Speaker of the Week: Johhnie Hampton
“Let me start out with a scripture that has been a milestone in my life, Proverbs 3:5&6 – ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight,’” John Hampton, the founder of Hampton Creative said. It was a refreshing introduction as Mr. Hampton approached the interns to speak this year (his 2nd year in a row). Before a list of accomplishments or achievements, before establishing some sort of recognition with the group, he simply stated what God has meant to him. “Trust in God,” he said as he began to unfold his life story. Moving on in the conversation, he talked about dreams and repeatedly centered on this one statement: “Don’t allow yourself to get offended. When God gives you a dream, it might be something that has never been done before and there will be any number of people that will tell you- ‘You can’t do it.’” As the interns focused on our guest, he continued, “Remember these important first two statements and don’t let the world form you into its mold; if God has something for you that the world doesn’t know yet, be obedient to Him.” After several life testimonies affirming God’s faithfulness, he finished with one more principle- “Know what season of life you are in”. Similar to what Mr. Harrison said when he shared with the interns, Mr. Hampton swept over the importance of seeing life for the season that you are in. Finishing, he once again attested to God’s faithfulness with a testimony from his personal life and the scripture, Romans 8:28 –
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Interns outreach featured on News Channel 6!
TULSA, Oklahoma — A group of Tulsa students set out on a mission recently to inspire others. The students created “Sticky Inspiration,” an outreach that left sticky notes with inspirational quotes in locations around town.
The students left sticky notes on cars, bare walls, grocery store shelves and their local Starbucks – anywhere they thought people might see the notes and find some inspiration.
“The student’s vision and desire is that people will be impacted through these notes of inspiration and therefore be inspired to think beyond what they were thinking for that day,” said Lindsey Clark of Go International, a non-profit organization that focuses on helping people in creative ways. The students are interns with the humanitarian organization.
Click here to read the article.
Speaker of the Week: Jamie Saunders
This past week, Jamie Saunders, an international missionary and consultant, sat down with the interns and simply discussed their dreams with them. Taking their questions and providing very knowledgeable feedback, he helped the interns visualize their dreams and goals in an enthusiastic and practical manner. Although many subjects crossed the discussion table, there were a couple of key points that were made many times: No matter what dream you have, simple or complex, there is a key ingredient we all need for it’s success- money. Knowing this from personal experience, Mr. Saunders followed with a second, more compelling statement: “With or without money, you’ll always need the Creative Process. Even if you had money, without the creative process, you would probably spend the money on things you don’t need,” he continued. In return to all of his helpful questions, the interns began directing some of their own towards Mr. Saunders. After carefully answering them, he finished his time by telling the team stories from his life and once again encouraging the interns to pursue their dreams. It was a refreshing time, reminding the team of their value and their responsibility in this life.
Speaker of the Week: Greg Fritz
“I want to talk to you about the value of the Word of God in your life,” Greg Fritz said. For his second time at Go, the well-known evangelist was outspoken and direct- we need God’s Word daily. “Open your Bible with me to Psalm 1:2-3,” he continued. “Listen carefully to this passage- ‘blessed are those whose delight is the Word of God, they will be as a tree planted by streams of water… whatever they do shall prosper.’ Now I know that during this time of your life you are trying to discover success and what that means to you,” he declared. “Listen! God says that, ‘whatever you do shall prosper, if you delight in His Word;’ so be confident about your future! To help you understand, think of God’s Word like food for your body.” With a wide smile he continued, “You don’t go days without eating do you? No, you eat each and every day so you can function properly”. It’s such a simple concept, but so powerfully true. Think about how much of our lives are centered around food- everything from food preparation to actually eating it. In fact, entire cultures are greatly influenced by their food. Mr. Fritz finished with a great statement and a closing verse. “The Bible is health for your body and wisdom for your mind,” he exclaimed. “I want to end with the verse, Proverbs 4:1-2,” Greg said. “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.”
