Going Home...

After two months exactly for Keli & the kids, and an additional 5 days for me;

After more than 5,000 road miles (not counting the generous ride provided by the Weiger's & Claussen's from OKC to Alabama);

After countless air miles on these flights:

- Cairo to Paris (x5)

- Paris to Minneapolis 

- Minneapolis to Sacramento

- Sacramento to Portland

- Paris to Atlanta (x4)

- Atlanta to Huntsville (x4)

- Portland to Denver (x3)

- Denver to OKC

- Birmingham to Seattle (x5)

- Denver to Nashville (x2)

- Atlanta to Portland (x4)

*not including Alexis' air miles!

After visits and meetings with these congregations or representatives of:

- North Modesto ChoG, CA

- Fresno 1st ChoG, CA

- Culver City ChoG, CA

- McDowell Mountain Community Church, AZ

- Antelope Road Christian Fellowship, CA

- Sunset Park ChoG, OR

- Rainier Community Church, OR

- 12th Ave ChoG, AL

- Rainbow City Community Church, AL

- 6th Ave ChoG, AL

- Riverchase Community Church, AL

- Olympia-Lacey ChoG, WA

- Fairview ChoG, WA

- Oak Park ChoG, OR

- Lynchwood ChoG, OR

- Holladay Park ChoG, OR

- Hoodview ChoG, OR

- Blue Mountain Community Church, WA

- Columbia Community Church, WA

- Centralia Community Church, WA

- Mt Scott ChoG, OR

- Rockwood ChoG, OR

After participating in all or part of these meetings:

- Heart for Lebanon Board of Director's meeting, Phoenix, AZ

- North American Convention of the ChoG, Be Bold, OKC

- Alabama Ministerial Assembly of the ChoG Campmeeting, Clanton, AL

- Pacific Northwest Association of the ChoG Family Camp, Double K Camp, WA

- Oregon/southwest Washington Association of the ChoG Summer Celebration, Warner Pacific College, OR

After not nearly enough time with family and friends;

After more calories than any family should healthily consume in a two month period;

After too little exercise;

After meeting and staying with some of the most wonderful, hospitable, and generous people on the planet;

After seeing beautiful places along scenic drives; witnessing the wonder of Multnomah Falls; climbing to the top of Beacon Rock in the Columbia River Gorge; a meditative walk through The Grotto; a time of quiet and reflection in Joshua Tree National Park; a Salem Volcanoes baseball game; Seaside, Oregon; and whirlwind tours through Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, and the Evergreen Air & Space Museum;

After not knowing if we did enough to promote Children of Promise in Egypt, Ana Terzo in Lebanon, or the Next Gen Fund for Three Worlds; after wishing we could have done more to help Langford's and Weiger's get to the field more quickly;

After holding and seeing our newest family members (Lilian, Filla, Avery & Jillian) for the first time; 

After watching our kids grow in confidence and clarity in answering questions publicly and privately like Public Relations specialists;

After more daily blessings and countless amounts of encouragement, sincere prayers, generous gifts, genuine fellowship, and humbling honors than any person or family should be allowed to receive;

After all of that - and a memory that is fading and likely forgetting so much more - we are headed home to Cairo, Egypt.  

We are not looking forward to the travel that takes us on an early Monday morning flight from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles, California; or overnight from LA to Paris, France tonight; or Paris to Cairo tomorrow.  

We are not looking forward to the likely late arrival to the villas and the frantic search for clothes and necessities for the first day of school early the next morning.

Though I am looking forward to being with the Ana Terzo camp, we are notlooking  forward to the quick turn around for me to repack and fly to Beirut less than 24 hours after landing.

But we are looking forward to being home--back to the CCF (eventually), back to the weekly Kids program, back to serving our community and the Egypt & Lebanon Churches.  Back to the rush & the wait & the chaos of Cairo traffic; back to the wonder of the Nile and the glimpse of pyramids on the horizon.  Back to fellowship with believers throughout Europe and Middle East.  Back to the routines and the uncertainties of this adventure.

