Team Leader Guide for Volunteer Projects in Hungary

Thank you so much for your commitment to serve Christ with us in Hungary! This section has been prepared for the leader of the volunteer team; the volunteer projects guide was written to assist team members in their personal preparation for the project.  Please read through this information and utilize it in equipping your team for effective ministry during the project. 

Our prayer and hope is that the Lord will use your team to open doors to new relationships, build relationships within the community and establish trust and credibility while actively being Christ's ambassadors for the expansion of God's kingdom in Hungary. The long-term goal of every project is the establishment of evangelistic Bible study groups that will result in communities of believers, new churches! We believe the Lord will use the unique gifts, talents and background of your team for His glory.

Team Leader
You are the key coordinator for the volunteer team that you will be leading. Frequently, you will be communicating directly with the IMB team member who authored the request; this individual will provide you with specific project objectives and details, itinerary, anticipated expenditures, logistics and orientation information.

What is required of a team leader?
* Be a student of prayer and God's word
* Good communication, listening and relational skills
* Patience, humility, understanding and sensitivity in cross-cultural situations
* Serves as or appoints another team member to be the team's business manager/treasurer for the project
* Organizational and leadership skills
* Troubleshooter and problem solver
* A mature faith and good sense of humor
* Commitment to pray for God's leadership of the team

Impact Your World study preparation:
Through going.imb.org or LifeWay, you can obtain the following training materials specifically designed to prepare you and your team for an international mission project. Please lead your team through this study!
Impact Your World - Basic Training for Mission Teams - DVD/CD Pack
Impact Your World - Basic Training for Mission Teams member workbook

Project Costs
The volunteer team is responsible for all expenses related to the project. Project costs include, but may not be limited to, the following items:

* Transportation to, from and during the project: train tickets, hiring a van, highway toll stickers, gasoline purchases, public transportation tickets/passes, airport shuttle vans, use of mission vehicles, etc.
* All meals and lodging
* Translators - honorarium for specific number of days including meals and lodging
* Advertising/promotion of project via printed posters, fliers, newspaper/radio/cable ads, etc. 
* Rental fees for use of community center, theater, pavilion, booth, sports field, etc.
* Purchase of Bibles, tracts, videos, CD's and cassettes for team distribution
* Team celebration dinner
* Covering IMB missionary's project-related meals and travel expenditures 

Pursuing God's Plan for Hungary
Most Hungarians believe they are already Christians since the country has a strong Catholic heritage that was established by their first king, Stephen, in 1000 A.D. The prominence of Catholic cathedrals, monuments, Reformed and Lutheran churches and observance of Christian holidays do give the country a certain religious atmosphere. However, appearances can be deceptive. One vital aspect is missing: the vast majority of Hungarians do not have a personal relationship with God; they have never experienced the forgiveness of sin, the hope of eternal life, and the joy of knowing God through His Son, Jesus Christ!

We serve an awesome God, who desires that all men come to know Him through saving faith in Jesus Christ! To keep us intentionally focused, your IMB Hungarian People Group Teams have developed strategy plans that we believe are consistent with the pattern found in the New Testament for prayer, evangelism, making disciples, and the establishment of new churches. One way that we seek to accomplish these objectives is through ministry projects involving volunteer teams that enable us to reach communities, develop relationships, share Christ, and initiate Bible study groups.

Most of our projects are planned and written at least nine to twelve months in advance. This enables us to post the requests with the International Mission Board, SBC, for churches and individuals to respond, gather information, and make travel plans and preparations for the project. Thus, many details can only be finalized when we learn that a team has committed to a specific project.

Communication
Our goal is that your trip is smooth and your ministry is effective.  Therefore, we ask that you maintain regular, ongoing communication with the IMB team member who developed your project assignment. Please feel free to ask questions and request clarification at any time. A problem can usually be resolved by a quick email or phone call. We will do our best to respond promptly. It is our desire to build a strong partnership with you, which can only be established by clear, regular communication. We want to avoid surprises that can jostle the best-laid plans and dampen a good experience. If something is unclear, please let us know.

Travel Documents
Every team member needs a current US passport! US citizens can stay in Hungary up to 90 days without a visa. No special inoculations or vaccinations are required to travel to Hungary. However, we strongly recommend that you check US State Department advisories well before the team's departure date; they will provide you with current information regarding travel conditions, restrictions, and any health warnings. You can check the official State Department information about Hungary on their website.  Specific information about tourist safety and security in Hungary is available at http://hungary.usembassy.gov/tourist_advisory.html.

