OK, I know some of you wanted me to upload your team video to vimeo and post it so you could use it, so I worked like a dog to get it all up and they are below.
I also am encoding the DVD as we speak, it will take about 20 hours or more most likely, but it will be a full DVD. The cost for everything including shipping is around $3, I wanted people to paypal me, but it seems a lot of people are having trouble with that. So go ahead and mail me $3 if you want one (you can still paypal me at kvirzi@gmail.com)
Ken Virzi
1024 W Sherwood Blvd
Big Bear City, CA 92314
After you either paypal me or send it the mail send me an email with your shipping address and I will get it off. I am out as of July 29th so get on this ASAP!
Racers!! Our latest project here at the World Race is called
the World Race Update Report, or WR update – still looking for the perfect
name, but you get the picture. We just went live with our very first one and
here it is, please take a look so you can get a feel of what it is we are
doing:
Our goal for this project is to create a monthly update for
the website that will put people at ease and draw them into the World Race
website by using humor, creativity, compelling stories and information.
This is where you, the racer, come in – I need your help.
Here's how:
1)Whenever
you come across something that would make for great TV–email me.
(rustyajackson@gmail.com)
2)Upload
your video and interviews to Vimeo, or another site that allows me to download
from it. I'm not always interested in the final production because most people
put in music and edit in such a way that it makes it very difficult for me to
re-work the piece for my use on the WR Monthly Update. So always be thinking
raw video and interviews.
3)You
can put all your raw video and interviews in a folder nicely labeled on your
desktop. Then when someone from the WR staff shows up at your debrief you can
transfer it to their HD which they will deliver to me.
I appreciate any help you all can provide, but please know
that when you give me your video, you are giving me free reign to do with it
what I want. Most of the time you will get credit for your work in the WR
update, but I don't want to promise anything.
I'm interested in most any type of story – so be creative.
Show me what God is doing in the lives of those around you. I love "God-did"
stories. I love features on the locals, as well as stories that show the type
of work you are doing in the nations. Fun stories on how you live and what you
eat is cool too. I'm rarely interested in music videos unless they are under 45
seconds to a minute.
Remember, the whole point of this is to draw people in and
ultimately get more folks out of their comfort zone and into the nations. God
is using the World Race to awaken and transform a generation – how cool that we
get to be a part of this!
Leaders, I need you guys to pass this out to your teams.
Right now I'm not exactly sure who will be my point person
in this effort. But at some point I'll have someone working with me to get
these elements from the field (so that person will be sending leaders and
racers emails). Once I know who the person is I will pass the info along to
everyone.
Some of you may have seen fees showing up on your support account recently. I apologize that we did not explain this in advance... there were a few technical errors and clarifications to make. Let me explain now how you can get the most out of your donation.
1)Credit Card Donors. Our society loves the quick and efficient. Most donors will appreciate being able to click a simple link, put in their info, and be done. Donors love even more to set up an account to automatically donate on a regular basis and forget about it. However, efficiency comes with a price. Credit card companies make their money by charging fees to be able to use this service. When a donor gives via credit or debit card, you will see a 5% fee deducted from your support account for that convenience.
2)Bank Draft Donors. In order to reduce the fee for donations, we have added a Bank Draft choice to your online giving. Donors can choose this option online and then they may enter the information from the bottom of a check rather than a credit card. By choosing this option, you will only see a 3% fee deducted from your support account.
3)Written Check Donors. One of the cheapest options is to have donors write a check or money order and send that to Adventures In Missions, P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, GA 30353-4470. This sends the check directly to our bank where it is deposited. The bank then sends an image of that check to our accounting department to apply toward your support. There are no fees for checks mailed this way. However, please allow 2 weeks from the date you mail the check before you expect to see it in your support account. Also please note that you cannot receive letters or any correspondence at this address. It is only for checks or money orders.
4)DynaPay Donors. This last option is to try and combine the convenient and cheap options as best as possible. By signing up for DynaPay, a donation is automatically deducted from a checking account each month with no fees. To sign up for DynaPay, request a form by emailing info@theworldrace.org. Have your donor fill out that form and return it signed with a voided check to Adventures in Missions, Attn: Accounting, 6000 Wellspring Trail, Gainesville, GA 30506. IMPORTANT: The downside of DynaPay is that the donor MUST contact us in the office to stop the automatic withdrawal when they no longer wish to keep giving. DynaPay will continue to deduct each month unless the donor directly says "Please cancel my donation now." Should your donor sign up for this option, please make sure they clearly understand that.
When speaking with donors, we recommend that you succinctly explain each giving option, allowing them to choose which option works best for them.
Just letting you know that our database systems are going through a major overhaul tonight. If all goes smoothly you'll see a new, easier system coming live this week. We don't plan on losing any information, so there's nothing you should need to do. However, as with all computer fun-ness... anything is possible.
We are maintaining your folders with all of the paperwork you have sent in. You will not see these documents on your new profile page, but they are not lost. Your support account should stay the same and the info there should be unaffected.
Over the next few weeks when you access your support account or profile online, if you notice anything out of place or broken, please just drop me an email and let me know. We'll get things fixed as soon as possible.
I had understood at training camp we were going to be provided with first aid kits, but after calling the AIM headquarters this morning, WR is not providing us with first aid kits. If you don't have one already, I'd suggest getting one.
These past few weeks to prepare for the race have been challenging on me and I have decided to not start the Race at this time. Although this has been a very hard choice to make - I know that God has something better in store for me. This will allow me to finish my schooling, watch my mom graduate from nursing school, pay off debt, and prepare my church better for my absence.
I look forward to reading about all your adventures and will be praying for all of you.
Hey guys: We are re-posting the flight info for your departure to Dublin. This is just a reminder--please review and let us know if you have any questions. Please note you should meet BEFORE you check-in.
