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Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

"Life is a series of seasons; unfortunately, we tend to think of it as a continuum. One season ends after the other, and it’s important that we learn how to embrace new beginnings." This statement was made by Bob Harrison, one of the most quotable and wise men I've met, when he came to speak to our small group of interns. As a man who has come from conquering the business world to ministering to thousands and overcoming tragedy, he spoke from his heart, and from his life’s experiences. His genuine nature is what makes him so inspiring and we were anxious to hear each word that came from his mouth. "The real success to life is to enjoy the season you are in, but always prepare for the next,” he said. Unexpected things happen weather tragic or beautiful, but through the good and bad seasons, God is speaking to us. Everything we do is preparing us for the future. Bob also said something that I think is so important in today’s society, since we live in a culture where planning ahead is so crucial. “We need to learn to pause, take a step back, and truly enjoy the season that God has placed us in.” It is definitely an art to master the balance that Bob spoke of, but once we can do this, I believe we will be able to further enjoy the lives we have been given.

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

Lately I have been taking time to ponder Hebrews 11:1 - "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” Last summer I had a lot of time to be alone and to really concentrate on God’s voice and His vision for what was coming up in my life. One of the things I spent time contemplating was Africa. For as far back as I can remember, I had always wanted to go to Africa and work in an orphanage, but I knew there was a difference between wanting to go and being called to go. So this past summer I asked God if that desire was from Him. His answer? Yes. Just yes, which you’d think would make me rejoice, but it freaked me out. When? Where? What? How? All these questions were running through my mind constantly. Fortunately, God is an extremely faithful God, and just as a loving father takes care of his children, God takes care of us. I just returned home from my first trip to Africa on Mystery Trip 2011! Sometimes we aren’t sure of the answers to the, “When, where, what, how,” and that’s ok. God just wants us to follow our dreams and trust in Him. Once we trust Him, things seem to happen so quickly and we don’t know how it all worked out. Whether it’s waiting patiently over time or it happens in the blink of an eye, taking steps of faith always feels uncomfortable, but sacrificing that comfort is worth having your dreams come true.

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

So, it’s Thursday and usually guest speaker day, but today we did something a bit different. After worship, we gathered around the conference table and two of our staff members, Katie and Gabby, handed each of us a piece of paper that was titled: “My 2011 New Years Letter”. They both shared about how writing down your dreams and goals will motivate you to actually fulfill those dreams or goals. One statistic shows that people who take the time to write their goals down are 80% more likely to achieve them. So each of us set aside some time and found a cozy, quiet spot to pray and think about what dreams we want to fulfill this year. We also thought about what goals we have been pushing aside that we want to face this year too. When I started writing that letter to myself, things started to pour out of my heart that I didn't even know were there. My soul opened up to the possibilities. Thomas Edison stated, “The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”

So, some encouragement for each of you- Dream! Pray about the goals that need to be accomplished this year for you personally, because the world needs your ideas!

Finished Water Project!

Go Geographic: Written by Brittany Norris

What if there was something that was so vital to your existence that it actually comprised seventy percent of your being? What if that one thing that played such a significant role in your survival was the one thing that was most likely to kill you? That’s the reality for one in six people worldwide that have to go everyday without clean drinking water. Sadly, over 1.1 billion people on earth have to face this harsh realization.

Just off the coast of Panama there is a tribe of people that inhabit the San Blas Islands, called the Kuna Indians. Although they are surrounded by the beautiful Caribbean Sea, they suffer from a lack of clean drinking water. As a result, early infant death and widespread disease among the Kunas has become normality for them. This is where we came in. We shared the love of Christ with these people by organizing a water project for them and meeting a very real need in their lives. Matthew Arbo, a Go Intern, who led the Water Project team, reflects on their time in the islands.

“After riding for over an hour through the Caribbean sea and down a long narrow river leading into the jungle, our team unloaded the small dugout canoes with all the supplies and water we needed for the next few days. As a team of Americans, we began our 10-mile trek through jungle terrain in the 98-degree weather. The next few hours was intense with the load we were carrying, but I was accompanied by these encouraging thoughts as we walked through the thick brush: ‘I imagine this is hardly any type of struggle compared to the lives these Kunas have lived, deep in the Jungle with no fresh water, no convenient stores, and no access to medical care.’ I then realized what blessed lives we have lived.”

Several hours later the team arrived at their work site.

“We had prepared every thing from site operation to maintenance, as well as training others in our place to take over once we left. We then built the solar-powered water filtration system that was able to provide clean drinking and bathing water on a consistent basis for 300 Kunas. The people of the San Blas Islands couldn’t have appreciated it more. Upon the end of our visit, the Kuna’s tribal Chiefs presented us with gifts- hand carved, miniature replicas of the life size oars they use to row their canoes on the islands. As we were handed the gifts, the Chiefs expressed their gratitude, stating how rare it is for people to pick up everything and leave their country to help a community, expecting nothing in return. They told us they couldn’t give us anything that could compare to what we’d given them, but the truth is; we’ve been given so much as Americans and as Christians. How can we not allow that blessing to overflow to those so much less fortunate than us? This is truly our mandate.”

By the team going and meeting a physical need of theirs and demonstrating the love of Christ, we reached the Kunas in a real and relevant way. By expressing the gospel with our works and words, we were able to make a lasting impact on the San Blas islands.

