STIM Placement Information

Student Training in Missions
Placement Information

Let me say a few words about how placements are made (in case you are wondering). If you are accepted to STIM, we make every effort to place you in or near :) the country you requested or in a ministry situation that you are interested in. But there are several other factors that we take into consideration when creating our project list and making placements:

1. The mission agency itself: We want to place students with an agency that we trust and feel confident will provide you with a good summer experience.

2. The project "content" and length: We want as much as possible to place you on a project that will involve you in evangelism in some way (some countries are more limited in how openly you can share the gospel). We want you to be able to spend time with national people with the opportunity to interact in the national culture. We want you to at least observe and possibly be involved in the work of the local church. We look for opportunities for you to be meet and be involved with national church leaders and missionaries. We also only look at projects that are five or more weeks in length.

Many people want to know if there are any medical missions opportunities available. Sorry to say that there just aren't many (if any) short term medical mission opportunities for folks who have not completed their training to be a doctor or a nurse. If you are interested in medical missions and there is a project available, we will do our best to place you on it.

3. Team setting: With a few exceptions we want to place STIM students together on projects. We place a high priority on this. We feel that you have a better summer and process better when you return if you have a team to prepare, participate and debrief with. Obviously this means that not everyone is placed on a project in the country they requested.

Applying as a team from your school or chapter: You may want to consider applying to STIM as a team from your chapter. Talk to your staffworker about this possibility. Consider asking your small group to join you in your summer experience. Or a few friends you are in a discipleship or accountability relationship with. Or some members of your leadership team. If you decide to apply as a team, please indicate in the placement section on the front of the application who you are applying with. Make sure that you are all in agreement your top choices of country and ministry experience and that you available for basically the same amount of time over the summer. We will consider each application individually in terms of readiness for STIM (that means everyone has to complete the application and references and wait to hear back from us). If accepted, we will then work to place you on a project together.

4. Availability: We want to provide as many options as is reasonable for summer experiences. It is not reasonable for us work with projects in every country on every continent! We want to use time and resources well. Also have to consider team size - some projects will fill faster than others. And obviously, we have to take your available dates and the project dates into consideration.

5. Cost: We look for projects that we think are somewhat reasonable in cost relative to the destination. Project costs will differ from place to place and team to team. Though each person will be responsible for raising individual support we think of ourselves as a team in when it comes to fundraising. Each STIM student will be asked to raise the same amount regardless of what project you are placed on. That is, everyone raises an equal part of the total projects, transportation, and STIM weekend costs.

Finally and most importantly, we trust the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us throughout this process. We hope that you will too. We believe that God speaks through all the many factors that must be taken into consideration to make a placement for you if accepted to STIM. We hope that you will trust that the hand of God is at work as decisions are made.

A word about safety: Some of you (or your parents) may have concerns about where you might be placed. Please know that mission agencies monitor political situations and safety concerns in the countries where they send projects. Agencies will not hesitate to reroute projects if they become concerned about the safety of a location for a project. As I work with the agencies, I will also be monitoring safety issues.

Listed below are the projects we hope to place students on in the summer of 2009. Many of these are projects that we have a strong track record with in STIM and a few are new ones that we see some partnership potential in.

We have tried to include projects from several different regions in the world that involve a variety of ministry opportunities.

As you consider what project you might be interested in, spend some time in prayer, consider your gifts and interests and above all remain open and flexible to whatever the Lord may have in store for you! There is no way to provide you with all the specifics of a summer experience. Below is an attempt to provide a brief overview of the project. But you never know what the Lord is up to and what he will do with your summer experience!

1. Mexico- Latin America Mission - June 3 - July 31, 2009 - This project has long been a favorite of STIMmers. A few students have even chosen to return to Mexico for one or two years after they graduate from college! Work with the local church in one of the world's largest urban centers, Mexico City. Your assignment might include neighborhood evangelism, Bible studies, youth outreach, sports, music, or drama workshops. You will also have the opportunity to spend the summer living with a Mexican family, partnering in ministry with a fellow project participant and working with a team in the city. Mexico may not seem as exotic as some other places on earth, but have no doubt that the Lord can use this project to change you and advance His kingdom! Spanish is not a requirement. (team size: unlimited)

2. Peru - South America Mission - June 12 - July 24, 2009 - On the eastern side of the Andes Mountains, the highway from Lima ends at the Ucayali River in Pucallpa, Peru. Pucallpa is a major city that serves as a gateway to the jungle of the Amazon basin and will be the center of operations for this project. Interns will be exposed to a wide range of ministries, including jungle river trips and work in local urban congregations. The group will work as a team under the supervision of an experienced ministry couple. There will also be opportunities to learn more about Peru's tremendous cultural and archaeological heritage.

