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go_inspiration

Earlier this week Go launched a new web based campaign called "go_inspiration". The concept of this campaign is to inspire people through the use of art. At the beginning of each week we are going to have a featured artist who will create a lead inspirational piece (photography, design, typography, drawing/sketch, etc.) that will correspond with a theme. Throughout the rest of the week we invite others to join in the campaign and show us their creative interpretation of the topic.

People will load images to IG and hashtag them #go_inspiration. On Sunday at 5pm EST the week's featured artist will choose their favorite design and that design will go live on our website with a corresponding article the following Monday. At the end of the year we will compile all the artists work into an inspirational book called #go_inspiration. It’s always been a passion of ours to give artists a platform by which to share their faith. We believe God’s beauty and nature can be displayed through artistic expression.

Take a look at some of the current entries and read below how you can submit your entry.  Sunday at 5pm EST this week's featured artist will choose the winning design to be featured in an inspirational book.

The first featured artist helping us kick off the campaign is @justinkila with his interpretation of “One Life”.

Q & A @go_international: Tell us about your design. @justinkila: This design features @dodgepangburn. It's a split image of dodge portraying life on one side, death on the other, something we all must face, and inch closer to every minute of the day.

@go_international: What does "one life" mean to you? @justinkila: The fact that no one escapes death should put a perspective on your life. It should put a sense of urgency to do the most you can with what you have, wherever you are. The only thing that stays behind when you die is your legacy, and how you affected the people in your life.

@go_international: What programs were used to create this? @justinkila: This was all done in photoshop.

@go_international: Where do you find your inspiration? @justinkila: Inspiration comes in so many different forms. I think one of the biggest causes for a creative block is thinking that there are only certain places to find inspiration. It's not just blogs or art exhibits or books. I usually get inspired by other people, whether they're an artist or not. Everyone has something to contribute to the world in a unique and specific way that no one else can. The more you open your mind for more sources of inspiration, chances are you'll end up inspiring others.

 

JOIN US: To enter follow @go_international on IG and load your image with the hashtag #go_inspiration. On Sunday, the featured artist will select their favorite design from the feed and that design will go live on our website with a corresponding article the following Monday. To be selected as a winner you must follow @go_international and use only original art and photos. We look forward to seeing your posts!

To follow @go_international on Instagram CLICK HERE, also be sure to follow @justinkila.

 

Want to be on the inside track of all things GO International? Click here to sign up for our weekly e-blasts and receive inspirational articles, current news and updates in your inbox. If you would like to donate to Go International or join our South American Operational Support Team click here. Help us spread the word and post this article to Facebook or Twitter.

Safe Arrival in Quito, Ecuador!

Go Friends,

Hello from Ecuador!  After many months of planning and preparation our family has arrived safely here in South America.  We couldn’t be any more excited about the season we find ourselves in.  We are so thankful to the many of you who have partnered with us in this new chapter of Go.

We arrived in Quito a week ago today and have been busy getting established since then.  You may or may not know that we opted not to do a “pre-trip” for this move, we decided instead to treat our first month in country as the “pre-trip” and just figure out where we’d be once we got here.  Originally we thought we may live in a smaller village closer to some of the indigenous people groups but in the course of our planning some of the people we knew in the area moved away and we feel it is important for us as a family to be near a community of people we trust for the sake of Zion.  So we have decided to base in Quito where we have taken Go Teams before and as a result have many friends.  Basing in Quito will allow us to minister not only to those in the city but to travel out to various villages on a regular basis.

Last week we spent much of our time searching for an apartment to live in which will also serve as our offices for the time being.  We looked at many different places and are pleased to announce that we have found our South American home!  It’s a great little 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment, in a safe neighborhood, and even has a little place for Z to play out back!

Our first goal in this initial phase of establishing our base is: Community Integration and Needs Assessment.  During this initial phase we will be establishing relationships in the local community, serving and volunteering, and assessing the needs that we feel we are to be involved in.  We felt strongly in our hearts prior to coming, not to presume to know the needs.  We are here to serve the people and see what doors God opens for us to make Him known.

We’ve been staying at a little cottage for international people immigrating to Ecuador, and in the midst of apartment hunting this week we have had the opportunity to make some great relationships that we feel were not by accident.  We had the pleasure of taking one young couple, Jeremy and Jennifer here on their first mission trip, on a tour of the city and we were able to share our mission stories and encourage them in the season they are in.  We also met a great couple who are now retired and living in Cuenca, Ecuador and in addition to being fellow ministers she is a respiratory therapist and has helped me tremendously in combating some asthma related issues I had upon arrival.  So thankful for the way God coordinates things!

