Young Life Expeditions/Trip Guidelines
Dominican Republic/2009
YOUNG LIFE EXPEDITIONS
MISSION STATEMENT In accordance with Young Life National’s Statement of Mission Purpose, our short-term missions, “Expeditions” program sees itself as a "mission community of Christ-centered people committed to reaching adolescent youth with the gospel of Jesus Christ." We endeavor to work under the "authority of scripture and in accordance with our understanding of incarnational witness, seeking to enflesh the gospel in our lives and relationships." Our central purpose, as put forth in Young Life's Statement of Faith, is to "proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ," both through our involvement with trip participants and in the lives of the people we serve in the international community. Finally, we are committed to this aim: that everything we do will be directed towards supporting the Young Life staff in our host countries and serving the people of that region. We believe that in doing this we are in fact serving and loving our Lord. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." — II Corinthians 8:9 GUIDELINES, POLICIES & PROCEDURES Trips are designed with two primary purposes in mind: Direct Service Ministry and Discipleship. Direct Service Ministry Young Life, called "Vida Joven" in most Latin American nations, is a relationship-based, evangelical ministry seeking to share the message of Christ with young people. Latino and North American staff and volunteers seek to build relationships with youth and in the course of those relationships to introduce them to Jesus Christ, through verbal as well as non-verbal witness. A part of that non-verbal witness is an effort to serve the Latino people by addressing their social and physical needs. This might mean assisting with the construction of a home, renovating a neighborhood school, building a latrine or restoring a bridge.* Such needs vary from country to country. Participants typically spend a portion of their time volunteering on a community-based project that addresses one or more of these needs.* The remainder of their time will most likely be spent working on a building project at a Vida Joven camping property. These are camps where Latino youth are given the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ communicated in the Spanish language by a local Vida Joven staff or volunteer. These camps do not have excess funds for development. Instead, a portion of each trip participant’s costs pay for building materials used by the group. In doing this groups give both the gift of financial resources as well as the gift of labor in support of the local Vida Joven ministry. In years to come, literally thousands of young Latinos will benefit from the group's efforts as they are afforded a place where they can come to hear the truth about our Lord and His gift of salvation. What a priceless gift the groups are giving! Trip participants may have the opportunity to spend several days in the homes of local residents.* This provides a powerful experience in cross-cultural immersion. Such opportunities will be arranged on a trip by trip basis, always with the utmost sensitivity to potential host families. In the absence of "homestays" every effort will be made to create opportunities for interaction between your group and local residents. *Note: Spring trips are often shorter in length, due to school calendar restraints. They typically do NOT include homestays and the entire volunteer project most likely will centered around the national Young Life Property. Please make note of these differences in accordance with group expectations.
Discipleship A treasure lies hidden in the soul of Latin America, a spiritual treasure to be recognized as a gift. — Henri Nouwen The nature of an Expedition trip is conducive to participants having a powerful spiritual experience. This normally happens because of two factors: First, the people of Latin America manifest Christ in a very unique way. Unlike many of us in the United States, the majority do not enjoy many of the material comforts that we often take for granted. Because of this their lives seem to represent more accurately the physical life Christ lived on earth. He owned no shelter, never traveled more than 200 miles from the town in which he was born, was not always certain from where his next meal would come, and called few possessions his own. He depended solely on His Father for provision and sustenance. The people of Latin America seem to understand this in a profound, relevant way. Trip participants are often inspired and encouraged by the depth of their faith. Second, participants are often called upon to deal with living conditions and developing world circumstances that inevitably draw them to the Lord. It's a mistake to ever promote a Young Life short-term mission as a "vacation"! While we strive to create an atmosphere in which folks will have fun and opportunities to relax and enjoy themselves, the structure of daily living in Latin America can present real challenges to the individual. One can expect cold showers, hot sun, outdoor latrines and at times lots of mosquitoes! Yet, it is these very things that make our experience so rich and memorable. They give folks an opportunity to receive God's promise of provision so beautifully expressed in the twelfth chapter of Luke: "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!" -Luke 12:24 Overall, the short-term experience has proven to be a landmark in the life of a Christian disciple; deepening their faith, strengthening their convictions, making them more aware of God's mandate that we care for this world's less fortunate. Whether a teenager, a college student or a senior adult, trip participants are brought into the presence of Christ in a unique, profound way. Young Life Expeditions is more than a short-term missions opportunity. Participants are both Givers and Receivers, sharing their resources with the international community and partaking of the Bread of Life as offered by the Lord Himself through the precious people of Latin America.
Come visit our world...
