On Monday, July 21, LaVon and I are heading to Africa as a part of a mission team from our church. We’ll be spending several days in the northern part of Zambia where we’ll visit the orphanages and ministry centers we support that provide end of life care for women infected with AIDS.  We’ll then travel to Johannesburg, South Africa to explore a possible partnership with another United Methodist organization. From there we’ll head to Durban, South Africa where we will dedicate a church and “edu-care center” that our church has provided funds and sent work teams to construct.

As the rest of the team prepares the site of our next church/edu-care center (we’ve constructed three and we hope to construct seven more) I’ll be leading a three-day Leadership Institute for 100 Methodist and Anglican pastors in South Africa.

We’re taking two professional videographers with us to capture the sites, sounds, beauty and tragedy that is sub-Saharan Africa. Upon returning to the United States I’ll be preaching a two-part sermon series entitled, “Journey to Africa.” My hope is to take our entire congregation, via video, photos and sermon, to Africa and to help them hear God’s voice teaching us through the people of Africa, and calling us to be in ministry with them. I am going to Africa praying that God will open my eyes and ears so that I might see and hear what he intends.

While I hope to be a blessing, I am convinced that I go to Africa as the pupil, not the teacher. Please pray for me, for LaVon and for the rest of our team, that God will use us to be a blessing, and that we will be open to what God would teach us there.