Tomorrow we plan to move in to our apartment and our offices will then be up and running!

We encourage those of you who find yourself in a similar season of charting new courses, to have faith, trust Him, and…enjoy the journey. J

Journeying Together,

 

Greg, Christa and Zion Baca

 

 

 

 

 

Ecuador: Home Stretch

We are almost there!  Help us launch the Go International.tv South American Base by joining the Operational Support Team.  Be one of 21 people to join the team in the next 21 days and the team will be complete!

Since we first announced our plan to move to Ecuador and launch a mission base last April so much has been accomplished.  We liquidated the majority of Go International’s office equipment, leased our home, sold a large portion of our possessions, and have had many people step up and join the Operational Support Team to help us launch the base.  We are now right at 3 weeks away from our arrival in Ecuador!

We are very excited about this new season we are about to step into!  Of course it is full of many questions (as can be expected when moving overseas) but we are confident that this is the right step for us and Go International.tv.  Over the years we have had much success experimenting with various outreaches to engage people in conversations about faith and we look forward to experimenting with how best to engage with a foreign culture on a daily basis and point people to Jesus.

When we first launched Go Internship and Go Missions, we  also faced many questions and unknowns, but as we took daily steps of obedience we charted our way and we are confident we will do the same in launching this base.

Since the beginning of Go International.tv, it has always been bigger than Greg & Christa Baca.  We have always seen ourselves as fellow journeyers with partners, staff, interns, and friends seeking to proclaim the name of Jesus and shine His light in the dark.  The same is true today, this move is not about the Baca’s and can only happen with a team of people joined together to see the Gospel shared throughout South America.  Will you consider joining with us to launch the South American Base by committing to partner with us on a monthly basis for a term of one year?  There are 21 spots that remain on the Operational Support Team before funding is complete.  Many of the spots are available at just over $1 a day.  Thank you for your help in charting out this new season for Go International.tv.

Journeying Together,

Greg & Christa Baca

Below is a chart that represents our total funding to date.  Choose which spot you would like on the team by clicking the banner below:

Photo of the Day

These beautiful faces impacted the lives of our team this summer during our stay in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. Every day these orphans would greet our team with beaming smiles that took your breath away. If you would like to be a part of bringing change to the lives of these orphans- Join us in the 120 Campaign.

 

Photo Credit: Lindsey Eryn Clark

One God.

One God. Four simple words ignited the beginning of a beautiful story that would forever change human existence. "Let there be light". God spoke these words in the beginning of time. Have you ever taken time to just think about the fact that our God spoke these words and voila' it happened! Our God continued on creating everything that we see around us merely by SPEAKING it into existence. Our God's power is eternal (Romans 1.20) and his power is beyond our comprehension. His power and love not only created the heavens and the earth, but also saved us from the penalty of the law. Romans 5.6-7 says, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, through for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him".

God's might and power is also demonstrated in the life of Abraham. With all odds against Abraham, God told Abraham that we would be the father of many nations by bearing a son. The odds of this actually happening were so outrageous that Abraham's wife, Sarah, actually laughed when she heard the angels tell Abraham this news. However, our God is faithful and powerful to follow through with his promises even against all hope. "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening his faith- he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead... Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised" (Romans 4.18-21). Through Abraham's life we learn that we ought to never let the circumstances around us determine what God can do. God has the power to come up against all hope and fulfill the promises that He has made.

Since we have been saved by grace and been adopted into the family of God as his sons and daughters we have access to what is the Father's, including his power. In Colossians 1.12-13, we discover that because we have been "rescued from the dominion of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of the Son" we have been therefore qualified "to share in the inheritance". We have access to the same power that brought the earth into existence and to the same power that conquered the natural and allowed Abraham to bare a son and become the Father of the nations.

