October 2009
Dear Italy Assignment Team and Work Staff,
Thanks so much for agreeing to be on this team. I am so excited about serving alongside of you on this unique assignment. I am praying for and with each of you that God will prepare us and use us as we share the message of Jesus Christ with youth whose parents are U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. You will be stretched, challenged and encouraged in your faith on this assignment in ways you probably haven’t experienced before. This will be a tough assignment both physically and spiritually but it will also be very rewarding. Here is some information to keep in mind as we prepare for this summer*. Please read carefully and make note of important dates…
Dates
Depart the United States on June 14th for arrival in Pisa, Italy on June 15th. Travel arrangements will be made by Young Life. We will travel together. Ticket & Departure information will be forwarded to you soon.
June 15 – 19 Set up for camp
June 19 – 25 High School Camp
June 26 – 28 Break (Assignment team Italy excursion)
June 28 – July 3 Junior High Camp
July 3 – 6 Clean up
July 6 – 16 Assignment Team Tour of Italy (final day yet to be determined)
Depart from Rome to the United States on July 16 (or last day of tour). Travel arrangements will be made by Young Life. We will travel together. Ticket and Departure information will be forwarded to you soon.
* For our purposes please disregard the due dates in the work staff packet and adhere to the deadlines and procedures in THIS LETTER.
Costs**
Airfare $1200 (or more)
Camp Fee $300
Tour $1200 (or more)
Meals $300 (for all lunches on your own, breakfast & dinner provided for the entire trip)
Spending $300 (or more depending on person)
Payment Schedule
October 31 $250 Deposit
November 30 $500 payment or equivalent donations
December 31 $500 payment or equivalent donations
January 31 $500 . . .
February 28 $500 . . .
March 31 $500 . . .
April 30 $500 . . .
May 31 Remaining balance or equivalent donations
Payments and donations (checks made out to “Young Life” with YOUR NAME and “Italy Assignment” written on the memo line) should be mailed to Young Life, P.O. Box 553, Leonardtown, MD 20650 before the due date each month.
This is a mission trip so your friends, family, and supporters can make donations to Young Life and claim them as a tax deduction.
** Costs are estimates at this point.
Paperwork
All Work Staff must complete ALL of the Work Staff Packet documentation and mail it to Young Life, P.O. Box 553, Leonardtown, MD 20650 along with your deposit before October 31.
Please note that the Young Life assignment team members, spouses and children do not need to complete an application or recommendation but ALL other info in the work staff packet should be completed and returned with deposits.
Passports should be obtained as soon as possible. A scanned copy should be emailed to or mailed to Young Life, P.O. Box 553, Leonardtown, MD on or before March 31, 2010. Please note that it could take up to 8 weeks to process a new passport. Also note that the new ‘card’ passport for Mexico and Canada is not valid for this trip.
Prayer Support
Would you please ask five (5) people to commit to praying for you before, during and after this trip? Please send their names and emails to on or before May 1, 2010.
Additional Information
Housing – all Assignment Team and Work Staff will be sleeping in two-man tents on the army base during the assignment and then in 2 – 4 ppl hotel rooms for the tour. Please plan on bringing linens or a sleeping bag and a pillow. A suggested packing list for other items will be forwarded to you at a later date and time.
Tour – We will be going on an 8 – 10 day tour of Tuscany and Rome after our assignment. We need to have at least 25 people on this tour. The entire Assignment Team and Work Staff are invited to participate. We will be staying together in Monastery/Hotels and traveling by bus with a tour guide. Most of the costs of the trip will be included. However, there may be unforeseen costs so please plan accordingly. Breakfast and dinner will be included in the tour but lunch will not be so plan accordingly for that as well.
Driving – ALL ASSIGNMENT TEAM MEMBERS MUST GET AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVER’S LISCENSE. Work staff will NOT be driving.
Contact Info – Would you please send me your full name, date of birth, phone number, cell number, email and address via email as soon as possible. Also, let me know where you are or have been involved in Young Life as well.
Attached in the email that accompanied this letter are four other documents. The first is the Work Staff Packet. Please read that carefully and complete all of the paperwork. Disregard the dates listed as those are for me to get our paperwork to MCYM on time. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.
The second document is some info about MCYM.
The third is the Health and Consent Form. Please fill that out and mail it to me before March 31. It is highly recommended that you get a flu shot this season as well.
Finally, there is a sample fundraising letter to ask folks to partner with you on this short-term mission trip. Please feel free to use this as you see fit.
Once again, I am so excited and grateful that you are going to be on this team with us. I pray that you will encounter Jesus and grow in your faith as a result of this experience. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns by contacting me at (301)475-7920 or
Thank you,
Kevin P. Burgess
Area Director
Trip Coordinator