Please read through the following pages carefully. They should answer the majority of your questions about the “when, what, where and how” of the Expeditions program. As you move deeper into the process of preparing for your trip, we will send you additional materials. *Please visit our website for more information on YL Dominican Republic, short-term “Workteams”, Summer Staff, etc. @ www.picoescondido.com (click on “Opportunities”) Field Costs $640 per person for trips of 8 days or less (including travel days) and $40 per person for each additional day.* These prices do not include transportation to and from the host country. These costs cover the following: -a varying fee for building materials that your group will work with (approx. $250) -all in-country transportation and meals -lodging at the National Young Life property or nearby facility -orientation materials
-final night’s lodging and meals at hotel The only thing not included in the above costs is airport taxes for entering and leaving the Dominican Republic, approximately $25 total, and optional spending money. ($25-$40 will buy plenty of souvenirs if your team members desire to do so) *Trip prices subject to change up until Nov. 1st of each year. Travel Costs For travel information, airline costs, airline deposits and deadlines, etc. see the “Expeditions Travel” attachment. Passports Beginning January 1st, 2006, passports ARE required for travel to the Dominican Republic. This is a change from year’s past when it was possible to enter with alternative entry documents. Be sure that all of your team members have valid, unexpired passports. Passports must have an expiration date of no earlier than 30 days after travel is to be completed. Please have all trip members check passports carefully to make sure they meet these requirements. Shots & Immunizations These are the recommended shots/immunizations for travel to your host country. While the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta (CDC) may recommend additional shots and or immunizations, the following have been determined more than adequate for the areas to which you will be traveling. If you would like to consult a personal physician, local health department or travel clinic, please feel free to do so. Some insurance companies cover part or all of these costs. Young Life recommends the following: Dominican Republic Spring/Summer 2009 1) Updated Tetanus Booster (within the last five years is fine) 2) Hepatitis A. There is now a "lifetime shot", administered in two installments, 6 months apart. You only need the first in order to travel. The second is the optional booster. The first shot should be administered no later than 4 weeks before departure. Many insurance companies cover part or all of these since they are considered preventative medicines. 3) You DO NOT need malaria prevention pills. Your group will not be near any areas that pose malaria risk. Note: If you have someone who has consulted the CDC or a family physician and believe they or their child needs additional shots, immunizations or medications, feel free to let them obtain these. We update our medical recommendation lists frequently and believe that the aforementioned are more than sufficient for travel to your host-country. Fundraising The vast majority of our trip participants raise part or all of their costs. This is a powerful and overwhelmingly meaningful part of any short-term missions experience. It brings into the process hundreds of people who might not otherwise have a connection with the precious people of Latin America. It also gives participants the immeasurable blessing of having a “Body” of contributors to support them not only financially, but perhaps, most importantly, prayerfully. It also provides a way for individuals who are not coming as part of a church or organization to raise the costs necessary to finance their trip. If you are coming with a Young Life area group, a church
group or another organization, you may find the fundraising process a necessary and beneficial supplement to the other resources you are gathering for the funding of your trip. Our three-page “Fundraising Guidelines” will help as you begin the process of gathering the financial resources for your trip. Included is a “Sample Support Letter” to serve as a guide in helping individuals write support letters. These materials were developed to help make the fundraising process less intimidating. Use them as you have need or to supplement any fundraising procedures you might already have in place. Payment Schedule & Deadlines For travel information, airline costs, deposits, etc. see the “Expeditions Travel” attachment. The balance of your trip costs, or your “Field” costs, indicated above, are due in full to Young Life no later than two weeks before your group’s departure. You will only be charged Field Costs for the people whom you bring. There is no penalty from Young Life for reducing your number at any date. However, a significant change in your group size may result in some itinerary modifications, or we may ask for your willingness to share your week with an additional group. Group Size There is no hard and fast rule, however, we feel that Ideal group size is 15-25 persons, including leaders. Often we will schedule more than one group at the same time, with a maximum number of participants around 50.* For example, we may have 3 groups from 3 different places, comprising a total of 50 persons. In such cases, you will most likely share evening worship and meeting times, but can retain group autonomy for purposes of discussion, Bible study and question/answer times. In this scenario groups work, lodge and eat together, but are afforded ample time for individual group fellowship. You may find this a wonderful help in the area of leadership responsibility. Along with other group’s trip leaders, you can divide and delegate various leadership roles. For example, while your group may not have a music/worship leader, another group might. Together multiple groups can create a more complete experience for your worktrip participants. If you are scheduled at the same time as another group, you will be put in touch with the other trip leaders beforehand so that you might discuss the sharing of such responsibilities. Note: Scheduling multiple groups is of great benefit to both the Young Life ministry in the Dominican Republic as well as participating groups. Doing so allows for more camp development during the course of our short-term missions season, and makes provision for groups who have limited flexibility with dates, but are requesting times that other groups have already reserved. Length of Stay Typically, spring trips, often during college and high school “Spring Break” vacation, are 9 days or less in length due to school schedules and group projects are focused solely on work projects at the local Young Life camp property. Groups serve a great role in getting camps ready for approaching spring and summer use by local campers. Summer trips can be up to two weeks in length, with exceptions for longer stays. In our experience ideal summer trip length is 10-12 days. This period of time allows for richer crosscultural opportunities and makes scheduling for your host-country much easier. It also greatly increases the opportunity for your group to experience homestays.* Groups are able to spend more time investing in their work projects and more time building community among themselves. We strongly encourage you to aim for the longer trip length if at all possible. Note: Due to travel days and in-country itineraries, it is difficult to schedule homestays for summer trips less than 9 days in length. In such cases, there will be several other types of cross-cultural interaction provided. Leaders