3. Bolivia - South America Mission - June 20 - Aug 1, 2009 - Head to San Ignacio, Bolivia, the largest city between Santa Cruz and the Brazilian border. This project allows you to participate in an intership that uses your gifts, talents and interests in ministry to the Bolivian people. Some possibilities include: young adult discipleship, children's ministry, sports evangelism, family health and women's needs specialist, worship leader, assist in a nutrition center and hospital. Be prepared for some rugged conditions as you live with families in and around San Ignacio. 2-3 years of Spanish or comfort with conversational Spanish is advised.. (team size: 3-6)

4. Kenya - IVCF Global Project - June 7 - July 26, 2009 - This project is another long time favorite of STIM students. The project has a twenty year history in Kenya. It is led by Brian and Debbie Lee, InterVarsity staff in Montana. The project consists of two teams serving together in Kenya --- one consisting of students majoring in nursing (you must be in your senior or final year to meet qualifications for this team) and another for students in other majors. Students on the nursing team will be placed in hospitals and clinics in Kenya where they will serve medical staff in any way needed. The second team will have the opportunity to live in the homes of Kenyan pastors and serve under their leadership. Ministry includes preaching, giving testimonies, and visitation with the purpose of strengthening the church. Some students majoring in education may get the opportunity to work with/teach children in orphanages and schools. Living conditions could be rugged. (team size - must at least have pairs from any given school; up to 6 total)

5. Romania - IVCF Global Project - month of July: There is more to Romania than just a good gymnastics program. Romania is a beautiful country with beautiful people. Come join a movement God has put in place years ago and partner with your Romanian Christian brothers and sisters in proclaiming the Gospel, in word and action, to their non-Christian friends. Your time in Romania will be spent doing Evangelistic Adventure English Camps. In today's world, if you are an English speaker you have a blessing you may not even realize! To the Romanians, English is highly coveted as it helps their job market skills and places them more on the road to success. During the English camps, you will have a unique opportunity to use your language as a way to develop relationships with the Romanians and share the Gospel of salvation with them. There are many opportunities to share your faith and the Good News of Jesus Christ and to watch their spirit wake up with revelation as spiritual blinders fall from their eyes. The camps are built around developing relationships so there are a ton of fun activities including hiking, rock climbing and rock rappelling, soccer, team competitions, Talent shows, American & Romanian culture nights, and yes, even Karaoke. Ask God if this is the country where He would have you go. It is certain you will come back with Romania on your heart and their flag worn proudly on your t-shirt.

6. China (Xinjiang, China) - IVCF Global Project - TBA - The program will be a language and culture exchange format with hand-picked Chinese university students who are eager to improve their spoken English and to learn about American culture and values through a 24/7 English immersion format in which Americans and Chinese are paired as roommates. Each student will give a presentation of some aspect of their own culture (i.e., literature, education, religion, sports, etc.) and be encouraged to use creative teaching methods. Afternoons are free for 'hanging out,' getting to know the city, and resting. Evenings will be spent learning cultural dances, dramatizing a C.S. Lewis story, and savoring local foods. There will be several spectacular field trips on weekends as well as cultural activities with the Chinese counterparts.

7. G.U.P.Y - Greensboro Urban Project Y'all - June 20 - August 2, 2009 - What are you doing this summer? Same old job, filing in an office or watching kids at the pool? Feeling kind of safe, not wanting to rock the boat.

But maybe, like Peter, you would want to take a risk of faith. Maybe you'd like to live and work in a community that will challenge your perceptions of the world. Maybe you would want to take a risk and spend four weeks serving instead of making money. Maybe you would want to put yourself in a place of radical discipleship.

If the above opportunities sound enticing, maybe you're being called to get out of the boat and swim with the G.U.P.Y's.

NOTE: Many project dates are still tentative due to the fact that it is still quite early to nail down the exact dates - many factors have to be taken into consideration: availability of missionaries, flight schedules etc. As you choose your top three, make sure that you are available for the tentative dates listed. Later, if we need to do some juggling due to trip dates, we will.