As many of you may know…or may not know, I will be going to Ndola, Zambia (in Africa) with an E-Team being sent out by Providence Church and Covenant Mercies. The team includes 21 people from Providence, along with two from our sister church near Philadelphia. The team is a mixture of genders, age groups, skill sets, experiences, and giftings, but all have a passion and calling to serve our Zambian brothers and sisters for the glory of God and the spread of the Gospel.

At 6:17 AM, Monday morning, our flight with United Air will depart Pittsburgh International Airport to carry us to Dulles International in Washington, D.C. At Dulles, we will board a flight with Ethiopian Air which will proceed to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (stopping in Rome to refuel) and, thence, to Lusaka, Zambia, arriving around 2 PM, Zambia time. Then we will take ground transportation to Ndola, where we will do some shopping and check in to our hotel. The next day (Wednesday), construction on Lighthouse Christian School’s new building will begin and the men on the team will attend to that while the ladies do some ministry with the children and some other great stuff. This will continue, with a break in routine on Sunday (where we will attend the Baptist church twice) until the following Tuesday, when we will work our last day. On Wednesday (the 15th), we will depart from Ndola and return to Lusaka, to rest up and prepare for our trip home the next day. At 11 AM, Zambia time, on Thursday July 16, we will depart Zambia and return by the same route to the US, arriving back in Pittsburgh around 2 PM on Friday July 17.

As you can see, this will be an incredibly busy week full of grace and God’s power demonstrating itself. He has already demonstrated that powerfully in the fundraising. On the whole, considering everyone’s costs and fundraising efforts, a sum totaling over $70,000 was raised…and this in just over the last two months (!) to make this happen. God has been so generous and good to us as we’ve answered His call to go forward. But now it’s time to go. In the meantime and throughout this trip, I’d like you all to pray for us. We are in need of prayer support and very aware of our need for God’s grace on us. Some things that you can be praying for are:

• For Pastor Wilbroad and his wife, Zicky.  They have a tremendous amount of preparation ahead of them to receive our team.  Pray that God will continue to give them faith for the projects and planning that lay ahead of them.
• That we will be able to serve our friends in Ndola in a meaningful and self-sacrificing way
• That we will develop lasting relationships there
• That the Gospel will be proclaimed in Ndola
• That children will be saved and cared for through the ministry of Covenant Mercies
• That God will grow our faith and love for Him through this service
• That the team will be united, with one heart and mind throughout, bearing with one another in love.
• That in some way, God will use the E-team as a means of Providence Church experiencing the revival we have been praying for

I will be attempting to keep a journal during the trip and will post the entries as I am able to upon returning to the States. Thanks in advance for your prayers and I am looking forward to sharing with all of you the goodness of God towards us on this trip!