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Gender: Female Status: Married
Age: 43 Sign: Gemini
City: Tarzana State: California Country: US
Signup Date:
05/04/07
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Sunday, August 12, 2007
Team Uganda Update 10
ORIGINALLY SENT SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
Team Uganda Prayer Warriors -
Greetings
from London (AGAIN)...It was supposed to be Greetings from Uganda but
we tried in several places to connect to the internet in Uganda but
with no luck. We are very sorry for the delay in sending an update and
hope you understand. As you may know, the Uganda team made it home
safely on Tuesday afternoon. No hiccups, no delays, no worries, ALL the
luggage arrived WITH the team. Neils (Deuce) Johnson said everything
went well. Thanks Deuce for leading the team back home.
Uganda
is beautiful, hot but beautiful. I made it to Uganda safely and
surprised my son, Richard. He has been with Neil on the men's team for
the last two weeks and didn't know I would be coming. Only surprise for
me, my luggage didn't arrive until Tuesday night :-). Yes, I was very
humbled and learned so much from the experience. We had such a great
time with Richard. Neil took me to Bethany Village and we saw Praise
House (the first orphanage house built for Africa Renewal Ministries
which was built by the Rocky Peak team Neil was on in March 2004). We
saw the kitchen they cook in (I will never complain about my kitchen
again), toilets and showers for the house as well as the school
facilities. It is amazing what God is doing on Bethany Village. 3 years
ago, it was almost all jungle...now it is home to at least 13
orphanages, a new school, new high school, new clinic, cafeteria and
much more. We also saw Ggaba Community Church, Wentz Medical Clinic,
the schools associated with Ggaba Community Church and saw several of
the first Mwangaza Children's Choir kids who stayed with us 3 years
ago. What fun to be in a foreign place and know people you call family.
We also went on a safari and saw lions, baboons, kobs (sorta like a
gazelle), wart hogs, buffalos, hippos, crocodiles, african fishing
eagles (they look similar to the American Bald Eagle but smaller) and
elephants (one was about 10 yards from our car). We also traveled to
Rukungiri where I was able to see the current church building, the new
church land, the four house churches that have been planted and lots of
remote villages. It was amazing...mud walls and dirt floors and the
Holy Spirit flowing through. We went to one church and three of the
older women were praying. They had their Lugandan bible open to Isaiah
51 on a large drum. It was so humbling. Neil took pictures of the
church (a house), the women, the drum and the bible (it was definitely
used...no cover, pages tattered and torn...a book of love!). We drove
through remote villages to get to the churches, seeing the poverty was
certainly eye opening. I was prepared for it as Neil had shared so much
with me and I have seen photos but when you are there, you get a
different perspective. I had a laugh as we were driving down the main
road, there were several different buildings with a small signs that
said "Tea Room"...of course, I am picturing how we have tea in America
and knowing it must be a completely different experience than our
sandwiches and tarts. We were told you go there to buy coffee and milk,
you would be lucky to buy tea there. Pastor Elisha and Pastor Ivan both
didn't know why they were called tea rooms.
We had dinner with
Pastor Elisha and his wife, Rebekah and Pastor Ivan and his wife,
Martin on Thursday night in Rukungiri. Our time around the table was
really cool, almost like a small group. God really opened my eyes to
the fact that despite the cultural differences, the women in Uganda
have the exact same struggles as many women (including myself and those
in my small group) do. It was an incredibly powerful night, one I will
remember for a long time. Of course, prior to the dinner, God had put
on my heart to lead a women's team to Uganda some time in the future.
This solidified my resolve to bring a team of women back to minister to
the women in Rukungiri as well as let them minister to us. SO MY
QUESTION, DO YOU WANT TO JOIN ME ONCE MY DREAM BECOMES A REALITY?!? Who
knows, maybe Neil and I could lead a coed team together.
I feel
like I could write of my week forever as God spoke to me on several
levels. But, you don't want to hear about that, you want to hear about
the Men's team! God used the men's team in amazing ways, opening
channels of communication at governmental levels (we saw the Chairman
of the District, Ned (actually his name is Zed) :-) on Thursday night
and he gave both Neil and Pastor Elisha a warm big hug (a good thing).
He was surprised to see Neil back and was grateful Neil brought his
wife back. Please be praying for the land as RCC received a letter from
the local government saying they needed to cease and desist building as
they see the land as wetlands (although in the district there are homes
near the swamp and marsh lands). Pray as there is a lot of spiritual
warfare, persecution and opposition much of which is coming from the
Anglican and Catholic leaders as they are losing members to RCC.
Members leaving means their tithe dollars go with them. Pray for
patience (Neil shared the Patience Holy Spirit thread with Pastor
Elisha) as they wait on the Lord's timing for the building projects,
government approval and acceptance from the community leaders. Pastor
Elisha is working with Pastor Peter and African Renewal Ministries to
accelerate the sponsorship of orphans in the community as then the
government leaders will see we are putting into practice the desire to
serve the poor, widows and orphans and as the bible says, the least of
these.
Praise God for His presence in Rukungiri! Praise God for
His protection surrounding the team. Praise God for getting the team
home safely. Pray for their assimilation back to their daily lives and
the processing of the trip. Praise God for opening doors, providing
opportunities, for trusting 13 men to follow His will. Pray for God's
peace in the teams lives for some of the challenges they may face in
the coming days, weeks, months. Praise God for showing up in a mighty
way! Pray for those men, women and children who accepted Jesus Christ
as their Lord and Savior. Pray they will grow and transform and
experience God's love as they seek His will.
Thanks for your
prayers. God has been good to the team and much has been accomplished.
The High School team is awesome, we saw them Monday and again Friday
before we left Uganda and gave them hugs from all of you. We are trying
to meet up with them when they come to London tomorrow afternoon
(Monday, August 13). I am not sure if I mentioned this in a previous
update but Neil (Solo) is on the same plane home as the High School
team.
Please continue to pray for Neil's health as his
ulcerative colitis is back with a vengeance here in London (the cold is
gone, the colitis is back). We certainly know where all the loos
(restrooms) are in London as we walked 8+ hours today being tourists!
What
a treat to have shared the journey with you of how God used 13 ordinary
men for His will in Uganda and beyond. I thank you for your prayers and
sharing your hearts with me. Until the next trip (unless I am on it),
:-) I bid you a fond farewell. Please email me with any questions or if
you have more exciting God appointments to share with me.
