Leaving soon

August 10, 2008

I am about to finish my last full day in Africa. We had trouble getting to our respective churches to preach, but I made it in time. I spoke in a church led by one of the Institute leaders and preached on the believer’s uniform: love, from John 13. It went well except that my translator had some difficulties. I had to repeat myself more than half the time or speak very slowly and clearly. I have become spoiled by the translator at the Institute. His name is Simeon, and he is very skilled. One of the church members spoke English with me later. He sensed that I did not think the message went out clearly, but he assured me that the church understood the main point.

As I head down to dinner tonight, it became clear that God has been answering many prayers and has helped me the whole time through. Adjustments and frustrations have been minimal in terms of culture. We all have been well taken care of by the national pastors.

I will make one or two more entries until I get back to Pennsylvania. The most stressful part of the trip should be the Goma airport itself. Once the wheels are up, the rest of the trip should be downhill. I will be in Nairobi most of tomorrow waiting for my flight to London. From there I will go to New York and then to Pittsburgh. Oh, I did have two moments that were “just like home.” The other night, a thunder storm blew through that looked just like the ones in PA. And about 3:20 in the morning, I happen to wake up to hear a rumble. Yes, we had an earthquake just like in CA. It was minor and short – no damage.

Take care,

Pastor Joe