All team leaders...
Brian & Stacy Alonzo and Caroline are flying with all of the team leaders on August 9from JFK. Fly into JFK and please make sure that your plane lands before 3pm. You will meet at Terminal3 at 4pm. You
leave on a7:25pm Delta flight to Dublin. You will then spend the next
couple of days getting ready for everyone else's arrival.
J squad
Aaron Bruner will meet the rest of the J squad at JFK on August 11th. Please make sure that your flight lands before 3pm at JFK.You will need to meet at Terminal 3 at 4pm, before you check in for your 7:25pm Delta flight to Dublin! Aaron's cell is 404-933-1881.
K squad
Caitlin Woodward will be meeting the rest of the K squad at JFK on August 11th. If you are flying in, please make sure your flight lands before 1pm at JFK.You will meet at Terminal 4 at 2 pm before you check in for your 5:45pm Aer Lingus flight to Dublin! Caitlin's cell is 517-304-8741.
so i'm trying to work through the best way to communicate with home while we're gone.
obviously, we all know and love skype, right? welllll. this is a discovery that i made.
the real website is here (http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/subscriptions/uscanada/)
so anyways, unless i'm misunderstanding something, this seems like an amazing deal. sure i can only call to the US/canada, but that's really where everyone i'm going to be calling is going to be. right? it seems like we'll be using more than $3.00/month in skype credit. for example, i recently called a cell phone in zambia, and it cost me something like $4 for 11 minutes. so, i mean, that's not a crazy amount, but it seems like this is a really good deal. so, am i missing something? or are we crazy not to buy this?
I recently finished a Beth Moore Bible study, Stepping Up...which eloquently began and sufficiently ended in Psalm 84...
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
Turns out that the Valley of Baca is a valley of weeping, a place of tears. Lord knows I have spent ample time there. I wonder if you have too...
Beth ended the study with a blessing...and as we prepare to embark on this journey together...I can't help but wonder if this blessing wasn't specifically written for us...
"May God keep your heart set on pilgrimage. May He keep your eyes upon the destination and never let you forget that your Goal is a person, Jesus Christ, and He is waiting for you - in person - at your finish line. May you always remember what a great cloud of witnesses cheers you on in your journey to Mount Zion and bids you to "Be brave!" The race is not long, Beloved, so run hard! May your eyes be open to snares your enemy sets in your path and, should you tumble in the ditch, may your troubled heart be disallowed to condemn you. Jump in the air, twirl around, and buck like a bronco with repentance before your God until not a single speck of mud is left on your feet. Let God wash them in the water of His Word and plant them back on your path. When we feel heavy-laden in our journeys, may we check first to see if it's the burden of a swollen ego or the load of taking on a role that only belongs to God. May we lay down what has no place in our packs and run with the wind. When life is excruciating, may you find strength in Christ to crawl on your hands and knees, sowing the Word of God and watering it with your tears. May you never forget that you are inconceivably loved and that God will prove infinitely faithful. And, on your way to the great feast in the heavenly Jerusalem, may you glance often to your right and to your left and offer a fellow pilgrim a helping hand. May the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion."
Don't bargain with God. Be Direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we are in.
The first time I heard of this was at Training Camp last year. To be honest at first I thought these people were kind of crazy. They believe that God responds back to the questions they asked him. I was uncomfortable with that, but my real problem was that I didn't think that this wonderful amazing God would really spend that time speaking to me! God loves us SO much. He wants to communicate with me and you. He wants to show us what we want to know, he wants to answer our prayers. He wants to know us, and us know him. He wants us to have a PERSONAL relationship with him. He wants me & you and your grandma to all have a different, special relationship with him.
Think if you could ask God what his will was for you and then hear his response? Wouldn't that be life changing! Well, he does want to speak to us, we just have to listen.
We don't have to pray these prayers with thousands of words, we don't have to think about what we need to say or worry if we are praying the correct way,
Listening Prayer is asking God a question and waiting for a response. It's not complicated, or saying the right words. It's about being willing and waiting. You might already be hearing God, but you don't want to put words in God's mouth and dishonor him if it isn't him, but have you ever stopped and thought maybe you were dishonoring him by not crediting him? So don't be afraid to give God the credit!
So, here is what I encourage, challenge, want you to do. I want you to give this a try. You might not hear anything at first but keep trying! What do you have to lose? What if you had the opportunity to hear God's voice but never tried?
Take a ½ hour a couple times this week and try!
Ÿ Quiet Yourself.
Ÿ Ask for protection from deception.
Ÿ Ask for clarity to hear & understand.
Ÿ Wait & Listen.
Journal your questions and the responses that you get so that you can record what you heard. Then you can look back on it later. Get guidance from someone more spiritually mature then you, so that you can make sure what you hear is from God. Journaling also helps you keep focused about what you are doing. Don't worry if other things pop into your head, like your English paper or that you forgot to feed the dog, just have another piece of paper to write down these things, because by writing those down you both dismiss them from your mind and remember to do them.
Don't worry if you don't hear anything the first time. Practice is the only way you will see results.
When you get an answer, clarify that it is from God by going through these steps.
Ÿ Ask: Is it Scriptural?
Ÿ Ask: Will it produce good fruit, or spiritual growth?
Ÿ Don't be afraid to ask someone (who is a mentor, or who is more spiritually mature)
Ÿ Apply it! Don't be content to hear from the Lord, but do what he tells you.
EXERCISE
Journal about this: Take your Bible, journal and two different colored pens. Use one to write what you are thinking, and another to write what God is saying to you.
Spend a few minutes thinking about this scripture:
2 Chronicles 7:14-15 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
Ask God these questions and wait for the Holy Spirit to respond.
Matthew 7:7