African Elephant Escape
I learned something new on this trip. If you're sitting in a parked car, on a trail out in the African bush and a pack of pachyderms decide to use that path, it is time to start the car and drive away.
We had a great time of training in Rwanda at the end of August. We had a wonderful training with the pastors and leaders who work in the refugee camp in the North during week one, and in the second week, we trained another group of awesome pastors in the Central region. Both groups were very receptive, encouraged, and got a ton from the teaching.
Traveling between the two trips, we drove through a game reserve where we actually did have elephants decide they were going to use the slice of road we were parked on and that it was time for us to vacate the premises. A day off in some of these places provides unique opportunities, like the potential to be trampled, or to take really cool pictures. I shot video - in fact, you can find videos and pictures here on my website from the trainings and some of the animals we ran into (no, not literally!).
Burundi, Soon
My return to Burundi is coming in less than two weeks. I fly out Tuesday, October 3rd and I fly back home October 15th. I have that super duper tight connection in Istanbul again. Would you pray that I make the connection and get to come home and not have a day hanging around an airport? Please pray for our time in Burundi. We'll be having the second of our four trainings with the pastors in this very poor but spiritually engaged country. I believe we will see this blossom into multiple trainings all over the country!
Home Sweet Home
Here at home, between administrative and planning duties, God has provided opportunities for me to attend an online Middle East ministry Conference, to preach at a local church in Santa Barbara, to do a bunch of mentoring and discipleship with individual leaders, and to do some church mission consulting.
Middle East!
As you know, I've been working to pioneer a brand-new training opportunity in the Middle East. I'll be traveling to a country in the mideast right after the beginning of the new year. I'm working with a great local leader who's bringing Kurdish, Syrian, and other local pastors and church planters together for our training. My hope is that this will develop into an ongoing ministry for these pastors who have such great need, face such difficulty and danger, and have so little help, encouragement, or opportunity for ministry training. Pray for the safety of everyone concerned. Some of these men face danger every day as they serve Jesus. Some of these pastors also live in a refugee camp and minister to the people inside the camp. It's a privilege to have the opportunity serve those in such great need.
Finally…
Due to massive international inflation and higher travel and lodging costs, I’ll be significantly behind in funding by the New Year. Pray for God’s provision as I continue to reach out to new individuals, inviting them to partner with us to make the dream a reality.
I'm so grateful for you all and your generous hearts and prayers! God is up to great things.
I'd like to leave you with this one piece of travel wisdom: When a herd of elephants is coming at you it's a good idea to leave the vicinity, but shoot some video as you retreat.
-Chuckk
Here’s the way to pray:
travel
health & safety
receptive hearts
for the leaders to train other leaders in what they’ve learned
super tight connection - less than 1 hour between flights Oct 15th
safety & peace at home for Andrea while I’m away
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