International (MNN) — Most people
think of the three R's as having something to do with reading, writing and
arithmetic.
Christian Resources International
doesn't run on the normal track. For
them, the three R's mean "Reverse Road
Trip Resources." They see it as an
economical mission trip in a day and age where a trip overseas runs into the
thousands of dollars.
Instead of a normal Road Trip, where CRI goes to a community to collect used Christian literature, the participants
connect at CRI's Headquarters in Fowlerville, Michigan. Volunteers are needed to help sort materials
and get the Bible resources packed for shipping.
Participants will help with Stage
Two sorting, where Bibles are sorted by translation, books are checked for
papers, bookmarks, and other debris, and then de-personalized (i.e. names, phone
numbers, addresses, church addresses, etc. removed or blacked out).
After resources have been
categorized, they need to be distributed appropriately in CRI's Resource Center
where missionaries occasionally come to pick out needed resources.
In the last stage, team members
prepare books for shipment by packing books into boxes, organizing boxes onto
pallets, and getting the pallet wrapped and ready to ship. Once a pallet
is full, it weighs around 2000 pounds, contains 63 boxes, and has the
potential to touch hundreds of thousands of people with the hope of Christ. The pallet is then placed in the warehouse ready for shipping in a Great Crate.
The economical part of this is more
than saving the money to head overseas. It's one way to have hands-on participation in affecting several
countries all at once with the Gospel.
