First Meal
It’s always fun to see what the team is craving when they get back in the States. Nine months is a long time to be away from their favorite foods, so on the way home we ask if they want to stop anywhere. For the guys in my car, it didn’t take long to decide: Five Guys!
Personal Connecting
Telling stories is an important part of processing our experiences. Debrief includes many unstructured times for the team to hang out, talk, laugh, and recount the events of the year. It’s a special time for them to share with each other, as well as for us on the Stateside team to see how they were grown and changed in Asia.
Honor
These young men and women gave nine months of their lives to Jesus to reach college students in Asia! I try to never forget this fact, and we go out of our way to honor them for their faithfulness and commitment. Their leaders from Asia joined us by Skype to recognize their best qualities and how they added to the team.
Teaching & Imparting
We hosted a handful of sessions throughout Debrief to prepare the team for what they may experience as they return. We give them time to process and reflect on their own and in small groups, as well as share their lessons learned with their teammates.
Overall, it was a powerful year in Asia. In one city alone the team shared the Gospel nearly 350 times and helped 34 young men and women make a decision to follow Jesus. Over half of the American first-year team decided to return as long-term workers, and they start training this week to head back to Asia in six months!