A Note From Brown

The medical team on the islands is all about sharing basic health and hygiene with the Kunas.  There is a radical difference between our health standards and theirs, causing many health issues for the people. Things like washing your hands before meals, or not breathing in smoke isn’t common knowledge like it is in the United States; these are the kind of things Matt Arbo, a first year intern at GO, helped educate the people on. This week’s blog we will get to talk to him first-hand and learn all about what a day on the medical project looks like.

Brown- Tell us one of your favorite stories from a day on the medical team.

Matt Arbo- Well, I’d have to say my favorite story was the first day that we set up the clinic. The line was like three miles long; well… probably not three miles, but it was BIG. It was so cool to see the turnout for the clinic and to see so many people get help. I remember being able to help this little baby girl by giving her a nebulizer treatment. I felt kind of bad because she was crying the whole time, (laughs) but I knew I was helping her. I wish we could have done so much more, but I know what we got to do made a huge impact.

Brown- That sounds awesome, Matt!  So, are there any requirements if someone was interested in being a part of the medical team?

Matt Arbo- There are no requirements to be on the medical team. The more knowledge you have in that field the better, but we’ll take anyone who’s willing. There will be nurses and doctors there doing the check-ups and prescribing drugs, but we can use people to work at the pharmacy, to check blood pressures, get general health information and stuff like that.

Brown- Before you went on the trip, did you have any interest in the medical field?

Matt Arbo- No, I didn’t necessarily have an interest in the medical field, but after going, I saw what an impact it made in people’s lives and all the doors it can open for ministry. I definitely left with more of an appreciation for it. Dr. Niko was the head of the medical team, dude, he was super funny and a lot of fun to work with. He was always helpful with all the questions I had, so I learned a lot working with him. He was just an all-around fun guy to work with.

The Kunas don’t have access to basic over-the-counter meds like aspirin or pre-natal vitamins for pregnant women, so when they hear about being able to obtain this stuff for free, we create quite a gathering. Like I’ve said before, their language has no word for love. Saying, “God loves you,” won’t mean much, but showing it will be what makes a lasting impact. The medical team is part of giving something to the people that keeps giving once we’re gone. Just a few more weeks!

Guest Speaker: Bob Harrison

This past Thursday we very fortunate to have Bob Harrison, a.k.a. Dr. Increase, come and share with the interns about his life ventures. Well known for his financial lessons and the “Increase” conferences he hosts across the country, Mr. Harrison decided he would begin the discussion with a quote from Donald Trump. When Mr. Trump was asked about his success and how he has achieved what he has in life, his response was, “You’re going to be thinking anyway, why not think bigger”. Although Mr. Harrison talked about many life lessons that were powerful and relevant, I want to talk about just a couple of them that really “hit home” with me and changed my way of thinking. In all honesty there was just too much wisdom and too many topics for me to write about in a single blog. The lessons that were presented could of created a yearlong curriculum. So let’s start with the power of habits. Mr. Harrison made this excellent statement; “The habits you have now will close or open doors for you”. Don’t deceive yourself, if you are not living the way you want to be right now then you aren’t going to magically change five years down the road. This is just another reminder that the little things and little decisions in our life create the most substantial results, desirable or not. “Your life will consist of the habits and routines you choose to have,” he said. “If you are faithful in little things, then you will be faithful in big things.” After this he gave us some of his most important Healthy Habits:

1.     Faithfulness in everything that is given to you.

2.     Do more than what is expected.

3.     Live your life by schedule and routine, but always be ready for interruption.

Another significant point that he presented was just how critical it is to be faithful. Let’s be transparent for a moment. Life can be dull. This is when you need to ask yourself, “What do I believe that God really told me”? When you are dealing with confusion, go back to the last time you had clarity with what God told you. Commitments are crucial to success. Hold on to the word that God has given you. For me, it’s the only thing that gets me through those moments of doubt and insecurity. In the words of Mr. Harrison, “It’s amazing how fast God can create change if you just hang in there.” The third one is, “Circumstances only have the power that you give them”. The moment you decide that circumstances will no longer have control over your decisions is the moment you have power over circumstances. If you let circumstances dictate what you do, they will continue doing just that for the rest of your life. God’s promises are greater than your circumstances. The last one and my personal favorite is… (drum roll please). Don’t worry about money. “The fact is money is always behind,” expressed Mr. Harrison. Behind what? What he meant by that is, money always follows those who take advantage of opportunities. Strategies and ideas create money and opportunities. God will give you the strategies and ideas that will bring money to you.