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

These past couple weeks all of us here at GO have been setting the majority of our focus on fundraising money for the Mystery Trip coming up in January. Today was our deadline for the one thousand dollar payment- it seemed to sneak up on us very quickly. I was expecting to walk into the offices today and feel an uptight atmosphere, but I was surprised when I felt an environment of celebration. God is faithful, and we got our money in! As we celebrated each other’s success, we shared stories of unique fundraising techniques, divine conversations, and miracles that we experienced. Today, 2 Corinthians 5:7 (we walk by faith and not by sight) became real to me. I really love this quote by Gail Dever: “Keep your dreams alive. Understand, to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember, all things are possible for those who believe.”

-Lauren

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

Just like any ordinary day, we all gathered at the offices at 1:30 and began the day with worship, led by our wonderfully talented worship band.  As I looked around the room and observed everyone entering into worship, I was so... happy? Delighted? Joyful? Whatever the feeling was, I was inspired; inspired by a group of young adults pouring out their hearts fully and shamelessly to God. Being involved with a group of people that have such genuine hearts and a radical passion to make a change in the world makes me want to become a better person; it creates a sort of domino effect. Tonight is our first worship night of the year, and I am expecting the inspiration that I felt today to ripple through everyone that is at the worship night. I’ll let you know how the night went; you’ll just need to check back in tomorrow. -Lauren

Through My Eyes by Lauren Bruhn

Hello readers! My name is Lauren Bruhn, I’m a first year intern at Go International! I work in the missions department, which I love, and write a blog called “Through My Eyes”. Let me decode this for you. Basically, I will be writing a couple of times a week explaining what’s going on at Go, through the eyes of a first year intern. I will be living and writing about everything from a typical day at the offices to the big trips we will be going on. You can be expecting fresh blogs, both written and video, throughout the year! Keep reading- I’ll keep it interesting for you! -Lauren

Mystery Trip is Right Around the Corner

Go Geographic: Written by Brittany Norris As a Go Intern, one of the main things to look forward to in your ten-month experience is the annual Mystery Mission Trip. The Mystery Trip is always organized by Staff and Apprentices, while being kept completely under wraps from the first year interns.

Everything from airline tickets to hotels, to sight seeing opportunities and ministry sites are planned out thoroughly without even the slightest hint given to any of the interns. As a current intern, this whole experience has everyone a little anxious and excited, to say the least. We aren’t the only ones either; the Apprentices and Staff are just as psyched for us to find out where we’re going. It’s certainly been the talk of the office for the past few weeks, and I’m sure the excitement will only increase, as it grows closer to the time for us to finally experience the adventure set before us.

Some of the destinations of past trips include: London, England, Paris, France, Rome, Italy, Bangkok, Thailand, Manila, Philippines, Hong Kong, China, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia! During past Mystery Trips, they’ve created and implemented many different outreaches and ministry styles depending upon the culture in which they’ve found themselves. For example, last year in Cambodia the team met a woman who had lost her husband that week, leaving her to raise her children alone and provide for the family by herself. The woman explained that in their village, her sons would have to be raised in the pagoda under the influence of the Buddhist religion. She then expressed her desire to live near the Christian church where her sons could grow up learning about God.

Knowing that the distance was too far for her to make frequent trips to the church, the Go team got together and pitched in $200 for a house to be built for her and her family right near the church! This wasn’t a planned ministry opportunity, but it’s amazing what kind of difference you can make wherever you go, if you are open to listening to the needs of those around you. The team didn’t know they were going to meet that lady that day, or that their small amount of money could make such a huge impact in her life. It’s just an awesome reminder that even though we’re blind to things at times, and life may seem mysterious in some ways; God always knows what He’s doing.

God always has an awesome plan for every journey we take too, whether it is in our day-to-day lives or as we travel across the globe. Nothing can be a mystery to God, which is one of the main reasons we’re so excited about our trip here at Go! We know He has something amazing lined up for us, once we get wherever it is that we’re going.

Here are some of the pictures from the past Mystery Mission Trips I mentioned, and feel free to follow us on our journey @ www.followthemystery.com as we take our once-in-a-lifetime Go Mystery Trip 2011!!

Photos by: Katie O'Toole

Alumni Spotlight: Andy Unruh

Alumni spotlight: Andy Unruh

The Go Internship is celebrating its fifth year of operation.  Andy Unruh graduated with our 2009 class of students.  We caught up with Andy recently to hear about what he has been doing since he graduated.

Go: Since your time at Go, you've ventured out on some very exciting endeavors. What did you do? Andy: I decided to move to Vail, Colorado and take a job on the mountain where I was able to snowboard everyday for a winter season! I worked as a freelance graphic designer to earn extra money, as well as work for a marketing company in the area.

Go: What are you currently doing now? Andy: Now I am working as a youth pastor at a local church in the northern part of Texas. I am also opening a coffee/espresso/flavored teashop to meet the coffee needs of the people!

Go: How did the classes and practical training you received at internship help you after you left? Andy: I could have never EVER been able to do graphic design without the classes @ GO. Also the craziness of starting a business from scratch is MUCH easier with the classes on business, sales, finance and marketing. I could have never done any of it, or even dreamed of doing the things that make me come alive if it wasn't for the Go Internship. The skills, relationships, knowledge and challenges during my time at Go Internship, thrust me forward into my destiny and calling! Because of GO, I now DO WHAT I LOVE!!! Also, if it wasn’t for GO, I wouldn’t be so addicted to coffee that I felt like I "need" to open a coffee shop! Just Kidding... Kind of.

We are very proud of you Andy and the impact you are making in your local community.  You've always had a passion for business and a HUGE heart for youth- it is great to see you living out your dreams.