Team Mississippi Information

I. Background.

Student missions at Crossroads has been a staple of the discipleship process since CBC has had a student ministry. We’ve been to the Navajo/Hopi nations, Holland, Haiti, Mississippi (serving a CBC-inspired church plant) and, of course, Juarez.

This year we intended to go to Juarez but after genuine concerns regarding health and safety, we began to look for alternatives. The one we found that fit our goals/objectives is serving the remaining victims of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

We’ll be working with the Waveland Citizens Fund, and you can check their website (www.reliefvolunteers.com) for full details.

II. Travel Information.

We’ll depart the Crossroads south parking lot at 6AM on Sunday, June 14. This means you’ll need to eat breakfast first, and be ON-SITE around 5:15AM. This will allow for final payments, packing, loading, etc. On June 14, we will stop for lunch and dinner and hopefully arrive at the camp (you can get photos of the camp on their website) at 6PM. We’ll set up camp, have our orientation session led by our guides, spend time in prayer and have a devotional, then get to bed.

We plan on returning Saturday, June 20, to the CBC south parking lot at approximately 7PM.

III. Cost.

The cost is $100 per student. Fundraising packets with full explanations were mailed out two weeks ago, and you can contact Brent for a copy if you haven’t already.

Many of you need to know that 75% of this trip is being underwritten by Crossroads Bible Church as we established a fund designed specifically to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This fund was never fully used, and these previously designated gifts are being used for this trip.

IV. What to Bring.

Bible. Journal/pen.
Flashlight.
Work boots (please plan on wearing work boots while working).
Nail belt (similar to what we use in Juarez) and work gloves.
Jeans/t-shirts for 5 full days of work (no shorts, no exceptions).
Sleepwear and adequate socks/undergarments for humid climate.
One pair of clothes to relax at camp in (shorts & t-shirt, etc.)
Swimsuit. (we may have the opportunity to hit the beach during early evening; we may not)
Towel.
Pillow/bedding (i.e., sleeping bag…they provide bunk beds).
Mosquito spray/sunscreen/sunglasses/caps (to protect sunburned heads)
Toiletries.
Government issued photo I.D. (school ID, driver’s license, etc.—if you don’t have one, it isn’t mandatory, but highly recommended)
Insulated water bottle.

Please remember that you will be working in an extremely humid coastal environment for 8 hours per day. Make sure to factor lots of sweating! And, this is uniquely different than the arid climate of Juarez where you might sweat all day in the 100 degree heat but it would simply evaporate off. It isn’t necessarily uncommon to experience 90 degrees and 80% humidity, so keep that in mind.

V. Paperwork.

The only paperwork required on this trip is the “Authorization for Medical Treatment of a Minor Child” and the “Emergency Contact” sheet. These forms are available from the receptionist at CBC and WILL BE SENT VIA E-MAIL to our mailing list.

Note: The “Authorization” form MUST BE NOTARIZED! If we don’t have it in hand when we leave, you cannot go. However, this will only have to be done once for your child’s high school tenure as we keep them on file. To ensure we have yours on file, please e-mail Sherry@crossroadsbible.org and ask.

You only need to fill out another “emergency” form if: The contact information you gave us originally has changed since you submitted it. OR if your health insurance has changed since submission. THIS FORM MUST HAVE A COPY OF YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE CARD.

VI. Spending Money.

The spending money you will need: Two meals on Sunday, June 14. Souvenir money for the afternoon of Wednesday, June 17 (we may possibly sightsee in New Orleans, however that is not firm at this time), and two possible road meals on Saturday, June 20. (It is possible we may not stop for dinner that evening if we have a chance to be back at CBC near dinner time)

Any other money will be at your discretion. Also, adults will NOT hold spending money for teenagers.

VII. Electronics/Phones.

We recommend that Mp3 players remain at home. They cannot be used while working and we cannot guarantee their safety at the campsite. Any other electronics, such as video game systems, personal DVD players, etc., should remain at home. Additionally, re-charging of such items would be subject to extremely limited at the campsite. Finally, they detract from the building of relationships.

We do recommend that students have their mobile phones. However, their usage will be limited to certain periods of the day (for 30 minutes after wake up and 30 minutes before lights-out). It is expected that students will have their mobile phones turned completely off during work hours (8AM to 5PM daily) as well as during meetings and meals. We will have half an hour each night reserved for them if they’d like to call home, but we recommend that calls to friends be kept to 3 minutes or less and only during that time frame. Finally, remember that in coastal areas mobile phone reception is spotty at best.

VIII. Work Teams.

In the past, we’ve established teams before we left CBC. This year, due to the nature of the work, teams could be changing daily based on work to be done and skill/strength levels for each job. Please expect to make new friends on this trip and prepare to be flexible each morning as we assign teams to tasks.

There will be an orientation session the evening of June 14 in which Relief Volunteers will instruct us on procedures, etc.

It is expected that everyone will serve in the kitchen during the set up/clean up for each meal as assigned by the kitchen crew parents.

It is also expected that each person make a mix-CD of the music they’d like to listen to while driving. We will be spending up to 2 hours in vans daily (in addition to the drives from/to Texas) and unless you want to listen to the music Ian Cook chooses, well, just burn a CD so we don’t have to go there.

IX. Diet/Rest.

It is expected that each member will eat every meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner), as well as the provided snacks in-between. It will be a physically taking week and our cooks have designed a series of meals that appeal to teens and ensure plenty of protein and carbohydrates.

Also, a minimum of one gallon of water, in addition to the provided sports drinks, should be consumed each day.

Finally, bed times/lights out will be strictly enforced. Rest is vital to the trip’s success, as well as driver safety the night before we return home.

X. Questions/Comments.

Contact Brent@crossroadsbible.org for any questions or comments you may have.