I believe that all of these points are vital to success in life, but it is up to you whether or not you apply them in your life. Remember what Mr. Trump said, “You’re going to be thinking anyways, so why not think bigger”.

Guest Speaker: Tim Gray

“Your dreams always begin in your heart,” declared Tim Gray. “Move with what is in your heart and act on it!”

This week we had Tim Gray, a former pastor and current business owner come talk with us. After his opening statement he began to talk about Nehemiah. If you don’t know who that is, don’t worry, I had to clean out the proverbial cobwebs from my mental attic to remember this story myself. Nehemiah had a mission in his heart… to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Now there was something unique about this work; it was considered holy even though Nehemiah wasn’t a priest. This was particularly odd in Jewish culture at that time. Following this discovery Mr. Gray made a statement, “Ministry isn’t only in the church; ministry is doing what God has told you to do.” He later shared about his experiences in college and how he had declared his major 7 different times! He told us that he didn’t know exactly how he was going to do what was in his heart; he just knew he had to start somewhere. This was encouraging to hear, as a young person who deals with the common struggle of knowing exactly what steps to take to fulfill your dreams. Although we may not nail it down perfectly in the very beginning, be willing to take action. There’s an old saying, “You can’t steer a ship that’s anchored”. In other words, “Take that step”. Success will follow the dream as long as you act on it.

What is it that is in the recesses of your heart? What’s that something that excites you when you think about it? Ask yourself these questions and let those thoughts roll around in you as you allow your desire for this dream to grow each day. Following that, take a simple step in that direction even if it seems trivial. If I got anything out of our time with Mr. Gray, it’s this- It’s Worth It.

Photo of the Week – by Katie O’Toole

Photo by Go Apprentice: Katie O’Toole

This Is How I See It – by Matt Arbo

Project Panama – Random Facts 5!

What a better way to play with kids then with carnival games! Watch as Matt and Jon explain just how we’ll be traveling from island to island doing the “floating carnival” games!

Photo of the Week – Gabby Vonigas

Project Panama – Random Facts 4!

Follow Matt and Jon as they delve into the Kuna’s history and discover the significant importance of coconuts on their islands!

Arizona Trip!

Arizona Weekend April 22-26

The intern year is coming to an end so at last the Go Interns traveled to Arizona for the thrilling, annual weekend getaway! This trip is an amazing time of team bonding and an excellent opportunity to bring awareness to the life changing projects they are involved in. Starting off the first day in Arizona they went to a wilderness park for mountain hiking and beautiful scenery, followed by a cookout and an evening full of games. This fun continued into Saturday as we filled the day playing volleyball and basketball as well as running a funnel cake stand in the center of town to raise funds for Panama.

Sunday morning they had the opportunity to take part in Community Presbyterian’s church service, share a drama that they do overseas, and spend time with the people of the church talking with them and telling them about all the current undertakings going on at Go International. That same morning they also visited the First Assembly of God Church and joined them afterwards for a silent auction, as well as a bake sale auction as a fundraiser for the church members joining Go for Project Panama this summer! Later that evening they came back to First Assembly of God and led the entire service as the Go Band led worship and Greg and Christa finished the night with an inspiring message of encouragement.

The fun-packed weekend trip to Arizona was probably the best one yet, with lots of laughs, good times, and memorable moments as a team!

Photo of the Week – Katie O’Toole

By Go Apprentice: Katie O’Toole

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