notes from dave... a new blog

As many of you know, I serve as Executive Director of Adventures in Life Ministry. We are host receivers for people desiring to become involved in short-term mission work in Mexico. In years past, someone wanting to do cross cultural missions work in another country lived there. Usually for years at a time. Many churches, certain that you would never return home, even held your funeral service before your departure. But that was then. Now, with the advent of safe, easy, and relatively inexpensive travel, almost every day a team is leaving the United States bound for some previously far off land to serve. These teams, known as Short-Term Missionaries, serve for time frames as long as one year, or as short as a weekend. A typical short-term trip lasts between one and two weeks. This shift, involving more than 400,000 missionaries by some accounts, brings with it much promise, but also a potential for some problems. I decided to share my thoughts on short-term ministry, both good and bad, on a new blog titled notes from dave. I'll only post once or twice a month there as the posts will tend to be a little longer. If you have a moment, check it out and let me know what you think. And of course, you'll still be able to keep up with me here, on "the mission." The artwork above, my "face" at notes from dave, is from Dan Lacey, known on the web as the Painter of Pancakes. You can view more of his artwork here.