This Sunday (14th April) I’ll be flying out to Togo in Africa with Compassion UK, for a five day trip to visit the projects we’ve been supporting as a church. I won’t go into the details of the trip here because I wrote about that a few weeks ago; if you want to know more please click here for details.

Remember, these are great projects being run by local Togolese churches to serve families in their own communities, just as we do social action to serve our own community. Compassion don’t run the projects, the local churches do that. Compassion bring advice, support, funding and accountability. I’m hoping we’ll learn a lot from the faith of these great churches and leaders.

Please do take a moment to pray for me while I’m away, and also for Jo who’ll be busy at work back here in the UK. Here are some specific prayer requests:

• I’m still getting over the tail end of a nasty cough/cold (as some may have noticed on Sunday). Please pray it clears up fully before we depart – a blocked nose and ears is no fun on a plane!
• Please pray for safety during our travels: there’s an election coming up in Togo soon which can create ‘flashpoints’ (as happens in some other countries). After advice the trip is still going ahead, and we’ll have security travelling with us throughout the trip, but do please pray for us all.
• Please pray for the health of everyone involved. We’ll be staying in a good hotel between the various visits, but it would be nice if we all stayed healthy in our bodies and safe out on the roads.
• It’s a trip for church pastors. Please pray for good relationships to be built between us. I know some of those who are going, but certainly not all; what a great opportunity!
• Please pray that I would represent Welcome Church and our connection to Compassion well. I would love some other churches to do what we’ve done, and for the lives of more children to be transformed and set free from extreme poverty.
• Please pray for God to speak to me during the trip and shape me in whatever ways he wants to.
• Please pray that we would grow in faith and learn from being around these Togolese churches and leaders, who are faithfully serving the poor in their own communities.
• Lastly, I’ll be meeting the child who Jo and I sponsor – please pray that goes well. I’m slightly nervous about the emotional impact of that 😥

Thanks in advance for all of your prayers. See you next Sunday

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