Dear ITEM Friends,
Next Wednesday, June 9, I will be on my way back to Africa. The last time I was there, which was February, I was hit with Covid sometime between my negative test on Wednesday, Feb 3 and Monday, Feb 8, when I first felt symptoms. But that is not in the rearview mirror.
My first stop will be Liberia. I don’t think I’ve been there for three years. Since then, the original coordinator contacted an infection that took his life. So, this will be the first time I’ve sat with the team and new coordinator since the original coordinator’s death. My plan is to review vision, core values, and strategy to be sure we are all on the same page.
On Monday the 14th I will leave for Kenya. It is an overnight flight with a layover in Ghana. For the record, I am not fond of the Ghana airport. It is overcrowded and, in my opinion, it is not laid out well. But I digress.
I will be in Nairobi for a week. I will help conduct the ITEM Institute in the Foundations of Church Leadership (IFCL), our Bible and theology seminar, and on Saturday June 19 I will be giving a talk to a separate group of pastors and educators on “Apologetics in the Church.” It is my prayer that this will become a part of ITEM’s outreach to a younger generation of Africans.
I will leave for home from Nairobi on Monday, June 21 and be home in Portland on the 22nd.
A tricky part of this trip will be getting all of the required Covid tests. I’ll be tested Monday, June 7 for my departure. Then I am tested upon arrival in Liberia, at the airport. I am tested again on Friday, June 11 for my departure on Monday the 14th. Then I will be tested again in Nairobi in preparation for my return flight home. It’s a crazy world that we’re living in.
PRAYER:
- For safe and on time travel.
- For general health throughout the trip.
- For all of the test results to get back to me on time throughout the trip.
- For the ITEM team in Liberia to catch the vision, strategy, core values in a fresh way.
- For the pastors who attend the IFCL to get excited about further training and mentoring.
- For the one-day apologetics seminar to be well attended and received.
I will be sending updates regularly and uploading pictures as well. At this time, I have put maps in the picture album Here is the link. https://photos.app.goo.gl/mrwqDWnHrbEqcLSbA
Thanks for your interest.
By His grace and for His glory,
Steve
Praying for your travel, you know that your coming is more than a Blessing to African churches, pastors, and its members hence may the Lord make your time here Fruitful and bring glory to the Lord even as you do His will.
Dear Pastor Steve,
Praying that any health issues would indeed be put “in the rearview mirror “.
Every blessing.
Steve and Emma