Reflections
Our students started the week in Igosia. This is a fictional country that the iGo team uses to ready students to serve on a foreign mission field. They read you for everything from customs, to sharing the gospel across cultures. It can be an intense and even some times frustrating experience, but it has some very valuable things it teaches the students. Probably my favorite principle both years I’ve done Igosia was “how round can you get.”
In the picture, you see the home culture, your culture on the left and the culture you are trying to reach on your right. The idea is to challenge students (or anyone) to get as close to the host culture as possible. This means learning some of the language, it means acting the right way, it means learning about the culture. It can effect dress, body language, even things like when to wear a hat. We challenged the students to get as close to German as possible. To learn to do things as German as possible to give yourself maximum opportunity to share the gospel with someone.
This really made me think about our mission back home. Regardless of your age, there are people back at home not like you. They are of another generation, ethnicity, or whatever, they’re just a little different than you, how much like them can you become to reach them. Does this mean we change ourselves for the sake of the gospel, yes, I think it does. Not morally or theologically, but practically, yes I think we are all called to be missionaries even when we are right there in our home town.
Following Our Progress
Days 1-3 were training and travel We flew to Dallas first where we participated in our Igosian training with about 70 people from other churches. This was especially great this year as one of the Igosian trainers was one of our very own, Johnnie Sullivan is spending her summer working for iGo.
On day 3 we flew to Germany via Spain. It was a busy travel day, fortunately our flights went smoothly. Our only hitch was that two of us did not get our luggage. We landed in Germany and spent the afternoon trying to stay awake and meeting part of the team we are partnered with in Germany.
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for us as we get ready for our ministry days.
Please pray for those whose luggage has yet to arrive.
