Sent...to West Africa

It's time to hit the road again. I woke early this morning with plenty on my mind even though my flight to Lome, Togo doesn't leave until 7:15 this evening. The flight will take me from St. Louis to Atlanta to Paris to Togo. I'm a bit worried this morning that these trips are becoming so routine that I'm going to forget something. I used to make list after list of things to get ready and things to do before I was ready to leave. This trip feels different for some reason. I am packed and ready and to go but it doesn't really seem like I put in the usual effort to get to this point. Thankfully the Lord's faithfulness in all things will provide all the calm and confidence needed to board the plane this evening.

It seems like it's been awhile since I've made a trip. The last overseas trip was in July with the Mission Helper Trip to Tanzania. So I have been in the U.S. for almost three months. But those three months have been spent traveling and preaching and giving mission presentations and attending meetings and pastoral conference. I have had the privilege of preaching at and meeting with eight different CLC congregations. All in all I traveled over 5,600 miles here in the States.

While in West Africa I will be visiting Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria over the next five weeks. If you want a quick summary of my agenda you can read the first few paragraphs of my last blog post. I always look forward to being with my brothers and sisters in Christ in other parts of the world. It is such encouragement to see the Lord at work in the hearts of so many as they serve Him with such selfless dedication and zeal.

Please keep Beth and my family in your prayers while I'm away. I am so thankful to the Lord for the love and support Beth has for me and this important work that the Lord has given us the privilege of being a part of.