Mexico Servant Team + Training Program Part One
Orientation
Overview: the orientation is a general overview of the M.S. Training program. It is here that you will be given the materials for the training, discuss the overall process, set up your discussion board information, and get any questions answered.
Myers Briggs Temperament Inventory
Overview: The Myers Briggs Temperament Inventory is an adaptation from generations of assessment tests. This form of the test is meant to serve as a tool which helps you to understand your temperament ( when you hear temperament think along the lines of your genetics, how you are wired. This is not how you’ve been affected by your environment, and it’s not a personality test, but rather helps identify the traits you were born with that shape how you tend to respond to things.)
Later on you will meet with a Love Walks team member who will walk you further through the relevance of this test. We will talk about why this information is valuable (hint: how you communicate is essentially, “story+values+temperament.”)
For this segment, simply visit the website below and take the online quiz. Try not to over analyze the questions or anticipate the results, rather answer the questions as your ‘gut’ would lead you to answer. If you are unsure of the results you may repeat the test again. This test is only a starting point in assessing your temperament, just one piece of the puzzle. Once you have completed the test, post your results to the discussion board and answer the discussion questions.
Links:
Myers Briggs Temperament Inventory Online Assessment
God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations (Chap. 1)
Overview: Read Session One: God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations and answer discussion board questions.
Links: Discussion Board
Podcast #1 ”What is the Gospel”
Overview: Listen to the sermon by Timothy Keller, “What is the Gospel” and respond to the discussion questions.
Links: Listen to the Podcast (or download the podcast by right clicking and clicking “save link as”)
My Story
Overview:
1) Written Story: In roughly 1-3 pages write out your story. What has shaped you into who you are today? Key people? Key events? What are you proud of? What was difficult? Where have you seen God?
Though this can be written as an essay it doesn’t have to be. Bullets or an outline is fine too.
2) Life Map: A two-stage process where one (re)collects information from one’s past and then actually, visually maps the content in a way that is personally meaningful. (* taken from Life Map worksheets created by Center for Christian Leadership, Dallas Seminary, 1997)
Stage 1: looking back. In this stage, one looks back on life (ex. in 5 year blocks) and records the following: (a) Location & Occupation, (b) Heritage (what geographic, ethnic, or family factors influenced you? how? why?), (c) Heroes (individuals, key relationships), (d) High Points (positive experiences, events that illustrated your special abilities), (e) Hard Times (especially hard and/or painful experiences & why), (f) Life/Ministry Values (values emphasized or created in this block of time)
Stage 2 : Visually represent Stage 1 recordings in a way that makes sense to “you” — a chart/time-line, a series of images that everything else seems to ‘hang’ off of, family pictures of each block of time, drawings/paintings, etc. This visual ‘map’ does not necessarily have to have every detail of everything you recorded in Stage 1, but should provide enough ‘triggers’ for you that, if you did have to present this map, you would be able to remember most of what you had recorded in Stage 1.
Personal Example : After doing the work of Stage 1, I realized that I tend to live dis-integrated-ly. So I went back and used the themes of Emotions, Intellect, and Relationships as a way to ‘synthesize’ all the data I had recorded. I then used a pretty simple time-line that had, as the major piece, my emotional status going from Full to Diminishing to Little and then two powerful (but negative) spikes followed by a slow ReOpening (in all, it looked like a funnel on the left that diminished into a tube that had two kinks on the right side followed by a much longer funnel opening up: roughly >–|-|-< ). I then started putting placing powerful events and relationships on the time-line. I then mapped what was going on in my Mind (Intellect) in cloud-bubbles.
Another Example: Due to what God had been doing as of late, I now looked back on my Stage 1 recordings and saw that I had, basically, been packing a suitcase full of what I thought I needed for life. Then God decided to make my suitcase unbearable to keep. I no longer had the ability to have a suitcase – trying to have a suitcase would be like asking a dog to use the mouse on a computer, it just doesn’t work / there is no ‘connection.’ So for my ‘map,’ I got a suitcase and some items that represented the major ‘inputs’ in my life (people, ideas, emotional situations, etc.). When asked to present or explain my life map, I put explain each of the items in the suitcase. Then I pull out each item and explain what God was/is doing with that given item and why it had to come out of my suitcase. I end with an empty suitcase and a bunch of stuff on the ground. I then explain how God has allowed me to have a new bag and how He is starting to put some things into it – some of the items I had taken out of my suitcase but also some new items.
