Western Michigan Christian

Greetings!
Thank you all again for your willingness to support or to be a part of our mission trip to Peru. Planning continues to go well. I am taking a bit of a breather here during this busy holiday season. I know that many of our students are involved in music and athletics and so I have had fewer meetings out of respect for this busy time. When we return from Christmas break we will need to meet more regularly.

Also, another payment is due by December 10. That is only a few days away. I am booking hostels and train tickets with this money.

Make sure that you have a passport or are in the process of getting one.

When we return from break we will begin practicing music and other talents that will be useful in Peru. When we met last week I told the students that they will get out of the trip what they put into it. One piece of this is preparation. A little bit of work each day and week can greatly impact your life. More importantly, your attitude in Peru will have a large impact on the trip.

Inevitably there are surprises on trips. It might be rain or a broken down vehicle. Please consider on this trip the ways in which you can be a blessing in each situation. In America so much of our life is planned, orderly, and scheduled. One great learning opportunity on missions trips is that most of the world does not run on schedule and people need to rely on God for everything. Finally, while only a portion of the trip will be officially “ministry time” my hope is that everyone seeks to make each interaction a Christian witness.

I have mentioned to the students several fund raising possibilities. Again, I have mentioned this trip in our school wish list for student support. The students seemed comfortable with their individual initiatives for funding so far. If there is a concern, please let me know.

Dios les Bendiga,

Mr. Doty

Peru-
We met briefly at lunch last week to touch base. Here is generally what we covered:

First, in the next week I will ask everyone to send me a list of the ways they feel most comfortable serving. Everyone will participate when we sing as a group.

One significant way we will serve in Peru is worship. We will be visiting a variety of churches, groups, and locations. While our Spanish ability is mixed, we all can take part. I know some are less comfortable performing than others and we will work on roles for everyone.

Please consider if you can: 1. Sing or perform a song (English or Spanish, solo or group), 2. Act (mime, puppet) 3. Something else (balloon animals, face-painting). Music is not one of my gifts. I can make schedules and lists, but I will need help organizing and preparing for this. You will need to be somewhat self directed in this or ask for parent support.

Again, there will be other ways to serve. When we travel please keep an open mind at look for these opportunities. It may be playing games or sports with kids, helping to prepare meals, or simple tasks like helping to carry burdens or listening.

Next, we will be taking turns leading in morning devotions in small groups.When possible we will worship together in the morning. We will also end our evenings with debriefings and thanksgiving. As the time gets closer I can make a devotions schedule.

Next, we discussed fund raisers. I mentioned our trip in the Christmas wish list. Julie is having a church dinner. I will check with BW3. The music boosters are doing at least one spaghetti supper before a basketball game. I will help plan one group event (if y’all want to) in December.

A quick show of hands at our meeting showed most students had taken multiple years of Spanish. If not, do not worry. The last time I went to Peru none of my students knew any Spanish. In January I will send out a list of handy phrases that might come in handy and you might not have learned in class. In the meantime, I find Spanish songs (easily found on youtube or on line) and simple Spanish books are a great refresher. My best advice would just be to be brave and speak all the Spanish you can when we get there. This will help your Spanish immensely when you return.

Finally, I asked about meeting dates and updates. Everyone seemed comfortable meeting about once a month and with weekly email updates. If anyone needs more from me, please ask.

In His Hands,
Mr. Doty

Peru Updates:
We now officially have 20 people signed up and registered for the trip. This fills all the available seats we had. I spoke briefly with Caleb by phone this morning. He will be sending me an email update shortly. He just finished hosting a large youth conference this week.

For those in need of assistance, a small request for support was included in this year’s Christmas Wish List for the school. Historically we have been able to host these trips with a simple request to family and churches. I have included a few possible dates for fundraisers if finances are a concern.

Tentative Schedule:
November 10: lunch refresher meeting to go over our requirements, schedule, and expectations

December:
1. Music and ministry planning (In what ways would you like to serve?)
2. Possible fundraiser
3. December 10: $250 total payment due

January:
1. Meetings: language support (Spanish in Peru; common and helpful phrases and sayings with Sr. Brook)
2. January 10: $950 total payment required

February:
1. Meeting: Peruvian history and culture (with Mr. and Mrs. Scholma, guest)
1. February 13: final passport information required and $1300 required total payment
2. Possible fundraiser

March: Weekly meetings (Mr. Doty)
1. Dress and behavior
2. Packing suggestions and requirements
3. Finalize devotions schedule and music numbers
4. Notarized minor release form due
5. March 10: Final Payment Due

March 30-April 9 The Trip!

