NATIONSTO ALL

I N T E R N A T I O N A L G O S P E L O U T R E A C H

NATIONSTO ALL

I N T E R N A T I O N A L G O S P E L O U T R E A C H

January - March 2011

In 1992, Sharlene and I were serving as Associate Pastors at a church in Texas. One afternoon, I got a call from my Father-in Law, Bertist Rouse, asking me if I would like to go with him to southern Chile on a short term mission trip. Not only did he invite me, he paid my way to go!

I had never been on a trip overseas, nor been on any kind of mission trip. It was exciting to me to get to go and be a part of a whole new experience. I was fortunate

enough to have the youth pastor from our church, Ben Ceyanes, to go with me. He had been on trips before, and had a passion for preaching, prayer and evangelism.

We traveled to San-tiago, Chile by an overnight flight out of Miami (another first for me), and met up with the rest of

our team there. Bro. Bertist, Ben, and I went south by bus to the cities of San Carlos, and Concepcion. We stayed in the homes of locals, and worked through our interpreter to preach, teach and spend time getting to know these great men and women who were our hosts.

I am not sure if those folks in Chile got much out of me being there, but this trip

certainly had a huge impact on me. Here are some of the things that I gained...

• ImetFelipe and Olivia Pinochet on this trip - they were commissioned and sent from Chile to Mexico as mission-aries with IGO. They are now serving as pastors in Mobile to the Hispanic community. I also got to know Pablo Bañados,Bert’sfirstdisciple,andthehead of the work in Chile. He has since become an important part of our lives as a source of inspiration, accountabil-ity and friendship.

• My world view was forever changed. We stayed with a pastor and his family in Concepcion, Chile, and they gave up their bedroom for us, fed us and treated us like family. By our standards, we would have considered them very poor, but in reality they were very rich through how close they were as a fam-ily.

• I began to see the need for teaching and materials to be made available to pastors and leaders in these developing countries. They had very little teaching available to them.

• I learned what it meant tobe“flex-ible.” Not only in time schedule, but in where we stayed, what we ate, where we went and what we did. We were there to serve them, so we worked ac-cording to what they would do. (That’s a BIG lesson for all of us to grasp).

• I learned that I needed to change my thinking. Just because we do it in America one way, does not mean its the only or right way to do it. Many times we do things here because it is a part of

our culture, history and mind-set to do them that way - in other countries they are the same - they do things according to their culture, history and mind-set.

• I discovered that the believers in other countries are not less than us, below us or not as mature as us. They are our counterparts, co-laborers and partners in the Kingdom. They are not the people we minister TO, they are the people we minister WITH.

• I found that the Holy Spirit is the same here as it is there, He moves the same, guides the same, speaks the same and uses each of us as HE wills - no matter what country we are in.

Iendedupbeingtheonemostinfluencedbythatfirsttrip.SincethenIhavebeen

When the subject of short term missions comes up you get an array of opinions, some

in favor others against. While there have been some legitimate complaints concerning short term missions the positives far outweigh the negatives. I recently read an article that stated that over 90% of the missionaries appointed by the Assembly of God World Missions in the past 10 years have previously served in short-term missions. Of the full time missionaries that I know personally, almost all of them served short-term before being called to full-time service. Serving in short term missions exposes people to the reality of a lost and dying world. A world that is desperate and hungry for real answers to both their physical and spiritual needs. Short term missions opens our hearts so that we can hear God’s call to serve His people around the world. Needless to say, my wife Annette and I were forever changed as a result of ourfirstshorttermmissiontrip.Istillvividly remember the sights, sounds, and smellsthatweexperiencedonthatfirsttrip. In 1987 Annette and I arrived in Honduras for a week long dental/medical mission. The moment I arrived I realized that the world I had always known was vastly different than what I was seeing and experiencing in this impoverished

Short Term Missions... a Missionary View

By IGO Missionary Scott Ingram

country. After an eight hour bus ride down a rugged, dusty dirt road we arrived at a small town near the Nicaraguan border. It was hot, dry, dusty and filthy, the conditions were miserable but it was there that I saw God at work, and I saw a hunger in people that I had never seen or known before. During the day, we saw thousands of people receive much needed medical attention and at night we saw them pack into a hot and dimly lit building to hear the Word of God. Lives were changed while we were there but more importantly for us is that we were changed, forever changed.Would this ministry have taken place if I had chosen not to go? Yes. Would my life have been the same had I chosen not to go? No, absolutely not! You see, it is not as much that short term missions needs you, though it does, it is more that YOU need short term missions. Our churches need short term missions. It’s how we, as a body of believers and as individuals, connect with the world in a personal and tangible way. As a local church we need to be about the Great Commission and as an individual we need to personally experience and know what ministry is all about, both locally and internationally.I can tell you as a seasoned missionary

tha t the g rea tes t need the world has is not better bible teaching, though we need that, and it is not the myriad of social services that we can provide, though that is all well and good. The basic need the world has is to know that someone actually cares for them, that there is someone who loves them and is willing to come to where they are and just be with them.Short-term missions are practical – It’s hands-on and anyone can serve. It does not require special schooling, degrees or previous experience.Short-term missions are effective – It has as much effect on the ones going as the ones receiving ministry and this results inanexcited,firedupchurchbackhomeand one that is more evangelistic and willing to serve and give to missions both locally as well as internationally. Short-term missions can have long-term results – If teams commit to an area or nation, continue to support them throughout the years and visit them on a regular basis, then relationships can develop which result in a better understanding of the needs of that

Short Term Trip DepartmentIn the fall of 2009, we began making plans to ramp up short term trips to help us return to the very thing that helped IGO become a missionary serv-ing and sending agency.

