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CHECKLIST FOR PREPARING A TEAM FOR MISSION SERVICE

Several years to eight months before your team's mission:

• Pray for God's guidance to a people group, missionary, or part of the world.
• Select your project.
• Reserve a web project by contacting the IMB 's Student Mobilization Team (SMT) Strategist, Melody Harper at 800-999-3113, ext. 1371 or mharper@imb.org.
• Receive your team leader e-packet from the SMT. Most of information in e-packet is online at http://www.thetask.org/students/approved/#go. The e-packet contains:
  • Security Document (if applicable)
  • Detailed project information
  • Travel agent info
  • Spiritual preparation info
  • Cross-cultural training info
  • Insurance enrollment info
• Pray for God to move in the hearts of the participants whom He desires for the team.

Eight to six months before your team's mission:

• Begin the selection process for team members.
• Contact the field supervisor and ask the "Questions for field supervisors."
• Contact the travel agent to secure block seating for the number of people on your team.
  • Names of the team members can be sent to the travel agent later.
  • Ask if there are group discounts for teams of 10 or more.
  • Ask about visas entry requirements for your country of destination and the process for applying for visas, if required.
• We encourage you to attend a Team Leader training
• Make sure the entire team has passports and that their passports are valid for at least 6 months after your project's return date.
  • Passport applications are available at your local post office or at http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_832.html
• Passport renewal

Six to three months before your team's mission:

• We encourage you to attend a Cross-Cultural Training as a team.
• Have each team member carefully read the security document if applicable.
• Have each team member begin fundraising efforts and enlisting prayer support
• Begin Immunizations.
  • Find the list of required and recommended immunizations at http://www.imb.org/medinfo/
• Send the SMT an electronic copy of your travel itinerary to jramirez@imb.org
  
• Enroll for travel insurance.
• Complete BOTH Part 1 and Part 2 of the Team Registration
  • http://thetask.org/students/Apply/team_leader.htm
    (follow online instructions carefully)
• Spiritually prepare your team with the six week Student Devotional book My Life, His Mission or "God's Heart for the Nations" Bible study.
  • My Life, His Mission available online at: http://thetask.org/hismission/
  • “God’s Heart for the Nations” http://thetask.org/students/G_Passion/bible_studies.htm

Three months before your mission:

• Research your mission country and people group.
  • Get several travel guides for information about the country and culture. Each guide has a different focus of information, so several guides will give you comprehensive information.
  • Country research Web sites
  • People group research Web sites
• Check airline weight and size limits on checked baggage and carry-on bags.
  • Most airlines list this information on their Web sites.
  • If you have a domestic flight within your host country, the luggage limits will be much less than the limits on international flights. Be sure to check luggage restrictions for all airlines you will fly and check both domestic and international restrictions.
• Begin a packing list.
• Physically prepare your team with the "Prepare to Go" materials.

Two to One months before your team's mission:

• Double Check that you have submitted your team registration, enrolled for insurance and sent an electronic copy of your travel itinerary to the SMT.
• Have each team member make 2 copies of their passport ID page and their plane ticket.
  • Be sure they copy the last page of the ticket, not the itinerary.
  • Have team members give one copy to someone who could fax the documents overseas in case either a passport or plane ticket is lost or stolen.
  • Have team members take the other copy with them on the project, stored separately from the originals so at least a copy is available if the originals are lost or stolen.

One month before your team's mission:

• Compile a list of emergency contact information and travel itineraries to give to parents. **Remember to consider security issues in the information that you share. If you are traveling to a high security area, it is often better to have one person who has a clear understanding of security issues, who is designated to contact the team on the field.
  • Contact information may include:
  • Your field supervisor and any other number on the field that the supervisor has provided to you.
  • Travel agent contact information.
  • IMB Student Mobilization contact information
    • 1-800-789-GOYE (4693)
    • studentteam@imb.org
• Have team members get copies of regular prescriptions and necessary amounts of medication to take with them.
  • Take each medication in its original container with the pharmacy label on the container in case customs officials ask about the medications.
• E-mail the field supervisor about gifts to bring to the field.
  • Ask what items available here in the US (food, magazines, etc.) you can bring to them and their children.
  • Ask what types of gifts and how many gifts you should bring for the nationals whom you will encounter.
• Shop for gifts, travel-sized toiletry items and other travel necessities such as batteries.
• Have team members bring the luggage they will take with them to a team meeting, packed as if they will leave on the trip. Carry the luggage around campus/community with you for several hours, including up and down staircases, stopping to get something to eat, etc.
  • Weigh a suitcase by standing on a bathroom scale, noting your weight, then picking up the suitcase while you are on the scale. Subtract your weight with the bag from your weight without it to find the weight of the packed suitcase.
  • Overweight bags incur charges from $70 to $400, depending on the airline. You must reduce the weight (leave things behind) or pay before you are allowed on the plane.
  • Encourage the team members to remove items that are not really necessary or that you think you might need if your suitcase is unmanageable on the campus outing.

One week before your mission:

• Have team members compile a list of names and addresses to take.
  • Remind them to include those who gave them money for the trip in order to send a short newsletter, as well as family and friends.
• Have team members put all of travel documents in a folder. Separate your original passport and plane ticket from the copies. Remind them to pack this folder in your carry-on bag, not in your suitcase!
• Get cash and other forms of money each team member will need to take.
  • Check with the field supervisor about the denominations of the bills to bring and how new and clean the bill should be. Many money exchangers will not accept bills that are torn, crumpled, wrinkled or have writing on them.
• Give team members the travel itinerary & emergency contact sheet to give to parents or guardians.
• Check the weather report at your destination to make sure you have the right clothes packed.

One Day before your mission:

• Reconfirm all domestic and international flights for the next day.
  • Contact the airlines directly to reconfirm your flights.
• Have students send "Debriefing Tips for Family and Friends" to their parents or guardians, grandparents and close friends.
• Take God's glory to the nations!

One week before you return from your mission:

• Begin debriefing your experience.

A few days after your return from mission:

• Encourage your team members to find a family member, friend, or former missionary in your church who has traveled overseas on mission and set a time to talk with that person in-depth about your experience.
• Call your church staff to ask how your team can share your experience with the church.
• Encourage team members to write down 3 to 5 stories of how they saw God work in someone's life on the field during the mission.
  • Use the "How to Tell Your Story" tips
  • Practice telling these stories until you can tell them in 3-5 minutes with a distinct point to the story.
• Complete & return your team leader evaluation to the SMT.
• E-mail your field supervisor to thank him/her for hosting you.
• Mobilize other students to pray, give, and go on mission to the nations.

One month after your mission:

• Complete the "Settling Back In" debriefing exercise.
• Deliberately get involved again in your local church and/or local campus ministry again.
• Challenge each team member to write out a personal action plan for next semester to reach the nations in their community and on their campus.
• Keep mobilizing other students to pray, give and go on mission to the nations.