Home is where and how you make it--and God has led us to make our home in Cairo.  By His providence and blessing and the prayers of many, we have been able to do that.  

We have enjoyed our summer--how could we not after all the blessings listed above?

None of us had a fit or shed a tear this morning with the prospect of returning to Cairo--that wasn't a powerless resignation that we have to return; it was a privileged realization that we get to return.  The work and the risk are outweighed by the joys and the adventures that await us.

We live in Cairo--a land of such amazing history--and we get to live there on the front row of history being written anew.  We have been invited to walk with others in such a place as this, at such a time as this.

We are the most fortunate people on the planet to be so loved and missed from wonderful people on multiple continents, and yet able to share the greatest love with all of them.  

Thank you for honoring us & loving us with your interest, prayers, support, encouragement, questions, and even concern.

Another Road Trip Playlist, Day 4

From Oregon back to Washington today as we head north one more time to meet with Outreach Pastor Elmer of the Centralia Community ChoG.  We are blessed by Centralia's partnership and sincere support of our family, and wish we could have spent more time with them.  In scheduling our time out west, we tried to give Sunday morning priorities to the congregations who did not have us on a Sunday morning before, or whom we had never met.  That wasn't always possible, and so we have also been scheduling Sunday and Wednesday evenings--but there are not enough of those prime days in the summer for everyone out in the northwest, and so we have had to do several of these weekday meetings, too.

We're trying to see everyone we can--time is running short, for sure, as we're just days from leaving the USA.  In less than a week, our kids will be sitting in a classroom and I'll be in Lebanon at the Ana Terzo camp.  That' really amazing and overwhelming to think about all at the same time.

So on the road lately, I've been remembering all the places and people we have been blessed to meet and share with during this trip.  It's been an amazing summer among amazing people--and to make road trips in this part of the country this summer has been amazing, filled with beauty and moments of sincere wonder at the creative work of God.

We're not done yet, but almost.

So today's song goes back in the vault to a truly classic song, "What a Wonderful World," by Louis Armstrong himself...


Thank you.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of safety and your beauty along every stretch of road.

Thank you Lord for your wonderful people who have greeted us, fed us, served us, encouraged us, prayed for us, sheltered us, blessed us, and loved us.  You know each of their names and where they are; bless them as they have blessed us that they may continue to be a source of blessing to others.

Thank you Lord for our family with whom we have been able to laugh and share time together again. Thank you for their understanding and support of your calling on our lives--and the support they also give us.  Thank you for the opportunity to see our newest family members, too.

Thank you for the home you've made for us in Cairo--for the people of the Church throughout Europe and Middle East to whom we have been sent to learn from, love, and encourage their own journeys and ministries, too.  Our hearts and minds comprehend you, your love and your purpose better for being there--we are better for being there and for knowing each of them.  Enable us with your strength and love and grace and wisdom to serve them as you would desire.

It's been an amazing summer--and as we look back with joy, we look forward with great anticipation of all the Lord has in store for us individually and together...

Another Road Trip Playlist, Day 3

Another day in Oregon, without too long of time on the road.  Today, the boys and I were able to begin with a wonderful, home-cooked breakfast with our hosts Owen and Joyce of the Newberg congregation.  They have a wonderful little country home where Owen restores tractors and where they raise their own beef and pork; that's right, we had some of the best bacon and french toast ever to begin our day :)

And then we got to know Pastor Matt Ingalls better over a cup of coffee at the Newberg Bakery--great town here.  Pastor Matt was a college buddy to our friend/future teammate Josh Weiger; and his wife Abbey knew Meghan & Rachel (formerly Chapman) from the 6th Avenue congregation.  I love the heart and vision he has brought to the River Street Church of God.  We've just got the coolest congregations supporting us--full of genuine, sincere believers offering wonderful service to their communities.  It's awesome--I love conversations like this and I've had them all summer.

