pray that all would grow in maturity, and that the non-believers would see the teachings of Jesus demonstrated by the team.
4. Team Meetings. There will be a number of required meetings to prepare for this trip. Some meetings will have an obvious connection to missions preparation while other serve to help with team bonding or being prepared spiritually
EXPECTATIONS FOR PARENTS
1. Ask questions of your student, of Zack, and of the other chaperones. There is discussion on NOLA 08 every week at Roots (the Thursday evening youth group meeting) and we have handed out some materials already.
2. We know there will be planned family activities that conflict – please let Zack know ahead of time so we know that your student is still interested.
3. Help your student prepare. Help them write letters for missions support. Many students raise more than the cost of the trip through letters to family and friends.
4. Money students have collected above the required amount goes in to the general fund for the trip. We use that to help defer the unexpected costs that hit during a mission trip, or to help students with financial challenges.
5. Fundraisers are welcomed, but the responsibility of interested parents, or students with help from parents. Ideas from the past have included chili or spaghetti lunch right after church some Sunday.
WHAT TO BRING
A packing list will be provided as the trip gets closer. Generally it includes a Bible, a few clothes that are OK to ruin (if painting or removing mold), daily work clothes, comfortable clothes for evenings (it is hot there), a Bible, and normal travel stuff.
Montefiascone (Rome), Italy information
Italy 2008 Mission Trip - (courtesy of Ron Pipes)
Goal: Help the small Evangelical Church in Montefiascone, Italy through community outreach, relationship building, and demonstrating an active lifestyle of faith, worship, praise, and community.
Background: High School students from Monument have worked with this church since 2002, and we have seen it become a respected part of the Italian community. Monument has not had a team there since 2004, and the local Italian pastor has been less than thrilled by the other organizations that have helped. This year he contacted us and asked if we could bring a team back using the structure and techniques from previous trips.
You can visit the church web site: Montefiascone's "True Vine" Church: http:\\www.visitare.net/veravite (it is all in Italian)
Approach: Free English classes are offered for 3 hours each day for a week as sponsored by the True Vine church. In 2002 we had 20 students attend the classes, the second year we had 60 students, and the third year the class was filled with 60 students a few weeks before we even arrived.
Spiritual Impact: All classes include a biblical component used for teaching. Most of the materials are derived from our local organization, Greater Europe Mission. We have now found that the high school and college students that make up the bulk of the class have very strong English skills, so we use the opportunity to discuss current events, entertainment, the Bible, and other Christian works. We prepare those materials during team meetings here in Colorado using Time Magazine, Focus on the Family materials, and other publications.
Starting in 2003, we added what we called “American Worship” or “Pizza and Praise”. This consisted of a dinner with the more mature students, and then we invited them to our own praise service. We told the Italians that we needed our own service to reflect and recharge. We usually had about 10-12 Italians attend knowing that it was a typical American youth service. We would have 3-5 worship songs, prayer time, a student led devotion, and then closing music and prayer. This has been so successful that the American missionary living in Montefiascone continues to do this.
Since our work with the church in Montefiascone, they now have their own church building and have used it for some community outreach besides Sunday services. This is a HUGE impact because many people in the community look at other Christian organizations as a cult.
OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES
At this point, the two biggest challenges are finding reasonable airfare, and keeping costs reasonable with the Euro exchange rate in bad shape. Both of these are being resolved to some degree.
THE PLAN FOR 2008
We have been coordinating with the American missionaries and the Italian pastors for about 4 months on the plan for this trip. We needed to have it scheduled after the Italian schools are out, and when we can get access to the small hotel that allows us to use their facilities for teaching. At this point, the dates are roughly depart on June 19th and return on July 1st or 2nd.
SCHEDULE
JUNE 20th Friday:
We would arrive in Rome on Friday, around noon. We would do some local sight seeing and spend the night possibly at the Salvation Army youth hostel (we stayed a week there in 2004 and it worked quite well). Things that are important to see include the prison where Paul was held captive, some of the larger churches, and possibly some of the catacombs. It is humbling to see the prayers of early Christians written on clay tablets asking for relief from their persecution.