Project Focus
We believe God can use you to help us share Christ with the Hungarian people. Moreover, we look for people whom God has gifted to work in many different types of ministries. If certain individuals on your team possess special skills or talents, please communicate that with us. These just might open new doors and networks that we had not previously anticipated!

An area of concern: Our projects are primarily prayer-driven, personal-relationship-building focused. Our goal is to enable believers to initiate and develop relationships with the people for the purpose of telling others about Jesus Christ. We do not fund programs or building projects, nor do we encourage these. We intentionally avoid any endeavor that Hungarian believers and local churches cannot reproduce themselves. If nationals believe that American dollars, church buildings and programs are essential to effective church growth, it will stifle their incentive to prayerfully explore creative, indigenous means of reaching people for Christ and starting groups that could become churches. Even an innocent financial gift or promise can create a dependency that gradually chokes a passionate vision to make Christ known and start new congregations via reliance upon the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit.

* When you see a physical need, please avoid the automatic response of suggesting a program to nationals to deal with it.
* Don't pass out money. This can be offensive to a Hungarian.
* Don't make promises. Please do not promise to send things from the US or to bring someone to the US to visit. They take you seriously and then are disappointed when it does not happen. If you want to send someone something after you go home, get their address and then surprise them, but don't promise.
* Don't offer to fund or subsidize a person's salary, church program, or building project.
* Don't emphasize American-based programs or church buildings. Even an unintentional comment can create a feeling of inadequacy, especially if the finances are not possible. It discourages.
* Don't critique a group of believers or a church planter on their meeting location, how they conduct meetings, etc. There are factors that may not be visible on the surface, which you and your team may not realize or appreciate at the time. One missionary put it this way: "If it is uncomfortable for us, the nationals might be quite happy with it. If we are comfortable with something, they might not be."
* Before proposing a solution to a "problem" you see, please ask us: "Why do they do this that way?" There is probably a good reason for why they have made this choice. Discuss ideas, suggestions and questions with the IMB team member first. He/she knows the culture, the present situation, and background. 

Please emphasize these principles with all team members. Emphasize them often at team meetings. Moreover, we encourage your team and church to be generous in your Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering gifts, which will be used in strategic ways all around the world for the advancement of the Lord's kingdom!

Safety
The safety of you and your team is of vital importance to us. Hungary is a pretty safe place to be. However, we do strongly advise that team members exercise discretion and caution with money and possessions! Pickpockets are clever and tourists are easy targets, especially in Budapest among tourist venues, market places and public transportation. We recommend that the team utilize a buddy system that allows team members to watch out for each other when walking about or traveling. Although the country reflects western culture, it would be wise for team members to remember that they are guests here and to maintain a polite, respectful, low profile when traveling, shopping and dining out. Please consult the US Embassy in Hungary for tourist advisories before traveling to Hungary.  

Tourism
 Hungary is a hidden jewel that must be seen and enjoyed. We want you to return home with a deep love and appreciation for Hungary and the people. Even though tourism is not the reason you come, we do want you to see some of Hungary while you are here. During the project, you will encounter places with a history dating back centuries before the United States came into existence! Since tourist activities can easily distract the team from their purpose for being here, we recommend that your team plan an extra day or two after the conclusion of the project for sightseeing and shopping. This is an excellent way to celebrate the project's conclusion. Then, team members can collect those special gifts for family, friends and the church before boarding the plane for home.

We look forward to serving with you!
Your IMB Hungarian People Group Team

Recommended Resources and Books:
As you prepare for this mission project, we highly recommend that you and your team study these excellent resources.

Available from the going.imb.org resources link or LifeWay:
Impact Your World - Basic Training for Mission Teams - DVD/CD Pack
Impact Your World - Basic Training for Mission Teams member workbook

Available at amazon.com:
Lonely Planet: Hungary - not your typical tourist book, but insightful/practical!
Just Enough Hungarian - an easy to use phrase book
Culture Shock: Hungary! 

Available from LifeWay or Christian Book Distributors (christianbook.com):
How To Give Away Your Faith by Paul Little
Share Jesus Without Fear by William Fay & Ralph Hodge
Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People by Will Metzger
The Biblical Basis of Missions by Avery T. Willis
Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper

Videos to rent and view:
American Rhapsody (2001), starring Natassja Kinski, Scarlett Johansson & Tony Goldwyn - rated PG-13
Shop Around the Corner (1940), starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan - not rated

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