treat others the way they should be treated

Refugees and immigrants

Speaker and Topic

Phil Gasley

Tw or three main concepts that I learned

·         Learn and Listen

o   As volunteers and helpers the best we can do is listen to their stories and have compassion for what they have been thru. That way we can demonstrate or genuine care for them

·         Go the refugees pace

o   Never rush any huge change into the life of these people, they  have already been thru so much they need time to recuperate and heel

·         Recognize the need

o   Their lives are so different from our own, we cant expect them to get over what they have lost so easily.

Personally challenged by

·         The huge need there is in the world, and how much work there is to be done. I have definitely not being doing my part in helping, volunteering, donating and praying.

Unanswered questions

·         None

Outreach

·         I am still planning to go to my home victims and possibly with immigrant since I live in a border town and there is much need in that department.

Are we taking proper care of our children?

Speaker and Topic:

Greg W Burch

Child Protection Policy

Two or three main concepts I learned

·         Any child that hasn’t reached their relationship with God and come to the feet of the cross are children at risk

We must create:

COMUNITY OF LIVING FAITH

·         Evangelism and discipleship

·         Children  are interested in who God is and how much God loves them

·         Just because children are responsive to the gospel doesn’t mean we can be careless in how we share the gospel

·         We need to make sure children come to Christ foe themselves and not because we are manipulating them

·         Proverbs 20:26 raising the child correctly .

·         We need to include children

COMMUNITY OF JUSTICE

·         Micah 6:8 act justly

o   Receive children, recognize that they deserve full access to God

o   Children  recognize justice!

·         What is justice (according to Chris Marshall- Little book on Justice)

o   Distribution, equal distribution of social benefits and penalties

o   Power, social power in society. Social benefits, injustice happens when social powers deny this benefits to the children. do not abuse social power. We must recognize as a community of justice that we are powerful, we can influence to the positive and to the negative.

o   Equity, fairness and balance of social benefits

o   Rights, justice gives moral

·         Dignity

o   Dignity recognizes that children are created in the image of God.

o   All human being are made with dignity, in the image of God

o   God does not see children any other way that as his creation

o   We must eliminate stigmas

§  People create stigmas about children so often, and create a barrier between children that have needs and the people that can offer help

o   We must create bonds between the church community and the children from the streets so that they can begin being viewed differently and offer them the opportunity to begin anew.

·         Dignity

·         Inclusivity

o   Children regardless of their decisions must be cared for

o   Children regardless of their race, class, gender

·         As a community of Justice we are challenged to care for boys and girls equally.

o   Distribution equally no matter their gender, age, class, or race

o   In the area of equaty

o   Children and adults both have equal rights to freedom or religion and

COMMUITY OF PRETECTION

·         Psalms 10:18

COMMUMITY OF PROVISION

·         Isaiah 58:6-6

·         Care for the most oppressed

·         There should be no strings attached to us providing for the children’s need

·         There must be a biblical foundation, but not with “rule” or expectation of them responding immediately and positively

Acts of charity can be dangerous because it givers feel good about actions that accomplished very little

Or even create dependency

Undisciplined giving can be just as destructive as the poverty that it is meant to help

·         We are to provide (as followers of God) for the needs of those unfortunate

COMMUNITY OF PARTICIPATION'

·          

Personally challenged by:

·         Child protection policies are :

Child protection (Cont)

·         Child protection policies and procedures help to create “child-safe” organizations:

o   That have an “aware culture”

o   That do everything possible to prevent intentional and unintentional harm coming to children

o   Where children feel safe

o   Where children can speak out

o   Where children are listened to

·         Where children and staff are respected and empowered

·         Have I been working to make children feel protected?

Unanswered questions:

·         What should I change about myself to be following God’s call for my life?

Outreach:

·         My outreach location might have changes. I wish t go back to my home country and town to work with HT victims.

We have a calling

Speaker and Topic:

·         Tati

·         Street Children

Two or three main concepts I learned

· Behaviors on the street

·         The kids hate themselves, and because of that they hate everyone else. They are always trying to kill two people, the police and their father.

·         Kids are very insecure in the streets, that’s why they try to intimidate others by acting tough, so they will be left alone.

·         They don’t trust anyone.

·         They lie about their stories. They won’t tell you their true story the first time.

è Kids lose hope because of what they have had to endure in their lives

è Their choice was limited to what they knew

Things you need to have while working with street children

·         Faith, faith that there will be change

·         Forgiveness(slow to anger)

·         Hear them out,

See the children as God sees them!!

As the whole person that God designed them to be

Don’t work with street children out of pity

The streets are the children’s homes, we cant

·         Put our own rules

·         Cant forced them to do things they don’t want

They are looking for acceptance and love

They are also looking for attentions

Personally challenged by:

·         The unfairness of the lives of street children. My doubts of how good God could be if so many children are without homes and without families came to the surface. But in the Bible and in my life I have been reminded that God is faithful and that his plan is sometimes altered by the decisions people make. And that his heart breaks when he sees his children suffering and that He will redeem their lives in the end.