June 21st Saturday
We would go to Montefiascone by bus or train (its about 2 hours from Rome) and get settled in. That first night we would make contact with students we know from previous visits. The goal is to invite them to the church service Sunday morning.
June 22nd, Sunday
The day starts with the church service and we would expect to see some of our previous students. Afternoon with the church is a long pot luck meal. Our evening would consist of our first “American Worship” were we would invite the students we’ve known for the last few years.
Monday – Friday.
English classes are conducted from 9-12 each day. Each class includes 30-60 minutes of biblical teaching. The younger students (middle school age) have lessons that are simple bible stories. The older students use direct readings from English bibles with guided discussion. In the Italian culture, afternoons are very relaxed and in fact most businesses (including banks and post offices) are closed. Normally the group hangs out at the lakeside beach. This year some of the more mature Italians have asked us to include afternoon “teaching”. This would be conducted in the church (which is up in the main part of town) and again, this is a big step to get Italians in a non-Catholic church. Evenings are usually a simple meal either with families or at the local restaurants. From about 8pm to 10pm the community mostly comes out and hangs out at the Piazza (the town square). Depending on the quality of soccer players we bring, we may get some soccer games organized in the evening.
Wednesday evening would be our second Pizza and Praise and that usually goes very well. We do that as a campfire at the lakeside beach.
Friday night we have another celebration – roasted marshmallows (which are unknown in Italy) along with songs by the campfire along the beach. This includes some prayer time, but not structured teaching like our other evenings.
Saturday June 28th
We’ll do some local sight seeing during the day (there are numerous historic places), and look at another American Worship service that evening (maybe in the church building if the Italians are comfortable).
Sunday June 29th,
This is our big opportunity to invite more friends to the church service.
Monday June 30th
This is a debriefing day. We have lunch and then work with the pastor and missionary to discuss what worked well, what could be improved, and who are some of the people that the pastor and missionary could follow up with after we leave.
We expect our students to have 10 days of service during this trip – Saturday getting relationships initiated, Sunday serving the church in Montefiascone, Monday through Friday teaching and building relationships, Saturday evening another praise service, then Sunday service, Monday outbrief with the pastor and missionary, and then a possible final praise party on Monday evening.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Where do we stay ? Students are placed in local homes. Mostly these are church members, but some of the older students we place with families that are known to the pastor and his wife and are open to hosting Americans. I (Ron) have been twice, my daughter has been three times, and we have always had positive experiences. The Italians are VERY gracious. The pastor’s wife, Janet, is actually British, and teaches at the High School in town so she really knows the families we are dealing with. PLEASE NOTE: In a number of cases students are placed by themselves with a family (typically with an equivalent age/gender Italian student). We will help the students prepare to be hosted by these families.
2. How do we get around ? We will rent one or two cars to be driven by Zach or Ron. The American missionary, Amy, also has a car available.
3. Are we trying to “convert Catholics”? NO. Marco (the pastor) has grown up in this town and is friends with the local priests. A comment he made to a friend who is a priest: “We just want the kids to start reading their Bibles, praying, and having a real relationship with God”. Marco doesn’t care where they go to church as long as they get connected. We’ve also heard that several years ago Pope John Paul declared Italy a Mission Field because it had become so spiritually dead.
4. What kind of town is Montefiascone ? It is very similar to Monument. The next largest town is about 20 minutes away (Viterbo) and there is a University in Viterbo that brings some of the older students to our classes.
5. What is the church like ? The town of Montefiascone was mostly built in the 1300s. The church is in what used to be a small shop on one of the small roadways. I understand its about 500 square feet (about the size of a garage).
6. Is the language a barrier ? No. Most any Italian high school student can speak sufficiently well. They are looking for help in understanding American culture and in helping with their accents. We did have some high school seniors ask us grammar questions a few years ago and they stumped ALL of us (including a 4.0 student from LP).
