Bridging classroom learning and life experience, Friends & Followers teams run for just over nine months and provide a wide variety of ministry experiences in North America and abroad. You will receive mentoring and hand's-on training in music, drama, puppetry, illusions, dance and other arts and ministry. Through partnerships with a number of Bible Colleges you can also earn up to a year and a half of academic transfer credits (depending on the school)! Click here to find more about Bible College Credits with VTI.

Check out our Friends & Followers Brochure.

Follow the ministry of our current team (at right) in India: read their blog.

Criteria:

• Must be 18 years old.
• Approximate support required: $17,900 CDN ($5,900 by the beginning of training camp).
• Agree with Statement of Faith.
• Application deadline: June 30, 2010. For information on application fees, cancellation and late fees, please consult the application form.

Destinations:

• Peru
  You will be working alongside the Tentmakers in the Tarapoto area planting a church and using the arts to communicated to Peruvians the truths of God's word.
• India
  You will be loacted in central and western India, interacting with students, business people, street children and visiting tourists from the Middle East.
  
• Siberia/United Kingdom
  You will partner with SEND International in Krasnoyarsk and in south eastern Russia visiting orphanages, schools and community centers to proclaim Jesus. In the UK you will work with Emmanuel & Associates, going to schools, using the arts to share in religious education classes.
• Uganda/United Kingdom/Germany
  You will be working with Action International/Emmanuel & Associates/Groundstaff, respectively. From orphanages to schools, to inner city youth, you will have the opportunity to lead people to hope in Christ via the arts.
• Click Here for more info!

Team at a glance:

• Training Camp (Sept. & Oct.)
• North American Fall Tour (2.5 weeks long following Training Camp)
• Fall Tune-Up (10 days in November)
• Overseas Tour (November - April)
• Team Break (10 days in April)
• Focus (2 weeks in April)
• North American Spring Tour (month of May)
• Wrap-Up (first week of June).

Testimonials

Here's what the 2008-09 F&F team members had to say about their experiences:

Blair ~ God taught me what I really need to live. Before hand I thought that I needed many material things to live

Charis ~ Through the testimonies of various African people, I have learned to believe in miracles. God has taught me that He is big enough to care for ALL my needs.

Diane ~ I have seen God working in my life, even in times when I don't feel Him working.

Amy ~ When I think about why God brought our team to Rwanda, I believe it was to love the people. I saw many things that really broke my heart, and there were many times when I wanted to do so much more for the people than just singing and giving hugs, but God taught me that love is just as important of a need as bread or food, and one verse that really helped me through everything was 1 Corinthians 13:3.

Nathan ~ I'm so glad that the Lord could use me to preach use the talents He has given me to help out and bring Honour and Glory to Him. I didn't feel confident about preaching but I'm starting to feel comfortable because I'm letting the Lord continue to work in me.

Joanna ~ I feel like God has been teaching me so much here in Rwanda.  He is opening my eyes.  So many people here have had such painful pasts, and they still can say "God is so good to me" and they serve him with everything in them.  That really challenges me, because I've had such an easy life and yet am so often not as passionate about God as I should be.  I'm seeing over and over that God is worthy of everything we could ever give.

Jill ~ God has been slowly and very physically teaching me not to rely on my own strength but on His and also to allow others to help me along as needed.

Tabitha ~ I am really excited about the young people here who have such passion and potential to be missionaries both to their own communities and all over the world. It opened my eyes to how God is using people from all over the world, not just from western culture.

Dillon ~ I have found that in ministering to people it is sometimes hard to tell people that God does love them even though their life may stink. God has much more to teach me about life and how to minister to people in different cultures.

Emily ~ One day I was sitting on the swings and somehow God revealed to me that looking at Rwanda's past and how beautiful the country is after a genocide, that God can definitely make the ugliest inner thing in my heart the most beautiful characteristic ever. I find often that I am asking God to sustain me and give me the energy that I need, which is sometimes something that only He can give.

Karina ~ When it rains here (Rwanda), it washes away the dust.  It makes the red dirt brown again.  When it rains, I often imagine the water washing away filthy memories of this land.  The blood stained dirt from the Genocide is beginning to heal and the memory of what happened with it.  God is bringing peace to this country again.  His healing rains wash and cleanse the deep rooted hurt.  My prayer is that as the people begin to trust God that they will be trusting the True and Living God of the Bible and not just their experiences and feelings that they get in a church.  There are many things that our North American churches may lack in when it comes to excitement and passion, but some of the African churches miss the meaning of the scriptures.  I hope and pray that in our programs, we were able to be bold enough with God's word in our hearts and impact them for good. 

James ~ I remember my first time being in a country where the majority of people we see are poor.  I was really excited to see how much it shocked the team.  In North America, we complain about so many trivial things, and seeing what they saw showed them how privileged they really are.  The best thing though was that our team members didn't just get overwhelmed and do nothing, they took action and wanted to help anyone they could.  That's part of the reason we bring food with us to the bus stops now.  That's where the beggars hang out and that way we can share Jesus' love not just with words or a smile, but also with a bit of food for an empty stomach.

FAQ's

Q: What's included in the $17,900 (Canadian)?

A: Room & board, transportation for ministry (flights, vans, public transportation), monthly honorarium, travel insurance, books and ministry supplies).
For more information on the Friends & Followers team: call 1.800.565.3818 or send us an email using our contact form!

F&F Application Form: