Ghana 2010

Donna and I are very excited about returning to Ghana again this year on a mission trip. It will be my fifth mission trip to Africa; Donna has been twice. We are going for two weeks in July and we'll be working with Rev. Bob and Bonnie Parker of Seed Ministry in Tamale. Our daughter Amy will also be there, she will be doing a six-week internship with the Parkers as a part of her seminary work. The purpose of our trip is four-fold:

· First, we will dedicate a church building that NewSong paid to have built in a village named Sognaragu-Kukuo. Our 2008 NewSong team held a crusade in this village and we are excited to return to minister among these wonderful people.

· Second, we will be working with children by doing Bible Club ministry in several villages. Bible Clubs are similar to Vacation Bible School and are effective not only at reaching children, but many parents and other adults sit or stand nearby and also hear the Good News of God’s plan for us all.

· Third, we will be preaching in some new villages (to us), many of which have few, if any Christians. Pray that God will open eyes, ears and hearts to the message of Jesus.

· Fourth, we will spend time with local Christians in and around Tamale. Our presence will bolster their spirits and encourage them. We are planning visits to several small churches to develop relationships with the Christians already there, and to help them grow in their Christian walk.

We have mailed support letters asking others to join us in this ministry. We urged them to consider two things: prayer support and financial support for this mission. These are difficult financial times for everyone, but the work we will be doing there is worth whatever sacrifices any of us might make.

I am in hopes that some of the readers of this blog will also agree to pray for us, and, if so moved, to help out financially. If you feel led to help financially, you can send your tax-deductible donation payable to "NewSong” at P.O. Box 1667 Cumming, GA 30028.

If you can support us financially, we would be most grateful. But we covet your prayers above all else. Prayer is what will allow us to be successful as we minister in Ghana. Without prayer, nothing good will happen.

I'll be writing more about this summer's trip in future blogs, so stay tuned!

Friends

Someone once said there comes a time in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will. Lately I've been thinking about the friends I've had through the years and the truth of this saying has really come shining through.

I believe people fall into two main categories when it comes to friends. Some people have tons of friends, with some friendships deeper than others, of course. But seldom do these folks have what you'd call a "best friend." Others of us don't have that many friends, but those we do have we invest ourselves in, we become transparent and vulnerable to them, and we usually have them for life. When we see such a friend after several years apart we find we can pick up right where we left off the last time we were together, whether it was in the fourth grade, high school, college, or years later. This, by the way, can lead to some pretty embarrassing situations; imagine a couple of fifty-something year-old men acting like fourth graders and you get the picture.

I had a long phone conversation tonight with my best friend in the 4th and 8th grade. I lived in the same town as this friend those two years. In between I moved several times. Since then I've continued to move around, and I've had good friends along the way, but this one friend is one of those special friends some of us are lucky enough to have once or twice in a lifetime. He's solid as a rock. As we talked on the phone and shared bits and pieces of what's been going on in our lives since we last talked forty years ago, it became evident that we have taken very different paths over the years, but the most meaningful parts of our lives: our faith, our love for our spouses and children, and our core values are basically the same. We also find ourselves in the same place vocationally after all these years; both of us are, or soon will be, making major career moves. When I discovered that I was reminded of what C.S. Lewis once said about friendship. He said that friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What, you too? I thought I was the only one." It's so very nice to have friends you feel that way about.

My friend and I plan to meet to reconnect in person later this year. I can't wait. Meanwhile I'll be keeping an old African proverb in mind that says, "Hold a true friend with both your hands." Here's to you dear friend; see you soon.

My Heroes

My dad, my uncle and I toured the National WWII Museum in New Orleans this weekend. Both Dad and Uncle Ernest served in WWII. Dad served in the 26th Infantry Division, entering the war at Metz, France and then marching all the way across Germany ending up in what was then known as Czechoslovakia. Uncle Ernest, who is 8 years older than my dad, was at the helm of a LCVP ("Higgins Boat") delivering men ashore on the beaches of Normandy in the D-Day invasion.

