10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet

iSend Project

The following update was sent to us recently by L, a student currently serving in South East Asia with one of our teams. Because of security reasons, the names will be represented by first initial only.

Dear Friends -

I want you all to know I am so thankful for you all and your prayers. I am lifting you up. I love this country; the stars, the mountains, the taxis, the culture, it’s all so laid back. It is a blessing and honor to get to work with and know the missionaries here - they are wonderful people. The local Christians are another blessing I cannot believe. To get to hear their life stories and the things they have undergone for the sake of His name is incredible.

Father has led us to meet some great people and has given us amazing opportunities. Be in prayer for P, a monk in a temple we have visited. Father is moving in this man’s heart. O is also someone specifically to be praying for. He is a friend of the missionaries here and there are great things happening in his heart as well.

And then there is S, someone Father led us to directly. The team was on our way to a temple but somewhere along the way, we got lost. After checking the map we finally found our way, or so we thought. After making it to the temple we realized that this particular temple was not even our map, we had made it to a different one by mistake. What a blessing it turned out to be! Here is where we met S and an entire group of people eager to learn English. They asked us to come and teach them everyday. This seems to be a wide open door for the team here to share the gospel and we are praying about what this should look like. Father is so big and so good.

Don’t be mistaken however; this is a country of darkness trying to resist the light. Tomorrow 300 youths will be ordained as Buddhist novices, on their way to becoming monks, and there will also be 4 monks ordained. A novice told me today that one of his precepts to follow is that he is not allowed to sing! Oh that the Father would put a new song in his mouth! Pray for this generation. Pray that this generation would not walk in the way of their fathers but that they would be a generation set apart to Him.

In John 14-16 Jesus says over and over again that whatever we ask in His name, He will do it. Please join me in asking Him to faithfully direct yours and our paths daily to the people He would have for us to share with. He will do it. He will do it for His glory and for our joy! (John 15:1-11)

We will leave in a week to go trek. We will be out 3 weeks. I anticipate this being hard for me in every way. But I also anticipate it being good in every way. Please pray for me, specifically pray 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. I really do need your prayers during this time. Thank you.

- L

Two weeks ago I boarded a plane to Tokyo, Japan with 30 other iGosians from Kansas & Nebraska. None of us knew the plans God had for us or the ways he was going to use our desire to ‘Make Him Famous’ in those ten days.

Throughout our time in Tokyo God consistently reminded us of how everything is in his control and works to bring him glory. Several of us had many significant conversations through 5ME (five minute English). One of the greatest things about 5ME was getting to see everyone develop their stories. At the beginning of the week so many of us encountered people that knew absolutely nothing about the Bible or Jesus Christ. When asked they would respond, “No, I don’t understand.” Everyone had to find new ways to explain what Christ had done for us without the typical “church lingo.” (ex: saved, sin, Jesus, bible, Christian, ect.) It was so life-changing to have to struggle through my own story of how Christ changed my life and why I am a Christian. It became even more real and personal all over again. Getting to see the students going through the same life-changing experience was epic. We will never be the same.

God used us in Tokyo two weeks ago to prayer walk and pass out material. He used us to have great conversations with people on the trains, in coffee shops, and at the parks. We were willing to make new friends and are still talking to some of them with the intent of “sharing the gospel as well as life” with them. We visited some of the tallest buildings in Tokyo and prayed over the whole city. We even got the opportunity to visit the largest temple in the city where we saw people seeking a false god. It was easy to see God’s grace being poured out among a people desperately seeking truth. God showed us his love for the people of Tokyo, but he also showed us his deep love for us.

We have seen that God is in control and he is working his will in Japan so that in his perfect time his name will be known everywhere. What a day that will be when Japan becomes known as a country that follows Christ. Would you join us in praying for this incredibly large unreached people group?

Dear Diary,

When you imagine Kansas do you think of tractors, wheat fields and tornados? I do. Surprisingly, that’s pretty accurate. Except for the tornado, we’re still waiting on one of those to show up, but the rainy weather might help that along. The staff and interns all have secret aspirations of becoming storm chasers.

The ride up to Kansas was 9 hours in a mini van with not much to do. When the scenery outside is mainly plains and scattered trees you are left with two options: talk to each other or dance. Our van chose the latter. The only thing more exciting than watching Caleb and Allison coin new dance moves was the toll stop in Kansas when both of our vehicles were attacked by a swarm of over 100 bees. No one knows where they came from or why they felt compelled to dive bomb into our windows, but they did. As a whole, I think we were more freaked out by the other cars staring at us in shock as if we had somehow caused the bee attack than the actual bee attack itself.

