Medical Requirements

Required:

• Yellow fever is a viral disease against which it is required all travellers to the Democratic Republic of Congo be immunized. You will need to get a shot from an authorized provider, such as Passport Health (see contact details below).
• Malaria is an infectious disease which can often be prevented with personal protection measures and medications such as doxycycline. You will need to get a prescription for this from either your personal physical (less likely) or during your visit to Passport Health (more likely).
  

*In the event that the funds received for this trip exceed the costs incurred in course of regular ministry, you may submit your expenses for these two only for potential partial reimbursement.

Recommended:
The travel doctor will tell you all about all the diseases which you might catch, and will want you to get shots for everything on the list, including Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Rabies, and Cooties. This is a decision that you should make with your parents, your primary care physicians, and/or the people who pay for your health care.
*None of these extra vaccinations will be reimbursable unless the CDC deems them required for travel.

Routine:
You should be up-to-date on all your regularly scheduled vaccinations (See the schedule for adults and the schedule for children.)
*None of these vaccinations will be reimbursable in any event.

Passport Health

• 620 Stanton Christiana
  Metroform Medical Complex - Ste 101
  Newark, DE 19713

• 2002 Foulk Road Office Plaza
  Wilmington, DE 19805

• Phone: (302) 633-5782

Team Roles

The following are the roles that were agreed upon at the team retreat, updated with your job descriptions:

Communication Coordinator - Lauren

Role on the team is to update the blog and send e-mail updates from overseas in order to keep family and supporters in the states connected with what we are doing and how we are doing as a team. It’s her job to write updates for the bulletin and church newsletters, and will take the lead on any bulletin boards or other promotional pieces. Additionally she will be sending e-mails to the team reminding them about meetings, deadlines, and commitments. Finally, she works with relationship manager to write thank-you notes from the whole team.

Kitchen Coordinator - Amber

Role on the team is to help with the preparation for meals, including organizing a set-up and clean-up crew for each meal served at the seminary. Also will be encouraging the team toward greater familiarization with the Bible memory verses, and will be a key person in coordinating the musical endeavors of the team.

Prayer Coordinator - Jess

Role on the team, based on the example in Colossians 4:2-4, is to highlight the importance of prayer, remind the team of specific necessity of prayer in ministry, and keep our obligation to bathe the trip in prayer at the forefront. Without prayer our efforts will be futile, because it is God who opens doors for the word and softens the hearts of people. She will be encouraging prayer individually and as a team, informing the church body of our prayer needs, and keeping a journal of how God answers prayer and works in our team.

Team Chaplain - Dan

Role on the team is to coordinate the devotions that will be held at the daily team meetings. He will work with the team leaders to come up with a general theme for the meetings, and subdivide that theme into 12 individual topics, prepare and distribute a schedule in advance of which team member will be leading each Bible study, and help facilitate the discussion. He will also seek to provide some guidance and resources to each team member to assist them in their preparation.

Team Encourager - Vicki

Role on the team is to lift the spirits of the group and individuals through words, actions, or special projects. She will be watching closely for pain (whether physical, emotional, or spiritual) and be sensitive to needs, helping the team to encourage one another and glorify God.

Team Peacemaker - Greg

Role on the team is to promote an environment proactively striving for peace and unity. In any sort of disagreement or strife, it will be the goal of the peacemaker to point the people involved to God’s ultimate glory through the conflict, to help them realize and deal with their own contribution to the conflict, and to come alongside people as they humbly and patiently confront one another and restore the relationships impacted.

Team Photographer - Brynne

Role on the team is to document each part of the trip visually. She will need to be aware of opportunities for group photos and also to capture our work in Bunia, as well as other good general shots. She will need to be highly sensitive of when it is and when it isn’t appropriate to take pictures before taking the camera out. She will also need to make sure that she has enough memory and film before we leave, to make the pictures available for the presentation to the church, and to get digital copies to the team.

Retreat Expectations

1. Arrive at the church early enough to pull out at 4:30 PM on Friday.
2. Arrange to cover the cost of 2 fast-food meals for the round-trip.
   
3. Arrive at the resort between 9 and 10 PM on Friday.
4. See list for what you should (and should not) bring.
5. Expect communication from me regarding food.

Google map of the retreat location
Website of the retreat location

We expect to depart Williamsburg at 11:30 AM on Sunday, thus arriving back to Bethel sometime after 4:30 PM, but Greg and I have also made arrangements to be absent from our home group, just in case we are significantly delayed.

Packing List:

• Pack everything ONE backpack (or backpack size bag).
• Bring minimal clothing. (Suggestion: one full change of clothes, plus however much underwear and other "personal" garments you need.)
• Bring a bathing suit if you would like to swim (outdoor pool, not heated)
• Bring personal hygiene items. (Cosmetics won't be needed, we're not trying to impress anyone, and may have neither the time nor resources for them in Bunia.)
• Bring the one food item that you have been called about.
• Bring your Bible and Congo Notebook
• Bring your Swahili flash cards and instructional papers, cultural handout, and English language training references.
• We do not need any Personal Electronic Entertainment Paraphernalia. (General rule of thumb - if it requires a plug or batteries, it is not likely to work in Bunia, nor is it probably necessary.)
• We do not need any bedding or towels.

