Another great day in Jamaica

I spent all of today traveling with Chad from CCCD. We toured the Knockpatrick campus, went to YS Falls, and toured the Jamaica Deaf Village on the Mandeville campus. I am more and more convinced that working with CCCD is a great opportunity for the future of Simply Missions. The people here are great and they really understand our vision for what short-term missions is all about. I'm looking forward to partnering with CCCD on many trips in the future.

Below you'll see pictures of the construction that is underway at the medical clinic on the Knockpatrick campus, the beauty of the YS falls, some of the woodworking projects done by the deaf residents here at CCCD, and the view from the Mandeville campus.

The Chapel Pointe team arrives tomorrow. Keep them in your prayers as they travel.

Behind the Scenes in Kingston

I came down to Kingston a few days before the Chapel Pointe team is scheduled to arrive so that I could get things set up for them here and get a little work done for Simply Missions. We are developing a new partnership with the CCCD (Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf) and tomorrow I will tour several of their facilities here on the island and meet with some of the leaders. I am really excited about the work that this group is doing down here and am looking forward to seeing first-hand what God is doing through their ministry. Pray for great meetings tomorrow and Wednesday, and for the safe arrival of the Chapel Pointe team on Wednesday as well.

Encouraging Report from Katrina Trip

As you know, Shiloh Church went down to do Katrina relief work in July. I spoke with Tom, the youth pastor there when they got back and he was really positive. I wanted to let you all know about that conversation but didn't think I could appropriately quote him without having it in writing first. It was one of those too-good-to-be-true kinds of conversations. So here is what he wrote on his blog.

"This was probably the most amazing trip I have been on in my youth pastor career. I have not seen so much transformation happen in such a short amount of time, even in myself. The way that God moved on this trip was so amazing."

We're always excited to hear stuff like this, especially when we were a part of it. And, as supporters of this ministry, YOU are a part of that as well! Thank you all!

Read more from tom's blog here.

Guatemala Preview Trip in September

I'm putting together our first preview trip to Guatemala on September 18-23. This trip is designed for supporters or prospective trip leaders to come along and get a glimpse of what a short-term trip looks like in Guatemala. This is the first time we have gone to this particular ministry so it's a preview for me as well. I am already excited about the organization and leadership of the ministry we are partnering with in Guatemala. We have an exciting itinerary lined up. Trip will cost $535 plus airfare. If you or anyone you know might be interested in joining us on this trip please contact me ASAP.
- joe neill
Director

Shiloh Church returns from hurricane relief trip in Mississippi.

On July 28^th Shiloh Church returned safely from the gulf coast. The team had a tremendous week of ministry working in Pass Christian, Mississippi and getting to know the people of that community. I spoke with the Youth Pastor at Shiloh Church today and he said “This was the best missions trip I’ve ever been on.” I know it’s easy for me to say that so I asked him to blog about it on his website. He’ll do that later this week. In the mean time, click here to see pictures of their experience in Pass Christian, MS.

Thanks for your prayers while this team was “on the field”!

- joe

Striving for Exellence with SOE Membership!

At the heart of this ministry lies our passion to see every believer become a participant in the Great Commission. We recognize that short-term mission experiences have tremendous potential to encourage that participation by introducing individuals to the work of God around the world. But we also realize that passion and potential won’t accomplish anything without planning, preparation, partnerships, proper leadership, peer accountability, and, of course, prayer.

It is with these things in mind that we have begun the process of becoming members of the S.O.E. (U.S. Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission). This is a three-year process that will help us successfully navigate this ministry toward fulfillment of our passion. The process begins with our commitment to the seven standards of excellence: God-Centeredness, Empowering Partnerships, Mutual Design, Comprehensive Administration, Qualified Leadership, Appropriate Training, and Thorough Follow-Up.

By joining this association we will let the world know that we pursue the highest ethical standards in all our short-term mission endeavors. We will also improve our partnerships, training, and effectiveness, and reduce our risk through better planning and resource-sharing. Here are some more of the benefits:

Becoming a member of SOE means that we will...

• Let donors, prayer partners, sending partners, host receivers, and other participants know that our program applies nationally-derived measures of excellence.
• Let everyone know that we are committed to effective short-term mission.
• Become networked with similar groups who are also striving for excellence in short-term mission.
• Have assistance in identifying risk and applying appropriate risk management and crisis planning.
• Have assistance in becoming a better financial steward by avoiding costly mistakes.
• Have links to other valuable resources (publications, training media, training conferences... and hundreds of other Christians who are also doing short-term mission).
• Have opportunities to help mentor churches and organizations who are less experienced in short-term mission.
• Have opportunities to be mentored by more experienced churches and organizations.

Please pray with us as we begin this Membership process.

August Prayer Calendar

We've got some exciting things coming up this month and next month. Here are the things we need prayer for:

• Chapel Point Orphans Ministry will be in Jamaica August 13-20.
• Joe will be in Jamaica doing ministry development and leading Chapel Point team August 11-20.
• Joe will be teaching at Lansing Christian Middle School's annual retreat, September 10-12.
• September 18-23 is the Guatemala preview trip: Joe will be taking some guys down to Guatemala to preview two different ministry opportunities. We still need a few more to sign up.... Anyone interested?
  
• Fund raising needs: We are still quite shy of our initial budget goal. Pray for more supporters that will partner with us financially so that our vision can be accomplished.

Thanks for your prayers. We need them!