May: Schedule reunion dinner

First,
Thank you again for embarking on this trek. It is going to be amazing. This is a busy time of the school year with exams and sports. I will begin scheduling meetings and updates at the end of November.

There have been some questions about difficulty getting visas to Peru. This is for work visas and we should have no trouble as short term visitors.

Here are links to a few Spanish Christian songs

They are pretty simple ones. I have heard these sung whenever I have traveled to Latin America.
I would compare buen amigo to Jesus loves me. The lyrics are really simple. In Mexico I assumed our students would be able to understand it. I was wrong. So, now you have five months to figure it out. Finally, Todo Poderosa (all powerful) is a contemporary Christian song in Spanish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVMsxxSNlv8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLD02ABE832501C9B7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58bEOqLQzG4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGgGN-a0kZM

The last time we went to Peru we translated a handful of contemporary songs.   When we got there all the churches sang, ” Alabare” which is probably in your church hymnal.

I have our plane tickets. The travel should be great. Of course, travel in Peru is not like travel in the US. I have contacted Peru rail and have reserved the train tickets to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. The hostels I have contacted also can give tours to several local attractions.

It might also be good practice to memorize some Bible verses in Spanish.  Biblegateway.com has just about every Bible translation. A verse or two would be a great way to connect with our hosts. I challenge you all to come up with a theme verse and song for our trip.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203:16&version=NVI

Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo, que dio a su Hijo *unigénito, para que todo el que cree en él no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna.

Dios te bendiga.

Sr. Doty

Good morning!
Last night LAN-confirmed our tickets to Cusco. Aim very excited that the trip is coming together. Presently 10 people have prepaid and 20 people have expressed interest in this trip. I am very impressed with the group we have assembled and I continue to pray that God leads the right people to be a part of this.

I am at the Christian Educators convention where our focus has been on showing our students Jesus. My hope is that WMC does that every day in new ways.

1. Where are we going?

Peru!

–Lima, the largest city in Peru

–The jungle, building Christian camps

–The mountains, mostly traveling through

–Cuzco, an incredible historic city

–Machu Picchu, a wonder of the ancient world

2. When?

Spring Break 2012 roughly March 30 through April 9, 2012.

3. What will we be doing?

A. Working with local churches and ministries

–Light construction (local churches and Christian camps)

–Children’s ministry

–Music

–Fellowship

B. Touring and traveling the country

–Historic sights

–Geographic diversity

4. What is the cost? $1900. This includes a trip to Machu Picchu as all the students said, “When will we get the chance to do that again?”

5. How can and should students pay for this trip?

A.Students should pay themselves

B. Parents will often pay a portion.

C. Many churches or church members contribute to these trips.

D. Relatives are often eager and blessed to give support.

E. Fund raisers: Local efforts can be a good way to supplement your finances.

F. God is faithful.

6. What are the next steps?

A.Parent information night October 11

B.Down payment October 12

C.Student Life Committee Presentation

D.Board Approval

E.Monthly meetings/updates for adults and bi-weekly meetings for our group

7. When do we need to decide?

A. Your information- ASAP

B. $100 deposit by October 12

C. $250 by December 1

D. Half payment by January 10

E. Name Changes are allowed through February

F. Final payment by March 10

8. What else do we need?

A. Passport

B. Proof of health insurance

C. Standard Immunizations

All,

Our plan is to have our second school international mission in 2012. We have had two student meetings to discuss a trip to Peru. I will keep you updated on this blog. Our first parent meeting is tonight at 6:30 in the WMC library.

Today is our last day in Cancun. Yesterday we spent the morning at the local market and the afternoon at the beach. The students are eager to be home. Cancun has been their least favorite part. Everything is very commercial here. When we are not buying things people usher us along very quckly and are actually quite rude. They all miss Merida, Itzincab, and home.

We should to be home tonight around 1 a.m. we all hope it will be sooner. Again we are thankful for the safety. Pray for a safe and speedy flight. Thank God for the wonderful people of Mexico and the great students who were part of this trip.

Our trip is finally winding down. My dad left this morning for his flight to Indiana. The students all miss Merida and Itzincab. This is a beautiful city but I have found it the least welcoming or friendly. It is good to see such prosperity in Mexico, but it seems to have come at a cost.

We enjoyed a day of relaxation on the beach yesterday and finished our evening at the mall. In spite all of our days working in the sun most of us are a bit sunburnt. The ocean was wonderful and the nachos were great.

I woke up at 6 to find one of the 3 churches I was told were within walking distance. After more than two hours of walking in circles I returned to our hotel and decided we would organize our own service this morning. The students are happy because that is what they asked for to begin with.

We are all eager to return home. Please continue to pray for our safe travel.