Arriving and unpacking the trailer was easier than it looked, especially since everyone was exhausted and ready to get to bed. Waking up the next morning was when the fun really began! Once the students arrived, energy was at its peak and everyone’s game face was on.  In a strange way it was exciting to see folders and notebooks and pens handed out to students and their parents and know all the mundane office work we did throughout the week being put to good use.

This was only a shadow of enjoyment compared to taking on the roles of the inexplicably cranky employees of the iGosian airport, or the ridiculously excited members of the iGosian people waiting outside the airport for American travelers. We always strive to remember that the attitudes and pestering questions serve a greater purpose - preparing the teams for what they might face on the field. As always, we had a lot of fun with this Kansas team.

The remainder of the day has been much more calm than yesterday, aside from the iGosian celebratory dance early this morning, which if you haven’t done, you definitely need to learn.

Overall the base camp thus far has been, in the opinion of this intern, a success. Worship has been amazing - Jourdan Burkes and Kristen Massey are amazing with the music thing. The teachings by Brad and AC are really challenging the students - and I’m always challenged as well.

Be praying for the students as they leave Tues morning at 3 am - they have a big journey ahead of them. We’ll be leaving shortly after that, pray we’re not too exhausted on the ride home, we need energy for more dance parties!

See you back in Texas!

Love,

Jimmy

Ingredients: (Makes 1 dozen)
2 large Cucumbers
12 large Tomatoes
2 large tub sour cream
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Wash all vegetables.
2. Hollow out tomatoes so they look like this:

3. Dice the cucumbers in small pieces, about this big:

4. Stuff tomatoes with cucumbers.
5. Top with sour cream.
6. Garnish with a piece of tomato & cucumber.
7. Invite friends over to share.
8. Eat. Enjoy.

Having a Christian World View means that we make sense of the world through the lens of Scripture. More specifically, we make sense of creation by first understanding the Creator. We should be careful to always begin with God and understand how creation reflects Him. If we do this backwards (start with creation and THEN move towards God to explain Him) we are in danger of skewing Him to make Him fit in our world and in effect, creating an idol. So what does it mean to make sense of the world through the lens of Scripture?

One good example of this is relationships - almost all relationships stem from the Trinity. We have societies because God is a society.

In the Trinity we receive the foundation for relationships like:

1. Parents and children (Exodus 20:12)

2. Church members and church leaders (Hebrews 13:17)

3. Government authorities and citizens (Romans 13:1)

4. Husbands and wives (Ephesians 5:24)

Because of our fallen state, it is difficult to imagine any kind of authoritative relationship that is absent of bitterness, frustration, and animosity. Those things exist in our earthly relationships not because authority is bad, but because we are bad. However, the concepts of authority and equality are grounded in the Trinity.

These two words cannot co-exist in some cultures. Some believe that difference in role implies difference in value, importance, and worth as well. As Christians, however, we believe that authority and equality often exist simultaneously in the same relationship. We should not brush past this or take it for granted.

We find these two qualities existing simultaneously in the Trinity. The Father has authority over the Son. John 6:38 says, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” See also John 3:16, John 12:49. In this relationship, the Son willingly and joyfully submits to the Father. They are equally God, equally important, equally valuable - but there is authority in the midst of their equality.

In all of the relationship examples listed above we see both authority (one is to submit to the other) along with equality (one does not exceed the other in worth, value, or importance). This is just one of many examples of how creation reflects the Creator.

Our explanation of things around us should be different than that of the world. Are you making sense of earthly realities by looking at heavenly truths?

Meet this year’s Jimmys:

Caleb: “I am the loudest and proudest member of the fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2013!”

Kara: “I once met George Bush. The one with the W.”

Rene: “My name (Rene Fenner) is almost the same spelled backwards.”

Rachel: “I’ve camped out on top of Mt Sinai.”

Jordan: “I once scuba-dived where Moses walked.”

Jared: “At the age of 22, I still love reading comic books.”

Malachi is a great book. Very underrated, often overlooked, and God has used it to challenge some things in my life in profound ways. It’s sort of a dialogue between God and his people through his prophet, Malachi.

The book starts with one of the most controversial topics in scripture: Election. It talks about God choosing Jacob (or Israel) and rejecting Esau. While there are definitely election themes present, the point of this section is not whether some are elect or not, but rather that God loves Israel passionately.