His Faithful Prayer Warrior, Lynn
PS
- I think I know why God had Neil and I on separate planes from Uganda
to London...I had a three hour conversation on the plane with the man
(Michael) across the aisle from me who was telling me he has given up
on God. I had a chance to share with him and used several of Pastor
Mike's sermon illustrations (thanks Pastor Mike for being an amazing
teacher). I asked him to read Case for Christ by Lee Stroebel...he
thinks our time on the plane was a coincidence, I told him it was a God
appointment and smiled. He said our conversation was very thought
provoking and sobering as we talked about several things including
heaven and hell. At one point, he told me he isn't content with his
life (he is a very successful and wealthy London businessman). During
our conversation, his son, Greg, came over and sat in the aisle to talk
with us as he is studying Theology. Greg wasn't a Christian but is
certainly seeking. Please be praying for the seeds that were planted
35,000 feet in the air! Praise God for giving me the words as I spoke
with Michael and Greg and the opportunity to stand firm in my Christian
faith and beliefs. As Greg was trying to debate me on various issues,
Michael (the father) said, "it's pointless, she is a Christian and very
firm in what she believes, you aren't going to change her mind". I took
that as a compliment!
Greetings
from London! I have made it on the first leg of my journey...navigating
Heathrow Airport, finding my hotel and now grabbing a bite to eat. I
have lots to share so get comfortable with a refreshing drink.vng It is
so surreal as I write this...I am in a restaurant at the hotel in
London...6:15 pm London time on Saturday late afternoon! I have to type
fast as my battery cord is in my luggage which was checked all the way
through to Uganda! All my toiletries and clothes...lots of fun for me
on this adventure! Heck, doesn't Pastor Mike always tell us this life
is only the dress rehearsal? :-)
On Friday, the team went to an
AIDS clinic (TASO) where Patrick gave his testimony, Solo shared the
vision of Rukungiri Community Church and the associated buildings to
serve and reach the community and Luke gave the salvation message. 56
people gave their lives to Christ. Praise God!!! Please be praying for
those who accepted Christ to grow in their faith and see God working in
their lives. They also had a crusade where Brandon DiPuma gave his
testimony and Dennis Badgett gave the salvation message. Another 45
people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Pray for those
who surrendered their lives to Christ that they may experience true
freedom in a transformed life!
Solo asked for prayers for both
Luke and Tyler who were having stomach issues. Neil told both of them
to rest and not go to the dinner with the government officials.
Following the dinner, Neil checked on them - Luke seemed to be better,
might have been something he ate. Tyler got sick (throw up sick) but is
also feeling better. Please be praying for all the guys as they are on
the final leg of the trip. Pray for their health and the reminder to
keep taking their malaria pills! Praise God the team was able to rest a
bit Friday as well as Saturday!
The dinner on Friday with the
government officials went well. Pastor Elisha's vision for the dinner
was to build relationships and let people know the mission of RCC is to
serve the widows and the orphans and help the poor (he must be
listening to Pastor Mike's messages) and share the love of Christ and
watch people transformed by a relationship with the King! Pastor Elisha
also wanted the gospel shared as many there may have never heard the
gospel nor go to a crusade. The Chairman of the Region, Ned (short for
something I couldn't spell), asked everyone o go around the table and
say their name and their passion. The Chairman spoke at the end...his
passion is to end poverty. Following introductions, Pastor Elisha
spoke, Solo shared how Uganda has touched his life starting from his
first trip in March 2004 where he met our "son", Richard and we began
sponsoring him to go to university. Neil shared his passion to see
lives changed. It was cool as Richard was there, has been with Neil and
the team the whole journey. Deuce then gave the salvation message
(which the Chairman loved). The Chairman said he looks forward to
working with RCC and knows how they want to serve the community but
they need to stay within the boundaries of the law. Pray for the
Kampala environmental health inspector as he comes out to see the
project and hopefully approve (again) the buildings near the river. At
the end of the night, the Chairman took Solo's hand and said thank you
and encouraged Solo and the team to continue to build into the lives of
the children. As they were leaving, the Chairman spoke with Solo and
Deuce (yes, that is TROUBLE waiting to happen) and they talked about
their beliefs. The Chairman is a Christian and desires to share the
love of Christ. Neil said "God Willing we return, we must have dinner
again". The Chairman's response was "God willing, indeed". Pray for a
reunion dinner. Pray for the building of a relationship with the
Chairman and the various government officials. Pray RCC will make a
significant impact on the lives of the people in the community. Pray
for changed hearts towards the building project. Pray RCC will be a
leader in the community, shining brightly for all to visit.
Saturday
the guys slept in and relaxed in the morning. They went into town to
buy souvenirs and then to Pastor Elisha's house where they dropped off
a lot of their team gear to Pastor Elisha for distribution to the
congregation. On Neil's first trip, I asked him if he brought anything
home. I am embarrassed to say on his second trip, I said, "fine that
you gave things away, but did it have to be the expensive sunglasses
(when Patrick from Uganda visited last year, he still had the
sunglasses Neil gave him in 2004 - talk about being humbled and having
to apologize for my selfish heart). Now, as he packs, I know I won't
have much laundry to do when he gets home as he gives it all away. As I
packed for my trip, I was thinking about what I would be leaving behind
as we have so much. Neil said the team was humbled by Pastor Elisha's
home. He and his wife are amazing, moving to Rukungiri when they had
been married only 4 months with their two nieces in tow to begin a new
life. Saturday afternoon found the team welcoming Brian Morehead (our
Missions Director), Rob Faulk (our Executive Pastor) and Dave Cox (our
Student Ministries Pastor). They are traveling with the High School
team and wanted to come to Rukungiri to see the church and meet with
Pastor Elisha and encourage the team. Neil said it was a great dinner
with lots of great stories and experiences shared.
Sunday
morning will find Deuce and Solo going to the radio station and Deuce
will be teaching on the radio. Google Radio Rukungiri to see if you can
listen in. They start at 7:00 am Uganda time (I think). Dennis Badgett
will be preaching in the first service, Brian Morehead and/or Rob Faulk
will be teaching the Foundations class and Pastor Dave will be
preaching in the second service. The team will leave Rukungiri after
the first service as they have a long bus ride back. They will have the
traditional last dinner in Uganda...yep, you guessed it, Chinese! HA!!!
