Ready for Ukraine Trip

Tomorrow we leave for Ukraine and I am packed, ready. Why this early? Today is grandson day. Roxanne and I are headed to Gadsden to see Tammy and Cayden (plus Keith and her parents). Since I don't return til August 3, it will be a while before I get to see him so this day is grandson day.

We have five from our church going joining with seven more from the Colbert-Lauderdale Baptist Association for this trip. We are serving alongside of Tim and Donna Akers in Lviv, Ukraine. We will be doing children's camp and ESL with Love of God Church.

Tim and Donna are from the Shoals and this is the first mission team to visit in their eleven years there. Donna's family are members at CrossRoads and her sister and niece are going on this trip. Also our Director of Missions, Eddie Garner, and Barrett Long, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tuscumbia are going on this trip. It should be a great time for us and the Akers.

I am praying for other pastors and churches from our area who are also leaving today or tomorrow for mission trips: David McKelvey and First Baptist Church Killen leaving today going to Guatemala; Frank Whitaker leading by friend, Steve Pochop, and his church of Abundant Grace, leaving today for Guatemala; Rich Hardeman and Forrest Hills Baptist Church leaving tomorrow for Peru; plus our group to Ukraine. WOW - what a powerful impact from the Shoals.

In my absence the next two Sundays, John Powell will be preaching July 25 and Larry Wright August 1.

I will try and post as often as I can from Lviv.

Can't wait to see what "God moments" there will be not just for those in Ukraine, but for me in my spiritual development of "glory to glory." I always tell my teams that are going on mission trips to look and wait for their "God moment." That moment when God reveals Himself in a unique way that results with this statement, "This is why I came." God always does more in you than through you. When that happens, you are never the same.

So, I request your prayers, as God brings us to mind. We leave Friday from Nashville to Newark, Warsaw and Lviv arriving Saturday afternoon in Lviv. Blessings.....