Ryan Returning to Africa TODAY

Friends - I begin my return journey to Africa in less than 12 hrs. Amazing that it is time again.I can't tell you how excited I am to return for this special trip. I just sense that the timing is right for the journey. The purpose of the trip is described in this brief video. Thanks for watching. You can read more below. We now know of over 10,000 kids who need a champion. This trip is for me to go meet more of them so I can share their stories with you. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we go. 

Enjoy the ride! -Ryan Keith, President, Forgotten Voices International.

On the map below, you'll see the 5 new growth areas where we hope to reach in 2011 with the launch of TENTOGETHER.org, a campaign that asks you to join with 10 friends, each giving $10/month to Forgotten Voices and your team of 10 serving 10 hrs a year to a cause local to you in the USA.

Potential growth areas within Zambia, as TEN TOGETHER teams start, are numbered by order. Across the 5 cities, we know about 75 pastors who have about 18,000 kids within their communities. Each child is orphaned by AIDS and has unique needs that their local church is willing to help meet, but needs some support. We've spent the last 2 years identifying and networking these trustworthy graduates of TCCA, our seminary partner in Zambia. We praise God for the opportunity to meet so many and pray expectantly for God to use you and me to respond to this need through TENTOGETHER and supporting Forgotten Voices.

This trip I'll be joined by Rob Pepper, a friend from Messiah College, and James Masterson, a friend from Indianapolis. We will travel first ot South Africa to the Aurora Primary School and visit our friends, Steve & Michelle Lockwood. We then will be in Ndola (just south of Mufulira on map below) to meet up with Remmy (right), who some of you meet when he was here in October/November. Remmy will be our guide every day in Zambia.  We will meet with about 15 pastors for a couple days in Ndola, including a graduation for a widow sewing program Forgotten Voices' supports. The ceremony will mark the 60th woman trained by New Life, a church we serve. After a Leadership Summit with all current project leaders in Ndola, we will be off to Mufulira (#1 on map below) for a meeting with about 12 pastors, then on to Solwezi (#2 on map below) to meet with 8-10 pastors over 3 days. After Solwezi, we return to Ndola before taking a 6am flight to Livingstone (southwest corner near Zimbabwe) via Lusaka. Once in Livingstone, we'll have a lunch meeting with about 10 pastors in the area before taking in the Great Victoria Falls - one of the 7 wonders of the world.

Over the past 2 years, we've been working with TCCA, our seminary partner in Zambia, to build a Graduate Network around the country. We've been finding trustworthy pastors to make sure your investments are wisely spent to make the wisest impact. During this trip, we'll be discerning where we should join with the local church first in responding to the physical & spiritual needs of children orphaned by AIDS. I'm delighted to go and meet these brave men & women serving kids who need a champion. We'll also be spending time throughout listening to what God is teaching the local church about service and how we can bring those lessons to the USA to help us love our neighbors more effectively.

All of this is for our new TENTOGETHER campaign to support our work at Forgotten Voices. In 2011, we hope to equip local churches in Zimbabwe and Zambia to reach 10,000 children orphaned by AIDS. These children will be found through this trip and others to come. Pray for wisdom for when, for whom and how we should join with the churches.

Please join me in praying every day for the trip. Particularly pray for wisdom as we meet pastors, joy with the kids we meet, and humility to learn and listen. Pray also for safety, as we will have many flights over the next 12 days. Please also pray for the role you may play in helping us reach 10,000 kids in 2011. Visit www.TENTOGETHER.org to learn more. Thanks for following our adventure, as we go for you.