From Puerto Rico, I traveled back to MN in order to attend the first-ever IGO Worldwide Conference. (IGO Worldwide is the organization for missionaries to which I belong.) The conference was held in Stillwater, MN. All of IGOww's Global Partners were invited to attend. We had a good turn out -- all but two of the Global Partners were in attendance.
I really enjoyed this conference for several reasons.
1) It was exciting to meet other missionaries who are serving in different parts of the world -- India, Hungary, Romania, the Netherlands, California, etc.
2) Each of us had an opportunity to share about the work we are doing. We shared pictures, stories and videos. It was amazing to see how God is using people in such unique and specific ways.
3) I also really appreciated the time we had together as a family or team. I found it refreshing and encouraging to rub shoulders with other missionaries for a few days. After the conference, I explained to a couple of different people that I've been on teams my whole life -- athletic teams and with coworkers while I was teaching, leadership teams, mission teams and several small group Bible studies with church groups. One of the challenges I face here in the Dominican Republic is isolation. Though there are people all around me, and I'm working with Dominicans on a daily basis, sometimes I miss being with my family, and I miss some of the deep friendships I had back in the US. At the IGO conference, we were together for 2-3 days straight, and it felt good to be a part of a team again!
I'm thankful for IGO Worldwide and the opportunity to be a part of this organization. IGOww has a bit of a different approach to ministry. Many mission organizations define their purpose quite specifically. They may say, "we are a church planting mission or a "Bible-translating mission", for example.
IGOww, on the other hand, defines their mission more broadly. Here is the IGOww mission statement.
"International Gospel Outreach exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ through proclaiming the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, by any means consistent with it.
It was easy to see at the conference that IGOww truly is made of people with unique gifts and talents, and a desire to think and work "outside the box." As I mentioned, it was an absolute delight to see how God is using each of us in such unique and specific ways according to where He has placed us in the world and the way God has wired us.
I also appreciate IGOww's efforts to minimize the "red tape" or "hoops" that organizations often feel compelled to put in place. I'm also thankful for the priorty IGOww places in "missionary care." The president of IGOww is traveling to the Dominican Republic tomorrow - to get to know more about our ministry here and to see me "in the field." The last thing I want to note is that it's amazing that IGOww takes out only 2% for administrative fees while most organizations take at least 20%; some take up to 30%!
I've been a part of the organization for almost a year now, and so far I'm impressed and grateful to be a part of the team. Praise the Lord for IGOww! May God continue to guide, bless and direct the members of the IGOww board and my fellow Global Partners from IGO Worldwide -- For the glory of God and so others all over the world may know God and experience His perfect love. Amen!
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