Azmera STATESIDE Summit 2024

Schedule and Information

SCHEDULE

  • DAY 1 | Thursday, Feb 1

    3:00 Registration

    4:00 – 6:00 Worship, Main Speaker, Connection Circles

    6:00 Dinner

    7:30 Fun & Worship

  • Day 2 | Friday, Feb 2

    9:00 Worship, Main Speaker, Connection Circles

    12:00 Lunch

    1:30 Workshop Session 1

    3:00 Workshop Session 2

    4:15 Snack Break

    4:45 Workshop Session 3

    6:15 Dinner

    7:30 Extended Worship

  • Day 3 | Saturday, Feb 3

    9:00 Worship, Main Speaker, Connection Circles

    12:00 Summit Concludes

TCKs/Global Families Workshop Track

Hunterwood/Riverchase Main Room

  • Session 1

    Friday, 1:30-2:45

    Fostering the Benefits of the TCK Life

    Lauren Wells

    Global mobility fosters so many unique skills, abilities, and traits in Third Culture Kids that can impact their life in wonderful ways. How those show up in adulthood depends greatly on how we foster them in our TCK's lives throughout their growing up years. We'll look at some specific benefits we'd like to see reaped from the TCK life and how we can help our TCKs to grow into those.

  • Session 2

    Friday, 3:00-4:15

    Turning TCKs Hardships into Resilience

    Lauren Wells

    Children aren’t resilient by default, instead resilience is built by emotionally supportive adults who see hardships as opportunities and lead children through those hardships. We’ll look at how this can be done inside and outside the home.

  • Session 3

    Friday, 4:45-6:00

    Unstacking the Grief Tower

    Lauren Wells

    Grief often stacks up for TCKs like a quickly growing tower. Left unstacked, this leads to unresolved grief and accompanying challenges. When we can help TCKs to unstack their tower proactively, we foster resilience and prevent unprocessed grief. This workshop will give practical tools for processing grief with TCKs using the Grief Tower methodology.

Member Care Workshop Track

Andrew Brown I Meeting Room

  • Session 1

    Friday, 1:30-2:45

    The Family Readiness Discussion

    Faith De La Cour

    They feel called and are in process, yet have they considered what that will mean to the people around them? We will work through a structured conversation used at SIM USA to explore key relationships in future global workers’ lives and ways they can prepare others for their ministry transition. This can be used by church and global outreach team members, agencies during prescreening or predeparture coaching, as well as friends and family.

  • Session 2

    Friday, 3:00-4:15

    Stewarding Yourself and Others

    Jamie Suel

    The House is a tool to guide you as you build an intimate relationship with God and live abundantly. Whether you are feeling a bit off, in a season of healing, just wanting to check in, or are in a season of growth, the House is a tool to help you live in the purpose, freedom, and abundant life Jesus gives. It also provides a framework for checking in on your global workers.

  • Session 3

    Friday, 4:45-6:00

    Unseen Trauma of the Mission Field

    Shonna Ingram

    Step into the world of trauma on the mission field. We'll navigate this journey with a blend of personal experience, trauma-informed wisdom, and cross-cultural perspectives. Join us as we uncover practical tools to support individuals navigating unseen challenges in the mission field.

    Workshop Handout

Soul Care Workshop Track

Andrew Brown III Meeting Room

  • Welcome to what we fondly refer to as a Soul Spa. These workshops are designed to create space for your soul to navigate loss, rest, and celebration—holding space for all three.

  • Session 1

    Friday, 1:30-2:45

    LOSS

    Shonna Ingram

    We will explore the landscape of loss together, as we find comfort and practical wisdom to navigate through each step of the journey. Join us as we embrace the healing process with grace and hope.

    Workshop Handout

  • Session 2

    Friday, 3:00-4:15

    REST

    Amy Young & Joy Beless

    Does this sound familiar? “I was burned out, and the life I had created was consuming all I held valuable.” Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D. If so, this workshop is for you. Even if this isn’t you now, let’s keep it that way.

  • Session 3

    Friday, 4:45-6:00

    CELEBRATION

    Amy Young

    Our God built not just one, but seven feasts into the annual rhythms of Israel. Why then are cross-cultural workers so poor at celebrating? Join us to practice the High Five of Celebration, a model you can start to use right away.

Wholehearted: Healing in Community Track

Andrew Brown II Meeting Room

  • God, a unified community of three persons, created us to become whole people with Him and with others. Join the Chronic Hope + Healing team for a sweet dive into reflections and practices that invite your spirit, soul, and body into a wholistic experience with healing in community!

  • Session 1

    Friday, 1:30-2:45

    RELEASE: Lighten Your Load

    Yvonne Biel

    When Jesus asks the question, “What is it that you want me to do for you?” what comes to mind? The response that rises up is an invitation for you to press into your longings and heartache with Him. Together, we will engage in various spiritual practices to embody the inner heart work of identifying, expressing, and handing burdensome weights to the Lord, in exchange for His offering that is easy and light.

