Discuss Assignments from Last Meeting

Make sure everyone knows the team’s STS for the summer. Pair up and role play practicing your STS with a partner. (5 minutes)

1. Ask questions typical from an immigration officer: What is the purpose of your visit in our country? How long will you be staying? Are you traveling with others? How do you know them? etc.
2. Ask questions typical from a stranger on the street trying to get “out of the box” information from them: Why are you here in our country? Are you a Christian? Are you a missionary? etc.

Embracing Limitations

Part of serving overseas this summer means accepting limitations. You are used to having a high degree of independence in America. You can go where you want to, when you want to, and you don’t have to consult with others about these decisions. Your summer trip will be different… and for good reason.

The apostle Paul challenged the Corinthian church to follow his example in surrendering personal freedoms for the sake of sharing the gospel and saving the lost.

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible… To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

OneLink has sent out thousands of students over the years and learned lots of lessons about how best to keep them safe and help them thrive during their trip. As a result, we have developed several policies that we ask you to abide by during your overseas project.

Depending on your location and context, you may feel these policies are unnecessary, too restrictive, or at worst, hinder your ability to do ministry. Or you may feel that it is unfair that you have such “rules” when others (long-term workers or other short-term volunteers) do not have such limitations. Please remember, they exist to keep you safe and single-minded so that you can “win as many as possible.”

Communication Policy:

“Wherever you are, be all there!”

First, we ask you to limit your communication with people back in America. The main reason is that we want you to be fully present in your city, fully engaged with your new friends, and fully attentive to God. 

Here are some details on the communication policy:

1. Weekly Email Update: As a team, compile some brief stories and prayer requests and send to family, friends, and prayer supporters back home. TIP: Keep it simple with some pics. Use an email gatekeeper to disperse and filter responses.
2. Weekly Personal Call: You are personally allowed one 30 minute call (phone/video) once every week to family, fiancé, campus ministry or OneLink staff. Outside of this, you should not direct message, Facetime, etc. with people back home unless there is an emergency. You may divide up the time with as many people as you choose during this 30 minute time.
3. Personal email or direct messaging back home can be used for vital logistics only (setting up a call time with a family member, travel arrangements, communicating with OneLink Office/ campus minister, etc.)
4. Personal social media should NOT be used during the summer — Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat, Twitter, Facebook, etc.– during your summer trip.

Your host will likely want you to use social media for local ministry, THIS IS ACCEPTABLE and ENCOURAGED! However, we ask that you set up a new account to use for the summer (be sure you add teammates, hosts, etc. as friends and make a few posts before you go overseas). Please talk to your host about using social media for local ministry before you leave the USA.

Entertainment & Media: This summer you may feel homesick and socially drained (especially introverts), which is why a Sabbath day each week is vital. Many have the habit of recharging by isolating and getting screen time on a device. We encourage you instead to practice connecting with God or the team God has provided you. In these moments, we hope you will be honest with your teammates about this struggle and look to them for accountability and support. While it is okay to have time alone for rest or an occasional team movie night, this summer is not the time to binge watch your favorite shows or play hours of Candy Crush. This summer is an opportunity to develop different strategies for finding refreshment and dealing with stress besides Netflix, YouTube, scrolling on social media, or internet gaming. 

You may never have a summer like this again: Living in another culture for 6 to 8 weeks, sharing the gospel, experiencing firsthand what God is doing to bring all nations to Himself.  What a unique opportunity to disconnect from the usual distractions and connect with God and His heart for these people. Don’t waste an opportunity to hear Him in a fresh way.  

Buddy System Policy:

“The Lord sent them out two by two.”

Though it may limit your scope of ministry, for your own security and protection we ask that you maintain a “buddy system” while you are overseas this summer. This means that throughout your trip, you should be in close proximity to another teammate, overseas host (any of the long-term “workers” ), or trusted national friend (not someone you just met).

There are several ways this will help you and your team this summer:

1.) Safety – You will be serving in an unfamiliar area and most likely you do not speak the local language or understand local customs and emergency protocol. (The host should give you contingency plans for emergencies situations.)

2.) Accountability – Unfamiliar overseas environments can be stressful, lonely, and tiring. These are all common triggers for experiencing greater temptation to sin.

3.) Personal Growth – Ministering in community and in close partnership with others is a powerful tool for personal growth during your summer.

Are there any exceptions to the buddy system?

If there is a compelling reason to temporarily suspend the buddy system, this can be done in consultation with the overseas host, your campus minister, or the OneLink office. Briefly suspending the buddy system should not be done for the sake of convenience or “strategy,” but only when it is unfeasible for someone on the team to remain with a partner while completing a vital task. For example:

a.) Class or Work Requirements – Example: Teammates must attend classes in different places on campus at the same time.

b.) Overseas Travel – Example: Team members are flying to their destination from different origin points and a teammate misses a connecting flight in the US. In this case, the rest of the team should continue to their destination and wait for the delayed teammate there.

c.) Sick Teammate – Example: A team member has a mild sickness and will need to rest at the hotel/apartment for part of the day.

In all cases, every effort should be made to maintain the buddy system before an exception is considered.

Of course, there are always a few “grey” areas regarding these and other policies. For example, what if there is a coffee shop in the same building you are staying in? Could a teammate go down to the coffee shop for some alone time? Is this still “close proximity?” In cases like this, the team leader(s) can either make a judgment call or have a team discussion and decide together how to handle the situation. Regardless of the decision, everyone should be willing to surrender their personal preference for the sake of team unity.

Dating Policy

SINGLES 

Dating while on a OneLink team is absolutely prohibited! This also means refraining from any flirting, courtship, or expressed emotional or romantic attraction to another person. Clearly setting this boundary is important because dating is at best awkward and at worst corrosive to team unity. We ask you to stay on task for the purpose for which you committed to this team. Unmarried couples are never to pair off or treat each other with favor over other team members. All forms of physical contact between members of the opposite sex including cuddling, hand-holding, kissing, back-rubbing and sitting on laps are prohibited in both public and private spaces.   

Although we recognize that God sometimes brings couples together in special and unusual ways, you are to “put on hold” any special relationship you feel might be developing during your trip with OneLink. We ask that you do this even if the field supervisor has a different philosophy and is not opposed to your relationship. If God is in the relationship, He has the power to bring the relationship together after you return home.  

MARRIED COUPLES  

You are obviously the exception to this policy! Ask your host about appropriate forms of affection in public. A solid marriage centered on the King is an excellent example and witness. However, consider how you can maintain a healthy relationship with your spouse while not isolating yourselves too much from your team.

ONE FINAL THING…

Though it might seem to be a good team bonding experience or permanent memory of your summer, we do not encourage getting tattoos or piercings during your summer. Sterilization and safety standards may vary greatly depending on the location you are serving. Further, in some conservative cultures these may perpetuate negative stereotypes of Westerners and can have an adverse impact on the long-term ministry of the team.

OneLink Value: Integrity

Key Verses:

• Psalm 24:4-5
• Psalm 41:12
• Proverbs 12:19
• Proverbs 12:22
• Ephesians 4:15

“The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)

“Detests” may seem like a strong word, but this communicates how important integrity is to the Lord. Having integrity is a critical part of being part of a team. This summer, you may be tempted to cut corners when it comes to following policies or team decisions. There may be times when you need to confess sin to a teammate, but you are afraid to be honest with them. Integrity means transparency and doing what is right, even if no one else will see or know. Of course, your Father in heaven is always watching and He is calling you to live “in the light.” Make it your ambition to walk in obedience to Him this summer and maintain open and honest relationships with your teammates.

Final Step