What a privilege it was to tour the museum in the company of these two veterans. I heard war stories from these two heroes that I'd never heard before. Both men's eyes blazed with clarity as they described events from over 60 years ago as if they happened yesterday. My heart swelled with pride at being related to these two brave soldiers, especially when the workers at the museum were so respectful to them (and to all the other veterans there). Salutes and "Thank you for your service, Sir" were frequently seen and heard.

I'm sure some of you reading this post have a veteran or two nestled somewhere in your family tree. If so, don't let the opportunity slip away for you to contact them with a letter, phone call, or visit to express your gratitude for their selfless service. And please act quickly; the "Greatest Generation" is quickly dying off at the rate of over 1,000 WWII veterans a day. Men and women who served in WWII (and in all wars), a proud and grateful nation salutes and thanks you. Because of your sacrifice may we never forget what you've done for us all.

Grandaddy

This photo is of me and my grandfather on my mother's side. We called him "Grandaddy" and we called our other grandfather "Papa." Grandaddy, whose name was Walton Joseph ("Jake") Allen was a carpenter by trade who lived most of his adult life in Starkville, MS. He died at the age of seventy-one in 1963 when I was only seven years old, but I remember him well and have lots of fond memories of time spent with him.

For instance, many times Jake, an uncle or two, and my Dad and I would go "trotline" fishing in the muddy rivers around Starkville. It was great fun for many reasons. Things like spending time with grown-up men I respected (or perhaps I should say revered). And staying up all night to check the trotlines to rebait the ones that needed it, or better yet, to help wrestle a 20-25 pound catfish to the river bank when one got on our hook. I also loved the food, the kind of junk food you eat when fishing overnight (terrible stuff for you, but a kid's delight). Perhaps my favorite thing of all about those trips was that because of all the mosquitoes around the river, Granddaddy approved of me holding a lit cigarette, which he claimed kept mosquitoes away. All the men I knew back then were heavy smokers, and I mean the hard stuff; Lucky Strikes, Marlboros, Pell Mells, etc... no filters of course. Naturally I snuck occasional puffs on my cigarette, so it burned down pretty quickly and had to be replaced numerous times throughout the night. I'm sure they all knew what was going on, and I was usually sick by morning from swallowing smoke, and eating stuff like Vienna Sausages, chips, donuts and guzzling Coke all night. But man, talk about fun!

I have lots of other great memories of my grandfather. Like going with him to get gas in his old green pick-up truck at a Billups Service Station (remember those?). Back then if you got a fill up they would sell you a toy for a dollar more. Grandaddy bought me a shiny blue wheelbarrow there one time - in fact I still have it.Jake had the rough hands of a carpenter, but was a gentle, kind man of faith. He always wore khaki work pants and shirts, and he always carried a pocket watch and a pocket knife. I can still remember his cotton-white hair and piercing blue eyes. And to this day I recall the way he smelled when he hugged me or when I climbed up in his lap. It was a wonderful mix of sawdust, cigarettes, and the sweat of a hard-working man. I miss you Grandaddy; here's to you!

Recent Visitor

We had a surprise visitor the other day - a 4 1/2 foot snake slithered through our backyard. I was out on the deck with Donna and we noticed our new reptilian friend sunning him (or her!) self at the edge of the yard, so I got my camera and went out into the yard and snapped off a few pictures. I don't think it was a poisonous snake, but who wants to get close enough to be sure, right? The best I can tell, from the safety of my office chair surfing the Internet tonight, our slithery visitor was a Black Racer, aka Coluber Constrictor. This particular species of snake is very common in our part of Georgia.

While some (mainly Eastern) cultures venerate snakes, for most "Westerners," the only good snake is a dead one. It seems that ever since the days of Adam and Eve snakes have been feared, hated, disrespected, and misunderstood. Actually, from what I can gather, snakes do a whole lot of good. They do very little damage to the environment and they keep the rodent and insect (and snake!) populations down. They are also useful in making certain medicines - hey, c'mon, give them a break.

That's what I did with this beauty. I watched him slither all the way across our backyard and watched him disappear in the woods behind the house. In fact, our new friend is probably out there right now....waiting for me... :)