Speaker of the Week: Bob Harrison
This week our guest speaker, Bob Harrison, returned to the Go offices to share with the interns some wisdom he’s gathered throughout his life. For his first statement, Dr. Increase confidently proclaimed, “Everything you do is a calling card towards your future. Opportunity comes at any moment. You have to ask yourself if you’ll be ready for it.” He looked around the room and continued, “There are two things about life you need to know. Life is a mix of learning to enjoy where we are while preparing to go somewhere else.” Pausing to let the thought simmer he continued, “All too often people focus on just one of these things. These individuals are either so focused on the future that they don’t allow themselves to enjoy the life they are currently living; or on the flip side of things, they are so focused on enjoying life right now that they forget to plan for future opportunities”. He took the discussion a new direction by quoting something Norman Schwarzkopf told him while he was at a speaking engagement with him. “He told me that, ‘Life is a collection of seasons,’” Mr. Harrison said. “You see, often people tend to think of life as a continuum- we see it in a linear fashion.” The truth is, life is just like the seasons, one ends and another begins. We need to recognize what season we are in so we can embrace it for what it is and so we also can properly prepare for the upcoming season ahead. Mr. Harrison continued with many more valuable pieces of information, but there was one key point he left us with that grasped my attention- Change begins with us. If you are looking for change in your life and the environment that surrounds you, begin with small changes in your personal life. The smallest of steps pave the way for the greatest moments of progress.
Written by: David Solomon
Open House: Monday April 4, 2011
If you’ve ever considered joining the Go Internship or if you’re interested in finding out what we’re all about, join us at our next Open House Event. During Open House you can have a look around our offices, meet the founders, Greg and Christa Baca, the Staff, and this year’s current Interns. This is the perfect time to have your questions about the program answered.
Open house begins at 4:00PM from 4:00-4:15pm tour the offices and take a look around. From 4:15-5:00PM Greg & Christa will be sharing about the program. Hear from current interns about the direct impact the program has made on their lives. Feel free to bring a friend or two, grab a starbucks on the way over, and come chill and hang out.
Go International Offices
12814 S. Memorial Ave, Suite 120
Bixby, OK. 74008
Speaker of the Week: Barbara Arbo
“The beauty of casting your cares to the Lord is that it shows that you trust Him,” said Barbara Arbo. She followed up this statement with Isaiah 30:18 – “The Lord longs for those who look to Him”. Our heart is His desire and our trust in Him, a prized possession.
Mrs. Arbo continued by boldly declaring her next point: “The fact is, we are born into this world with nothing and once we leave we take nothing. The Bible says that every good gift comes from above, so we have nothing on our own.” After that she made this powerful statement: “If we are going to have something to give to others, we must first come to God to receive it”.
Her words stayed with me for sometime that day. Recently, I’ve had to come to a place of honesty with myself. I’ve always wanted to do something for God that was bigger than me and I knew it would require that I grow in many areas of my life. So, in my pursuit of the God-given dreams for my life, I worked hard to grow in these areas- so much that I often forgot why, or rather, Who I was doing them for in the first place. I set my goals and dreams in the place of the God who gave them to me. Just like the Israelites in the Old Testament who turned to worshipping idols of metal and stone and in time, forgot their God. They worshipped the creation, not the creator. In my weakness and frustration I once again realized how much I missed intimacy with God and in His faithfulness He brought me back to Him again.
Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, extend to the skies, and Your faithfulness to the clouds. -Psalm 36:5-
Speaker of the Week: T.L. Osborn
For T.L. Osborn’s second visit to Go International he decided to share a few principles and pieces of wisdom he learned throughout his lifetime. Although there were many things he shared (I’m sure there could have been many more), he repeatedly exclaimed the importance of this one truth: The power of God and his love is in the gospel- nothing on our part or our own actions, just simply the message of Jesus Christ.
After he finished this key point, he cited a statement made by Gandhi: “If you have an idea, think about the poorest and most needy people you know about; if it will help them live a better quality of life, then it is a good idea.” I personally love this powerful observation about the purpose and potential of ideas. Many times we have dreams and ideas, but it’s easy to doubt whether or not it could really be useful. Gandhi put it well, “If it will help someone, it’s a good idea”.
