Steve’s Travel Diary

On Sunday, April 24, Chris McMillan and I will be setting out on separate trips to Africa. Chris will be in Malawi conducting a second seminar (ITEM Conference on Ministry and Preaching) and in Zambia conducting an initial seminar (Institute in the Foundations of Church Leadership). Chris will be accompanied by Pastor Jayson Derowitsch, from Eastern Oregon. It will be Jayson’s first trip with ITEM.
CLICK READ MORE to read of the trip preview.

Dear ITEM Partners, The power went off again this morning, here at the guest house and once again their generator did not kick in. So, I have been sitting in a warming room (without AC), with little to do (no Internet) waiting for it to come back on and/or be picked up to be taken to the airport. I am grateful that the power stayed on all night so the room stayed cool. The coordinator, Nok, was supposed to be here around 10am to finish up with left over financial issues. Now after 12 noon and he’s not shown up. Since I do not have internet there is no way he can let me know what is going on. So, while I wait, I want to briefly reflect on what I saw this morning as I walked across the parking lot to the restaurant.

Dear ITEM Friends, I have been reminded today that as modern as Abuja is and as well cared for I am here, this is still Africa. For one big reason I had been given a false sense of security. Now, today, one day before leaving for home, reality entered the room.

Dear Friends and Family, I am starting this report at 9:45am on Monday in Abuja, Nigeria. Why is the time significant? It is because I was told we would start about 9am. Then when I was picked up today at 8:30, I was told we would start about 9:30. Now I am told it will be later because, suddenly, there is no gas at the gas stations and so the public transportation is mostly shut down.

Dear ITEM Partner, I am at the end of Sunday and am nearing the end of this trip. Once I get to within a week of returning home, things seem to pick up speed. I think another factor is that I am in my last location. All of the traveling from one country to another is done. Next stop, HOME! Church was enjoyable and I felt like God was honored and the church was encouraged.

Dear Friends of ITEM,

Nigeria is perhaps the most strategic country on the African continent when it comes to the spreading of the gospel. And as you might assume, that means that the challenges here are perhaps greater than those in other countries.

After a long day of riding in a van from Ishaka (west Uganda) to Entebbe, where we were last weekend, Banana Village. The time in Ishaka was filled “wall to wall” mostly leaving little time to reflect and report. Today I would like to finish what I wanted to share yesterday, reflect on the apologetics road ahead while offering an answer to the most asked question about God and Christianity, and look to my next stop, Nigeria.

We are actually in the middle of the second day of the Apologetics Conference in Ishaka, Uganda at Ishaka Community Church. I am taking a break from one of the lectures so I can get this started and I hope to finish later tonight. It has been a full, information packed day. Some of the information was common apologetics themes but one in particular was cutting edge and definitely futuristic.

Dear Prayer Partners, I am at the end of a long Monday. We left the Apologetics Summit location about 8:40am and arrived at the location for the Apologetics Summit at 3:15pm. And we’ve spent most of the time to now (8pm) “hanging out” and planning. We met with the hosts, the pastor and some members of Ishaka Community Church and by the time the meeting was finished I feeling like the bar for my presentations was being set pretty high. KEEP READING TO LEARN WHY

We finished up our Apologetics Summit today. I was mostly a spectator. But before the day was over I had to take a close look at what how God wants me to spend the next few years with the intent of developing an ITEM youth ministry using apologetics as a springboard. I think I gained some clarity but there is more time and prayer needed to figure this out.