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"
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!
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