7. Do Monument kids from previous trips still stay in contact? Yes. One of our students spent spring break visiting Montefiascone, one of our college students met up with an Italian student visiting the states this last summer, many of them still send text messages and emails, we’ve had 2 Italians come back for 1-2 weeks to stay with us in Monument, and we have another Italian student already working on plans to come visit Colorado later this summer.
8. Why go so far ? We have been building the FRCC Missions Program on the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8 “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. We view Monument as our Jerusalem (those near us), Judea as our region (as seen in our outreach at Acacia Park in Colorado Springs), Samaria as a place farther and more different (which is our mission work in New Orleans), and then looking for opportunities like Italy to take us to the “ends of the earth”. Our Italy mission trip is for those students that have served both locally and on our extended mission trips. It is a capstone trip to expose them to world-wide missions and the need across the globe to hear the good news of Jesus Christ from a new generation.
9. Are we making a difference ? Yes. The church now has a building. The town respects what they are doing, and they see that the youth are impacted in a positive way by what we are doing.
EXPECTATIONS
This is a trip for the mature Christian student. Key expectations are:
1. Age 16 or over
2. Experience on a previous mission trip
3. Demonstrated service in a home church (helping with youth, volunteering where needed, etc)
4. Team Work Meetings. There will be a number of required meetings to prepare for this trip. Some meetings will have an obvious connection to missions preparation such as building up the study materials, learning some basic Italian, and helping with team planning for the trip. This is not a trip where a student can attend passively – all are expected to contribute more than just their daily work assignments.
5. Team Bonding. We will have some required meetings just to build team unity. This may include dinners coupled with some focused Bible study, or even prayer evenings. Once these calendars are established we will expect students to work with their families and employers to have the time available. We are reasonable so we know there will be planned family activities that conflict – we just want advanced coordination.
REQUIREMENTS
1. A passport is required, preferably in late May so we have them verified. There is NO WAY to on this trip without a passport. We have had great luck in the past going to the Palmer Lake post office to get passports (but as with all things, that may be different). Plan on 2 months for getting the passport (meaning you should start now).
2. Some form of medical insurance. Many policies cover foreign travel, but you should check to be sure. You may want to check on the web site http://www.internationalsos.com/en/ which has been used by a number of students to provide augmented coverage on a per-day cost basis.
3. There are no special immunizations required.
4. Some money for food and incidentals is required. Final planning is still being coordinated with the American missionary that lives in Montefiascone, but you could expect that students will be required to purchase about 15 meals. Planning on $10 for each of these meals will be more than plenty. Students can easily spend $2 to $5 on Gelato (Ice Cream) and other snacks. In all a student should be comfortable with $200 of spending money, less if they are frugal, more if they want to experience finer dining. We’ll discuss more of this at parent’s meeting in May and June.
Goal: Help the small Evangelical Church in Montefiascone, Italy through community outreach, relationship building, and demonstrating an active lifestyle of faith, worship, praise, and community.
Background: High School students from Monument have worked with this church since 2002, and we have seen it become a respected part of the Italian community. Monument has not had a team there since 2004, and the local Italian pastor has been less than thrilled by the other organizations that have helped. This year he contacted us and asked if we could bring a team back using the structure and techniques from previous trips.
You can visit the church web site: Montefiascone's "True Vine" Church: http:\\www.visitare.net/veravite (it is all in Italian)
Approach: Free English classes are offered for 3 hours each day for a week as sponsored by the True Vine church. In 2002 we had 20 students attend the classes, the second year we had 60 students, and the third year the class was filled with 60 students a few weeks before we even arrived.
Spiritual Impact: All classes include a biblical component used for teaching. Most of the materials are derived from our local organization, Greater Europe Mission. We have now found that the high school and college students that make up the bulk of the class have very strong English skills, so we use the opportunity to discuss current events, entertainment, the Bible, and other Christian works. We prepare those materials during team meetings here in Colorado using Time Magazine, Focus on the Family materials, and other publications.
