About 50 days from now, I will board an airplane in Norfolk for the first leg of a journey that will take me back to eastern Europe and through the next door that God has opened in my foray into International Reformation ministry. This year, our team will touch down in Belarus, for the second time in as many years, and will go to Romania for the first time. I was asked to act as the coordinator for this trip, and gradually I've begun to realize that this, too, was just another way of God preparing me for the work He has for me to do. There have been hurdles to navigate as I worked through the schedule, the normal delays in communication among people, and the general frustration that I experience whenever I can't do myself everything that needs to be done. Slowly, God is teaching me that the most effective ministry comes from letting go of the reins and letting Him drive the cart. That's always a hard lesson for me to learn and goes so against my nature! The team that will make up this latest effort overseas often prays for "divine
appointments," those unforeseen events that God throws in ones path that never could have been planned beforehand and whose results never could have been as effective otherwise. Yet, my need to have the schedule down pat and know what is happening every hour of every day has prevented me from giving God the freedom He needs to work completely, I'm sure. Correcting that flaw in me is a continual prayer request!
So, where does the trip stand now? As I said, we're about 50 days from lift off, and things are aligning nicely. Three of us will travel to Minsk, Belarus, on October 27, to participate in an intensely focused seminar on Christian education. We'll be working with the same church and leaders group from last year's trip. Unlike our last visit, however, we will also have the opportunity to visit sites in Belarus that are historically and religiously significant to the country and people. These visits offer an invaluable occasion to understand the culture that we are operating in and to pray against specific spiritualstrongholds that exist in a country.
On October 31, we travel to Bucharest, Romania, and join the rest of the team upon their arrival on November 1. We then spend the next six days traveling to four cities across Romania and meeting with politicians and Christian political and church leaders. We will hold several seminars
and spend time getting to know the people and leaders of the country. As this is the first time a full KPC team has been to Romania, our focus will be on foundation-laying and developing relationships. This will hopefully sow seeds and set the stage for greater ministry and in-depth
teaching on future visits.
Travel arrangements are tentatively set, and the daily itineraries are being refined. Please pray that God's direction will be clear and that we are able to schedule the appropriate meetings and seminars as He sees fit. Also, please continue to pray for travel visas, primarily for our Romanian host who will travel from Seattle to guide us through his homeland. He is arranging all of our meetings in Romania, and his involvement is crucial. As of this writing, he has not received his visa and does not know for certain that he can travel with us. In addition, those of us going to Belarus will need visas for entry intothat country. Pray for the smooth receipt of those.
More to come...
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