"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans..." (James 1: 27 NIV)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Upcoming Spaghetti Supper Fundraiser

Our team's final fundraising effort will be a Spaghetti Supper, to be held at the Rosslyn Village Community Centre, 3405 Rosslyn Road (click here for a map), on Sunday, March 27th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Dine in and take out. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12, and $1 for children under age 6, and can be purchased at the door. All proceeds will go towards our projects at the Lifesong School for Orphans.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Team-Building Begins & Updates From Lifesong School

Now that we have reached our fundraising goal, our team can now focus on getting to know one another, and prepare spiritually for our short-term mission. At the recommendation of Eleanor, who has led other teams, we have begun an eight-part study from the book Short-Term Missions Workbook: From Mission Tourists to Global Citizens, by Tim Dearborn, published by InterVarsity Press (more information here).

At our meeting on Monday, February 28th, we began our first session with "The God of Mission". We discussed our attitude toward the world, our understanding of God's involvement in it, and our place as participants in God's mission. It was a good opportunity to discuss our motives for going to Zambia with the team, and we all felt we got to know one another a little better. We also all agree that it is important to build team unity.

After our study session, we discussed a few logistical items. Doug has ordered more team t-shirts, which will be in in a few weeks. Being our "computer tech liaison" with Lifesong School, he is also planning to participate in a conference call with them to gather more information about what equipment is required for their computer lab. Rev. Nancy is nailing down a date for our Spaghetti Supper fundraiser at the Rosslyn Village Community Centre. She is also going to find out more information on the School's current curriculum, so that Jean may begin to plan a teacher workshop. Eleanor is arranging a dinner for our team and last year's team, probably sometime in March.

We have also received some more information on some possible building projects for our team during our time at Lifesong School in July. They include the following:
  • gutters
  • finishing two classroom walls
  • finishing porch - posts and fascia boards
  • painting two classrooms
  • ceiling in two classrooms
  • electrical fittings in two classrooms
  • staining two classroom floors
  • glass panes in windows of two classrooms
  • doors in two classrooms
  • painting windows in two classrooms
We expect that more information will be forthcoming in the months ahead. We are getting excited; only four months until our departure!


We will continue our study session with Part Two: "Learning to Delight in Differences" at our next meeting, which will take place on Monday, March 21st at 6:00 pm at the Nu-Vision Office, 1171 Oliver Road.

There are still three spots left on our team if anyone is interested in joining us; please call Rev. Nancy at 939-1103 if you would like more information.