Starting in 2003, we added what we called “American Worship” or “Pizza and Praise”. This consisted of a dinner with the more mature students, and then we invited them to our own praise service. We told the Italians that we needed our own service to reflect and recharge. We usually had about 10-12 Italians attend knowing that it was a typical American youth service. We would have 3-5 worship songs, prayer time, a student led devotion, and then closing music and prayer. This has been so successful that the American missionary living in Montefiascone continues to do this.
Since our work with the church in Montefiascone, they now have their own church building and have used it for some community outreach besides Sunday services. This is a HUGE impact because many people in the community look at other Christian organizations as a cult.
OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES
At this point, the two biggest challenges are finding reasonable airfare, and keeping costs reasonable with the Euro exchange rate in bad shape. Both of these are being resolved to some degree.
THE PLAN FOR 2008
We have been coordinating with the American missionaries and the Italian pastors for about 4 months on the plan for this trip. We needed to have it scheduled after the Italian schools are out, and when we can get access to the small hotel that allows us to use their facilities for teaching. At this point, the dates are roughly depart on June 19th and return on July 1st or 2nd.
SCHEDULE
JUNE 20th Friday:
We would arrive in Rome on Friday, around noon. We would do some local sight seeing and spend the night possibly at the Salvation Army youth hostel (we stayed a week there in 2004 and it worked quite well). Things that are important to see include the prison where Paul was held captive, some of the larger churches, and possibly some of the catacombs. It is humbling to see the prayers of early Christians written on clay tablets asking for relief from their persecution.
June 21st Saturday
We would go to Montefiascone by bus or train (its about 2 hours from Rome) and get settled in. That first night we would make contact with students we know from previous visits. The goal is to invite them to the church service Sunday morning.
June 22nd, Sunday
The day starts with the church service and we would expect to see some of our previous students. Afternoon with the church is a long pot luck meal. Our evening would consist of our first “American Worship” were we would invite the students we’ve known for the last few years.
Monday – Friday.
English classes are conducted from 9-12 each day. Each class includes 30-60 minutes of biblical teaching. The younger students (middle school age) have lessons that are simple bible stories. The older students use direct readings from English bibles with guided discussion. In the Italian culture, afternoons are very relaxed and in fact most businesses (including banks and post offices) are closed. Normally the group hangs out at the lakeside beach. This year some of the more mature Italians have asked us to include afternoon “teaching”. This would be conducted in the church (which is up in the main part of town) and again, this is a big step to get Italians in a non-Catholic church. Evenings are usually a simple meal either with families or at the local restaurants. From about 8pm to 10pm the community mostly comes out and hangs out at the Piazza (the town square). Depending on the quality of soccer players we bring, we may get some soccer games organized in the evening.
Wednesday evening would be our second Pizza and Praise and that usually goes very well. We do that as a campfire at the lakeside beach.
Friday night we have another celebration – roasted marshmallows (which are unknown in Italy) along with songs by the campfire along the beach. This includes some prayer time, but not structured teaching like our other evenings.
Saturday June 28th
We’ll do some local sight seeing during the day (there are numerous historic places), and look at another American Worship service that evening (maybe in the church building if the Italians are comfortable).
Sunday June 29th,
This is our big opportunity to invite more friends to the church service.
Monday June 30th
This is a debriefing day. We have lunch and then work with the pastor and missionary to discuss what worked well, what could be improved, and who are some of the people that the pastor and missionary could follow up with after we leave.
We expect our students to have 10 days of service during this trip – Saturday getting relationships initiated, Sunday serving the church in Montefiascone, Monday through Friday teaching and building relationships, Saturday evening another praise service, then Sunday service, Monday outbrief with the pastor and missionary, and then a possible final praise party on Monday evening.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Where do we stay ? Students are placed in local homes. Mostly these are church members, but some of the older students we place with families that are known to the pastor and his wife and are open to hosting Americans. I (Ron) have been twice, my daughter has been three times, and we have always had positive experiences. The Italians are VERY gracious. The pastor’s wife, Janet, is actually British, and teaches at the High School in town so she really knows the families we are dealing with. PLEASE NOTE: In a number of cases students are placed by themselves with a family (typically with an equivalent age/gender Italian student). We will help the students prepare to be hosted by these families.