It is a great Chinese food restaurant and the teams always go there on
their last night in town. Neil will then pick me up at the airport
Sunday night (I arrive at 11:15 pm) and then the team will leave for
home on Monday morning. They will stay overnight in London and be home
Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 pm! The cool thing, we return the following
week and although Neil and I are on different flights (just the way it
worked out), he will be traveling with the High School team. How cool
is that!?!
Please be in prayer for this final night in
Rukungiri. Pray for travel mercies and health, pray for energy and
stamina, pray for endurance and changed lives. Pray the men on this
team will be forever changed by their experiences these last two weeks.
Pray for the seeds they planted, watered and harvested. Pray for their
assimilation back into the states. Pray we as friends and families, we
will allow them to process the trip and tell us of their experiences
over time. Pray we can share how this trip changed our lives. Praise
God for a fruitful trip! Praise God for answering our cries and pleas
for protection, clarity, vision, wisdom, unity, peace and joy! Praise
God for how He is using Pastor Elisha and RCC to shine a light for the
Kingdom. Praise God for decisions made to follow and surrender to
Christ. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!
As for my
dad, thanks for your prayers. God answered them mightily! Dad only
needed an angiogram and the vein that as blocked has apparently been
blocked for years! He does need to go in for a G-I series but his
cardiologist says his heart looks fine. I was able to talk to my mom
yesterday afternoon prior to leaving the office so I praised God for
providing me a peaceful journey. Mom was taking him home Friday night.
Looks
like I will be able to send another update from Uganda (I feel like a
roving reporter)! Be praying for me as I meet my son Richard for the
first time. I am giddy at the thought. I did have a chance to speak
with him one day last week and it was everything in me not to tell him
I would see him Sunday. It is a surprise! God has blessed us with a
son, Richard, who is 22 years old. Who knew!?!
May God continue
to guide your journey. May you desire to serve Him in a whole new way.
May you trust God as you step out in faith and rely on Him. May you
sense the Lord's presence each and every day. Thanks again for sharing
the journey with me.
WOW...Wednesday
was a day! The team has had lots going on and appreciate your prayers.
They are doing well...tired but well. The building project has
temporarily been shut down. The local environmental health inspector
has said the buildings are too close to the river. Emmy (the Christian
government official that attends Rukungiri Community Church - I spoke
about him in a previous update) said we should continue on with the
work as we have all the necessary signatures on the plans to proceed.
Pastor Elisha wants to honor the local inspector as Pastor Elisha will
be in the community for a long time and wants to be an example of
character and integrity to the government leaders and not be
disrespectful and disregard this request. Pastor Elisha has called the
Kampala environmental health inspector (who signed the plans) who said
he could proceed but will drive to Rukungiri to check things out and
resolve. Some of what is going on is the Angelican and Catholic
churches are losing some of their members to Rukungiri Community Church
and RCC is ALIVE with men and women growing in the Lord and having
their lives transformed from the inside out. There are questions being
raised...how does a 2 year old church buy 2 acres of land? What are
they doing there? They see the white man helping them and they feel
that they can possibly get some money so they look to bribes. Pray for
RCC, Pastor Elisha and all the members to be lights in their community,
pray for changed lives, pray for men, women and children who love
serving the Lord. Praise God for Pastor Elisha and his desire to be a
man of integrity. Praise God that he is waiting and being patient. Pray
for the issue to be resolved quickly and for the building project to
resume.
Luke Cherry preached during the crusade Wednesday night
on Revelation 4 (Neil preached on Revelation 4 two years ago in
Rukungiri) and did an awesome job. One person accepted Jesus Christ as
their Lord and Savior. Both Patrick and Tyler gave their testimonies
and were amazing. Neil said Patrick was unbelievable as he shared his
testimony. Both men spoke with boldness and humility. Pray for each man
as he interacts with the Ugandans to shine Christ's love as they are
warriors in the battle.
Neil said their Thursday would include
going to the prison (Neil's favorite part of the trip two years ago),
door to door evangelism, leadership training in the afternoon and the
crusade in the evening. Neil left me a message this afternoon and said
they had an amazing God day. I haven't spoken to him yet but I have a
glimpse of their day and want to share with you. Deuce called his wife
Sherill and told her that the prison visit was really cool. Deuce had
brought a lot of the hotel toiletries he gets on his travels and they
passed them out. They shared the gospel and over 100 men gave their
lives to Christ. As they were leaving, they gave the warden some
pencils that had been donated by someone. The warden said they had just
started a school for the guys and they didn't know how they would
continue. The pencils will now allow them to continue with their
schooling. PRAISE GOD!!! Pray for the men in prison that they would be
warriors for Christ and transformed from accepting Jesus Christ as
their Lord and Savior. Pray for their education. Pray for changed
hearts, changed minds, changed lives. They also stopped by an orphanage
and when they were leaving, the kids were lined up and Deuce went to
high five the kids (kinda like going down the sports line after a game)
and when that happened, all the kids went flooding over to the men and
interacted with them and wanted to touch them. They had never been
around white men before, let alone touch one. They were amazed at the
air on their arms, they loved getting their pictures taken with the
digital camera and seeing themselves on the camera.
WELL...see i
knew if I waited long enough, Neil would call with the Thursday update.
I just got off the phone with him and I have a little more to add to
the paragraph above. With Neil (Solo) gone on this trip, I haven't used
all my words so I will use them with you :-). When they went to the
prison on Thursday, they were ALL able to go (in the past it was only a
few would were able to go in). Solo, Jason and Paul Vroom gave their
testimonies and they gave the honor to Deuce to deliver the salvation
message. 105 men accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Following the prison experience, they had lunch then went to a remote
village in the middle of nowhere about 25 miles outside of Rukungiri on
a horrible dirt road. RCC has planted 4 small churches and one of the
churches is in this village, Nyakasharara. Men and women from this
village used to travel to town on Sundays to attend RCC. They built a
church there (it is a mud hut with a dirt floor) that is about 60'x12'
and holds about 30 people. Solo said they asked him to say a few words
and they took photos of the church. It was very humbling. Later in the
day, they hosted a crusade at this village, they brought a generator
and sound system to the village. God showed up in an amazing way and
105 people gave their lives to Christ Thursday night! Praise God! Pray
for the men, women and children to trust and rely on God. There is a
lot of witchcraft in the village and surrounding area so their is a
HUGE spiritual battle going on. Pray for protection, wisdom,
discernment, peace, focus, clarity, and joy as they begin to cultivate
a relationship with the Lord.
