Welcome to March Madness – IST style!
Thanks for your prayers for our 3 day team retreat last month. We had a fun and productive time getting to know each other and planning for the future. We are the IST team – International Sending Team – and March is our craziest month! But before I go into detail about that, let’s back up a bit.
In the past, I’ve been part of a small team to send interns to serve internationally for a year or two (STINT). Now our team has expanded as has our scope – we now oversee interns AND long-term staff overseas. Our retreat was focused on aligning our mission, vision and values as we begin this new endeavor. Michael was brought in to help us during the retreat as he is the guru of all things Mission/Vision/Values! 🙂
Thanks for your prayers for our 3 day team retreat last month. We had a fun and productive time getting to know each other and planning for the future. We are the IST team – International Sending Team – and March is our craziest month! But before I go into detail about that, let’s back up a bit.
In the past, I’ve been part of a small team to send interns to serve internationally for a year or two (STINT). Now our team has expanded as has our scope – we now oversee interns AND long-term staff overseas. Our retreat was focused on aligning our mission, vision and values as we begin this new endeavor. Michael was brought in to help us during the retreat as he is the guru of all things Mission/Vision/Values! 🙂
- Team mission: pursuing excellence by providing caring development and the infrastructure to send healthy staff into the world.
- Vision: we dream of a day when we are a world-class team, sending hundreds of healthy AIA staff to every nation.
Back to March Madness…. March 1st is the deadline for all applications to be submitted for next year’s group of international interns. As you can imagine, we get a flood of submissions at the very last minute so March is full of evaluating applications, phone calls with the applicants, decisions of where to place an accepted applicant, and more. I’m also training Carrie and Brian in their new roles and overseeing them as they evaluate applications. At the same time, we are committed to caring well for those already overseas, encouraging those preparing to go overseas as they develop their support teams, helping those who may be transitioning back to the states this summer, etc. We often use the analogy of keeping the hula hoops swinging around our waist, both arms, one leg and neck as we juggle all the various people and situations! And I love it and consider it such a privilege to serve in this area. Thanks for your prayers and support that enable that to be possible!
Every year, thousands of young football players train and compete at the NFL Football Combine as they pursue their dream of being a football hero. Athletes In Action’s football ministry started a combine training program a few years ago. Michael is again working with aspiring pro footballers.
The average pro football career is less than 5 years. While these young men are here in Xenia at AIA headquarters training physically, the AIA football staff are training them for a lifetime of success. That includes helping these athletes get to know God and to know themselves. Some are not believers and all of them can use some help in determining where God wants them to go.
Michael is doing training in CliftonStrengths and CoreClarity to help these men better understand their identity. This can be a key part of understanding and living out Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Knowing what we are designed to do (CliftonStrengths/CoreClarity) can provide valuable insight into Ephesians 2:10.
One of the players was just drafted into the Canadian Football League! Others continue to pursue their dream. Without Jesus, that dream will never be realized, even if they do get drafted. Our goal is to prepare these men for a lifetime and, in Christ, for eternity. Please remember Michael in your prayers and also pray for Keanu, Samuel, Toby, Chris, and Dusan.
Michael will also present a similar program to lay leaders at Wabash (IN) Presbyterian Church. As word of his skills in this area gets around, he is often invited to coach/disciple others in ministry and he loves doing it! Prayer Requests -Pray that Lisa’s IST team would continue to play a significant role in AIA’s vision of a day when there are Christ followers on every team, in every sport, in every nation -Pray for Lisa’s GrowthSkills conference in CA March 20 – 25th. -Pray for Lisa’s doula client to deliver before the 20th! (Message Lisa for more details.) -Pray for Michael and footballers Keanu, Samuel, Toby, Chris, and Dusan. -Michael (and Lisa) in CA April 8-13. Michael will be leading a training on emotional and positive intelligence for university teachers and staff.
Prayer Requests
- Pray that Lisa’s IST team would continue to play a significant role in AIA’s vision of a day when there are Christ followers on every team, in every sport, in every nation.
- Pray for Lisa’s GrowthSkills conference in CA March 20 – 25th.
- Pray for Lisa’s doula client to deliver before the 20th! (Message Lisa for more details.)
- Pray for Michael and footballers Keanu, Samuel, Toby, Chris, and Dusan.-Michael (and Lisa) in CA April 8-13. Michael will be leading a training on emotional and positive intelligence for university teachers and staff.
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Thank you so much for being a vital part of our ministry. God bless you!
Our mailing address is:
Michael & Lisa Anderson269 N. King StXenia, OH 45385