Applications for our 2014 summer trips are already starting to arrive at the iGo Global World Wide Headquarters. Students at Super Summer in Texas and Kansas along with students at Falls Creek have stepped up and the process has begun.

What about you? It could be that you are still trying to decide if one of next summer’s trips is for you. Maybe you are still having conversations with your parents. Whatever the case, we want to help. So this week we will spend time on our blog giving you some Reasons to Go. Tune in daily and join the conversation.

The world we live in is not safe. Try as we might to protect and guard and insulate we simply can’t come up with a guarantee of safety. Such a thing does not exist.

Even so, we strive for it. We make choices as if there is nothing more important than our comfort and our safety. 9/11 happened a few months after our first iGo team served overseas. And everyone took a step backwards. Suddenly we were more aware than ever before that the world wasn’t safe, so we decided that going overseas was pretty much out of the question.

Which doesn’t make much sense. If there are no safe places, then why wouldn’t we embrace risk? If I can’t guarantee my safety when I stay at home , then why not consider getting on a plane and joining the mission of God?

Here’s an even bigger question: What if God values obedience more than He does my safety and comfort? What if God really does want us to continue the mission no matter what the world situation looks like?

“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,” Acts 20:22

Paul said this about his plans to head to Jerusalem. He goes on to say that the Holy Spirit has told him that he would endure hardships and imprisonment there. But he is going anyway. Why? He is constrained. He has chosen to be obedient no matter what. If you and I are going to fully engage the mission of God to rescue and redeem people from every nation, tribe, and tongue we are going to have to embrace this truth. We are going to have to embrace some risk. We are going to have to value obedience more than our personal comfort.

God is calling a generation to make Him famous. It might be difficult. It might not work out. It might be dangerous. But He is still calling.

Please don’t get  me wrong. We aren’t here to take risks just so we can say we took risks. We aren’t looking for the most dangerous and hostile places on the planet where we can send students. At iGo we do everything we can to ensure the safety of our teams knowing that there are no guarantees. We aren’t called to be reckless.

What we are talking about is obedience. And obedience to God’s command to declare His glory to the nations will always have some risk involved. There will always be a “not knowing what will happen” element to the journey. And that kind of obedience will always be greater than our comfort. No matter what.

Are you willing to leave your comfort zone to join in God’s amazing work among the nations? What is holding you back? What questions do you have?