There once was a time in my life that this simple concept did not seem so simple. I understood that I served a powerful God, but because I did not fully understand His grace and love I was incapable of understanding what was really mine as a child of the Most High God. I saw Jesus was making an impact in people's lives through conversations, miracles, and just by His mere presence. I began to evaluate my life, and I came to the conclusion that I wasn't creating an impact around me through any of those three areas. I set out on a journey of some sorts to become more like Jesus and to live a life like Him, one of influence and impact. Along my journey I realized the depths of God's love and grace for me, and I came to an understanding that as His child, I have access to the same power that Jesus walked in. I realized that I was limiting God in so many ways, I was putting a limit on His love, grace, and the inheritance that He wanted me to have. I remember being in Thailand when all this came into perspective for me, I was talking to a group of girls involved in the sex trade, and all of a sudden it was like "whoooosh" and everything began to make sense to me. God's love, grace, and the inheritance all became something that I took ownership of from that day on. I started living differently, I started living with an understanding of everything that the Lord had for me. I made the descion to walk in the power of God. I came back the states, and started breathing life everywhere I went. I was finally understanding that the power of God resided in me, in my presence, and in my conversations. Upon my arrival to the states and my new found understanding of God's power in me, I had a conversation with a girl I went to college with, we were talking about life and the future. She was telling me she wasn't at where she wanted to be in life, and out of no where my mouth started moving and I just started speaking life into her. The words that came out of my mouth that day were not my own, I knew in that moment that the power of God was pouring out of me. I had stopped limiting what God could do through me, an ordinary person, and was allowing myself to be a vessel that the Lord could use to work through. I allowed myself to see myself as He did, as His child, and took hold of the inheritance He has for me. I took the limit off what He could do through me and began asking the Lord to work through me whatever that looked like, whether through laying hand on people, through conversations, or my presence. Jesus walked the earth as an ordinary man, He was no different than you and I. He was simple. He was nothing great in the eyes of his peers. Yet, everywhere Jesus walked He impacted someone's life. He understood the power of God lived in Him.

We too must make the decision to walk in the power of God. We, as sons and daughters of the Almighty God, must truly realize that we have access to the power that separated the red sea, calms the storms, moves mountains, and heals the sick. When a son or daughter is adopted into a family, they have access to all the things that the father provides; food, security, the family name, wealth, and the inheritance. This simple concept is the same for us with God. God has adopted us into his family, which means we have access to everything that is His, even his power. In 2 Samuel 5.10, it says that David 'became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him". The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so if He was with David, then He is and will be with us, causing us to become more powerful as long as we allow Him to work in and through us. The Word says, that we are His hand's and feet, the vessels which He is wanting to use in order to accomplish things on the earth. The Lord is beckoning us to begin speaking with the power He has given us, and stop being intimidated by the natural circumstances. He is waiting for us to begin speaking life into dead and empty places. Just as Jesus walked in the presence and power of God, so can we. Our mere presence can bring healing to the people that we encounter, we must just understand this and believe.

What would happen if we, the sons and daughters of the King, began to function as Jesus did and walk in the boldness, power, and presence of our God? If we actually started living and believing in the power that lives in us? I believe, that the presence of God would be too strong for people to deny. I believe that we would see drug addicts being freed from their addictions, sons and daughters returning to their fathers, the deaf ears opened, the blind eyes would see, the cancer would be cast out, and so on. The power of God is already in us, so I challenge you in this moment to start functioning in the power. Stop hoping and wishing that you could see miracles happen, and start believing that what you speak into existence will be, because our God who spoke life, resides in us.

 

Written By: Lindsey Eryn Clark

 

Photo of the Day

While in South Africa on Mystery Trip 2011, our team roamed the streets of the Cape Town with a mission: to bring love from above to the people of the city. Walking along the coast, our team ran into this sweet man who had traveled the world and had a story to tell. All he wanted was a listening ear. Our team sat down on the beach with him, listened to his stories, and introduced him to our Lord and Savior. It was on this day, that the love of Christ touched this man.

Photo Credit: Lindsey Eryn Clark

Photo of the Day

After a series of clues and challenges our interns found themselves on Cambodian soil on Mystery Trip 2010. For many of them, it was their first time to be in Asia. It didn't take long for the team to fall in love with the beautiful people. Everyday our team would go to the orphanage and this little girl would great our team with her playful spirit ready to play. Photo Credit: Lindsey Eryn Clark

 

Photo of the Day

Februray 2011, our team traveled to South Africa on the Mystery Trip. We had the opportunity to throw an event that gathered hundreds of village children to one central field. During the event we played games, had a talent show, and passed out soccer balls. After a full day of playing with our team, these little boys headed back to their home.

Photo of the Day

In June 2011 our team headed across the world to Cambodia, it was in this nation that our hearts were tugged. The people of Cambodia are hungry for a truth to cling to. In a little village outside of Kampong Thom, Matt Arbo, found a little girl who captured his heart. This little girl stuck by Arbo's side the whole time we were in her village. As the carnivals were going on, you could see Matt and this precious little girl dancing together.

