The Commissioning Service and Missions Orientation will be held on April 10-11, 2010. We will gather on the afternoon of the 10th at White Oak Conference Center in Winnsboro, SC and will stay at Camp LaVida (about a mile from White Oak) Saturday night through Sunday afternoon. Exact time and more information will be given to you in a few weeks. Your parents/guardians will be invited to attend the Commissioning Service and Parent Orientation on the 10th. (Again, more details and invitation will be sent to your parents soon.) But, go ahead and mark your calendars for those dates and let your parents/guardians know the dates as well.

Also, Debriefing will be held on August 7th--this is a mandatory date you were given during your application process. Mark your calendars with that date, as well. I know you guys have many different questions, so I wanted to answer some that we normally have.

Below you will find a list of FAQ’s. If your question is not there, PLEASE feel free to email me and I will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

FAQ’s:

1. How do I raise support? If you are serving through an international project, a short term project, or are receiving a scholarship you are paying for a portion of your mission project. There are many ways to raise support for your project! Start now! Support letters are very popular and can be sent to your church, family, and friends. Here is a full list of ways to raise support from IMB’s website: http://thetask.org/students/Approved/funding.htm. Also, work with your BCM Director to see to brainstorm options for helping you raise support.

2. Do I need to book my own flight? Unless you are a scholarship recipient, you will NOT need to book your flight. We will be doing that for you after we hear of exact times the missionaries want you to arrive. DO NOT book a flight without consulting me first. You may not book it to the right city or you may book it at the wrong time. Many times, missionaries have to travel to pick you up, so they don’t want one group coming in at 7 am and another coming in at 10 pm that night. So, please do not book flights without consulting me! Scholarship recipients: you will be hearing from your on-field supervisor about your flight times, etc. So, you will book your flight. If you would like for us to help book your flight, we will be glad to do it and can just be reimbursed by you for that flight. You will more than likely just use the travel agent that the IMB points you to.

3. Will I be able to call or email my parents/people back home? This varies from project to project—North American positions: it will be very easy for you to call home. With the exception of Canada, it may be as easy as calling from your cell if you have one. For Peru and South Asia jobs—not a lot. I know that the South Asia positions last year barely had any form of communication. It really depends on where you are living and if there is any internet near where you are placed. The Peru position will be a little more flexible (at least it was last year). This will definitely be a question for your on-field supervisors closer to summertime.

4. Who are my on-field supervisors? Will they be emailing me, now? Your on-field supervisors are the missionaries or field staff where you are serving. They will start emailing you soon, but most do not start making contact until April. Please be patient with them….especially the international missionaries. They have short-term missionaries serving year around, so their focus isn’t going to be on the summer until close to May. Be patient, but also let me know if you are not contacted by mid-April. (we will talk about this at Orientation).

5. I can’t make it to Orientation. What do I do? First, know that the Orientation and the Commissioning service are mandatory for BCM Summer Missionaries. These were given to you on the website and via email after your application process. Email me if you have questions.

6. Do I need to purchase insurance? We will discuss this at Orientation and fill out the paperwork for insurance there. Do not purchase it before then.

7. People from the IMB and NAMB are emailing me asking to fill out forms. Do I need to fill out their forms and yours? No, the IMB and NAMB automatically email you what the normal IMB and NAMB summer missionaries receive because of how we work hand-in-hand with them. Just forward me anything that the IMB or NAMB sends you and I will tell you how to respond appropriately.

8. When do I need to get a passport if I’m travelling out of the states? Yesterday. :) Seriously, go now and get your passport. If you don’t know how to get a passport, go here: http://thetask.org/students/MoneyMatters/passport.asp

9. How do I know if I need a visa? If you are going to South Asia, you need a visa. I will be sending you that information when it comes time to begin the application process for your visa. Scholarship recipients—talk with your on-field supervisor or the IMB about whether or not you need a visa.