NMC Expenses and Follow-Up

Happy New Year!

It appears the holidays kept me a bit more distracted than I had anticipated. I was planning to post the expenses for the Lexington, KY trip in November after the National Missionary Convention, but I see it is now the 1st of January. My apologies.

I have the totals for the November convention expenses, and a quick summary of how things went at the convention:

NMC Expenses:
Transportation: $518.00
Lodging: $449.16
Food: $85.90
Misc: $89.00*
TOTAL: $1097.56

*Misc. expenses include cash food purchases and other untracked items. As not all misc. expenses may be convention-related, the final total only includes half of these expenses.

Post-Convention Debrief:

Going into the convention, I had three main goals:

• Meet with organizations that have expressed interest in seminars to see if they would like to pilot a seminar.
• Identify new organizations who express interest in the seminar.
• Identify organizations with resources that can help Insight International advance or promote the seminars.

So how did we do? Pretty well, I think.

During the convention, I was able to follow up with organizations that have expressed interest in the seminars in the past. As we expected, there was a unspoken concern regarding the effectiveness of the seminars. Everyone was too polite to straight out ask us to prove our claims (that the seminars create lasting change in the participants's perspectives and lives), but the implication was clear. This was far from discouraging, however, as we expected this response, and most people still seemed interested in the potential to do what we claim. We just need to provide some "proof-of-concept" in order to get people on board. I think the data we gather in the 2011 seminars will help us tremendously in providing the kind of data these organizations were looking for.

I also identified a few organizations who may benefit from the seminars in the future. I plan to keep their contact information and speak with them again once we gather some of the aforementioned data. For the most part, I looked for education-focused or lifestyle-focused organizations, including orphanages and inner city missions. Many of these organizations have programs that could benefit from using the seminars as a foundation. I have also targeted a few select colleges to ask to sponsor or host pilot seminars.

Finally, I have identified several organizations whose resources can help us. These fall into two main categories: logistics (travel agencies, insurance, etc.), and what I will call "networking" groups - groups which help other organizations coordinate and share resources in the field. The first can help us keep overhead down or give us access to better resources - the latter can put us in contact with additional organizations who may need the seminars.

Eventually, I plan to invite representatives from various organizations to pilot seminars over the next several years. I find it is much easier to explain why the seminars are important once someone sees what the seminars actually do. Once we get through our first seminar in San Antonio (see below), we will start planning additional seminars based on the feedback we receive there.

That's the end of the convention summary - it was a great experience, and I look forward to going back next year armed with some real data from the 2011 seminars. The first of these is coming fast - our San Antonio leadership seminar hosted by the Heart of Texas Evangelistic Association (HOTEA). The seminar is scheduled for February 9-13. Registration will be available on the Insight International website; there is a $295 registration fee that covers the seminar, lunch and snacks for all five days. Registration will be capped at 30 people on a first-come, first-served basis. We will have a standby list for anyone who is interested but registers after we have reached capacity. More information coming soon on the Insight International website.

Have a happy new year, everyone!

October Expense Report

Rather a gloomy title, from my point of view, but since we are a non-profit organization, it is important to keep expenses in perspective. In this month's edition, we have two sets of expenses - one for expenses incurred, and one for projected expenses.

Let's start with what I have already incurred: my move to Wyoming. This move was a result of our need to staff our office in Torrington. Being the most mobile, I was chosen to move up north and help set things up. As I have normal monthly living expenses I pay for out of my regular salary, expenses such as food, rent, etc. will be excluded from this list. The primary expenses, then, are:

1. Hotel expenses (during the trip north) - $243
2. Gas costs (for the car) - $111
3. Startup costs (setup costs for a new internet connection, utilities setup, etc.) - $252
4. Shipping costs (for the things I could not fit in my car) - $240

Total:  $846

Overall, not taking much with me proved to be a good way to save money on the trip. The cost was far less than I anticipated, which is great for my savings.

Now for the projected expenses. As part of my work with Safari Insight Mission (Insight International's parent organization), I am working at the National Missionary Convention. This year, it is in Lexington, Kentucky. So far, I have estimated my expenses as follows:

1. Lodging (confirmed): $449
2. Air travel (confirmed): $368
3. Food (estimated): $150
4. No car rental (walking is healthy, I hear): $0

Total: $967

So there's the bad news. The good news is that we are planning seminars for San Antonio, TX (February), South Africa (March), Mozambique (April), and are now starting planning for another seminar in Haiti (June). So far, we are adding a new seminar every couple of months. Let's hope we can keep this up!

As we determine the costs of seminar presentations in these different areas, I will post the estimates. I think it is important to see how we are spending our money, and it useful for those who want to contribute. On that note, we have not fully established our system for accepting contributions yet, but plan to have that complete in November. I'll keep you posted.

Arrival in Torrington

I have finally arrived in Torrington, WY, have moved in to the new house I'm renting, and have successfully connected myself to the Internet, so that I may communicate with the outside world. All in all, a good setup.

In the time since I arrived (I actually got here on Sept 3, but it took a while to get everything set up), I have already attended a seminar at the nearby First Christian Church located in Wheatland, where I was invited to talk about the Insight Seminars. I need to thank Ken Smyth of Cross Cultural Connection for providing this opportunity. Ken is a great guy I was able to meet at an Insight Seminar in 2003, and has been a strong advocate on our behalf.  I encourage anyone interested in bible study to take a look at his Inductive Bible Study material. It is a great tool for critically examining and understanding the Bible. Ken has incorporated several Insight Seminar concepts into his approach, and I think the IBS method is a great way to approach the Bible without getting bogged down in other people's viewpoints or exegetical dogmatism. It is also simple enough for someone who is a newcomer to bible study to use while being robust enough for experienced theologians. Go check it out.

In addition to the unexpected speaking opportunities, I have been planning for my first trip to South Africa to present at least two seminars. Right now, we have a number of individuals and organizations interested in participating in the seminars, both from South Africa and Mozambique. Al Corson from Safari Insight Mission is hosting the seminars, and helping me with the logistical details. Current target date: sometime in March of 2011. Interest in the seminars in Africa is booming, as the local population see how seminar training can benefit local individuals and businesses, and excitement about what we can do is building. With any luck, March won't be my only trip to Africa next year! 

There isn't much else to report at the moment. I am spending time working, trying to unpack (my goal is a box a day), and helping out at Riverside Church of Christ, where our offices are being built. There have been a few delays on the construction, so I probably have at least another month or two before I can move into the office, but the church is letting me use another vacant room until everything is in place. I really have to thank everyone at Riverside, as they have been a great help while I've been settling in and they have made me feel very welcome.

Starting Up!

Welcome to Incoming Insight! This is your opportunity to see what is going on in the life of Insight International USA, a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to helping individuals, organizations (nonprofit, educational, and government), and businesses improve themselves by providing a practical approach to life. We teach people how to think critically about their lives, take responsibility for their actions, and work with others to accomplish their goals.

We do all this through the Insight Seminars - programs designed to change the way people approach life through training, illustrations, and practice. Our training is simple, practical, and effective. We are currently in the process of setting up our offices and getting our seminars off the ground, so you have a unique opportunity to see how we're setting things up right from the start.

In this blog, I will keep track of what I am doing during this start up process, starting with my impending move to Torrington, Wyoming, the soon-to-be sight for our main office in the US. We are planning seminars in both the US, South Africa, and Mozambique, so I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about. Right now, I am committed to writing once a month, but may post more frequently than that, depending on how much is going on. This will be an exciting venture, so check in regularly to see how we're doing!