3) StoryBoard: See #1 and #2 above as to the kinds of content to include. StoryBoarding is a technique used by story creators (books, movies, etc.) where a picture is used to capture the majority of what one is experiencing. For example, a picture of a moving van and a teddy bear being accidentally left behind to represent how moving around a lot as a child was really painful and always seemed to take (leave) something important. Or the picture of winning a science fair might represent a stage in life where success was rampant.
4) Multiple MindMaps: Use multiple mind-maps to represent one’s life to-date. The root nodes might be 5-year Blocks of Time (or any other number); they might be Internal, Relationships, Locations, & Emotions; they might be Cities / Locations; they might be ‘themes of life’ as you see them; they might be Families Lived With
5) Heart-only: Best if done in blocks of time (ex. 0-5 years old, 6-10, 10-13, 14-16, 18-22). Draw the shape of a heart (a Valentine’s Day heart, not an anatomically correct heart!) and fill in various sections of the heart with a word, sentence, paragraph, poem, etc. and a fill in that section with a color — the words and the color together represent a part of ‘your heart’ during that time-frame. Include relevant people, locations, events, etc. in each section as desired.
God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations (Chap. 2)
Overview: Read Session Two: Israel’s Important Role in God’s Plan and answer discussion board questions.
Links: Discussion Board
God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations (Chap. 3)
Overview: Read Session Three: Jesus, The Center of God’s Plan and answer discussion board questions.
Links: Discussion Board
Communication
Overview: Meet with Love Walks leader to go through your communication style (communication = temperament + story + values). Bring with you your assignment from “My Story” and the results from your Myers Brings Temperament Inventory.
Links: Candace@lovewalks.org (e-mail her to set up meeting)
Podcast/Video #2 “Think Hard, Stay Humble: The Life of the Mind and the Peril of Pride” Francis Chan
Overview: Listen to (or watch) the message by Francis Chan, “Think Hard, Stay Humble: The Life of the Mind and the Peril of Pride” After listening visit the discussion board and answer questions.
Links: Audio (download) | Video)
Testimony/Gospel
Overview:
Scripture tells us to be ready to give reason for our faith (1 Peter 3:15-16). This process in neither fully our personal story, or a testament to God alone. Rather it is the melding of both- out story and God’s. We know that God’s Spirit moves in us to convey the gospel, and yet we are also to ‘be ready’ to share this hope. This exercise is meant to stretch us out of our comforts and be bold in sharing that hope.
Pick three (3) people, one from the Love Walks Mexico Servants Team, and the second a friend or family member who is a believer, and the third a friend, family member, or acquaintance who is not a believer. With each set up a time that you can sit down one on one with them and share your reason for your hope in God. If this prospect is intimidating you can use this training process as an excuse by saying, “I’m going through a leadership training program and one of my assignments is to sit down with three different people and share why I find hope in God. If you’re willing, I’d love for you to be one of those people.”
When you complete each conversation ask the individual for any questions or feedback they might have.
Journal after each conversation allowing yourself to reflect on what you found to be difficult, what was surprising, what you felt good about, etc. Finally, spend time in prayer listening to any input God might place on your heart.
If you really want to be bold, consider praying that God would now provide someone else that you might share this hope with…you may be surprised how quickly this prayer will be answered if you’re looking for it!
Once you have completed your conversations. Post your experiences on the discussion board.
Links: Discussion Board
God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations (Chap. 4)
Overview: Read Session Four: God’s Purpose for the Church and answer discussion board questions.
Links: Discussion Board
God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations (Chap. 5)
Overview: Read Session Five: The Glory of the Nations and answer discussion board questions.
Links: Discussion Board
God’s Remarkable Plan for the Nations (Chap. 6)
Overview: Read Session Six: Our Mission to Disciple the Nations and answer discussion board questions.
Links: Discussion Board
Skeptics Guide To Global Poverty
Overview:
The Skeptics Guide to Global Poverty is an easy read with lots of facts and statistics that help paint a better understanding of poverty around the world. While we encourage you to read the entire book, it is not a requirement and you can skip to and from the sections you find most interesting. But, be prepared to answer the question, “What is poverty?” and “What are we to do about it?” Once you can answer those questions post your response on the discussion board.
Part 1 Completion Celebration and Review!
Date TBD
All MS Trainees that have completed section one will come together to celebrate the first section completion. At this time each person will present their experience thus far through the training, in doing so they will also present their project for the “My Story” assignment. We will then celebrate together, and discuss ways to continue to improve the process.