1/1/2009: I'm Going Back to Africa

Friends - HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I'm returning to Zimbabwe and Zambia, beginning the journey in 2 days. I leave Saturday and will be returning Jan 21. Please be in prayer for my trip. As always, you will be able to follow my travels RIGHT here on this blog.

Some specific prayer requests:
1) Safe Travel here in the US with snow expected on Saturday
2) Safe travel to South Africa and then on to Zambia
3) Wisdom and discernment for me, Remmy & Fibion (our 2 Program Directors) who will be traveling with me, as we decide who we should begin new partnerships with in Zambia, as well as begin groundwork for the launch of new initiatives later in 2009
4) Conversations with strangers. As an American, people always want to talk with me about lots of things, some very personal to them. It's one of my favorite parts of travel. I meet people from all over the world. Pray for this unique way to minister to people as I go.
5) Pray for Remmy, Fibion and I as we travel by bus across Zambia and then cross into Zimbabwe -- lots of police stops, potential breakdowns, etc.
6) Pray for peace, love, and joy as we evaluate projects in Zimbabwe, as well as figure out how we can keep going in a country that continues to spiral downward economically.
7) Pray for all the people we will interact with at churches, who are serving daily and loving kids that aren't there own, but treating them as if they were.
8) Finally, perhaps most important to me personally, pray for my wife, Katie, as I go. Pray for peace and comfort for her, as I travel in some remote areas and go days sometimes without any way to give word that we are well.

Thank you, friends! When I arrive in Zambia, I hope to write some of my thoughts on 2009 and what I hope we can accomplish together, by God's grace.

Peace to you and yours. Lots of love.

-Ryan