 

Photo Credit: Lindsey Eryn Clark

The Story of Champei: A Child Slave

My name is Champei.I’m 15 years old and the oldest of 5. I have four younger brothers and sisters, I do not know where they are, but I know they are somewhere in the world. When I was 6 years old my mother died, several months later my father remarried. My stepmother did not like me very much, she used to beat me and tell me that I was “no good”. She had a “special” stick that she would beat me with til I was black and blue with bruises and bleeding. After my beatings, she would force me to do all the house work. Eventually, my father and his new wife started having more babies. My family was poor, so my step-mother convinced my father that he should hire me out to families who needed field hands. The families worked me hard- and some of them beat me. I had dreams that one day I would grow up and marry a rich man so I wouldn’t have to work so hard. When I was 10 years old a man moved to our village. The man approached my parents, asking if he could buy me, he was in need of a servant. Without much hesitation, my parents said yes. I suppose they thought it’d be one less mouth to feed if the man took me away. At first, the man was kind to me. He seemed charming. However, his “charm” didn’t last long, it wore off within a few hours of me being in his home. My first day at his home I was demanded to do all the house work, cook, and work in the fields. As night approached, the man grew angry and started drinking. I’ll never forget that night, it was the night that everything changed. Once I was done with my chores for the day, I went out back to bathe and wash the dirt off my body. My body ached from working so hard all day. In the stillness of the night, I could hear the white man coming home. I heard clashing coming from inside the house, curiosity overtook me as I peeked through the cracks of the wood to see the commotion inside. Anger was written all over his face. The stench of alcohol coming from his body was so strong that it was unbareable. I moved away from the house to return to my bathe, it was then that I felt his his rough hand grasp my neck. He dragged me inside the house as he yelled meaningless things at me. As I tried to calm him down, I felt the back of his hand collide with my cheek. Frightened, I attempted to crawl away, however, my attempts were useless as he trapped me and began beating me. That night, he had his way with me- I cried, pleading for him to stop because he was hurting me. But my cries went unheard. That night, I went to the shabby mat that was my bed, and as tears welled up in my eyes, I felt ashamed of who I was. With my head down and holding back my tears I thought to myself “How did this happen?” On the eve of my 11th birthday I had become a slave.This is just one story of one girl. However, today, there are 27 million others who are living a story similar to Champei’s. Let me break it down for you: The number of humans enslaved in the world today is double the 12 million Africans that were estimated to be enslaved in the 400 year history of transatlantic slave trade.But here is the truth: At one point, all of us were enslaved, however, Christ came and rescued us.

As children of God, we have been called to freedom and have been rescued from the things that have enslaved us. We were called to walk in freedom and to be imitators of Christ. Christ rescued us through His great love, allowing us to experience freedom. So here is my thought: What if we were rescued, so that we could rescue others?

The Lord beckon’s his people to “live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2.12). It is time for us as children of God to be so enraptured by the love of God, that we cannot help, but be a part of a beautiful movement to rescue the world. There is power in love, Christ was an example of this. Songwriter, Paul Klein, once wrote, “We will be the answer to Redemption’s call... Love conquers it all, cross all boundaries, and breaks down the walls.”

So I leave you with this- Will you be the answer to Redemption’s call? Will you let the love of God move through you to rescue others?

Join us February 2012 as we become the answer to the call and work with children who have been rescued out of child slavery. For more information please visit: www.gointernational.tv/trips/haiti

 

Written by: Lindsey Eryn Clark

 

Photo of the Day

Mystery Trip 2011 our team went to South Africa. During our time there, our team had the opportunity to host an event on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The event brought hundreds of children from miles around. It was an amazing time to share the love of God through games and dramas. Scanning your eyes through the field, you could see the children following team members including founder of Go International, Greg Baca.
Photo Credit: Lindsey Eryn Clark

12 Days of Christmas

Christmas.

It’s the season of giving, yet it seems that most the time, people end up more stressed than filled with good cheer. What if this season, we took the focus off ourselves (and filling up the space underneath the Christmas tree) and took time to bring good cheer and make a difference in the world around us?

Today starts the 12 days of Christmas, Go Style.

Over the next twelve days, we will be releasing 12 ways that you can spread good cheer  and make a difference in your local community and globally.

 

Day 1: Go Volunteer at a homeless shelter.

Get outside of your comfort zone, go volunteer at your local homeless shelter. Be a listening ear to those who just need a friend this season.

