The 4-L's of a STINTer

Hi all! So I am back from STINT Briefing in St. Charles, Illinois and boy was it an exhausting blast!  We had different sessions and services that prepared us for our jobs as STINTers to the world.  The main objectives given to us for effective ministry are what are called the 4-L's, they are: Love the Lord, Love My Team, Launch Movements, and Learn a New World.  Some of the main sessions were how to go about doing each of those.

Love the Lord
What an amazing job I have to be paid and 'required' to love the Lord!  I, myself, cannot change the world for the betterment of His Kingdom; I, myself, cannot glorify Him as I was created to do.  But if I am always coming to the Lord, seeking to be guided by Him and be obedient to Him, then I can love Him the way I am supposed to.  To try to help build a stable, Christ-centered movement without doing so for with love for the Lord, is foolish and dangerous.  It's dangerous because it becomes about ourselves when we don't keep our focus on the Lord, and when that happens we're not working in the Lord's will, this means we're being disobedient.  In John 14:15 Jesus says "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

Love My Team
I don't think that's going to be a challenge.  I have met all but two of them face-to-face, and the other two I have met via Skype (they are already in Buenos Aires).  The whole Argentina STINT team (Buenos Aires and La Plata) and the one person Chile STINT team hung out for the whole week at STINT Briefing.  We roomed together, ate together, traveled together, learned together, and had fun together.  It's amazing how close a week can bring people.  One of my favorite sessions concerning loving our team was the one entitled "Singles"; we were all uneasy about what this session entailed because we're not allowed to date on STINT so we had no clue what this session would talk about.  The session turned out to be quite excellent and informational.  The session was basically about encouraging and interacting with team members of the opposite sex.  There were 3 main points on how to love (platonically) our teammates of the opposite sex, it was quite helpful!  For loving and affirming our male teammates I have three main points: 1)Affirm them in risk taking and being bold; 2) Thank and appreciate them for being gentlemen and allow them to serve in that way; and 3) Give them words of affirmation, especially let them know that you appreciate and respect them in front of their peers (especially in front of their male friends). Hopefully I am remembering these correctly, these are the tips for loving and affirming your female teammates: 1)Insist upon treating her like a lady (even though we often have a hard/awkward time accepting such treatment, we secretly like it even if we don't act like it); 2)Observe and appreciate her (pay attention to what she does well, like cooking, and express to her that you appreciate that about her); and 3)ask her questions (women like to feel worthy of attention, so if you ask her questions that show she's worth your time). Our STINT men on the Argentina team did a great job of putting the tips into practice and us women did the same.  Ephesians 4:29 says "Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as it fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Launch Movements
Campus Crusade for Christ, International's mission is: Helping build spiritual movements everywhere, so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus.  We believe strongly in the Great Commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Learn a New World
This is part of effective evangelism.  What works for some cultures doesn't necessarily work for others, it's important to be cognizant of that and operate within that.  We're called to take the Gospel everywhere and to everyone, part of that job is to help put it in a context that helps them grasp it and leave the results up to God.  Cultural relevance is key; in 1 Corinthians 9:22b says "I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I might save some."  We should follow after Paul's example.

I will make these my goals for STINT year because I want to bring glory to God's Kingdom and God Himself; these are some ways that I can live a life that points to the beauty of Christ.