T - 1 Month

(Time minus 1 month)
In less than 1 month, I will leave for the USA and begin our family's first*, brief home visit.  (The * is because I myself went back to the USA for a two week period at the end of February and beginning of March 2013 for some meetings, but this upcoming summer is our first family's "home assignment"--Keli and the kids have not been back to the USA since we left for Cairo in January 2012.)

And, notice above that I wrote, "I will leave" -- I get a little head start on the rest of the family to get in one extra weekend of visits.  While the family will leave shortly after me for Alabama (back home), I will fly directly to Sacramento, California.  I'll talk more about that itinerary in just a minute, but first, the update on all things here from our perspective and activity in the Middle East...

• Things remain relatively calm; occasional attacks of checkpoints or police stations continue throughout the country, whether by drive-by shooting or homemade bombs--as a result, there have been deaths and the saddest thing is that people hardly flinch at such events any more.

• In Egypt, the Presidential elections are coming up at the end of the month; in Lebanon, Presidential elections will take place a little sooner.  Each carry the potential for protests, and so we will watch how things unfold carefully.  Both countries are hopeful and in need of good leadership at critical times for different reasons.  We pray that good, wise, and bridge-building leadership will be elected and help move each country in the right direction.  Among each country's challenges are education improvement, infrastructure, and -- as this video highlights -- job creation.

(regionally, Middle East and North Africa has highest unemployment rate in the world)

• Our ministries remain busy with the Cairo Christian Fellowship meeting weekly for worship,

  

  CCF Kids continues to attract new families
  and teach more children Scripture in a fun program.

  and the Kids Program meeting weekly, too.  The CCF Worship has seen a steady worship attendance since Easter, whereas the Kids Program has been up and down because it has been the time of retreats and weddings, and all the young families have been busy.  We have a few more weeks that look to be full in attendance and we're even expecting to see some new families who have been invited--very exciting.

• The national Church in Egypt is doing well; plans are in place for me to make our first Upper Egypt visit of churches along with national leadership.  This trip has been continually delayed for numbers of reasons, but we're looking forward to greeting the different pastors in the communities that they serve and seeing them among their people.  We will also be sharing with the Upper Egypt congregations about the lessons learned from the congregations on the north coast about the Children of Promise program; we hope to see these congregations make suitable preparations for creating similar chapters of this ministry to serve their communities.  Exciting!

• The national Church in Lebanon is also doing well, and just completed their annual unity

  

  An estimated 270 attended the annual Church of God
  unity event at Theopolis Camp outside of Beirut,
  and the Ana Terzo young adults served them all.

  meeting on the 1st of May (a holiday that is used by many churches in Lebanon for similar purposes).  Usually, one of the local congregations plans the service and meal for all the churches, but this year, Ana Terzo (the dynamic young adult ministry) was asked to take on the responsibility.  By all report and pictures of the event, they did an outstanding job with a theme of "Church of God: Past, Present and Future."  Our "boss", Regional Coordinator Patrick Nachtigall, was asked to speak and gave glowing reports of how hard the young adults worked and served before and after the event.  So proud.  Now they will begin to prepare for the summer teen camp and their own camp in mid-August.

• Work, work, and more work -- we are overseeing a lot of villa renovation and improvement projects in this month.  We hope to see Villa 18's 1st and 2nd floors completed for living arrangements for groups and/or short-term rentals.  We also will begin working toward making the ground level a larger multipurpose space where the CCF Kids can meet.  There are so many good things in store through these projects.

if you've never had Milo's,
don't worry, it will be in heaven :)

So, all of this is going on while the kids are finishing the school year, and while we're beginning to finalize details in what will be a very busy summer--and it all begins in less than a month.   Built within this schedule below are some important meetings, as well as some important family time.  Our kids are actually most excited to see their family members, including Alexis and a few that we haven't even met yet due to recent births and an engagement.  Of course, the kids are also looking forward to Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, Krispy Kreme, and Big Bob Gibson's BBQ.  And me?  I'm looking forward to Milo's Sweet Tea, the "crack of southern sweet tea"--I've been sober for more than a year from that stuff, but I will be falling off the wagon as soon as I cross back into Alabama.

So here's our upcoming itinerary--at least, what we know now because we're still scheduling!  If we're going to be near you, come by and see us; or let us know to come spend some time with you...

Su, June 8, AM - Ken shares at North Modesto ChoG, CA

Su, June 8, PM - Ken shares at 1st ChoG, Fresno, CA

??W, June 11 - Los Angeles, CA??

June 12-14 - Ken at Heart for Lebanon meetings, Phoenix, AZ

Su, June 15, AM - Ken shares at MMCC, Scottsdale, AZ

W, June 18 - Ken shares at Antelope Road, Citrus Heights, CA

- Keli & kids share at 12th Ave ChoG, Arab, AL

Su, June 22, AM - Ken shares at Sunset Park ChoG, St. Helens, OR

- Keli & kids share at Rainbow City, Gadsden, AL

Su, June 22, PM - Ken shares at Rainier Community, OR

          

           June 23-26 - Ken & Keli at North American Convention, OKC, OK

Su, June 29, AM - 6th Avenue ChoG, Decatur, AL

???W, July 2 - attend worship at Clanton Campmeeting, AL???

Su, July 6, AM - Riverchase Community, Hoover, AL

Su, July 13, AM - Olympia-Lacey ChoG, WA

            July 13-17 - family participates in PNA Family Camp

Su, July 20, AM - Fairview ChoG, Seattle, WA

           July 20-23 - family shares at Oregon Summer Celebration, at Warner Pacific College

Su, July 27, AM - Oak Park ChoG, Salem, OR

??Su, July 27, PM - ??? Portland, OR

??W, July 30 - ??? Portland, OR

Su, August 3, AM - Hoodview ChoG, Woodburn, OR

Su, August 3, PM - River City ChoG, Newberg, OR

??W, August 6

Su, August 10, AM - Mt. Scott ChoG, Portland, OR

Su, August 10, PM - Rockwood ChoG, Portland, OR


Thank you for your continuing interest, thoughts, support, and prayers for us - we look forward to sharing personally with several of you very soon!