In Romans 1:11-12, Paul writes that he longs to see those in Rome “that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” At its core, God’s mission to this world involves our ongoing discovery of what He is doing in and through one another, and in every discovery, we more and more celebrate, worship, and stand in awe of Jesus our Messiah, our Savior.
Read MoreOur names are Tom Boone, Murray Gossett, Guy Griffith, Toby Mueller, and William Pender. We have come to immerse ourselves in the company of Persian believers we will not name from different networks operating in their home countries. This week will be defined by worship, teaching from Americans and Persians together, prayer, and sharing stories. It will be a pleasure to share what we learn with you! Due to the nature of this visit we will not be able to share names, our specific locations, nor many pictures. Yet the stories of the church and how God is working through believers in a very difficult place will abound.
Read MoreOn the final days our trip to Southern México, Rev. Deena Candler and I had the privilege of visiting two ministries in Tapachula that The Outreach Foundation supports through our partnership with the National Presbyterian Church of México.
Read MoreOn Monday in Tapachula, we participated in the second pastoral leadership event. There were more than 110 participants from five presbyteries. The room was filled with pastors, elders, and deacons.
Read MoreIn John 21:15-17, Jesus told Peter that the best way to love Him was to “Feed My Sheep.” This also is the call for all pastors, elders, and deacons regarding their congregations. A key to doing this well is maintaining a healthy walk with God and having a good support network. To this end, in partnership with the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, The Outreach Foundation is sponsoring leadership development seminars for pastors, elders, and deacons.
Read MoreIt was our pleasure to worship on our final day, Sunday morning, December 11, with the Presbyterian community in Heliopolis, which means City of the Sun. This is a traditional church, and the Sunday morning service has many retirees (since Sunday is a work day or school day in this majority-Muslim country) and has always been formal and traditional.
Read MoreOn Saturday, we traveled two hours west of Cairo to Fayoum, a historic oasis area in the desert west of Cairo. There we visited four churches and an NGO. The Fayoum Area or District is composed of 4 million people, many located in the key city of El Fayoum, some in various villages or “ghettos” and small towns which are poor, and in new cities being built by the government to encourage people to move out of the congested cities of Cairo and Fayoum. Amazingly, the government is giving land for churches to be built in these new community developments – within a limited period of time.
Read MoreDay 3 brought a combination of sightseeing at the Pyramids and three church visits. The vastness of the Pyramids, paired with the excellent history lesson from our expert guide Mourad Sedky (Mirus Voyages), provided a meaningful morning. We not only viewed the Pyramids from the ground but also from a camel, which was a joyful experience.
Read MoreOur day began with an extended visit to the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo (ETSC). The seminary’s gated compound is nestled off a busy street thronged with migrants in the queue for the visa office for Egypt’s international residents next door.
Read MoreOur compact team of four encountered as much of Egypt as we could in 4-5 days, December 7-11. Commissioned Pastor Anne Keener’s sabbatical (from First Presbyterian, Franklin, TN) prompted the trip when she and her father, Tom McDow (Outreach Trustee/Westminster Presbyterian, Nashville) decided to see the exciting mission of the church in Egypt on their way home from a Holy Land tour. After making their arrangements, I found Evangeline Paschal, a key mission elder at National Presbyterian in DC (where I serve) was eager to join up for the short trip, so she and I met up with Tom and Anne in Cairo.
Read MoreIn Matthew 25:31-40, Jesus encourages us to selflessly and expansively meet the needs of the poor, hungry, and sick among us where we live. Our encouragement to engage in this sacrificial service to “the least of these” is based on our love for Jesus – the one who loved us first and gives us our desire to serve others. During our last day in Mexico, we were privileged to meet with members of a congregation that is serving the poor and vulnerable in their midst in Mexico.
Read MoreThe final day of any mission-vision trip is always bittersweet. On the one hand, we are eager to get home, be reunited with family and friends, unpack our little treasures picked up along the way and to sleep in our own beds once again. And yet, we have become bonded with a group of mostly total strangers who have showed up to explore how God has been at work in his Church and, along the way, over long days and short nights, we have become a traveling family and are a bit reluctant to part ways after our intense shared experiences.
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