  • Session 2

    Friday, 3:00-4:15

    MEND: Healing Attachment Within Community

    Melissa Crutchfield

    You were created for lasting, secure attachment to God and others, but the Fall disrupted that ultimate reality. This has resulted in insecurity and perpetuates painful dynamics in relationships. Learn how you can move from insecure attachment toward security in the presence of God and community.

  • Session 3

    Friday, 4:45-6:00

    FLOURISH: The Neurotheology* of Walking in Wholeness

    Marie Foote

    What are the necessary elements for breakthrough when spiritual stagnation hits? When you have tried everything and still feel stuck, what hope is there for healing? Let’s dive into the most frequent blocks to healing and which ingredients are necessary for a community that is whole: spiritually, emotionally, relationally, mentally, and even physically. We will engage in spiritual practices taken from The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks. *(Neurotheology is a fancy & fun word for “the brain science of spirituality.” It’s pretty mind-blowing, pun intended!)

Workshop Speakers

  • Lauren Wells

    TCK/Global Families Workshop Track

    Lauren Wells is the founder and CEO of TCK Training and Unstacking Co. Lauren is a sought after international keynote speaker, bringing a gentle approach to challenging topics. She has spoken at over 200 events around the globe. She grew up as a missionary kid in Tanzania, East Africa and is the author of Raising Up a Generation of Healthy Third Culture Kids, The Grief Tower, Unstacking Your Grief Tower, and What Made That Feel So Hard (coming March 2024).

  • Faith De La Cour

    Member Care Workshop Track

    Faith has over 20 years of experience as a leader in global worker care, first in Japan with Asian Access and until her recent retirement, as the Chief People Officer for SIM USA. As a People Care and Leadership mentor, she continues to champion the need for intentional screening, quality preparation, ongoing care, and responsible stewardship of global workers sent by organizations and churches

  • Jamie Suel

    Member Care Workshop Track

    Jamie’s passion is to create space for people to stand in the light of God’s love and grace, throw off what hinders, and live fully the life for which they were created! One of the primary avenues she has been able to do this for the past seven years is through being the Care & Development Director at via (vianations.org). She and her husband and 5 children served in Kenya for 7 years. She now has 3 grandchildren and calls Texas home, but loves getting to travel to visit face-to-face and leading retreats with people serving overseas.

  • Shonna Ingram

    Member Care Workshop Track

    Soul Care Workshop Track

    With 15 years dedicated to missions, Shonna is a seasoned trauma care specialist and trainer. As the founder and director of the Renewed Hope Approach, she created the trauma-informed "Your Path to Renewed Hope" series. Additionally, her expertise extends to helping those who have returned from the field and created the insightful guide, "Your Re-entry Path" series. She is excited to partner with Azmera and to serve women globally.

  • Joy Beless

    Soul Care Workshop Track

    Joy is a worshipper of God and a lover of people. After living overseas and launching four children, Joy started a worship ministry, The Invitation Project, with live worship events and lyric videos for personal and small group worship. As a spiritual director, she encourages others in their spiritual journey by meeting with individuals and hosting solitude retreats. Currently living in the Dallas area – she loves being JoJo to nine grandchildren and leading chapel at a homeless shelter for women and children. She enjoys songwriting and encouraging flowers to grow in the Texas heat

  • Amy Young

    Soul Care Workshop Track

    Amy loves a good story. She served in China for nearly 20 years (plenty of stories there!), cofounded Velvet Ashes, and founded Global Trellis. Her current story involves helping Great Commission workers have tended souls and growing skill sets. Amy has spoken hundreds of times around the globe and has written six books for Great Commission workers including Looming Transitions and Becoming More Fruitful in Cross-Cultural Work. She loves all things Denver Broncos, Kansas Jayhawks, and Diet Coke.

  • Yvonne Biel

    Wholehearted: Healing in Community Workshop Track

    Yvonne Biel is a creative pastoral teacher. She served as a missionary teacher for five years in Vienna, Austria. In her writing and teaching, she loves to create Kingdom encounters to make God accessible to others. She has an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from Denver Seminary and is trained in Spiritual Direction and other faith-based trauma interventions. She can be reached at chronichopeandhealing.com.

  • Melissa Crutchfield

    Wholehearted: Healing in Community Workshop Track

    Melissa Crutchfield was on staff with Cru for over eight years, ministering in Italy, Texas, and Colorado. As an LPC, she walks alongside individuals struggling with spiritual and identity-related trauma. She received her counseling degree from Denver Seminary and is trained in trauma resolution therapy techniques. She writes and teaches on brain science, psychology, spiritual formation, and navigating life challenges with the light of God’s presence. Connect with her at chronichopeandhealing.com.

  • Marie Foote

    Wholehearted: Healing in Community Workshop Track

    Marie Foote learned to love Jesus as a TCK/MK in the Philippines. She fell in love with a handsome decathlete at Biola University her freshman year and they’ve been “Jordan & Marie” ever since. With their two adopted children, their family has lived and served in Colorado since 1998, with five of those years living out Business as Missions in Costa Rica. Her heart is happiest when gathering around tables of all sizes with people of all kinds. She loves to sit as a Truthful Healer with others in the presence of Jesus, while He turns their spaces of regret into places of redemption. Find her at chronichopeandhealing.com.