Then, the boys and I hit the road (short trip) to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.  Several people in Oregon had encouraged us to take the boys there, and even contributed to help pay for the entrance fees.  I was pretty pumped - anytime we get to look at military aircraft and history, I'm ready.  I am a proud grandson of a WWII bomber pilot and I love any chance of meeting veterans and seeing things that he may have experienced.

To make the experience all the cooler, Evergreen hosts the "Spruce Goose", the famed air-boat invention of Howard Hughes--nearly all made of wood (because the government wouldn't free any metal for the project at the height of WWII), and boasting the widest wingspan of any aircraft ever, it is an engineering marvel.  My dad first told me the history of this goliath when I was a child and to have the opportunity to see it was more than exciting.

But that's not all...

Terry Shrout of the Salem congregation took the boys and I to a baseball game last week.  While there, Terry introduced me to a friend of his who happened to be the Executive Director of the museum.  He gave us his card and encourage us to call him upon our arrival.  We did, and are we ever glad we did.  He met us and gave us a VIP guided tour, taking a hold the exhibits, showing the boys how and why things worked, and got us behind the glass and into the Spruce Goose for an inside tour of this massive plane.  Titus got to sit in Howard Hughes' captain seat as we had this picture taken, too...

What a day--really cool stuff.  So, surrounded by jet fighters, WWII bombers, air and space replicas and restored projects all day, I had to go back in the music archives to pull out the theme song from "Top Gun" -- eat your heart out Patrick ;)

In the evening, we were able to share the River Street's simple supper with the community they serve, and then share with some of the congregation about the ministry they are supporting in Europe and Middle East.  One cute little girl up front shared that she was bored near the end of the presentation--classic moment--and during the prayer time for us, she began by praying "Thank you for this food".  She stopped, embarrassed by the little laughter in the prayer circle; but she came back up and prayed near the boys, "help them grow up safe."  Special moment.

A wonderful day among wonderful people -- we are so blessed.

Thank you for your continuing interest and prayers...

Another Road Trip Playlist, Day 2

Back on the road this morning, but not without a meeting with the amazing C3 congregation (Columbia Community Church) in the tri-cities area of eastern Washington.  This is one of the fastest growing congregations in the region, and we're their only "Church of God" supported mission personnel.  It was great to have them sign on with us before we left in January 2012, and even greater to share with them about the exciting ministry developments in Europe and Middle East.  Pastor Aaron, over small groups and outreach ministries, was extremely excited to hear about the next generation and relational focus of Three Worlds.  They will be looking to connect more and hopefully contribute to speaking into the ministries in the region in the coming years--gotta love conversations like that.

But, away from the exciting interactive dialogue to the highway...

When you are on these road trips, songs that are reflective are great in such beautiful areas--a lot of prayer and thinking and listening takes place on the open road.  But when you're tired and needing to push on, it really helps to have a song that moves, gets you singing, and almost dancing from the driver seat to keep the adrenaline flowing.  So, since we're gonna surpass another 2,000 miles on yet another rental this summer, we're needing some songs that move--fortunately, OneRepublic keeps cranking out the hits like we keep adding on the miles--their latest smash, "love runs out"


Why are we on the road so much?  Love -- there's so much love for us here in the Pacific northwest -- so many praying, supporting, encouraging churches.  We want to get to them and tell them what their loving support is encouraging us to do.  We will keep running to and fro each of them because their love is supporting.  And as we do, it inspires greater love for the people and work by and among the Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrian, and various European nations -- as we tell their story, their love is building not only for these international communities, but also for their own communities.  I can't tell you how amazing it is to tell the stories of the Middle East and Europe Christians and watch the ideas and passions of the American churches get stoked.  We'll keep going till the love runs out--but, conversations like this morning and what we're expecting to have tonight in Newberg, Oregon are only keep that love building and overflowing.

Thanks for your prayers for us as we're on the road.  God has blessed us with safety and beauty along the way...