Friday (they are eating
breakfast as I type) will find them going to an AIDS clinic in the
morning (they are VERY excited), then they will be doing door-to-door
evangelism in another village, leadership training, crusade at 5 pm and
then dinner with the governmental officials AND those opposing the
building project have been invited as well. Pray they will come to the
dinner and a relationship of trust and transparency will develop and
that those opposed will see that RCC is Christ centered and focused on
changing lives and serving our Lord. You may be reading this close to
the time the dinner is scheduled (assume 7:00 pmish Ugandan time which
is 5:00 am PST)...please be praying as you are reading for the Lord's
favor to reign down on the dinner and for Christ to shine to all in
attendance. Pray for the influence of this dinner to be God honoring
and God would direct and guide the conversation. Praise God for this
opportunity.
Solo said they are having a good time as a team.
They have great unity, sharing with each other, dealing with any
frustrations among the team, lots of joy, love, joking around. They are
all teasing Deuce (Neils) that he is the "old man on the team" since he
is the oldest member. They are introducing him in Lugandan as Muzei
(old man) Wa (of/for) team. Translated to "Old Man of the Team". When
you see Deuce, go ahead and call him Muzei! See, you didn't know you
would learn Lugandan! The team has been calling themselves Murwani Wa
Ruhanga. Translated to "Warriors for God". How cool is that?!?
Please
pray for the team's energy level, rest and refreshment, health, travel
mercies, protection from spiritual warfare, peace for the families as
they prepare for their return, pray for the guys as they come back
home. Pray for protection as they will see things differently. Pray for
their assimilation back to their daily routines. Pray for the
processing of the trip as they share their hearts with friends and
family.
As you know, I will be leaving tomorrow night for
Uganda and will continue the updates while on the road. My work got me
a global blackberry (BOUNDARIES) so I will be available when I travel
for any urgent needs. This also helps as it relates to our dads. Please
continue to pray for my dad (Fred) as he is going to have an angiogram
and possible angioplasty on Friday. He had a stress test today and the
doctor determined the lower part of his heart is not getting enough
blood. Pray for peace for my mom as she awaits the outcome. Praise God
for Dad's angina to uncover this problem. I had a chance to pray with
my dad tonight and feel very much at peace. I told both my parents that
I have travel insurance if I need to delay my flight. They both want me
on the plane tomorrow but they know if they need me or something
happens, I will stay as long as I need to. Pray for Dad to rest in
God's hands as he has this procedure. As I know I have things
surrounding me through my family, I know the other families have things
going on as well and all of you reading this have life going on as
well. We are praying for God to bless you and guide you and put people
in your life who will be Christ in the flesh and comfort you. I thank
you for sharing this journey with me.
Pray for the medical
team as Neil heard they aren't doing well. Neil said apparently they
are in a remote area and have lots of bug bites. Pray for the team to
have energy and freedom from the bugs. Pray for God's hand to be
guiding their every step.
Until our next update, may God continue to guide your steps and give you great God appointments as you experience your day!
Well,
it has been one week since the guys left, one week that God has changed
ALL our hearts, one week of service for the men and one week until we
see our loved ones again! Tonight I had the awesome privilege of
meeting our High School team (22 in all - students and adults) at LAX
as they begin their journey to Uganda. It was pretty cool. They were
able to commandeer the same area Team Uganda took over the previous
Tuesday. Their flight was delayed so we had a longer time to hang out
with them. Just before they were scheduled to go down the escalator to
pass through security, we gathered in a circle (probably 45 of us),
prayed, sang Blessed Be Your Name and shared words of encouragement. It
was awesome. There was a man that walked through the circle to use the
phone and another that was on the outskirts watching all of us. Pray
for the seeds that were planted at LAX. It was wonderful to say goodbye
to the students and adults going on the trip and support the parents. I
began to get excited for my own journey that starts on Friday evening.
I will be traveling to Uganda to meet up with the team (they leave the
following day), meet our adopted college aged son and tour around
Uganda and see all our friends! Basically, experience the country Neil
loves! Solo will be staying behind with me and Deuce will be bringing
the boys home! Neil is very excited and we will have a chance to hang
out with the High School team for a day or two as well. Pray for our
High School team as they travel to Uganda and serve the youth in Ggaba.
pray for travel mercies and protection.
Neil called again
today and said the team is good. They poured concrete for the
foundation and Dennis Badgett, Tyler Berger and Patrick Gerrety went to
a school that was K-6th grade. They gave their testimonies and shared
the gospel and 200 kids gave their life to Christ. Please be praying
for the kids as they have made this commitment and that they will
follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray for these kids as they grow
up...pray for the decisions they make to be filled with wisdom and
discernment. Pray they will be mighty warriors as they fight the battle
for Christ. Praise God for open hearts...pray for transformed hearts
and minds. In the afternoon, Deuce taught the leadership class for the
leaders of Rukungiri Community Church and then they had a crusade
tonight. It started to rain so the crowd dispersed BUT one person
surrendered their life to Christ. AMEN! Pray for this person as they
get connected with the church and grow as the Lord desires.
Neil
asked for us to be in prayer regarding the building plans. The
blueprints have been signed by 3 different people/departments giving
approval for the building plans. Today, an environmental health
inspector came on Tuesday and said they couldn't build a church down by
the river. Pastor Elisha is going to speak with the authorities on
Wednesday as he shows all other parties have signed off on it. Pray God
would grant them favor and mercy with the necessary approvals to move
forward. Neil did say they were continuing to work on the foundation
tomorrow. The guys had the chance to pray with Pastor Elisha tonight as
well. Please pray for approvals so they can move forward.
