~Videos from Missionary Fields Around the World

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View the following videos from Global Missions; click on the country name to see video.

Tanzania, Africa

Dominican Republic

East Africa

Europe

Australia

United Kingdom

Ghana, W. Africa

John and Sherri Hemus - United Kingdom

Nate and Ingunn Turner - Estonia

Please continue to PRAY for our missionaries and the countries in which they labor.

~How Much Courage Do You Have?

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Courage

QUESTION: What does "courage" have to do with being a person of good character...with someone who stays true to their principles and their values?

ANSWER: EVERYTHING!

You see, being values-driven means two things:

Doing what's right - following our conscience; refusing to compromise our principles, despite pressures and temptations to the contrary, and

Taking a stand against what's wrong - speaking out, whenever we see others do things that are incorrect or inappropriate.

Unquestionably, both of those require guts and fortitude...they require courage.

Courage is defined as "a quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty without fear" and "acting according to your beliefs despite criticism". The word comes from the Latin root "cor" and later the French root "cour" meaning "heart". 

Courage is...

~Following your conscience instead of "following the crowd".


~Refusing to take part in hurtful or disrespectful behaviors.


~Sacrificing personal gain for the benefit of others.


~Speaking your mind even though others don't agree.


~Taking complete responsibility for your actions...and your mistakes.


~Following the rules - and insisting that others do the same.


~Challenging the status quo in search of better ways.


~Doing what you know is right - regardless of the risks and potential consequences.


Be Courageous!

Excerpt from the book "Walk the Talk."
   By Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura

~Do You Show Others RESPECT?

A few years ago, I read an article about a young man who, at age 23, went to work as the senior pastor of his first church. He found the experience very intimidating because he was to be the spiritual leader of people who had children and grand-children older than he was.

How did he handle it? By showing his people respect and asking them to treat them in kind. To make his standard clear to everyone, he shared ten rules for respect that he promised to live by, and he asked his people to do the same.

Here are his rules:

1.  If you have a problem with me, come to me (privately).

2. If I have a problem with you, I’ll come to you (privately).

3. If someone has a problem with me and comes to you, send them to me. (I’ll do the same for you.) 

4. If someone consistently will not come to me, say, “Let’s go see him together.” (I’ll do the same for you.) 

5. Be careful how you interpret me. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misinterpret intentions.

6. I will be careful how I interpret you.

7. If it’s confidential, don’t tell. If anyone comes to me in confidence, I won’t tell unless (a) the person is going to harm him/herself; (b) the person is going to physically harm someone else; (c) a child has been physically or sexually abused. I expect the same from you. 

8. I do not read unsigned letters or notes. 

9. I do not manipulate; I will not be manipulated. Do not let others manipulate you; do not let others try to manipulate me through you.

10. When in doubt, just say it. If I can answer without misrepresenting something or breaking a confidence, I will. 

His story intrigued me because I had faced a similar situation early in my career. The young pastor’s list reflected what I’d learned in my own experience.

Most people greatly desire the respect of their leaders. And when leaders give it freely, I believe it creates a very positive relational environment. As author Alfred Glasow said, “The respect of those you respect is worth more than the applause of the multitude.”

- Excerpt from John Maxwell's Blog

~Instituto de Ministerios Pentecostales - Guatemala City, Guatemala

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~Motivation - Educate, Train, Mentor/Coach, Vision and Motivate

Motivation

Leaders respect and value the differences in others. In times of uncertainty, you accept that your available human resources are your only sustainable competitive advantage. When the people you lead don't perform at acceptable levels, you must sometimes exert your influence. Sometimes you don't have authority to make them perform better. In those situations, you must often accept whatever they give you or try to find ways to influence or inspire them to improve their performance. There are five primary reasons people underperform. Understanding the reasons behind non-performance is the first step to using your abilities to influence others effectively and without resorting to manipulation.

Reason: 

I don't know what to do...

Solution: Educate — If people don't know what to do, you can get them what they need to get past this obstacle. Show people what they need to do by building a strong foundation for their performance during new team member orientation and the on-boarding process or later during education and development opportunities. Unless people clearly understand what they need to do, they will make mistakes or allocate their time to the tasks inappropriately.

Reason:

I don't know how to do it...

Solution: Train — When they don't know how, you can get them the practice and skills they need to begin to perform better.Training is the answer. Take people through the step-by-step process of performing tasks and explain how the correct execution of those steps creates success for them and the team or organization.

Reason:

I don't believe I can...

Solution: Coach (Mentor) — This area reflects your confidence in their ability to perform. It is important to show them that the job can be done and that they can do it. Coaching is not just a matter of cheering your team members on, but of helping them see why they have been selected to perform the task or why they have been appointed to the team. Instill in them a belief in themselves and the confidence to use past successes as a stepping-stone to future opportunities.

Reason:

I don't know why...

Solution: Vision — When other people don't see the reason behind your directions, you need to get their support to move forward. This is often a trust issue.  A senior leader's vision for the team or organization is a good start, but team members also need to know how they fit into that vision and why their team or organizational processes are critical to accomplishing the vision.

Reason:

I don't want to...

Solution: Motivate — This is the most challenging reason people underperform — when people know what to do and how to do it, but they are not motivated enough to do it or they feel they have a better way. Sometimes people even try to sabotage the process to slow down changes. In this situation, you must use your influence to get results. Motivation is the key. If people know what to do, how to do it, believe they can do it, and know why they should do it, non-performance must be due to some other barrier that may not be immediately discernable. Look at how the team or organization is inspiring its members. Are they being kept busy without knowing how their activities relate to the team or organization's mission or vision? Inspired team members have the internal desire to achieve the vision. 

  
Adapted 
- from the Carnegie Blog

~ Resurrection Sunday 2012 - He's Alive

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