Recruitment of workers

Project workers are recruited year round. They typically are recruited at Christian college campuses, from state university campus ministries, and from among former workers who have graduated but would like to continue to work with our projects. In addition to college students, we also recruit workers from among congregations. These are often school teachers, retired adults, and others who have the time and desire to participate.

Acceptance as a member of the project occurs by invitation after application has been made. Applications include general personal information, along with a request for references. Applicants also are interviewed by one of the Project sponsors, where we look specifically for the following characteristics:

• Personal commitment to Christ, already expressed in involvement.
• Good humor and pleasantness that is infectious.
• Ability to get along with a small group of peers.
• Independence and self-motivation.
• Responsibility for one's own actions
• Sufficient self-esteem.
• Self-less love of other people

Naturally, no one worker has the perfect personality. Each has his/her own weaknesses. Some workers also react quite unpredictably to being placed in a foreign culture. We do our best to anticipate problems and resolve them before we begin our work with the host congregation or missionaries.

Training of Workers

Training meetings usually begin either November 1 or January 15. From this point on, weekly meetings are held until the team leaves. In the weekly meetings, the workers are prepared specifically in three areas: first, in the presentation of their conversation classes; second, in cultural sensitivity and flexibility; and, third, in team dynamics.

In addition to these weekly meetings, we have one special meeting each month, in which a few of the workers prepare a meal for the rest of the team. This not only contributes to their preparations for cooking their own meals, but also lets their sponsors observe them in group interaction.

Perhaps the most important single event in the training program is our three-day IT (intensive training) workshop in January/February. Project workers and trainers go away to a place where we live and work together for an entire weekend. We have continuous study sessions; we discuss topics which require longer periods of time than our weekly meetings allow; we role play, and we get to know each other well. At this retreat, we also take a brief psychological test that lets us know how each worker probably will work with and fit into the team.