What a Ride!
It's been a wild ride since August. Between work and pleasure we've been to Florida, Tennesee, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Iowa. I feel a little tired just typing out all those states!
Because of this I've got behind on my updates, so this post will cover both September and October.
September Adventures
On September 7th I turned forty, and for milestone birthdays I like to do something adventurous. Since this is a particularly significant birthday, I decided to take a cross-country train trip in three legs:
Chicago to Seattle via the Empire Builder Train
Seattle to San Francisco via the Coastal Starlight Train
San Francisco to Chicago via the California Zephyr Train
In order to make this affordable, I rode in coach and took my own food. Roundtrip, the tickets were only $300! That meant sleeping in a seat similar to an airplane (with a bit more leg room) and spending six days and five nights on trains. I saw incredible scenery and met some fascinating people. It was like life in concentrate: beholding beautiful things as they continually pass you by.
Pictures truly can't do it justice, but here are a few. For more, along with videos, check out my Instagram.
During the trip I spent several days in Seattle launching an Upstream cohort for church leaders. This gave me time with one of our closest partners, Canyon Hills Community Church, along with my fellow cohort facilitator, Dave Childers. I also was able to explore a part of the country I'd never been to, hiking Mount Rainier and Lake Serene, visiting Pike Place Market, and taking a ferry across Puget Sound.
October Adventures
When I arrived back from the train trip I surprised Katie with plane tickets to visit a friend in Texas for a week. She hadn't been away from the girls that long, well, ever! She had certainly earned a break. So while she was traveling, the girls and I visited family in Monticello. Yes, we survived without Mommy. 😂
The other exciting news in October is that I received my visa to visit Cameroon. Over the past several months I have been leading a cohort of Cameroonian missions pastors via Zoom. As part of this equipping ministry, next week I will go be with them in person. I haven't been back to Africa in over ten years, and I've never been to this region of Africa. I'm excited, nervous, and eager to spend time with these brothers. I have much to learn from them!
"Pentecost" by Cameroonian artist Jesus Mafa. This is one of the depictions of Pentecost that will be included in Pentecost and Missions (see below).
Finally, October brought the deadline for our next Upstream book, Pentecost and Missions: A 50-Day Devotional. I am co-authoring it with Robera Adugna. As is the case with any writing project, this has been a very formational experience. We both feel insufficient for the task, but trusting that the Lord will use our offering to him to bless others.
Join Us in Prayer
We may not be living overseas like a missionary family, but our labor in equipping churches to send well means we need your prayers no less.
For November please continue to pray in the following ways:
For safety and fruitfulness during my trip to Cameroon.
As we begin support raising for next year's needs.
For the next steps of Upstream's brand refresh: graphic design and website.
As always, thanks for your support!
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