I once heard my friend Drew Worsham say these wise words, “This one illusion I’m going to do is going to blow everyone’s mind. In fact, Nick Watts will probably just stand up and start screaming. But in order to pull it off, I’m going to need a volunteer.”

Ok, so that wasn’t what you might call words of wisdom, but they did end up being right on target. But the truth is that I can’t remember seeing Drew, or even a lesser skilled magician not use volunteers as part of their show. It seems like a requirement of some sort; it’s probably chapter two of the Magic for Dummies book.

One thing that has always been interesting to me is how enthusiastically people will volunteer in response to a plea from magicians. Of course, some of those are simply glory hounds looking for their 15 minutes of fame. No matter the motive, people are consistently quick to volunteer when it comes to helping out magicians.

I guess one of the reasons this fact is perplexing is realizing people are so eager to look like a fool. Now I am not saying that magicians, illusionists, mentalists, and other assorted tricksters are intentionally trying to make volunteers look like fools. But from where I sit, with my hands firmly down by my side, that seems to be the end result.

Think about it. Volunteering doesn’t suddenly give you magician’s assistant status. You don’t get to go behind the scenes and learn how they do these tricks. You just get to stand up on stage and be the one completely baffled in front of the rest of the baffled masses. Only instead of being fooled from a distance, you couldn’t figure it out when it happened right in front of your face.

So we at iGo have turned the tables on this whole type of volunteering. In iGosia, our volunteers are treated with the upmost respect and admiration. Our volunteers do get behind the scenes access. They are actually the ones on the inside fooling the students we are training.

What could be better than this? You get to satisfy your desire to be a volunteer for something. At the same time, you get to help us unveil all our iGosian tricks. Sort of like a magician’s assistant. And you get to harass some high school and college students…for Christ of course.

It may not be your 15 minutes of fame, but it definitely is instrumental in our work to make Him famous.

Volunteer for Base Camp today. For more info, visit our Base Camp page. You can also contact Crystal Meeker at crystal(at)igoglobal(dot)org.

There are many reasons we Texans remember the Alamo. It is part of our heritage, part of what identifies us as a people, part of our legendary beginning. Remembering this amazing story isn’t just for proud citizens of The Republic, however. The story of the Alamo is one that defines the American spirit.

It is historical fact that those 182 men held off the Mexican army of 5000+ for 13 days giving Sam Houston time to prepare for the surprise defeat of Santa Anna to come. It’s amazing on so many levels, starting with the offer by Colonel Travis for anyone not willing to die there to leave while they could. Only one left. The rest stayed knowing that they wouldn’t make it out. And they died on this date (March 6), in 1836. Remember the Alamo!

Many of the men in the Alamo, while considered the first Texans, were not born in Texas. They had come to Texas to settle, to start a new life, to help establish a new country. They were volunteers. Davy Crockett and his group came from Tennessee to die in the Alamo fight. The University of Tennessee still reminds us of this story with their mascot being the Vols, short for Volunteers.

The truth is that great things rarely happen without the assistance of volunteers. The legend of the Alamo is definitely enhanced by the truth that the men who died there didn’t have to be there. They volunteered.

Here comes the transition you have been waiting for, maybe even wondering about.

iGosia needs volunteers. We aren’t asking you to come over here and die at the hands of an enemy army, but we are asking you to come be part of something great. Over the course of the summer, we will hold five different Base Camps. Three in Texas, one in Kansas, and one in Oklahoma. This is where we train our students for their cross-cultural mission experience. It’s also where we begin helping them embrace a life on mission.

Volunteers are the secret to our success. We need volunteers to pull off the cross-cultural simulation of iGosia. We need volunteers to help things run smoothly. We need volunteers to make sure our teams are trained and mobilized with the maximum amount of effectiveness. We need you.

For all the information you need about Base Camp and a handy little volunteer sign up form, please visit the Base Camp page on our website. You can also contact Crystal “Pistol” Schibler at crystal(AT)igoglobal(DOT)org.

Thanks for volunteering.

Pilgrimage (pil-gruh-mij) (noun) a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion

Annually a group of iGosians make an early June pilgrimage to Webster Conference Center, which is just outside Salina, Kansas.

(Side Note - The exact whereabouts of WCC in relation to Salina have been in question among iGosians for years. Legend at one time passed down from Aaron Clayton to K/N Coordinator Sarah was that the camp is far away from civilization, much like the rest of Kansas. As a result it was generally believed that arriving at the WCC pretty much cut you off from the rest of the known world, or at least places to eat and shop. Attempts were made in 2011 to put this legend to rest by actually showing K/N Coordinator Sarah that Salina is much closer than the legend-makers would have her believe. We shall soon see if the new information prevails.)

This Kansas pilgrimage is slowly becoming a true rite of passage for iGosians. Therefore, we offer you this checklist of Must-See/Must-Do items as you plan your own journey.

1. The Crossing. Passengers in the caravan must fight the urge to slumber during the early stages of the trip. It won’t be long before you cross a river that is “all crazy and red” (Crystal Meeker, circa 2009). This crossing marks two significant events. First, it marks the leaving behind of the Great Republic of Texas. The highway quality deteriorates almost immediately along with everything else. iGosian Pilgrims must brace themselves for this depressing reality. Second, it marks the passing by of one of the more famous towns in all of iGosia - Say it with me please, Thaaaaaaaaaaaackerville!

2. Getting there is most of the fun. Some weaker iGosians have slept through much of the trip, however this is not advised. Fuel management issues, smoked almonds, Mat Kearney on repeat, surly and uncaring Braum’s employees, van vs. iGosian near-misses, extreme inner-vehicle heat waves, and a Kansas landscape filled with chain link fences make this an adventure to remember.

3. T-Mac. T-Mac is the man for Kansas and Nebraska or wherever he might be found. Your Base Camp Bravo experience will never be complete without shaking this man’s hand and gleaning his wisdom over a cup of coffee or perhaps a cold cut deli bar.

4. The WCC. Webster Conference Center has a checklist of its own. First, make sure you take some rock-star photos using your reflection in the giant windows. Next, look for snakes, which do not look at all like badgers. Despite what Ky may say, do not pick them up. Number C, look out for some of iGosia’s largest mosquitoes. Fourth, try to hug Phil, Keeper of the Cafeteria. Very few have tried this feat. None have been successful. And finally, step lightly around WCC Director Bill when he joins the iGosian Security team. He will be exercising his right to bear arms in full view. After that, feel free to talk to him. He is a great guy, but he will most likely still be armed.

5. Don’t rush off. These students from Kansas and Nebraska may be small in number, but they continually produce quality teams and future leaders. Get to know them. Spend as much time as you can with them. Besides, if you leave too soon, you will never forget the look of despair on Sarah’s face as you drive away.

Many others have made this pilgrimage over the years. What other Must See/Must Do items need to be added to this list? Hit the comment button and let us know.

As many of you know, our office interns (Jimmy) work really hard throughout the summer helping us with lots of things that help us create a great base camp and a great summer for our teams. The following was written last night (Monday night) and is their perspective on the Kansas Base Camp that was held this weekend:

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