Filled with conviction, Mr. Osborn began to explain the importance of remembering Jesus. “Jesus said, ‘Remember Me,’” he stated. “Many times we are hoping He remembers us, but it is we who need to remember Him.” Many people often desire the power of God, but they forget that it’s love that comes first. “You cannot have power without love,” he said. T.L. shared this example: Calvary = love, Pentecost = power. First Jesus gave love, and then He gave power. As I sat there and continued to listen to him speak, I was amazed by how much he stressed the importance of learning. Nearly 90 years old and he is still striving to grow, not only spiritually, but intellectually as well. For one of his final thoughts T.L. once again brought the discussion back to the importance of the gospel by saying: “The mission of every person who follows Jesus Christ is to be His witness. Remember, those who preach the gospel stand in the place of Jesus, and they are as He is. Ministry is not your own, you are simply a continuator of what Jesus did.”
Family Sticks Together
February 7, 2011 by kto
Filed under Mystery Trip 2011, News
“God prepared my heart”, Kelly said. “I’ve always wanted to bless people with money to do traveling ministry, but I thought it would be years from now. God answered my heart’s desire and Hilary’s as well.”
Just two weeks before leaving, apprentice Kelly Drury decided to give her entire trip money to intern Hillary Patrick- months of work and planning gone with a single decision. For Kelly it wasn’t a challenge or even a questionable notion, she knew what God asked her do. More so, Kelly believed in the sacrifice she made because she believed in Hilary. She believed that family sticks together.
Another exciting miracle was soon to follow. Because of Kelly’s efforts, the other interns followed her example and quickly formed a strategy to raise the $2,500 that was needed for Andrew Hunt, the last intern without the trip money. With just 48 hours left before their departure date you wouldn’t think there was much hope, but it was just the opposite. Hope saturated the offices and the atmosphere was charged with possibility. It turns out that 48 hours was more than enough time for the interns. The money was raised. Following the announcement of his latest financial breakthrough, cries of celebration surrounded Andrew’s speechless face; he was coming with us. “I know they care about me; they are family.” –Andrew H.
Mystery Trip Update: Day 9
January 30, 2011 by kto
Filed under Mystery Trip 2011, News
Today at 8 o’clock in the evening, the team will be leaving South Africa to return to the states. Although today is our final day in South Africa and the Mystery Trip is coming to a close, ministry is not over. The team spent the morning at a local church service, leading worship and preaching the message of God’s love, the freedom we have in Him, and the plan He has for our lives. It was evident that the members of the church were encouraged by this message bringing hope. After the message, the team prayed with members of the congregation. Individuals came up for prayer for new jobs, healing in different parts of their bodies, and healing for HIV. As prayer was ending, the presence of God filled the tent as Ben Blount, a first year intern, started singing “Hallelujah”. It was beautiful to see the body of Christ unite despite nationality, skin color, age, or language. The team said their goodbyes, and headed to Impact Kids, a project started by Rich Franzen, director of Impact Africa. Rich shared with the team the vision that he had for the organization, and the role that Impact Kids plays in the community. Rich explained to the team that Impact kids is strategically located between two squatter camps, both having approximately 15,000 families in their communities. Aids affects 80% of the camps, resulting in 1,000 deaths per a day, leaving 450 children as orphans. Rich explained that in addition to aids being one of the growing problems in these squatter camp communities is mothers abandoning their babies after birth. Mothers throw their helpless unwanted babies in the streets, in fields, and even in dumpsters. These ugly realities left the team in complete shock. Creating a burning desire to continue carrying out God’s mandate: “Learn to do right! Seek Justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). So as the team heads out to share the love of God to those in the squatter camps one last time before they board a plane to come back to the States, the team’s hearts will be aching with the desire to bring hope and light into these individual’s lives.
Though the Mystery Trip is ending, the mystery continues. The need is great and the yearning for a savior is still burning in hearts. The Lord is in search for those who are fully committed to Him and sharing His great love to those who are lost. To those of you who have partnered with us on Mystery Trip 2011, Go International thanks you for helping send us and for your prayers. Much was accomplished in our short time here, there is still more work to be done in South Africa, however we can be assured of this: “The people walking in darkness have seen the light; and those living in the land of the deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation, you have increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest.” (Isaiah 9.2-3).
The mystery continues, tomorrow.
Sunday Church Service from Go International on Vimeo.
