All of your prayers have been answered-and mine as well!  I can't wait to write more when I have more time.  This is the first access I've had to a computer since we left to do the training but I'll post more soon!

Mike

Hi friends!  We have arrived safely in Tangier.  We had smooth traveling from beginning to end.  Tomorrow we will be traveling to Chefchaouen to prepare for the training which will be held on Friday - Sunday.  I look forward to more great reports in the days to come!

As I await my departure for Morocco today, I am reflecting on Psalm 67.  What a great reminder of God's ultimate purpose for his people, his body-the church.  Verse 1 requests that God "be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us."  For what reason?  Verse 2 tells us:  "that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations."  I, and we, are blessed to be a blessing.

It reminds me of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3.  Verse 2 says "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you."  At the end of verse 3 He promises that "all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  You (Abraham) are blessed to be a blessing (through your seed, Jesus, to bring salvation to all nations).

Since I'm going to Morocco, my prayer goes something like, "may your ways be known in Morocco, your salvation in northern Africa among those we meet."  But it's God's desire to receive glory from anywhere in the world where He currently does not.  So may I encourage all of us at BHBC by reminding you that we are on this same mission in 414?  And we have the opportunity to impact that community daily.  We could simply insert 414 (or any other community) into Psalm 67.  "Lord, may your ways be known in 79414, your salvation among every home."

If you have a few extra minutes I'd like to share an article with you.  It is actually taken from a book by John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad.  I highly recommend it.  Read the article here.

The next entry will be from Morocco!

Only four more days until Jim Archer and I leave for Morocco.  We have had several opportunities to pray together as we prepare to leave and we are pumped about this opportunity to advance God's Kingdom in a spiritually dark place.  We know that God is already at work where we're going and feel privileged to join Him.