Dear Calvary Church Family,
Weekend greetings from beautiful Freetown, Sierra Leone. The Lord has been kind to us in the midst of our travel and first full day of rest and ministry.
Tom Cox and I arrived just after midnight local time on Friday (5-hours ahead of Raleigh) and laid our heads on our pillows around 4AM. Our initial flight was delayed in Raleigh, which caused a domino effect on our travel. Our overseas flight was changed from Brussels to Istanbul, Turkey, and added an additional 6 ½ hours to our total travel time. After arriving in Sierra Leone, we discovered that only 1 of our 4 checked bags arrived with us, and as of now, we’ve been unable to track down the missing bags. One of our ministry partners here has been kind to provide clothes for Tom, and I am thankful that most of my clothes made the trip.
Yesterday, we rested until just after noon local time and spent the afternoon catching up with friends we have made during our previous stays at Hotel Barmoi in Freetown. We were sad to hear from our friend Ephraim, who is on the hotel staff, that several of his colleagues with whom we had begun sharing the gospel in prior years, had recently been let go from their jobs and are now seeking employment. We are hoping to catch up with one of these friends, Milton, sometime in the next two weeks. Please pray the Lord opens the door for that opportunity.
In the evening, we enjoyed time with the two church officers of the Presbyterian Convention of Sierra Leone (PCSL), Osseh and Lati, as well as Osseh’s wife, Mabel. They joined us for dinner, sharing some of their prayerful hopes for this fledgling denomination and specific ways their are seeking the Lord’s wisdom for future growth through mission in this country.
Today, we plan to meet with the four elder candidates (teaching and ruling) and their wives to encourage them and pray for them, as they enter this next step in their relationship with the church. Lord willing, four of the churches will be voting tomorrow to extend a call to these men to serve as either teaching or ruling elders in the PCSL. They have been praying for this opportunity for years, that the Lord would provide trained servant-leaders to shepherd the flock of Christ in this place, and we are grateful the Lord has worked so powerfully to bring them to this point. By God’s grace, Tom and I plan to each lead a congregational meeting at different churches tomorrow, where the votes will take place.
I am truly grateful for your partnership in the Gospel and your God-given vision for participating in what the Lord is doing to raise up kingdom outposts throughout the world. Thank you for sending me as an ambassador of King Jesus in this place. As Paul expressed to the church in Philippi, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” May the Lord encourage and strengthen you with His love, as your serve Him today as His beloved sons and daughters.
We certainly covet your prayers, and are truly grateful for the ways you are already lifting us up before the throne of grace. Here are specific ways, we invite you to pray with and for us:
- Please pray for opportunities and boldness to share the gospel with hotel staff and others with whom we come in contact during our time here.
- Please pray for our conversations with the candidates and their wives today to be seasoned with grace and a mutual encouragement in Christ.
- Please pray for quick resolution regarding our luggage, particularly for Tom, as he awaits his clothing, and for the Bibles and other resources we brought with us to make it through.
- Please pray for preparations for tomorrow’s services and congregational meetings. We do not yet know if we will be asked to preach, so please pray for the Holy Spirit’s power to proclaim Him faithfully and with joy if asked.
- Please pray for me, as I have been asked to preach next Sunday, March 16, at the ordination service of the four candidates. Please pray for godly wisdom and boldness to proclaim good news to God’s people and those who have been called to serve his church.
Tom and I with our friend Lati, who serves and the clerk for PCSL.
Thanks again, church family, for your prayers and partnership. May the Lord bless you, as you gather in worship tomorrow.
In Christ,
Pastor Nate