Missions

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Here is a complete format I had to use for my missions trip minus all my observations of my time in the Dominican Republic back in 1977. I hope that parts of it, at least, will be beneficial to you in your missions trips plans.
I obtained a 4 subject notebook from the local store and had four study sections labeled:
I. Diary
II. Ethnographic Investigation
III. Program within the Society
IV. Place of Prayer on the Station

Here is the detailed info for each section.

I. Diary
Assignment - The student will keep a daily journal, recording his reactions to:
1. the way the Lord is dealing with him personally;
2. the personnel of the missionary society with which he is involved;
3. the people of the local culture.
(Note: This ended up being my biggest section since I wrote down observations for every day of the eight week trip that I took.)

p. 359
II. Ethnographic Investigation (taken from "Readings in Missionary Anthropology" by Joseph E. Grimes)
Assignment - The student will keep one notebook division for his fact-finding program. The list of questions appended to this sheet shall act as a guide to the areas of facts desired for this ethnographic investigation.
1. Describe thoroughly the person-to-person links by which news and gossip get around the community. These are the channels the Gospel also follows.
2. How are decisions regarding various matters reached by the community as a whole? by groups in the community? by households? How do these decision-making patterns influence people's decision about Jesus Christ?
3. What do people of different statuses want most out of life? How does their action show what they think to be most important? What do they think you feel is important?
4. In the community, which persons control the actions of which other persons? in what ways? on what grounds? What is your place in this system?
5. How does each kind of object produced or imported by the community (goods and services) get to its ultimate user?
6.Who lives where? Give all names, ages, titles, and kinship ties to other people. Use maps.
7. How is each individual trained from birth to become a fully participating member of the community? each recognized group within the community? What do they do about people like you who have not gone through these processes?
8. Give a resume and evaluation of everything that has ever been written about the language, culture, and general area.
9. How is sexual behavior channeled in marriage? outside of marriage? What are the rationals for each practice?
10. Who controls each piece of land, and how is that control expressed? In what ways is the land utilized?
11. How are differences between persons or groups settled, either in or out of court? Do all differences stay settled?
12. Who are considered deviant or marginal by most people? Why? What is done about them? How do you know your work is not limited to deviants?
13. Describe all practices and idea systems of the religion you are trying to see superseded.
14. What groups of people does marriage bring into relationship? What is the nature of that relationship? Who may and who may not get married? Why? Who actually does marry whom regardless of the rules?
15. What things and ideas from alien sources are fully accepted? particially accepted? By what process did they get accepted? What makes people accept some things from outside and reject others? What has been accepted from you, and what rejected? Why?

Note to the student:

1. You may be able to prepare some of the above before leaving for your summer assignment.
2. Some of the questions above will not apply to your situation. It is your responsibility to be discerning and as complete as possible in your treatment of your own case.
3. You may use local missionaries and/or others as "informants" for getting answers to the above questions.

(When I did this in 1977, I answered only questions 1,2,3,4,5,9,and 13 in this section.)


III. The Program within the Society
Assignment - The student will maintain one notebook division with regard to the program within the society in which he is involved and will endeavor to speak to the following aspects of it:
A. Personnel involved.
1. How many people are immediately involved in his summer ministry?
2. Describe the type and length of training these persons have had before entering the missionary society.
3. What is the average term of service these people represent?
4. From your observations, what percentage of the married personnel appear to be well adjusted--all things considered?
5. What is the attitude of the married personnel toward their children?
6. What is the general attitude of all personnel toward the society under which they serve the Lord?
7. What is the average age of all personnel involved with you?
8. What is the general attitude of all personnel toward the local culture members?
9. In what ways are you impressed with the spiritual quality of the personnel?
10.Are there generally good relations between personnel when not on actual ministry assignments?
11.Do personnel indicate any plans for updating their training on next furlough or other?

B. Ministry involved:
1. Give a job description of your responsibilities.
2. In what ways is your assigned task important in the overall ministry?
3. Does your assignment fall within your qualifications for it? Or do you feel that it goes beyond them? How?
4. Do you experience any confusion as to whom you are responsible?
5. Are you requested to submit any written reports to the missionary society?
6. By the end of the summer, do you feel that you require counseling in any areas of ministry? Which?
7. In what ways has the summer influenced the re-arranging of your preregistered courses for the fall semester?
8. Is this missionary society one in which you could be happy to work as a career missionary? Why, or why not?
9. Would you say that the society puts more emphasis on a quantitative view of it ministry or on a qualitative view of it? (i.e., quantity produced or quality grown?)
10.In what ways would you change the direction or thrust of the ministry in which you are engaged?

IV. The Place of Prayer
Assignment - The student will maintain a notebook division which records all his observations on the place of prayer on the station:
1. in his own life
2. in the lives of the society personnel (missionaries)
3. in the lives of the local Christians and churches

If it is done in detail by the student, the benefits from the observations will be greater. I knew I was called to the mission field when I went on my summer trip, but the trip and answering these questions with quality observations, strengthened my desire to be a missionary. I recommend summer missions trips for all Christians, especially those who feel they are called to be missionaries.

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