The Longest Day

I guess it is made worse by the fact that this is my first time to Europe & Africa. It's 5:30p here, I'm on the 3rd plane of the day, somehere about 39000 ft over southern Sudan, about an hour from the last stop in Kigali, Rwanda before flying on to Entebbe. My watch tells me a time, but my body is defiant to it. It doesn't feel like just before noon either, but some indeterminate state of weariness. I've had 3-4 hrs of sleep on the last 29 hrs or so. We only have about 11 hours of travel left. :)

Nick realized we needed to make some sermon text changes which mostly effect him and has been furiously writing now for a couple hours. I'll close up here and see if I can get some kind of sleep while I ponder what lies ahead this week.

Underway

What a crazy few months leading up to this trip, but it's finally here. It's pretty hard to believe.

As I write this we are on our first leg of the long journey, flying to Newark. From there we will fly overnight to Brussels. Check-in was mostly uneventful, but getting all the materials to the counter was comical.

But we're on our way, trusting in the foreordained plan of our beautiful King. May His name go into all the earth!

On leaving the country

I'm 1 week away from departure. I've got all my necessities (mostly). Mosquito net, check.  DEET, check. Malaria meds, check. (notice a theme here?) headlamp, pillow, sleeping bag, Bible, notes, passport, some clothes... all has to be reduced to my backpack mostly. This next week will be a whirlwind of activities and last minute preparation.

Honestly, the logistics don't have me concerned at all actually. But preparation does. What do I have to take to these men? (I have Christ, I take them Christ in His Word, that's what I have, that's everything). Yet, it is a dreadful weight to suppose to go teach and preach to those who teach and preach when I am neither teacher nor preacher. If I am honest, my spirit quakes within me. Condemnation is prowling, crouching, seizing every opportunity to cause me to doubt, to question my ability, or more accurately, viability for this task.  I'm in desperate need of discernment, unction and increasing faith. I've never felt so helpless and dependent on God's exacting and specific grace.

I could not have imagined how fierce the battle would be. Then again, I guess I never came as close to the front lines as I thought. Honestly I don't really have time to 'waste' writing this, but if there is one of my friends who happens to read this, please pray. I covet your prayers and need them desperately. Pray for my family too while I'm gone. In reality, it's only 9 days and it's not like it's uncharted territory, but it's new for me, and new to my family. My kids are (mostly) old enough to understand this isn't routine. I'm on the other side of the world for those few days.

Pray for all of us going (and those already there), for clarity, boldness, zealousness for Christ's glory and above all, a deep and abiding faith that transcends culture and time and speaks of the One who's righteousness we wear, who's blood bought our peace. Pray His voice will drown out our own.