Carrie-Anne, Carley, and I are headed to Cheddar’s this afternoon for our last American meal for ten days (I lost; I wanted Blue Sky) before settling in for an almost twelve hour flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. We’re excited to see Whitney and Valerie and the rest of our Central church youth group. We’re ready to hear the stories and get caught up on what God is doing there with and through our great friends. And we’re very much anticipating the rest of what the Spirit of our Father has in store.

I do know that trips like this, especially all five of us together, will shape us as a family more into the image of our risen Lord. We’re going to see up close what our God is doing outside of our American Church of Christ box. We’re going to experience the Kingdom of God more fully than we ever have before. We’re going to sing and worship, study and pray, laugh and cry with brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t speak our language. And we’re going to come, as a family, to a far greater understanding of the magnificent scope of his redeeming work in this world.

We’re also going to realize that it’s possible to survive for ten days without Dr Pepper. I hope.

The blogging will be sporadic at best for the next week and a half. Pray for the hearts of the people in Brazil — those brothers and sisters we’re going to encourage and those outside the Kingdom we’re trying to reach for our Christ. And ask our God to transform our group from Central, to do more with us than we could ever begin to ask or imagine.

Peace,

Allan