UPDATE:
Neil just called at 11:40 pm PST and said Pastor Elisha is at the
church site and the government official is coming at 10:00 am WEDNESDAY
(that is midnight tonight). Pray for favor for the meeting. The team
prayed for the meeting with Pastor Elisha on the site. Pray for wisdom
for Pastor Elisha during the meeting. Pray the inspectors eyes are
opened to see the appropriate signatures on the plans and they can
continue to move forward. I called a couple girlfriends just now and
prayed with them about this request and God put Romans 8:28 on my heart
and in my prayer...and we know that in all things, God works for the
good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His
purpose. Meghan (who lives with us and is our adopted daughter) said in
her prayer journal tonight that God knew before the team left that his
would be occurring so this hiccup isn't a surprise to God. May you rest
in the comfort of Psalm 18:25 - To the faithful, You show yourself
faithful. May our faith never waver and may we trust God with the
outcome as we ask for His will to be done. As soon as I have an update,
I will let you know.
Wednesday's work is scheduled to be more
foundation work, perhaps a team of three traveling to a school,
leadership training for the church leaders at 3:00 pm and the crusade
at 5:00 pm. Pray for God's hand to be upon the day and thank you for
your prayers.
The team is well...continue to pray for
endurance as their days are hectic, pray for unity on the team, pray
for peace and joy, pray for stamina as they complete all the tasks,
pray for rest each evening. Pray for protection to surround the team
and the church and for the church to plant roots so deep that it will
be an anchor to the community. Lord, we ask for your hand to guide the
meeting with Pastor Elisha and the government official. We ask for
favor to shine for the approval and that we would continue to trust in
you for each step that occurs. We love you Lord and thank you in your
most precious and holy name, AMEN.
I would also like to ask for
prayer for my dad. My mom called tonight at 10:40 pm (a lot of late
night phone calls tonight) and said my dad had thought he was having a
heart attack about an hour earlier and asked my mom to call the
ambulance. Once the paramedics arrived (they live in a small mountain
community about an hour from the hospital), they thought it sounded
more like angina pains and they took him to the hospital. Praise God
for that! They haven't ruled out a heart attack yet but it appears that
it wasn't. Also, Dad found out yesterday that he needs to have hip
replacement surgery. They will try and schedule for when we return from
Uganda. Pray also for Neil's dad as he suffers from diabetes and isn't
in good health. Pray for God's will in all their lives and pray for our
moms as they serve our dads. Thanks for letting me share this prayer
request with you. I know several of you may have health issues and God
put on my heart your needs and all the other requests out there. Please
know we are praying for your needs and hurts as well. May God give you
peace and protection during the trials of your life. May your prayer
life change as a result of Team Uganda and Team High School.
As
soon as I know the outcome with the government official and the
approvals, I will let you know. As always, thanks for your never ending
prayers. May you sense the Lord as you go about your day.
ORIGINALLY SENT IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING, TUESDAY, JULY 31
Team Uganda Prayer Warriors -
I
hope this finds you doing well...can you believe the team has been gone
one week Tuesday? One week down, one to go! I don't know about the rest
of the families, but I know for me, my schedule is all out of whack! I
tend to go to bed much later when Neil is gone because I don't like to
go to bed by myself (but I still wake up super early). When I sat down
to start typing this update at 9:30, I did about an hour of work email
(YES, I SO NEED BOUNDARIES WHEN NEIL IS GONE), updated some email
addresses that were incorrect as well as add other family and friends
to the distribution list and VIOLA, it is now after 12 midnight! How
did that happen?!? We had a little fun tonight in the San Fernando
Valley about 11:00 pm - a 3.2 earthquake about 6 miles north of us.
Just enough to get our attention! We are fine...just a noise and shake
for a second.
I heard from Neil this afternoon with an
update...they are doing well but covet your prayers for endurance and
stamina. Sunday went well for them - Rukungiri Community Church hosted
a Thanksgiving celebration as it was the two year celebration of the
first service. During the services, they had lots of worship,
testimonies, preaching...a TRUE CELEBRATION! Happy Anniversary!!! It
was especially cool for Josh Lubeck, Jason DuFour and Neil since they
were on the team that planted the church and God brought them back to
share in the celebration! Imagine the blessing, being able to celebrate
the fruits of your labor and giving God the glory for the success!
On
Sunday, Neil (Solo) introduced Neils (Deuce) on the radio and Neils
taught for about 40 minutes. Both Solo and Deuce thought it was going
to be more of an interview, but no, it was time to teach! Deuce did a
good job and then they headed to the church where Deuce preached during
the first service, of course, it went very well. Then Michael Gardner
taught the Foundations class on Ephesians 6 - the Armor of God. It was
a good class with lots of Q&A following the teaching. They then
asked Solo to teach in some of the Sunday school classes during the
second service. Looks like his 4 years teaching the 4 year olds at our
church gave him a good foundation. Then Solo taught on Philippians
2:1-12. Following lunch and a little rest, Luke Cherry taught in the
youth service on Jesus and the Prostitute. The younger guys on the team
joined him while the "older" men were with the "older" men of the
church (their session lasted for two hours since the men were asking so
many questions). Then the team hosted a crusade on Sunday night where 2
more people gave their life to Christ!!! Praise God for our new family
members in Christ.
One of the men who attended the late
afternoon session is a fairly new believer, Emmy. Emmy is the Minister
of Health, Education, Sanitation and Sports for this region and he got
them into the General's compound as their accomodations. Neil said Emmy
is growing like a weed, completely hungering for God and His truth.
Holy Spirit Thread - Just before Solo was going up to teach, he noticed
Emmy was reading Philippians 2 (BEFORE HE KNEW WHAT NEIL WAS PREACHING
ON). During the "man" meeting in the afternoon (OK, how about the
warrior meeting, sound better?!?), Emmy asked for prayer and the guys
all circled around him and prayed for him as a leader. Pray Emmy would
be a leader with integrity and character. Pray Emmy would always seek
the truth. Pray Emmy would have boldness and courage to face any issue.
Pray Emmy would let his light and love for Jesus Christ shine brightly
as he interacts with others. He did speak with his bosses and is trying
to plan a dinner between the Big Wigs (technical term) and the team.
Monday
was a work day. They placed the outside poles (which would be like our
steel beams) for the structure in place, had lunch, then some of the
guys had free time for most of the afternoon, while Deuce taught a
leadership class to the leaders of the church (they work on the church
in the morning and go through leadership training in the afternoon).
