GO! Teams '09 Revving Up

So many places, so little time and opportunity.

That's what it feels like at times as we make our plans for destinations of our Global Outreach (GO!) Teams at KACC. There are lots of places we could travel, lots of people to meet and things to do. There are so many chances to make an impact for God's Kingdom...and yet we are bound by time and means. So how do we determine just where we will invest our time, resources and energy?

More than anything, it comes down to relationships. While we could make trips to so many locations, we look at the connections we have with those we desire to serve. First, we try to direct our efforts to those people and projects that we actively support as a church. It makes sense to channel our time into places where we already channel our resources. This helps to deepen that relationship, and gives us a greater understanding and appreciation for those to whom we are committed. Secondly, we look for places where we can return in order to invest our lives deeply. We don't want to do "hit-and-run" missions, because we believe the greater blessing comes with greater investment...for us and for those we serve. And since we only spend from a few days to a few weeks in any location, it takes many times on site to develop the trust and camaraderie that allows us to speak deeply into lives.

With this kind of criteria in mind, we have our trips ready for 2009:

• San Carlos Apache Reservation, Arizona- April 23-26; November 5-8
• Atascadero, CA- May 14-17; October 1-4
• Tecate, Mexico- May 15-17; December 11-13
• Brisbane, Australia- June 28- July 13
• Baguio City, Philippines- July 8-22

You may notice that we are adding shorter, closer, more affordable trips, while dropping some of our longer ones (for this year). Our hope is that more people will be willing to "wade into the shallow end" of missions, tasting and seeing just how rich the experience is by taking a smaller step. Our ultimate goals? Among others, to understand more fully what God is doing outside our own neighborhoods, to connect with others in life-changing ways (for us and them), and to discover what God might be saying to us about our role in getting His message of life and hope to ALL peoples. Interested in knowing more? Contact us at church and find out what part God may want you to play in His bigger picture in 2009.

We're ready to GO! Are you?