Hi Parents,
We hope you are all staying safe amidst this Corona crisis. We have all experienced a multitude of changes since your Racers got home last month. There are many stories of God’s faithfulness during this time. While we don’t know how everything will turn out after this is over, we know he has a plan. The good thing is that we are all in it together!
As AIM looked at the impact of this global crisis on our ministry, some difficult decisions have been made. The past two weeks have been hard, as many staff positions have had to be cut. Our staff will be reduced significantly starting in July. Many hope to come back on staff once our trips come back up in numbers. For now, please pray for God to direct us all as we make the adjustments and grieve our losses.
Parent Ministry wanted to let you know that this newsletter will be the last one. Betty will still be available to you at [email protected]. Unfortunately, Michelle was one of the staff who was cut for now. We know that God is not surprised by these events, even when we are. We also know he has a plan, we merely need to wait to see what it is. We thank you for your support of Parent Ministry over the months we have worked with you. We continue to pray for you and your Racers as you all navigate these uncharted waters together. May God bless you and your families!!
Here is the latest Covid-19 update from Bob Mudd. These updates will continue to be posted regularly on the AIM website as things change and information is updated.
In the month since we brought our squads home, our leadership teams have been caring for those participants whose trips were directly impacted by COVID-19 and navigating the implications of COVID-19 for Adventures in Missions going forward.
Squad leadership for the returning teams have been checking in with them, and are facilitating online connections and debriefs regularly. Most of our squads are meeting together to worship, pray and exhort each other towards love and good works. We’ve been providing resources including devotionals by some of our best teachers and disciplers. Our goal is to be available to help them process the unique dynamics of this return from the field. In addition to the squad leadership’s availability to participants, Parent Ministry is available to parents ([email protected]).
We are still assessing options for returning participants and have set May 20th as the time to provide a firm update on the path forward for the missionaries that came home.
Our current plan is to be launching again by September while also actively assessing opportunities for domestic engagement prior. However, there is still a great deal of uncertainty around things such as when borders will re-open, whether Americans will be allowed to travel to certain countries, when social distancing requirements can safely be adjusted, and so on. In addition, our on-going risk management protocols will also be in place. So we are moving forward with our plans, but aware that there are factors beyond our control.
For future 2020 participants, we have communicated the following information to them.
-
All Semesters trips launching in June have been cancelled. Participants have the option of seeing if any options become available for July, deferring to a future trip (September, January or next summer), or letting their supporters know they can request a refund for a cancelled trip.
-
Semesters and Ambassador trips launching in July have not yet been officially cancelled. We are still exploring the possibility of whether there might be some options – most likely domestically. If the trips are cancelled, participants will have the deferral or refund options mentioned above.
-
We now plan to launch the August World Race (11 month routes) in October and their training camp will be deferred until then. They will launch directly to the field from training camp. Details of how that will work, including the impact on routes, will be communicated to Racers as the information is available.
-
We currently plan to launch World Race Gap Year (9 months) on schedule in September. Their training camp will be deferred until September and they will launch directly to the field from training camp.
-
We plan to launch the October World Race (11 month routes) in October, with their training camp deferred until then and a launch directly to the field from training camp.
Again, we are continually assessing the realities around the world and any impact they may have on our plans in late summer and fall. This includes developing contingency plans, where we can, that allow us to fulfill the heartbeat of our mission which is to bring the hope of Christ to a world that desperately needs it.