There was another Crusade Monday night. Neil said the atmosphere is
different at the crusades this trip vs. their last visit. The crusades
are smaller in attendance. Pray for the message to continue to be
preached, heard and accepted and for the guys not to get discouraged by
the lack of attendance. Isn't it true in our lives, so often we tend to
judge our success on how many people attended, etc. We should remember
to focus on pleasing our Audience of One for we know the Lord is
smiling down on the team thanks to their obedience to follow and serve
Him.
The plan for Tuesday is that they are starting to hand
mix the concrete to start pouring the building foundation. Pray for the
foundation as it will hold the structure in place. Pray the foundation
of the church will always be solid and sturdy as they serve our Lord
and Savior. Pray for the feet who will enter the building to be
carrying the next generation of spiritual leaders for the country of
Uganda. Pray for the building as it has the potential to be very
influential in the town, district, region, country and continent.
Dennis Badgett, Patrick Gerrety and Tyler Berger will be going to a
school in the morning and working with the kids. Tuesday afternoon is
foundation and leadership training with Deuce, crusade in the evening.
The
team is doing well and when I speak with Neil I pass on your messages
as you share them with me and I let Neil know to share with the guys
how loved they are by their friends and family. Please continue to pray
for their endurance, stamina, patience, unity and joy. Please also pray
for the health of each team member. Neil is doing slightly
better...still dealing with it but feeling better (PRAISE GOD!).
Thanks
for your continued prayers and encouragement. It is truly medicine for
the guys and the Lord loves to hear from us! As soon as I hear from
Neil, I will send another update. One week down, one to go!
His Faithful Prayer Warrior, Lynn
PS
- one funny house story to share since Neil is away (his very first
trip, I locked myself out of the house...this year, nothing exciting
aside from clogged drains/pipes!). So, Murphy's Law for the house...you
know something is bound to happen when the man of the house is away,
right?!? Well, Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church, our
kitchen sink backed up, I put drano down it to help unclog it and
WHOOSH, there is a leak coming from the kitchen cabinet and all the
water stopped up in the sink is running on to the kitchen floor...all
before I was set to leave for church and do announcements :-). You
would have been proud of me, I DIDN'T CRY OR CALL MY DADDY!!! I called
on my Eternal Father as it was happening in slow motion and I asked the
Lord who I could call. The Lord put the name of someone on my heart,
all because he serves in our SWAT (Servants With A Talent) ministry and
Jeremy James (plumber extraordinaire) came over and fixed it! Praise
God...that is always my fear when Neil is gone...something will happen
when he is gone and I won't know how/what to do. How the enemy likes to
muddle my brain...God won!
HI...I
heard from Neil this afternoon and wanted to share a PRAISE report with
you! He said today (Saturday) was a GOOD day! They worked on the new
property, moved about 2 tons of sand and posts, etc. He said it is a
great piece of land with a lot of great potential. Please be praying
for the guys as they work on the land, pray for the lives of the people
who will enter the new building once completed. Pray fort he potential
of the land, Pray for God to use this land in amazing ways in the years
to come. They hosted their first crusade Saturday night and Jason
DuFour and Josh Lubeck shared their testimonies and Neil preached an
evangelism message where 3 people accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord
and Savior! AMEN!!! A teenage boy (Timothy), a college-aged woman
(Brite) and a gentleman (Ignacious). Pray these three will get plugged
in to Rukungiri Community Church and be sold out for Christ.
There
is great camaraderie and unity on the team. Pray that continues to be
the adhesive glue to the team. Pray the men will keep Christ as their
center and will deal with issues and any problems immediately, Pray the
Holy Spirit continues to be woven through everyday events.
The
passport issue is cleared up...PRAISE GOD! The men are NOT IN DANGER
however, the government officials have requested that the men have
police officers at each of their crusades and we need to pay them 5,000
shillings each officer each night (which is a lot of money for them).
Basically, it is a way for the government to create extra jobs for
their people to make extra money. LET ME REPEAT, THE MEN ARE NOT IN
DANGER (Just want to make sure you understand what I am saying) :-).
So, here is the Holy Spirit thread for Saturday...the four police
officers do NOT know Christ and will be at the crusades each and every
night. ISN'T THAT COOL!?!
Please continue to pray for the men as
they serve our Lord. Pray for Neils (Deuce) as he is on the radio
Sunday morning at 7:15 am (9:15 pm PST on Saturday) and he preaches the
first service (8:30 am - 10:00 am). Pray for Mike Gardner as he teaches
the Foundation class on the Armor of God. Pray for Neil (Solo) as he
preaches during the second service (11:00 am - 1:00 pm). Pray for Luke
Cherry as he leads the youth events in the evening and the team as they
teach about Men's Ministries later in the evening.
Pray for
endurance and stamina, pray for health and safety, pray for God's hedge
of protection to surround the team, Pray for boldness for Neils (Deuce)
and Neil (Solo) as they preach tomorrow. Pray for changed lives - those
in Uganda, the team as well as us here back home. Pray for unity and
wisdom as the team serves together. Pray for joy in all things, pray
for Patience (both the attribute and the woman), pray many would come
to know Christ as their King. Pray for the four police officers as they
attend the crusades each night to hear the message and surrender their
lives to Christ.
Pray...Pray...Pray! What a treat to kneel
beside you as we seek the Lord's favor and protection on this team.
Pray for the Medical Missions team as they are in Uganda serving the
people. Pray for our High School team as they leave on Tuesday.
Thank you for your willingness to share the journey...I can't wait for the next chapter as we worship our majestic King!
I
just heard from Neil (at 3:45 am PST) and he asked me to get this
prayer request off to you quickly. As I was trying to shake the sleep
monster so I would be coherent and be able to focus on what Neil was
saying, I asked him if everything was ok. Neil said they were getting
hit with opposition from the enemy. Governmental officials have stopped
by the building site and asked for their information including
passports (similar request to their last trip). They will be giving
them information including their passport numbers but not their actual
passports within the hour. Please join me in praying that everything
would be fine with the request and they would have no issues (just like
last trip) with the government officials.
Sweet Jesus - as Neil
and the team prepares to provide them with the requested information,
we pray for your hedge of protection to surround the men. We ask that
you would surround the team with a force field that will withstand all
of the enemy's darts. Lord, we trust you have brought this team
together for a specific purpose which includes being obedient and
courageous in the face of the unknown. Lord, since the men are staying
at General Muhwezi's compound, we pray for additional wisdom and
discernment as they comply with this request. Lord, we trust you and
know you are in control. We remain loyal to your guiding light. In Your
Most Precious and Holy Name, AMEN.