Verses 4-5 say that even if Edom builds itself up, God will destroy it, and the people will see this and say, “The Lord is great, even beyond the borders of Israel.” The point here is that God is not only over his own people, Israel. He is over absolutely everything. He is the King, and nothing is outside of his control and influence.

To put it another way, absolutely everything moves in response to the Lord. Whether they claim to be his or not, everything moves in response to him. Everything.

When the Israelites left Egypt, finally released from slavery, Exodus 12:35-36 says, “The Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord gave the people such favor in the Egyptians’ sight that they gave them what they requested. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.”

There was no battle. There was no looting or stealing. There was God, acting on behalf of his people, turning the hearts of the Egyptians, people who had set themselves against Him, causing them to give freely to the Israelites. Israel didn’t have to do anything to coerce this. And God did not crush them in order to take it. He moved their hearts and caused them to willingly participate in their own plundering…because everything moves in response to Him.

As we send hundreds of students all over the planet each summer we, and they, face some difficult questions about the work and the harvest. It can be overwhelming to think about whether we will see people come to faith and what happens to those we meet after we leave. But understanding that everything moves in response to Him frees us. We don’t bring in the harvest. People and things do not move in response to us. But they do move in response to the one who created them and has access to their hearts. He brings in the harvest.

While we don’t have the power to change people, situations, or nations, God does. As we go this summer, and every other day or our lives, we live in this unique relationship and task where God has asked us only to sow seeds faithfully, pray with endurance, and watch him for the results. He will handle the harvest. Everything moves in response to Him.

I still remember back in my elementary school days when I didn’t want anyone to know my nickname. The reason was mainly because I didn’t know anyone else in the world with the name “Rowdy!” Everyone in my family called me by that name, but I insisted that everyone at school call me by my first name. It’s a funny thing as you look back on it. Not only was the name “different,” but in so many ways it wasn’t my true personality – at least to those that didn’t know the real me. My family would tell you the name fit, but even at an early age, I was pretty reserved around people that I didn’t know too well.

Fast forward a few years to today and I find myself in a new office around mostly people that I’m just now getting to know. They all call me “Rowdy” and I’m fine with that. As a matter of fact, I even introduce myself as Rowdy to new people here in Dallas. It’s sorta weird for me as I’ve grown up introducing myself as James. When it comes down to it, I’ll answer to either one.

Back in the day (the 90’s), when I was trying to figure out a “cool” email address to use, I thought I’d use “Rowdy!” The email provider at the time had already assigned that name to someone, so I had to come up with something clever…

In 1998, I attended the Passion Conference in Austin, Texas. At that conference, God did a unique work in my heart that ultimately has brought me to work here at iGo today. At Passion, I was introduced to the “theme” verse, Isaiah 26:8. I remember Louie Giglio saying that it wasn’t just a “theme,” but more like a “life” verse for the Passion Conferences. As a reminder of how God was working in my life at the time, I took on the 268 as a life verse as well and thus, I solved my email dilemma! So from that point on, it’s been “rowdy268” for my email address and more importantly, my life.

A couple of days ago, I was reading about how Francis Chan was leaving his church to follow God’s call on his life. Francis shared that he wasn’t exactly sure what God was calling him to next, he just new it was his time to go. He made this statement, “I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t go…” That reminded me of how God led me to work here at iGo. During one of the teaching sessions at Passion, Louie taught on Isaiah 26:8 and made this statement “What other word do you put before the word “Lord” except “Yes?” Over the years, that word sank deep into my bones and I spent many years not only teaching that to students, but trying to model that for them as well. Then it happened. God called. I had been telling students all this time “When God calls, if He is Lord, then the answer has to be YES.” You can’t say “No” to God and him still be LORD. You can’t even say “Maybe” and him still be LORD. The only response when God confronts you and asks something of you is YES!

When God called I had many fears, but down deep, I knew that when God calls, He provides. In those first few weeks, I wrestled with how I would respond to this new journey. At the end of the day, it was important for my students to see me lead with integrity. How could I continue to lead them if I said “No” or even “Maybe?” I even found myself thinking I could say “No” as none of the students even knew that I was going through this struggle. That would have been the easy way. Saying “YES” to God would be hard…it meant change, submission, and raising our own support. I probably could have said “No” and gone on like nothing ever happened…but in reality, I would have lost my ability to lead the students. As believers, we are expected to not only speak the truth, but also, live the truth! I would have also failed to allow God to have the glory in providing for us in the call, and to me, that was a much bigger issue. So my answer was a simple, “YES”, and looking back, I see students who are saying “YES,” not because of me, but because they want God to get the glory too.

What about you? When God calls you to be a part of something, what is your answer?