Before you arrive, we want to set your expectations well for what to expect when it comes to technology on your trip.
We live in a connected world. There is no way around it. We text our parents, ‘like’ a status on Facebook, Snapchat our friends, and Instagram our waffles before we ever leave the house in the morning! Even cats have their own Twitter handles!
Social media and technology can be great ways to stay in touch with people, and we realize that many of you are choosing to bring your phone on this trip.
We want to make sure to set your expectations well before you launch.
Phones at Launch
Unless your parents drop you off, you will be expected to communicate with home when you arrive at launch and before you depart for your ministry country. You will be asked to abstain from using your phone during training camp, and your leaders will be collecting them. This will help you to be present for sessions, bonding with your team, etc etc. Hopefully you will be too busy to even notice you aren’t using your phone!
Phones at Destination
We realize that your phone often doubles as your alarm clock, camera, music, and other nifty tools so you will need to plan to have alternatives, especially for your alarm clock. We want to make sure that you take full advantage of the opportunity you have to connect with your team, minister to the people with whom you are working, and most importantly, to connect with the Lord.
On your trip, your leaders will manage technology usage. They will collect your phones on the field or ask you to go without your phone during most of the week. This is not to frustrate you or take away your freedom. We do want to make sure that your focus is where it needs to be. If having a camera, alarm clock, book, etc. is important to you, make sure you bring these things outside of your phone.
Leaders will also talk to you about appropriate times to take photos during ministry. We want you to take and post pictures because we love to see them and even repost them on our Instagram (don’t forget to #goAMB and follow us @adventuresambassador).
Depending on your location, there might be access to wifi on your ministry site, or you may even have access to cellular data. Only leaders will have access to the wifi password and again, your phones will be collected for most of the week. We will make sure that at least one day a week you are able to have your phones and connect to wifi. You will be expected to communicate with home weekly on your trip, and your leaders will set aside time and availability for this.
As a reminder, please do not bring your laptops on this trip! (Leaders will have theirs, so you will be able to type and post blogs on them).
We know that going this amount of time without your phone might be a new thing for you, but we promise, you won’t regret it! If you have any questions about this, we are happy to answer them!