Keep praying my dear brother and sisters...as soon as I know something, I will let you know. Thanks for your obedient hearts.
OK...time
to grab a cold drink or a cup of coffee and settle in...this is going
to be a little long. What can I say, I have lots to share!!! Neil
called this afternoon with an update and WOW!!! God is good and evident
in Uganda and is answering our prayers! There are a couple Holy Spirit
threads and I hope I am able to weave all of them together for you
without too many words (watch your comments my friends...with Neil not
being home I have a lot of stored words to use!).
The guys
arrived in Rukungiri about 9:00 pm Friday night so obviously, no
crusade Friday night. The day/trip to Rukungiri took longer than
anticipated (no issues, just the bus needed gas, etc.). They visited
Pastor Deo's church and played with the kids and distributed gifts from
their sponsors as requested. They had a good time visiting and playing
with the kids. Once they got to Rukungiri, Pastor Elisha (small in size
but stands tall with a mighty voice and powerful man of God) spoke with
the team, showed them where they are currently meeting (a former
nightclub, Club Hollywood) and there was a banner hanging on the wall
behind the podium in the church. It said Philippians 2:5-12 and that is
what the church stands on. Here is the Holy Spirit thread...on Sunday
night before the guys left for Uganda, we had an awesome night of
fellowship including worship and prayer. Neil was led to read
Philippians 2:1-12 and Luke Cherry called Neil later and mentioned that
God had put that same passage on Luke's heart Sunday night during
worship and Luke was going to share it. Here are the verses:
Philippians 2:1-12 Imitating Christ's Humility
1If you have
any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from
his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and
compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the
same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests,
but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death’Äî even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Shining as Stars
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed’Äînot only in my
presence, but now much more in my absence’Äîcontinue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to
will and to act according to his good purpose. (NIV) *********** HOW
COOL IS THAT?!? God is uniting our hearts through the Word to bridge
the gap...look at verse 2 - make my joy complete by being like minded,
having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. May all of us
realize we all have the purpose of bringing glory to our Risen Savior,
regardless of where we live or where we travel! And may all of us live
with sheer Joy!
While in Rukungiri, the team is staying at the
mansion (Neil said it would be like one of our homes here in the states
only more opulent) of an Ugandan General and his wife. His name is
General Muhwezi and his wife is Susan and they are Christians. Oh, did
I mention General Muhwezi is a member of the Ugandan parliament? This
is the second time they have opened their home for a group, the first
was a group from an organization the General is involved in. Team
Uganda is the first Christian group to stay there. The only down side:
not all the toilets or showers are working. Neil reminded them that
they are in Uganda and although the home is beautiful, things don't
always work on the inside. Isn't that like our lives sometime? On the
exterior, all looks "perfect" but on the inside, we are lonely and
dying inside. Pray the toilets and showers start working for the team.
They have been told the grounds of the home are beautiful, they will
walk around the grounds tomorrow. Oh, did I also tell you that they are
staying in a compound and it is being guarded by the military at the
front gate? Yes, our boys are being protected in a mighty fashion! They
have the Armor of God AND the military guarding them! Pastor Elisha is
planning a dinner with the big wigs of Uganda and the team. Please pray
that great influence would come out of this trip and the dinner. Pray
God would use His humble servants to lead the attendees to a lasting
relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for the seed planting of the
dreams to create another Ggaba with schools, orphanages, church,
medical clinic, etc.
OK, here is Holy Spirit Thread 2...one
morning when the team was fasting and praying prior to the trip, Neil
was praying in the shower and the word Patience kept being laid on his
heart and he was praying for Patience while he leads the team, Patience
when he is in Uganda, Patience in situations. You get the picture, he
was praying for Patience. Then, the following morning I pray over him
for Patience and Peace as he leads the team...God laid that on my heart
(unbeknownst to me about Neil praying for Patience). This is all within
a week of the team leaving for Uganda. Guess what the name is of the
woman who is their host and showing them around the General's
home...yep, you guessed it, PATIENCE. So, not only have we been praying
for the gift of Patience, we have been praying for Patience as she
serves the team. Neil was almost in tears today as he shared this with
me as God continues to remind him to be patient each and every day.
Here is the schedule for the next couple of days: Saturday: the team will start the building projects and then the crusade in the evening. Sunday:
Neils (Deuce) Johnson will be on the radio preaching at 7:15 am and
then preaching at the first service on Sunday morning. The first
service is from 8:30-10. Michael Gardner will be teaching the
Foundations class between services on The Armor of God and Neil (Solo)
will be preaching in the second service (11-1) on Philippians 2:1-12.
Then in the late afternoon, they will be doing some youth stuff which
Luke Cherry will lead and also some Men's Ministries stuff which Neil
will use the group to lead.
The team is still pretty
tired...they have been on the go over 48 hours, have jet lag and are
getting used to their surroundings. Please be praying for their
endurance and health as they travel. Pray their sleep will be
refreshing. Pray for their stamina as they work and serve our Risen
Lord. Pray for continued unity on the team. Pray for Neil's ulcerative
colitis as he continues to be exhausted from it. Pray for healing. Pray
that God would shine through and b made great in the weakness of the
men.
Praise God for the team arriving safely in Uganda, Praise
God for their housing accommodations, Praise God for safety and travel
mercies on the team, Praise God for calming the fears of the families
here in the states as they rely on the Lord for strength.
God
has truly provided abundantly for the team and they stand in awe at the
doors He is opening to them. Pray the team will be good stewards of the
resources God has entrusted to them and they will be a good influence
and witness of Kingdom Men and Warriors for Christ.
Thanks for letting me ramble...and more importantly, thanks for praying for the team.
Good
news! The team and ALL the luggage arrived safely in Entebbe today.