Unanswered questions:

·         How much will God use me to help those in need?

o   As much as I am willing to be used

Outreach:

·         Ever yweek that passes I am nore and more excited about what I will be bale to be a part of! I am being prepared in so many ways to be used by God to help children and adults in need,

a week in Jaco

Speaker and Topic:

·         Leslie Freeman

·         Child Development

Two or three main concepts I learned

·         We must learn about Respecting children

·         Value children the same way you would value an adult

·         Children are usually overlooked, there is something really powerful about getting “eye” level with children

·         Respecting children: putting yourself in their position and believing their feelings are REAL, and validate their feelings.

o   A little compassion and empathy can go a long way.

·         You are valuing the children, what they have to say and how they feel.

·         James 1:19. If you listen to people it has more valuable outcomes that imparting your own advice.

·         The principle of “listening”.- by listening to a child thought, feelings and emotions you can help them understand their own feelings better.

o   What happens when we don’t listen??

·         You can miss the opportunity to hear their hearts

·          

Personally challenged by:

·         I was challenged in my views of discipline towards children and how we must do it in a Biblical way.

·         I was also challenged to view the Bible in a way that is applicable to children. And not only to adults.

Unanswered questions:

·         I have no unanswered questions, our speaker was really informative.

Outreach:

·         This past week I was able to go to the location were I am planning to do my outreach, it was a great opportunity to meet all the people I will be working with and get to know the youth I am hoping to share what I have learned with.

·         I am excited about all the ideas of ministry that we will be doing, such as prostitution ministries where we will be trying to develop friendships with the prostitutes and their families. And also with children as we teach them, by example, what it to be a good follower of Jesus.

human trafficking

Speaker and Topic:

·Rochelle Potter

· Human Trafficking

Two or three main concepts I learned

-          Human trafficking As defined by the UN is:

·         The recruitment, transportation or harboring of a person by means of threat, force or deception for sex, labor, slave-like exploitation or the removal of organs.

Five types of human trafficking

·         Sexual trafficking

·         Child soldiers

·         Forced begging

·         Prostitution

·         Labor

Trafficking victims are:

·         Young, seeking opportunities, and/or poor

·         Trafficked by a close family member or friend, taken to a culture that is unfamiliar and then isolated

·         Family’s safety or their own safety is threatened if they refuse to cooperate

·         Afraid to seek help

Personally challenged by:

·         I was personally challenged with the fact that I must love victims, traffickers and “jhons” the same.

Unanswered questions:

·         I have no unanswered questions, our speaker was really informative.

Outreach:

·         This past week was very eye opening to the problems that exist today, and I feel my call to work with children at risk, prostitutes and their families confirmed. Out reach will be a time where I will be able to apply everything I have learned and share the love of God with all the people I meet.

Project Planning Week

Speaker and Topic:

·         Lance Rawlins

·         Project planning

Two or three main concepts I learned

-          Why should we even bother to plan?

Ø  To evaluate which is the best way to see a community develop

Ø  To clarify our visions and goals

Ø  To give God a chance to speak

Ø  To optimize the use of resources

Ø  To allocate responsibilities and organize staff efficiently

Ø  To help motivate staff and people that are working with you(and yourself)

Ø  To hear and include others and give ownership

Jesus, in the Bible, planned things out. Although he was led my the spirit he was also practical and planned his events and his ministry.

Personally challenged by:

·         I was challenged by the model the speaker presented as the one we should follow while we are project planning which was the acronym “SMART”:

S--à Specific

Ø  Is it well defined

Ø  Is it clear

Ø  You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother – Albert Einstein

M --à Measurable

Ø  Can y quantify your progress so you can track it?

Ø  Are you able to asses your process

Ø  How will you know when you have reached your goal?

A -à Attainable

Ø  Is your goal within reach

Ø  Is your goal a challenge, but still possible to reach?

Ø  Goals must be achievable. The best goals require you to stretch a bit to achieve them but they are not impossible to achieve.

R --à Realistic/ Relevant

Ø  Is your goal realistic with the resources, knowledge and time that you have?

Ø  Is it in line with your beliefs and values?

Ø  Consistent

T --à Time

Ø  Starting date, deadline and significant milestones

Ø  Do I have enough time to achieve the goal

Ø  Too much time can affect progress/ results

o    

Unanswered questions:

·         The question I had was when the speaker said we had to be ready for a 007, by this he meant we needed to be prepared to drop it all at one point and leave. At first I couldn’t understand this concept, because of the fact that if you commit to something you MUST see it thru, at least that is what I believe. But it was very important to understand that you really must abandon something if God asks you to. We might not understand the reason why He is asking us, but if we are sure and completely certain that is God that is asking us to abandon the project we must be obedient. Otherwise we must stick to our word and fulfill our commitments.

Outreach:

·         I am so excited for my outreach after this week, me and a friend worked really hard on a project plan that included many things that we want to work within our outreach.

·         We are going to be working with a ministry that focuses on street children and speaking into their lives.

·         I know God has a huge plan that He wants me to be a part of, and I cant wait to be there!