As a part of that process, in the fall of 2010, we asked Scott Ingram if he would help us to build a healthy, working short term ministry flowing out of the IGO Office. He has done just that... He is now the official go to guy for anything to do with short term trips for IGO.

If you would like to go on a short term trip I encourage you to contact Scott Ingram. He can help you join an exist-

ing team, build a team from scratch just for your group, or coach your team and help you get the most out of your short term trip experience.

We can help you arrange airfare, ground transportation, food, lodging and minis-try while in your host country.

If you would like more information, con-tact Scott Ingram at:

singram@igoministries.org

214-517-5703

or log in to our web site at:

www.igoministries.org

for a list of current trips

Bro. Bertist and Dr. Eddy Brown on local

transportation in Cuba (1999)

God established IGO as a missions agency through short- term mission trips. In 1975, Bertist and I were invited to be a part of a mission trip to Chile South America.

Andy Gallman, a dear friend and mentor, had received a letter of invitation (a Macedonian Call) from a retired Methodist Bishop in Chile. The country had just been freed from many years of communism and the entire country was destitute. Bishop Zoettle recognized that what they truly n e e d e d m o s t was a spiritual healing, and he cr ied out for help. God was g rac ious and we were able to make that trip and our l ives would be forever changed. We had never even heard of a mission trip and now we were going on one.

Late one night in August 1975, a group of people from all over the United States (not knowing one another except by the Spirit) gathered at the Miami International Airport for this exciting trip. By the next day, we were as one, and for the entire trip there was unity. We had many prayer meetings and Bible studies, preparing to do what He had called us to do. There is no way I could tell all, orevenasignificantpartofallthatGoddidinthethreeweekswe were there, but He did an awesome work

Pablo, the young man who was our interpreter, was a key figureinthelong-termeffectsofthisshort-termtrip.Hesaidto Bertist “Don’t go back to the U.S. and forget us.” Today in Chile, there is a vibrant work alive and growing. Fourteen churches from the north to south and their bishop is Pablo

In the Beginning.... IGO started with Short Term TripsBañados. May God continue to bless His work in Chile.

From this initial mission trip, came many more trips to Chile and to many other nations. May His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven

concerning all that He has done, and to Him goes all the glory, honor and praise. Thank You, Father for allowing us to be a part!

Anna Merle Anderson

Another ViewAnother short-term mission trip that helped to shape IGO into who we are today, was a two-week trip to Kenya, East Africa in June of 1989. Brother Bertist received a request from a Kenyan bishop, Daniel Maina, to bring a team to teach pastors of churches he was overseeing. The African Independent Pentecostal Churches of Africa were hungry for the Word of God. Seven men led by Brother Bertist responded to that invitation. Pablo Bañados traveled from Chile, SA to join us in Kenya.

KenyohoChurchSchool, locatedaboutfiftymilesnorthofNairobi, was used to provide Bible teaching to thirty AIPCA pastors who willingly slept each night on banana leaves spread onaconcretefloor.Eachafternoon,theteamheldopen-airevangelistic meetings in nearby villages, followed by nightly worship services at the Church.

A young Kenyan pastor named Patrick Ndirangu, who supported his family by managing a trade school, served as the interpreter for most of the preaching and teaching sessions. By 1989, God had used Patrick to plant and oversee eight churches in the region.

To d a y, t h e r e a r e 235 Churches of the Restoration which Pat r ick he lped to establish. One of our 1989 team members, John Dodd , soon returned to Kenya with his wife, Norma, where they served as IGO missionaries for

Front Row: Patrick Ndirangu, Bertist Rouse, Daniel MainaBack Row: Joe Williams, Bill Anderson, David Fackler, Hugh Carl Mc-

Celland, Pablo Bañados, John Dodd, Michael Simmons

1989 Africa Short Term Team

International Gospel OutreachP. O. Box 1008, Semmes, AL 36575-1008251-645-2117 Office, 251-645-2118 Faxwww.igoministries.org - Web Site

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SHORT TERM TRIPS 2011May 11-19 Comitán, Chiapas, MexicoLeader: Scott IngramPurpose: Construction team

May 20-30 Coatzacoalcos, MexicoLeader: Scott IngramPurpose: Evangelistic crusade

July 13-20 Uruapan, Michoacan, MexicoLeader: Sharlene GrahamPurpose: Working with local churches to train chil-

dren’s workers and help local church do an outreach into the city.

July 27- Aug. 4 San Cristobal de las Casas, MexicoLeader: Ricky ParkerPurpose: Local Church Outreach (Filled)

June 29-July 7 Comitán, Chiapas. MexicoLeader: Scott IngramPurpose: Medical outreach

July (TBA) Masindi, Uganda, AfricaLeader: Darin BurgessPurpose: Leadership Training, Women’s Ministry

September CubaLeader: Scott IngramPurpose: Details to be anounced.

Oct. 1-8 Cancun, MexicoLeader: Scott IngramPurpose: Annual Pastors Retreat

October (TBA) Republic of GeorgiaLeader: James GrahamPurpose: Worship Leadership Conference, and Pas-

tor’s Training

November 7-25 EthiopiaLeader: Wes MottPurpose: To train leaders and help develop a church

planting movement in northern Ethiopia.

WE NEED YOU TO HELP US GO!In order for these trips to be successful in building the Kingdom of God, we need friends like you who will help pray for and fund these teams.

Please pray and see if you are one of those God is speaking to about helping IGO and these team leaders mobilize as many shorttermandlongtermmissionariesaswecantothefield.Your prayers, gifts and friendship help us to go!

If you would like to go on one of these trips, or if you would like IGO to put together a trip just for your group, contact theHomeOfficeandwewillbehappytoworkwithyou,orconnect you.

If you would like to help with the expenses any of these up-coming trips, send your tax deductible gift to:

IGO P. O. Box 1008