"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17

 

Day 2: Cards with purpose

Give a gift that matters. Make a donation in honor of your loved ones and help spread the message of Christ in the world. With each donation of $25 we will send you a four pack of Christmas cards that you can in turn give to friends and family indicating that a donation has been made in their honor. Order Now. All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Matthew 28.18-20
Day 3: Inspire someone to dream today; give them a Top 100 book.
We all have dreams and adventures that we want to go in life. Today, encourage one or two of your friends to pursue their dreams. Reassure them that the dreams they have deep down in their hearts are God given dreams. Give them a Top 100 book so that they have a place to right down all the dreams that they have. It’s been said that if you write down you’re dreams, you’ll be more likely to accomplish. So go out into your world and inspire people.Click here to get your Top 100 book now! 1 Thessalonians 5.11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.
Day 4: Be a voice to the voiceless and bring hope to the nations. Sign up for a missions trip with Go International. 
We live in a world that is searching for hope; that is in need of a light to cast out the darkness. This year come be a light to the nations. Join Go International as we travel to the nations bringing the message of Jesus Christ.Click here to learn more about Go Missions. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns”. Isaiah 52.7

Day 5: Buy a gift certificate of $5-$25 in value from a grocery store and give it to someone in need.

If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. Deut. 15:7

 

Day 6: Join the 120 Campaign

Buy a parcel. Build a farm. Individuals across the country are partnering with Go to build a farm for an orphanage in Cambodia by purchasing 1 parcel of land for $100. The farm that is built will have the ability to support and sustain an orphanage of 80 children.Today, be a part of creating lasting change in the lives of Cambodian orphans by purchasing a parcel for land this Christmas for $100.“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1.17BUY A PARCEL

Day 7: Gather your old clothes and donate them to a charity organization. No matter who you are, you probably have clothes that you don’t use anymore. Instead of letting them sit in your closet, donate them to charity. Get your friends and family involved too.Those who are kind to the poor lend to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. [Psalm 19.17]Day 8: 10 for 10 Campaign 

The 10 for 10 campaign is a simple campaigned designed to raise $100 for orphan projects. Ask ten people you know to sponsor you in this campaign for $10. The money you raise will go directly to making a difference in the lives of Cambodian and Haitian orphans.
Isaiah 1.17
Learn to do right! Seek justice! Encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Day 9: Sticky Inspiration 
We all have those days where we could use a little random encouragement. Get some post its and write some encouraging or inspirational notes on them-- take them and post them around your town in random places that people will find them.
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13
Day 10: Light the World
Help bring light to the darkness and buy a Light the world T-Shirt to support global missions.
Want to make a global impact this Christmas? Purchase a Light the World T-shirt that will help bring the message of Jesus to the nations.
Day 11: Memory Lane

The easiest way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loudly for all to hear. The world is full of lonely people. Go to a local nursing home today and spread some Christmas cheer. Pass out cookies, flowers, candy, or sing carols to the residents. Strike up a conversation and reminisce with the residents about their favorite Christmas memories.
Day 12: Change for Change Take the day, next week, or even next month to collect loose change for global initiatives. Go around your community and ask those around you to donate their spare change to support global orphan projects.
"Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!"
Proverbs 31.9

Photo of the Day

February 2011, for the first time ever Go International stepped foot on African soil as we traveled to the nation of South Africa on the annual Mystery Trip. During our time there, our team was able to co-host a crusade right outside of Jo-berg. With a stage set up in an empty field, the team waited as thousands traveled to the crusade. That night, restoration came, as many who attended the crusade received Christ in their hearts and also healing in their bodies. This woman, stood in the sea of people receiving every word that was being spoken that night. Healing had come.

Photo of the Day

From Europe to Africa to The United States our team has traveled around the world doing the "Dream Campaign", an art campaign that encourages people to go after their dreams. This past October, our team went to San Diego for the National Youth Worker's Convention and had the opportunity to talk to leaders around the nation about what their dreams are. 
"My dream is a world where women are free from violence."
Photo Credit: Lindsey Eryn Clark

Photo of the Day

November 18,  a group of students in Norman joined Go International and Love Works Inc. and became Orphans for a Night. For one night, these students were able to spend a night in an orphan's reality. Through their one night on the streets, the students were able to raise funds in order to help the cause of global orphans. For more information on how to host Orphan for a Night in your city please visit: www.OrphanForANight.com or email: LindseyClark@gointernational.tv

Photo of the Day

Over the past year, Go International has partnered with individuals across the nation raising funds to build a farm in Cambodia. This past summer, our team had the opportunity to go see the land that was purchased for the farm. Upon completion, the farm will be able to sustain the orphanage that can house 80 orphans. Join us, and be a part of the Cambodia Farm Project. For more information email: LindseyClark@GoInternational.tv