Another Road Trip Playlist, Day 1

Yeah, we're back on the road.  This time, I have the boys traveling with me and greeting supporting leaders and congregations along the way.  (Keli and Grace took Alexis back to Alabama, and to say final farewells to family members).

We're less than a week now remaining in our USA summer.  I previously logged over 2000 miles on the Dodge Charger rental at the beginning of summer; we're nearing 2000 miles on the rental Dodge Caravan that the family has used since our arrival in Washington on July 12.  I don't have a complete record of miles logged from OKC to Alabama, and then around Alabama as a family, nor when Keli and the kids were doing their sharing to congregations there--and then there's the air miles that we've been logging.  Wow--and this is was supposed to be the easiest possible itineration schedule!  Our next itineration has to include Idaho (whose congregations we could not give a good meeting date during this trip), as well as our midwest to southeast US support that ranges from Houston to Chicago to Tampa -- that one will be challenging!

So, today, we were able to meet and share with the mission's team at Blue Mountain Community Church in Walla Walla, Washington.  This congregation has been a long term supporter of ministry in the Middle East, and still support the congregations in Egypt today.  Among the congregation's members is Ernest LaFont who just celebrated 70 years of ordained ministry, and who is one of our predecessors in ministering in Egypt.  (Sadly, We were unable to connect with Brother Lafont on this trip).  BMCC also supports Three-Worlds through the Nachtigall's.  It was great to be able to share with this congregation the exciting things that are happening in the region under Patrick and Jamie's leadership, and to get a headstart on sharing with them how they can be a part of supporting the upcoming 3W youth leaders' summit (2015) and youth convention (2016) -- they were pumped, as I think everyone will be.

The boys and I also took time to see the latest Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy - a lot more zany and off the wall from previous Marvel installments, and with a great soundtrack of our beloved mother's mix-tape to her son (oh the memory of the mix-tape!), we laughed and cheered through this pic.  (As always, please note this disclaimer: the views, opinions, and lifestyles of the actors or the characters portrayed in any Marvel movie, comic book, or their offices is not necessarily an endorsed view, opinion, and/or lifestyle of our family, Church of God Ministries, or any of the congregations supporting or served by our family.) 

and let a similar disclaimer join our next segment of this post -- that's right, you can't have a Roadtrip without a Playlist :)

Today's song is from the American Authors, titled "Believer"

"I'm just a believer that things will get better..."

Love this tune, though I've not fully soaked in all the lyrics yet, but I am / we are believers--how else does a family from Alabama without any experience in Middle Eastern language, culture, or people jump from a fruitful and fulfilling experience to Egypt and Lebanon?

And as we prepare to return, to a place of political uncertainty, nearing yet another anniversary of a terrible day in Egypt's recent history, we need to be reminded of our belief that God is doing something and by some crazy notion, has taken to inviting our family into the mix.  While we try to figure out how to pack to leave next week, I'll have to figure out how to land and pack and leave for Lebanon in less than 24 hours--and that takes some belief, too, that God will be watching over Keli and the kids as they try to readjust to life in Cairo without me.

And it takes some belief to book those tickets to Lebanon so quickly--especially in light of current events.  Your recent newscast may have neglected to mention that ISIS, (the fundamentalist-Islamist-Al-Qaeda-splinter group fighting in Syria and Iraq), decided to test the interior security and military might of Lebanon.  The Lebanese defense was up to the challenge, but not without loss of life.  While I contemplate the news of flying into this country, I'm simultaneously reminded of the courage and fortitude of the amazing Lebanese Church whose believers not only live on in the midst of trouble all around them, but also serve on.  Believers like those serving in Heart for Lebanon who will try to figure out a way to serve refugees near the latest difficulties.  H4L changed their Facebook cover photo to this earlier today...

Their belief, and the belief of all those living and serving throughout the Middle East, inspires our belief.  Things will get better--while the news focuses on what is seen, we are focusing on what is unseen and that reveals that even in the midst of pain and loss, God is redeeming and restoring--Things Will Get Better...

Thanks for your continuing interest, thoughts, prayers, support, and encouragement!