Young Life requests that you provide at least 1 leader for every 10 college-age participants or 1 leader for every 5 high school-age persons. We highly recommend that you bring leaders who are familiar with your group members. While our staff will do everything they can to supplement your leadership, please do not depend on the Young Life staff in your host-country to control or discipline your folks. You know them! Most likely they are going to listen to you much more quickly than they will a stranger! Spiritual Direction The ministry and philosophy of Young Life is built upon a relational foundation. As God revealed Himself to the world through the medium of relationship, becoming flesh and “dwelling among us” (John 1:14) in the person of Jesus Christ, so do we believe that by sharing “not only the gospel of God but our lives as well,” (1 Thess. 2:8) we might introduce young people to the living Savior. Remaining focused on this philosophy, we believe that you are best equipped to supervise in the spiritual leadership of your group. You are the ones who have been investing in their lives prior to your trip experience and you are the ones who will journey back with them as they return to their lives in the States. You have the relationships! For this reason we leave the majority of the organization and planning of group worship, discussion and teaching or study time largely up to you. We will give you a schedule structure that will help you plan for such times with your group. In addition, we will provide you with several materials to use as supplements or guides for the spiritual direction of your trip. The staff in your host-country will gladly make themselves available as they are able, sharing their testimonies, their spiritual journeys and giving insights to how God has called them to the mission field. We will make suggestions and share from our experience with previous groups, but the themes, biblical teachings and general spiritual direction of your group is ultimately in your hands. Among other benefits, this allows you to begin processing the experience with your folks before you arrive, as well as once you have returned home. We want to serve you in this process and to help enhance your spiritual experience in whatever way possible. According to your needs, feel free to solicit our assistance at any time! If at all possible, we strongly recommend bringing someone in your group who can play guitar and lead songs/worship. If you do not have such a person(s), please let us know so that we can plan accordingly. What to Bring? You will receive a packing list specific to your host-country. Gifts and Additional Donations Over the history of Young Life Expeditions, the practice of many groups has been to donate clothing, gloves, tools, water bottles, etc. to host-communities and countries. The decision to do this is completely up to you. Many trip participants bring extra gifts to leave behind. In addition, some choose to donate clothing or equipment they used during their trip. In some cases, we have set up a process for doing this in order to be culturally sensitive to what is and what isn’t appropriate to give. We will send you a list . You should feel no pressure to do anything more than you already are. We are simply grateful for the gift of your presence in Latin America and the hours you will volunteer on behalf of the Latino people! As you move through the preparation process, we will send you additional information to help you ready your team. If the Lord brings you to be with us in Latin America we are confident that you will discover a powerful and profound experience awaits you! Blessings in Christ, Jeff Tait YOUNG LIFE EXPEDITIONS 1637 Tunbridge Ln Lawrenceville, GA 30043 PHONE: 770-814-2750 Email: tait_j@bellsouth.net
EXPEDITIONS 2009:
SAMPLE ITINERARY
Dominican Republic
The following is a sample itinerary for our Dominican Republic short-term missions program for 2009. We emphasize that this is a tentative schedule and might be altered depending on a number of factors, i.e. flight arrival and departure times, length of trip, etc. It may be necessary to make changes as we move closer to your trip dates. We encourage you to go with a teachable spirit and an attitude of flexibility. Life in a developing country can be very challenging and circumstances might call for you to adapt to changing conditions. It’s a good idea to go with little expectations other than these: 1) Young Life will never put you in an unsafe situation. 2) The Young Life staff in the receiving country will do everything they can to make your experience a positive and powerful one. 3) If you go with an attitude of humility and the heart of a servant, you give the Lord great opportunity to speak and to minister, both directly as well as through the Dominican people. SAMPLE ITINERARY (10 Day trip example)
Day 1 Arrive in Santiago or Santo Domingo. Travel to camp. Work team orientation. Dinner and lodging at camp. Morning-Breakfast, go to local church service, camp project orientation. Lunch. Work on camp projects. Free time. Dinner. Club*/Worship/Testimonies Bed *Every effort will be made to get your group to a local Young Life youth club at least once during your stay, or have local leaders visit camp and put on a club for your group. Day 3-6 Morning-devotionals, breakfast. Work on camp projects. Lunch. Work on camp projects. Free time. Dinner. Club/Worship/Testimonies Bed Morning-Breakfast, devotions Travel to host community. Meet host families. Lunch. Work on community project. Dinner and lodging with host families. Breakfast with host families Community work project Lunch Community work project Dinner and night with host families Fun day of relaxation Dinner and lodging at area hotel Depart from Santo Domingo airport
Day 2
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9 Day 10