Newsong LA 2007 Thailand Team: Newsong STM Retreat

This past weekend, our team headed up to the Thousand Pines Christian Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead for the annual Newsong Short Term Mission (STM) Retreat. Unfortunately, Suzie and Katie could not attend this weekend. There were approximately 60 attendees from 9 Newsong STM Teams. Newsong is one church which meets in 3 locations throughout Southern California...LA, Irvine, and North Orange County (NOC). Here are the teams:

1. Newsong LA Thailand
2. Newsong NOC Thailand
3. Newsong NOC South Africa
4. Newsong Irvine South Africa
5. Newsong LA London
6. Newsong Irvine London
7. Newsong LA Mexico City
8. Newsong NOC Mexico City
9. Newsong Irvine China

On Saturday morning, Pastor Brian from Newsong NOC gave us a message about servanthood. He used the story in the Bible where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Missions is about following Jesus's example and washing the feet of others. Pastor Brian challenged us to live our lives as a bathroom hand towel, which can wash the feet of thousands. We need to serve others all the time and not just when we are on missions. On the other hand, many people choose to live their lives as a hand wipe or hand sanitizer. They open and use the wipe when they go on missions and when they get back, they throw the wipe away...hand wipes are good for one-time uses. Missions is not about serving only when we are in a foreign country, but bringing back that servant attitude to our daily lives.

Pastor Brian also gave us 3 important keys to missions:

1. Expect the Unexpected.
Don't go on missions with expectations. Allow missions to be a new experience and allow yourself to be stretched.

2. Go with the Flow, Don't say No.
Challenge yourself on missions. Do what you are asked. Don't be afraid to do something that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar with you. Face your fears.

3. No Complaining.
Put away the "grumpies." Don't complain on the outside and inside. Pastor Brian told us a story about when his 4 year old son was complaining to his mother about how his younger sister took one of his toys. Pastor Brian's wife told their son to stop complaining. Although he stopped his whining, he continued to display a disgruntled face/expression. Afterwards, Pastor Brian pulled his son aside and explained to him how important it was to listen to mommy. His son then said "I know daddy, I'm going to put the grumpies in the trash can." Many times, we can stop complaining verbally, but our attitude can continue to reflect our complaints.

We also attended workshops on evangelism, spiritual warfare, and the importance of journaling/daily scripture reading. We received the "Life Journal" a one-year reading plan that will take us through the entire Bible.

In the afternoon, we had workshops. Nan attended the Videography workshop, Myles attended the "Teaching to Children" workshop, Kio attended the "Accountant/Fundraising" workshop and Wilson attended the Leaders Workshop.

After these workshops, we went onto the field to play some team building games. We played 3 relay games and scaled/rock climbed a 32 foot wall and zip lined down. Although Myles was reluctant to do the zip line due to his fear of heights, he challenged his fears and accomplished the task...Myles, I'm proud of you buddy! Nan - Can you post the zip line pictures and videos?

In the evening, we had a night of prayer. We prayed for all the various countries and the people of those countries. We prayed for each of the Newsong teams going to those countries and that God would transform each and every team member.

Here are some pictures of the weekend: