In honor of Valentine’s Day and the 2011 mascot, we wanted to send a special message from our staff to you:
The Countdown Continues…2003
2003 began with us doubling the size of our staff. We went from one to two full time staff members. Brad Cardwell joined the team after a series of meetings. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted Brad to join us, but that was only because I didn’t want to be held responsible for messing up his life. We still didn’t know if this whole idea was actually going to work. However, we both came to an agreement that God was calling him to do this, and we stepped out on faith once again. Kent Jones was around as well that year, but he was technically working for The Go Foundation, a ministry partner. He spent the majority of that year on a bus with Mercy Me with The Go Show tour calling students to go global.
We also left our office at Lake Point Church that year and moved into an office building in Rockwall, Texas. Brad and I shared one small office in that building for half of the year, which was perfect for us since we only had one computer and two small desks. We didn’t even have a printer. One of my favorite memories of that year was checking Brad’s new iWitness email account since we only had the one computer. Sometimes I would answer his email for him when I knew the answer and it was quick. I would sign it Bradster and let him proof it before I sent it. I watched his eyes and when I saw him read his name, I would click send before he could do anything about it. I am still waiting for him to see the humor in that.
God also began rewarding our efforts that summer by sending us more students. When it was over, we had mobilized 60 students that year, almost double the number from our first two summers combined. But He didn’t make it easy. He had more lessons for us to learn and challenges for us to watch Him overcome.
When our staff thinks about 2003, we think about SARS. Maybe you remember something about that, maybe you don’t. It was basically the Swine Flu of 2003, but it was almost exclusively isolated in Asia. While no big deal to most of the Western world, it became a huge factor for a young ministry preparing to send teams to Asia. As the summer drew close, we began to realize that our team headed to East Asia needed to be relocated. With about a month before departure, we were introduced to some M’s in Thessaloniki, Greece that were willing and able to host our team on such short notice. Looking back at the end of that summer, it was interesting to see all the similarities in that team and the small team Paul led in Acts 16 and 17. Some of those similarities are better left unwritten, and I’m sure that team would agree.
After finally getting the college team settled, SARS showed up in Taiwan, where one of our high school teams was scheduled to serve. (This team, was actually first recruited to serve in Russia, but were moved when authorities in that area of Russia closed some doors.) With a little over three weeks left, we made the call to move this team as well. Once again, God connected us with an M who was just crazy enough to say yes to hosting this team in Cologne, Germany. And when I say crazy, what I mean is he was in the process of moving his family to Cologne. He moved to Cologne the same week that our team showed up.
This was such a huge lesson for us regarding the sovereignty of God. Russian authorities and respiratory viruses are all at His disposal to accomplish His purposes. He used all of that and more to connect us with a new friend in Germany. In fact, our JSI program was named after this M partner, and we still work closely with him today. But that part of the story will come in the next few weeks, as the countdown to our 10th Anniversary Celebration continues. I hope you will tune in next week as we continue to demonstrate this clear and constant theme: God has faithfully sustained, grown, and developed this ministry every step of the way.
At some point during this decade it seems that most of our pictures from 2003 were misplaced. We do have a good selection from our Japan high school team (Japan was not affected significantly by SARS). You can view those pics right here.
In addition, we thought it might be fun to show you some of the logos and artwork we have used over the past 10 years as well. Feel free to comment on these gems as you view them here.
Warrior Dash Pics
An estimated 18,000 people proved their warrior status at the two day event this weekend in Forney, TX. Among these were six of our staff and several friends.
“It was the craziest freaking day of my life,” said Shu. “We all looked like new born giraffes out in that mud. You could NOT stand up. The coolest part was how every part of my body was hurting until I stopped running and then I felt fine.”
Ky said, “The coolest part was the mud slide - you get cooking on that thing. It was just like going down a water slide. Another fun part was when you swam over the logs and got out of the water and felt refreshed - ready to go again.”
“Hopefully we’ll make this an annual tradition and more friends and staff can join us next yaer,” said Allison.
