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Greetings Family & Friends!
I am writing from 30,000 feet in
the air as our plane traverses the African continental airways
en route from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Monrovia, Liberia, with a
stop-overs in Duala, Cameroon and Accra, Ghana. As many of you
know, I have been led by THE HOLY SPIRIT to make home and
foreign missions a hallmark of my Pastorate at the Shiloh
Baptist Church. To this end, I on a whirlwind African spiritual,
ecclesiastical and social mission trip that takes me to six
different countries on two coasts of the African continent in
10-days! Consider the following schedule:
EAST AFRICA:
02/25th-26th
=> EGYPT (Cairo & Giza):
02/27th_28th
=> KENYA (Nairobi):
02/28th
-
3/01st => ETHIOPIA (Addis Ababa):
WEST AFRICA:
03/01sL03rd
=> LIBERIA (Monrovia):
03/03rd-4th
=> GHANA (Accra):
03/04th-6th => NIGERIA (Lagos & Abuja):
Although I am
NOT visiting the following two countries on this trip, our
church also has made "Strategic Spiritual Investments" in them:
SOUTH AFRICA:
... which I
last visited in April of 2012;
CARIBBEAN
ISLAND OF HAITI:
... which I
last visited in January of 2010 (the day of the 'great'
earthquake!).
The main reason for any of these
foreign-travel trips is to fulfill what I call,
The Great Commission
(Matthew 28:19-20) and The Great Emission (found in Matthew
5:16). In both of these scriptural passages, JESUS commands HIS
disciples to do some things:
The Great Commission
(to travel locally, regionally,
and globally) In Matthew 28:19-20, JESUS commands HIS followers
to "Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations
... teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you;"
The Great Radiation
(to shine locally, regionally,
and globally): In Matthew 5:16,
"Let
your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father in heaven." With these two spiritual charges as my
'raison d'etre' and travel, I embarked on this incredibly
compact journey wearing three different hats:
#1: Pastor of the Shiloh Baptist
Church:
GOD has led me to intentionally
expand the number of families we support who are on the ground
doing GODly work in the Name of JESUS in these respective
countries; I call these outreach projects and the families who
facilitate them, "Strategic Spiritual Investments."
#2: Board Member of the
Princeton Theological Seminary:
GOD has favored me by allowing
me to sit on a board of global theological training institution
with a group of amazingly gifted individuals, which is now led
by a uniquely gifted President, the Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes. As
I travel(ed), I intentionally bring (brought) greetings on
behalf of PTS and the Rev. Dr. Barnes to our many alumni/ae in
these respective countries.
#3: Denominational
Representative of the GBCNJ, lnc.,
& ABCNJ,
Inc.: GOD is allowing
me to serve in leadership of our church's dually-aligned
denominational witness, the American Baptists and the National
Baptists. As I travel(ed), I intentionally bring (brought)
greetings on rich denominational history that Baptists in North
America have throughout the world
.
In conclusion, please find below
updates of my journey thus far:
EGYPT:
I was absolutely thrilled to be
visiting this great country, so rich in world history and
legacy. Upon landing at the Cairo International Airport, the
first thing I noticed was the massive building projects that had
been completed and others which were in various stages of
completion. True to the great public building projects of their
past (e.g. The Great Pyramids of Giza and the Temples of Luxor),
the Egyptians continue their legacy as 'builders.' I spent my1.5
days here engaging in attempts to connect with the Egyptian
Coptic Church leaders and those religious leaders who have
Reformed/Presbyterian roots. Unfortunately, neither of the
attempts were successful.
While there, I got a chance to
tour this historic city and to fulfill a lifelong dream ...
viewing the Sphinx and climbing on top of the Great Pyramids of
Giza! Standing next to these marvels of architectural and
mechanical wonder was awe-inspiring, but also sobering. How many
1 OO,OOO's of slave-lives were lost and sacrificed in the
process of building monuments to nine- royal family members.
Each of the three great pyramids took an average of 30-years to
build.
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