KS/NE Team Report

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?

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Sarah Arnett, June 23rd 2010 | Posted in Sarah, Team Update

Discouraged?

One of the best things I was ever told was, “Sarah, God’s not trying to trick you.”

I sighed in defeat as I scanned the apartment stuffed full of cardboard moving boxes. It was only 8 in the morning and I could already tell that this was going to be a long day. Matt (my husband) and I had made the decision to move to sunny southern California and now here I stood shoulder deep in our belongings crammed into our new miniature apartment.

Why California you ask? For a job? For family? For fame?

To all of these I say no, except for maybe the last one…if we’re lucky. :) We’ve moved to California for Matt to continue school. Somebody has to be the smart one in this family & I’m just glad God didn’t ask me (I get to be the cool one). Seriously though, with Matt going to school I am left to do the unpacking and so here I stood, in basketball shorts & an old tie dye shirt, surrounded by boxes. As I began to work on the boxes one by one my mind began to work back to how this all began and the faith we never thought would be tested, faith in our call.

Matt and I began to gain a grasp on the fact that God wanted us to move to California for Matt to go to school shortly after we were married. You’d think realizing this was a call God had given us would be enough to spark the courage we lacked, but it wasn’t. Our hearts were too tied to the obstacles that were in front of us to see clearly the faith God desired to build in us. We began to stress and fret. We didn’t see the solutions coming and we were running out of time! We were defeated, or so we felt.

Thinking on all of this I pulled out books and placed them on our bookshelf. About midway through I pulled out a medium sized, blue jean fabric photo album. My pictures from my iGO trip to Ethiopia, Africa. Looking through those photos I began to remember the faith that God had asked of me that summer.

The summer of 2008 I not only traveled to Ethiopia, Africa, but also to Alaska. How stressful it had been to raise funds for two trips. I remember the excitement of wanting to go mixed with the worry of if it was the right decision. Because of this internal conflict I began to question my desire to travel to both places. Did God really want me to go? If he had indeed called me to go this summer why was this so hard and uncomfortable? I began to become defeated.

When I become discouraged or worried I find the best thing I can do for the situation is to ground myself. I take a step back and try to separate how I feel from what I know. I felt like God was distant and because he was distant I was in the wrong place with this decision (Which can be true sometimes, but not always). I needed to know the facts. Facts like, God desires for good to come to me, not harm. (Ps. 23) God wants me to succeed. (2 Tim. 4:17) God is not indecisive, he knows what he wants for me. (Jer. 29:11)

These facts ground me into the thought of, “If all of this is fact (which it is) then I can state as a fact, God wants me to go.” Knowing that God wants me to go makes all the difference. When I knew that I want to go AND God wanted me to go, I turned a corner. I realized that even though it may be a hard, awkward, uncomfortable, faith stretching mess, I was going do it. I was going to work hard to succeed all the way up to the last moment.

So as I closed the scrapbook and looked out over the apartment, reminded of the internal struggle to have faith in God’s decisions for my (our) life. I must continuously balance emotions with facts, struggling to remind myself that God believes in me and so I should believe in myself. I can do this. I can work hard and try every option because he’s proud of me and is in my corner, and when I get there I can do well and be a success.

If God has called you to go this summer and it gets hard, if it seems like it’s not going to work or you don’t think you’re ready for it, remember, He will be with you. He is not trying to trick you.

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Sarah Arnett, April 26th 2010 | Posted in Sarah

Who’s Your Favorite iGosian?

As many of you know, iGosia brings with it many interesting features - most notably, its people. Below we’ve highlighted four of our favorites (check out the bios underneath the pictures) and we want you to vote for YOUR favorite iGosian! You may very well have encountered this very iGosian at Base Camp this summer. If so, be sure to leave a comment about your experience.

dani-bo-banni

1.  The Fake Bus Pass Salesperson  If you’re looking for the “bus to iGosia” you’ve come to the wrong place. Despite any promises she may make, her ticket will only grant you access to a “bus tour iGosia” As if selling you a worthless bus pass was not enough, she refuses to negotiate pricing with anyone. Offering anything less than 5 iGo will result in a verbal reprimanding with such intensity that it may bring you to tears.

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2. Almost a Security Guard  After being rejected as a real security guard and being denied the official black shirt, she has made it her ambition to prove herself by enforcing food laws during the culture meal. Note the baggy clothes and intense facial expression as she tries to look bigger and tougher than she actually is. She doesn’t necessarily enjoy inflicting pain on American thieves and stooges, but she is willing to do whatever it takes to prove herself in order to become a real iGosian security guard.

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3.  The Non-Salesman  Most iGosians at the market will go to great lengths to get you to buy their products, but not him. He has made it his sole priority to remind foreign customers at the market that certain products are “No for Sale.” Regardless of whether or not you try to purchase an item from him, you will certainly know before the closing of the market that his items cannot be purchased.

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4.  Silent Salesperson  This mysterious woman is known for the unexplainable swings in her pricing of certain items and the fact that she never talks…ever. Several theories have arisen as to why nobody as ever heard her speak. It could be: 1. The result of a physical condition. 2 Insecurity due to her inadequate English. 3. An attempt to make herself seem even more mysterious. 4. An extra means of evasiveness to prevent people from trying to negotiate pricing.

Vote for your favorite iGosian!

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2 Comments

Emily Martin, November 6th 2009 | Posted in Base Camp, Funny, Jonathan, Ky, Sarah