Below are some of the pics Allison took during the event:
Staff Meeting Video
We decided to record one of our staff meetings for the three people that read our blog and who might wonder what a day in the iGo office is like. None of this is planned, staged, scripted or any other synonym you can think of. We tried to filter through the boring stuff. Hope you enjoy the ridiculousness that is our staff:
The day Allison edited this video was the SAME day we found our new office! Praise the Lord! Be praying for us as we transition to the new location in Wylie.
It’s a Girl!
That’s right. The Cardwells found out they’re having a girl. No name has been officially decided upon, so keep your suggestions coming!
Boy or Girl??
The beautiful Cardwell family is expecting!! Yep, that’s right! (Hopefully we can post more of their incredible story later.)
They are going to the doctor to find out if it’s a boy or girl today and we want your guesses! Let us know if you think it’s going to be a boy or girl AND what you think they should name the baby. Most creative or most accurate may even win a sweet prize! Post your guesses/suggestions as a comment here along with your full name. Be creative!
Living Missionally?
Summer has ended and now you are back home and back into your daily routine. For some of you, this might feel like a relief, but for some of you it doesn’t feel right at all. You miss the pace of ministry you experienced this summer. You miss the smells, the food, the people, and especially your like-minded team. Regardless of how you feel, your mission hasn’t changed. God hasn’t changed. His work has not been put on hold. He is still building His church and He is still gathering people from the “four winds” TODAY. So, how do you stay in tune with the Spirit and on mission even though your surroundings have changed and you may “feel” different?
Paul gave a young preacher dude named Timothy some great advice and caution in 1 Timothy 4:16. You are probably familiar with verse 12 “Let no one despise you for your youth…” but I think the most potent advice from Paul comes in verse 16…”Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
“Keep a close watch on yourself…”
If you “feel” like your summer trip has somehow magically transported you to a new level of Christianity that few others can obtain, then you are in for a serious crash. A crash that will hurt, confuse and discourage BOTH you AND those around you. Paul wouldn’t have told Timothy to keep a close watch on himself if he didn’t think that Timothy had the potential to be HIS OWN WORST ENEMY! Throughout Scripture we see this phrase, “Guard your heart” or “watch yourself”. You can’t trust your feelings or your emotions. You CAN’T trust YOU. And the Bible tells us that the only way to guard your heart is with Scripture and with the people of God – the church.
Let others hold you accountable, whether they are one of your team members or someone at your church. Ask other Godly voices in your life questions like: “Do you think I am walking humbly with God?” (Micah 6:8), “Am I thinking and seeking the kingdom before my own wants and desires?” (Matt. 6:33), “Do I seek justice for those around me that are oppressed?” (James 1:27), “Do you ever hear Scripture out of my mouth and do I seem to have an appetite for the Word and for others to know truth?” (1 Timothy 4:13). If you are finding it difficult to stay on mission or if you are having trouble re-engaging your campus…WATCH YOURSELF.
“…and on the teaching.”
We threw a lot of teaching at you this summer. You were given a survival guide and some of you even took some notes - which is good because half of you were too hungry, angry and frustrated to hear much of the teaching! All of our teaching during Base Camp was drawn from the Word. Do you remember ANY of it? Time for a refresher course on what you learned? Look back over the verses in your survival guide. Read them and study them again and again. If you don’t “keep a close watch” on what you’ve been taught, you will forget it and drift from it, guaranteed. Just because you sat through the teaching times without falling asleep (well, at least most of you), doesn’t mean that it’s a part of your life.
“… you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
Keeping a close watch on yourself and what you’ve been taught, not only grows your faith in God and His Gospel, but it impacts those around you. Be careful to watch yourself. Be careful to remember what you’ve learned. And don’t let this summer’s experiences end with YOU. Let it pour out onto others and be ready to humbly explain what you’ve learned and what you’ve seen this summer. Be intentional and live missionally.
It’s always such an encouragement for us to hear from students, year after year, how the Core Values finally dawn on you – sometimes not till November or March of the next year! Keep us updated on how the Word and your experience this summer have changed you at home.