2. How do we get around ? We will rent one or two cars to be driven by Zach or Ron. The American missionary, Amy, also has a car available.
3. Are we trying to “convert Catholics”? NO. Marco (the pastor) has grown up in this town and is friends with the local priests. A comment he made to a friend who is a priest: “We just want the kids to start reading their Bibles, praying, and having a real relationship with God”. Marco doesn’t care where they go to church as long as they get connected. We’ve also heard that several years ago Pope John Paul declared Italy a Mission Field because it had become so spiritually dead.
4. What kind of town is Montefiascone ? It is very similar to Monument. The next largest town is about 20 minutes away (Viterbo) and there is a University in Viterbo that brings some of the older students to our classes.
5. What is the church like ? The town of Montefiascone was mostly built in the 1300s. The church is in what used to be a small shop on one of the small roadways. I understand its about 500 square feet (about the size of a garage).
6. Is the language a barrier ? No. Most any Italian high school student can speak sufficiently well. They are looking for help in understanding American culture and in helping with their accents. We did have some high school seniors ask us grammar questions a few years ago and they stumped ALL of us (including a 4.0 student from LP).
7. Do Monument kids from previous trips still stay in contact? Yes. One of our students spent spring break visiting Montefiascone, one of our college students met up with an Italian student visiting the states this last summer, many of them still send text messages and emails, we’ve had 2 Italians come back for 1-2 weeks to stay with us in Monument, and we have another Italian student already working on plans to come visit Colorado later this summer.
8. Why go so far ? We have been building the FRCC Missions Program on the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8 “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. We view Monument as our Jerusalem (those near us), Judea as our region (as seen in our outreach at Acacia Park in Colorado Springs), Samaria as a place farther and more different (which is our mission work in New Orleans), and then looking for opportunities like Italy to take us to the “ends of the earth”. Our Italy mission trip is for those students that have served both locally and on our extended mission trips. It is a capstone trip to expose them to world-wide missions and the need across the globe to hear the good news of Jesus Christ from a new generation.
9. Are we making a difference ? Yes. The church now has a building. The town respects what they are doing, and they see that the youth are impacted in a positive way by what we are doing.
EXPECTATIONS
This is a trip for the mature Christian student. Key expectations are:
1. Age 16 or over
2. Experience on a previous mission trip
3. Demonstrated service in a home church (helping with youth, volunteering where needed, etc)
4. Team Work Meetings. There will be a number of required meetings to prepare for this trip. Some meetings will have an obvious connection to missions preparation such as building up the study materials, learning some basic Italian, and helping with team planning for the trip. This is not a trip where a student can attend passively – all are expected to contribute more than just their daily work assignments.
5. Team Bonding. We will have some required meetings just to build team unity. This may include dinners coupled with some focused Bible study, or even prayer evenings. Once these calendars are established we will expect students to work with their families and employers to have the time available. We are reasonable so we know there will be planned family activities that conflict – we just want advanced coordination.
REQUIREMENTS
1. A passport is required, preferably in late May so we have them verified. There is NO WAY to on this trip without a passport. We have had great luck in the past going to the Palmer Lake post office to get passports (but as with all things, that may be different). Plan on 2 months for getting the passport (meaning you should start now).
2. Some form of medical insurance. Many policies cover foreign travel, but you should check to be sure. You may want to check on the web site http://www.internationalsos.com/en/ which has been used by a number of students to provide augmented coverage on a per-day cost basis.
3. There are no special immunizations required.
4. Some money for food and incidentals is required. Final planning is still being coordinated with the American missionary that lives in Montefiascone, but you could expect that students will be required to purchase about 15 meals. Planning on $10 for each of these meals will be more than plenty. Students can easily spend $2 to $5 on Gelato (Ice Cream) and other snacks. In all a student should be comfortable with $200 of spending money, less if they are frugal, more if they want to experience finer dining. We’ll discuss more of this at parent’s meeting in May and June.
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