Other notes:

• Backpack - in order to go to Congo, you will need to have a simple backpack that serves not only as a daypack for carrying your essentials (like TP, hand sanitizer, water, Bible, teaching materials), but also for our excursion to the game park, which is likely to be via a matatu (dinky little van) in which luggage space is limited to what you can hold in your lap and what will fit under your knees. That being said, I understand that some of you have not had time this week to search out such a bag. I do have a couple that would be suitable, and I am willing to lend them for the weekend. As an alternative, you may consider using a bag that is comparable in size to a backpack such as what I described. Not a rolling suitcase carry-on, not a dufflebag big enough for a field hockey stick, but something that will fit on your lap on under your knees.
• Homework - yes, there will be a block of time in which you can work on some homework, and no, I wouldn't consider that the materials you need to complete that work should constitute a portion of the very limited luggage space you have been apportioned. We will assess the situation upon arrival at church and figure out the best way to ensure that there is space aboard for your homework supplies and textbooks.
  

Have you applied?

Passports can take up to eight weeks between application and receipt. Expedited deliveries (about two weeks) may be requested at additional cost. Some post offices (including the new one on at the WSFS Financial Center on Delaware Avenue in Wilmington) are opening up on Sunday, March 11 ONLY for passport services. If you have not applied for your passport yet, you might consider this opportunity to check that off your list. Also, I have received this question in an email and thought I would answer it here for others as well... the countries you are planning to visit include Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and England.


These are the items needed for a passport application:

Provide a completed application for a passport - Postal officials note that offices accepting passport do stock the necessary forms. Passport applications are also found online at the Postal Service site, or the State Department’s web site.

Present Proof of U.S. Citizenship - In many cases, applicants fill this requirement by supplying a certified birth certificate with a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal. Others may need to obtain a consular report of birth abroad or a naturalization certificate. A previous US passport in altered or damaged condition may not be accepted.

Present Proof of Identity - You may prove your identity with a photo ID, including a previous U.S. passport, a Naturalization Certificate, a valid Driver's license, a city, state or federal Government ID or Military ID issued to military personnel and their dependents.

Supply Two Passport Photos, in compliance with state department requirements. Passport photos will be available on site for $12 on Sunday, February 11.

Pay the Applicable Fee. Applicants pay the application processing fee to the "U.S. Department of State" with a check or money order only. For applicants age 16 and over, the application processing fee is $67 and applicants under 16 pay $52. The execution fee is a separate payment of $30 per application to the facility where you apply. The execution fee can be paid with cash, check, money order, debit or credit card.

...it's in the mail

Hopefully by the time you read this (which I realize for some of you could be many moons after it is actually posted...) you will have affixed your 39 cent stamps and return addresses to your prayer support letters and dropped them into a blue box in some convenient location, and in fact many potential supporters will begin to open those letters in the coming days.

If you have not completed this task, please be aware that one of the team leaders should be contacting you on Wednesday evening to hold you accountable for getting it done BY FEBRUARY 1 (Thursday). Also, if you need to add more people to your list, please do not hesitate to send out as many letters as desired. There is no limit to the number of supporters who can join our team, however, if you want to send to people who are connected to the Bethel family (or who have been in recent years) please check with me first to make sure we are not bombarding them with 5 different requests for support.

Also, if you need some assistance with personalizing letters again or printing more envelope labels, Kelly is more than happy to show you the process. I have posted the response card template, so you can print more of those at your leisure as well.

Once we begin to receive responses, as people commit to praying or giving financially, you will be handed a response card with the name and address of the person supporting you. You will send them a hand-written thank-you note before the next Congo meeting, and will hand the card back to Mrs. Foggy to let her know that you have done so. We'll talk more about this commitment at our next meeting.

Proposed New Timeline

DATE	MEETING AGENDA	ASSIGNMENTS DUE
Saturday, January 13*	Welcome to the Team	initial $100 commitment Every meeting: Bible, Notebook, Pen
Sunday, January 28*	Envelope stuffing	personalized letters for all potential supporters, stamped and addressed envelopes
Saturday, February 10*	What's My Line?	second $100 commitment, medical form completed
Saturday,March 17*	Building a Winning Team I	third $100 commitment, passport application submitted
Saturday, April 14	Watch Your Life!	first 4 chapters of "Seeking Him" completed
Friday-Saturday, April 20-21	Please Don't Send Me to Africa RETREAT	parental permission & power of attorney NOTARIZED
Sunday, May 6	Building a Winning Team II	fourth $100 commitment, testimony / gospel presentation
Saturday,May 19 8:30 AM	We're Not in Kansas Any More!	first 8 chapters of "Seeking Him" completed
Saturday, June 2	Details, Details, Details	final $100 commitment, yellow fever shot, malaria prescription (not filled yet)
Saturday, June 16	Are We There Yet?
Sunday, June 24	Family Prayer and Commissioning
Tuesday, June 26	Countdown to Liftoff	1 large suitcase packed with only what is on the list
Thursday, June 28	Depart for Entebbe, Uganda
Tuesday-Saturday, July 3-7	English Bible Camp in Bunia, Dem Rep of Congo
Thursday, July 12	Return to US
Sunday, July 29	Report to Church and Supporters

*Saturday meetings are regularly scheduled from 9 AM until 11 AM. The support team is requested to join us for the first hour the first Saturday meeting of each month.