Neil said that everything went smooth at the airport getting their
luggage and visas. The bus had a flat tire on the way to pick them up
so the team had some extra fellowship time at the airport. They
spent Thursday going to Ggaba Community Church, the schools built by
Africa Renewal Ministries, the medical clinic and Bethany Village
(where several orphanage houses are located and our High School team
will be next week serving at a high school camp). They also had several
of the pastors and people associated with Africa Renewal Ministries
(Pastor Fred, Pastor Deo, Pastor Martin, James & Lillian, Sara
(Patrick's wife), Richard (our son), Alex (one of the interpreters from
the previous team) and others show up at the guest house where the team
slept on Thursday night and they had a great visit. Neil said it was
great to see everyone again and the team loved meeting the ARM crew!
The team was just about to go to dinner before going to sleep when Neil
called . The team is in good spirits but they are fried.
The
team is tired...they hit the ground running this morning (see paragraph
above) and need prayers for energy. Neil was going to let them sleep in
Friday morning prior to leaving for a visit at Pastor Deo's church and
seeing many of the orphans our church sponsors and ultimately get to
Rukungiri (a 7 hour bus ride from Ggaba) in time for a crusade Friday
night. Please be praying for their stamina and endurance for the bus
ride and for refreshment following a good night's sleep. Pray for the
crusade to be well attended and many accept Jesus Christ as their Lord
and Savior. Pray for the team as they interact with the Ugandans. Pray
for the Holy Spirit to intervene during the crusade and draw people
close to Him. Please also be praying for Neil as his ulcerative colitis
is really acting up and it is zapping his energy. Pray for the overall
health of the team. Pray for their day Saturday as they begin the
building project of the church as well as evangelize and host a crusade
in the evening.
Pray also for Stan Lubeck as he is missing one
of his bags. (Stan was our former LIFE Group pastor who is now the
Senior Pastor of The LIFE House church in Rocklin, CA) - Stan and Robin
and their church are joining the Medical Missions team (at least 6 of
our church members are on that team and they left tonight - Thursday)
and arrived a day early to get acclimated. Stan and Robin were on the
flight with our team from London to Entebbe, and the cool thing is that
their son, Josh, is on our Men's Uganda team. One of Stan's bags didn't
arrive with them (yep, you guessed it, the one with his underwear). For
those of you who don't know the underwear story...in 2002, Neil and
Stan traveled together to the Ivory Coast to dig water wells and one of
Neil's bags was delayed by three days and yep, you guessed it, it was
the bag with his underwear :-). Too funny. Pray Stan gets his bag soon
and doesn't run out of underwear in the meantime.
Please pray
for the team as they get acclimated in Uganda. Pray for unity among the
team, a rich soul harvest, protection from the enemy, health of the
team , endurance, JOY, humor, laughter, peace and patience. Pray the
team is able to communicate well with the people they meet and pray for
Luke Cherry as he shoots footage for the documentary he is preparing.
Pray for the families as they miss their loved ones. Praise God for His
rich blessings, Praise God the team and ALL their luggage arrived
safely. Praise God for preparing the men for this moment.
Thanks for your prayers for the team. They are excited and truly see that God has a plan.
Only His, Lynn
PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TEAM MEMBER CHRIS WOZNICKI who celebrates his 19th birthday TODAY!!!
PPS
- As I was preparing this email tonight, I was making silly, crazy,
random noises (something Neil does frequently). Meghan (our adopted
daughter) mentioned "you really are turning into Neil... :-)" Neil -
you would be proud of me!
PPPS - Team Uganda: Dennis Badgett Tyler Berger Luke Cherry Brandon Di Puma Jason DuFour Michael Gardner Patrick Gerrety Neil Johnson (Solo) Neils Johnson (Deuce) Josh Lubeck Paul Vroom Jeff Willis Chris Woznicki
ORIGINALLY SENT TO PRAYER TEAM, TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2007
Hello Team Uganda Prayer Warriors -
The
time has come for my lengthy email updates...the team is in the air on
their way to Uganda. The Lord has blessed this trip in so many ways and
it is my privilege to share the journey with friends and loved ones on
the team. You are receiving this email because you requested to be a
part of the prayer support for the team going. If you don't want to
receive updates, please email me back and request to be removed from
the distribution list.
I would like to share a bit of the
journey they experienced today...Neil wanted to leave the church by
5:00 pm for a 9:20 flight...why so early you ask? Well, Neil was asked
and he couldn't say why, just felt led to be there early. GOOD THING!
Traffic was forgiving and we made it to the airport within an hour. The
group was able to get in line when no one else was there and within 5
minutes, a LARGE group of college kids (at least 60 of them) were
checking in for the same flight AND another large group of kids was
behind them. Team Uganda was checked in with their bags through
security screening within 45 minutes (at which time the check in line
was RIDICULOUSLY long). God also granted favor as the team was not
charged for 3 excess bags (three bags over and above the allowance of
two per person). It would have been $220 per bag and the agents were
kind enough to grant a special consideration for the extra bags. Praise
you God as the bags contained the lighting equipment and camera bag for
the documentary AND the sound system for Rukungiri Community Church.
Several family members and friends drove down and we had dinner with
the team prior to them walking through security. They were at the gate
prior to 8:15 for their 9:20 flight. All that to say, God truly paved
the way for the team and our prayers continue for God to shine His
light down on the team to guide their path.
Please be praying
for rest and travel mercies as they head to London. They are scheduled
to land in London on Wednesday at 3:30 pm local time (that is 7:30 am
pst) and have a six (6) hour layover. They fly to Entebbe, Uganda at
9:15 pm local time (which is 1:15 pm pst), arriving in Uganda at 7:45
am (local time) Thursday morning. For your tracking purposes, Uganda is
10 hours ahead of us PST.
Please pray for safety, rest on the
plane, laughter during their layover, everyone remembering to take
their malaria pills, no one misplacing their carry-ons or personal
stuff like their bible (Neil left his on the plane once), passports or
boarding passes for next leg of the trip. Pray for the health of the
team, pray for God's hedge of protection to surround them and pray for
peace while they go through security in Heathrow. Pray for the men to
be a shining light of HIS goodness, mercy and compassion. Pray for
people to connect with the team members and that the men will be able
to be a god witness of Christ in the flesh. Pray they will respect each
other and that they will remain unified as a team.
Praise God
for the team leaving prior to 5:00 pm, praise God for the families who
have sent their loved ones. Praise God for minimal traffic, a smooth
check in process and PRAISE God for the airlines waiving the excess
baggage fees. Praise God for the time spent together with the team
prior to walking through security. Praise God for peace and contentment
as we pray for our loved ones.
