To make a very long and complicated story a lot shorter and a lot less dramatic, Kelly and I are now in Paris waiting for our connecting flight. It is 6:55 AM.
There will be time for details later. Thank you very much for praying for us. We will update you more when we can.
The only way to describe the two services at the Ministers Conference Friday is to say, "You should have been there to see it for yourself!"
It was awesome to see God working in lives and to feel Him working in our lives as well. It really was amazing.
I am thankful Bro. Shobanke invited us to be here to be s part of these meetings. It has been a great blessing to us.
Today will be the final service and then we plan to leave for the airport. We are ready to go but it is sad to leave our friends behind.
This is Dorcus.
I have told you about her before. She is the handicapped lady that dragged herself to the altar in the Gospel Crusade in 2009. She has become a special part of our lives and we always look forward to seeing her.
She gave us a special treat yesterday. She presented each of us with a set of clothes. She even made a set to send to Odie. I will be wearing mine to preach today. God bless her.
This is Pastor David from Lagos. It is always a treat to see him.
Evangelist Samuel came yesterday. I have been looking for him.
Sis. Rachel is the seamstress that made Kelly Jo's new clothes this year.
Sis. Mary Adelani is our beautiful friend.
After another great meal with Bro. Shobanke and prepared by Sis. Rebecca, we were back at the hotel befor 5:00.
We planned to spend the whole evening getting everything packed to leave this afternoon. That is when the drama began.
If you read the updates to yesterday's post, you already know the story. Our flights were canceled due to a pilot strike at Lufthansa Airlines. We could not find another way to get out of Lagos before midnight Sunday night. And even that looked very doubtful.
After a few hours of back-and-forth, prayer and confusion Lufthansa finally booked us on an Air France flight leaving tonight about five minutes to midnight. We will know for sure when we sit down in those seats in the big engines take us down the runway.
First we will enjoy the final service and then say goodbye to our friends until next time. Afterward Bro. Shobanke will take us to the airport and we will begin the next leg of our journey. I hope you have enjoyed the pictures. We will have a few more later.
I posted twice yesterday. One post was concerning Nigeria and a second post was a special Thanksgiving post.
Prayer Request:
Kelly Jo and I are supposed to leave Nigeria on Lufthansa Airline late Saturday night. We are not going straight home but have planned some rest and also exploring a few ministry opportunities.
The problem is the Lufthansa pilots had a one day strike on Wednesday that has now expanded through Friday and into Saturday on some routes.
We need some guidance if this thing continues. Help us pray.
Update at 7:00 PM Nigeria Time Friday:
When we returned from the service this afternoon we had received an email from Lufthansa informing us that our flights on Saturday night and Sunday morning were canceled due to the pilot strike. That was completely expected but still disappointing.
We have spent a few frustrating hours trying to get through on the phone to the Nigerian reservations and the US reservations. That has been completely unsuccessful. We still do not have concrete confirmation as of yet, but the Lufthansa Service Team has informed us by email that they will schedule us on the Sunday night flight.
I have asked for an email confirmation and hopefully that will come through in the next few hours. You never really know for sure in Nigeria until you are at the airport and seated on the plane.
The 24 hour delay means that our plans for the next few days are in jeopardy but we are playing it by ear and trying to keep it in God's hands.
Thank you for your continued prayer.
Update at 8:10 PM Nigeria Time Friday:
Thank you very much for praying. I sent out an iMessage to several friends and family and it is obvious that you fervently prayed. I believe God heard you and has helped us! According to an email from Lufthansa, we are now booked on Air France leaving Saturday night a few minutes before midnight, connecting in Paris and arriving at our next location in time to meet our next obligation. Praise God for His help!
Thursday in Abeokuta
It was Thanksgiving at home and we missed being with our families. Odie spent the day with the Morgan crew and she will eat Thanksgiving with the Boggs crew on Saturday.
Even without turkey and dressing it was another wonderful day in Nigeria all day long. It is fantastic to be right smack in the middle of God's blessings. We are enjoying every moment of it!
Today was the first day of the Ministers Conference at Bro. Shobanke's church. We enjoyed seeing many old friends and making new ones. We really had two great services and awesome responses in the altars.
The Ministers Conference is for pastors, evangelist, elders, Sunday school teachers, deacons or any other church workers. Many of them are from Abeokuta and many of them are from other parts of Nigeria.
These precious saints have more challenges in a week than I face in a year. They teach me incredibly more than I ever teach them. It is a pleasure it be with them and to fellowship them. They do seem excited about the conference though so I suppose we all win.
These two were our very first Nigerian friends and they are very special to us.
Pastor Shobanke and Pastor Kuye
They have me preach a morning session and an afternoon session. They would like for me to preach about 90 minutes each session. But I only made it a little over 60 the first session and about 75 minutes the second session.
I am preaching through an interpreter so that makes it longer than I normally preach.
After a little rest in the afternoon we went to brother Shobanke's house and spent the evening with his family. We enjoyed the evening and the meal very, very much.
Left to right: Samuel, Davy, Little David, brother Shobanke, Samuel Shobanke, John, Gideon being held by his mother Ruth and then Rebecca. Daniel and Damaris us are in the front.
If you "Follow by Email" then you receive an email each night alerting you to new posts. However, you only receive an alert to the latest post. If we have posted more than once in that day you will need to go to the blog itself to see the previous post.
I am typing this Thanksgiving post before we leave for Nigeria. We may be able to post while where are there and we many not be able to post. Our last trip we had great WiFi in the hotel but during out stay in 2012, no one at that hotel had even heard tell of such things. We hope to keep you informed in some way. I have something special planned for today's Thanksgiving post. It seems to me that traveling and Thanksgiving naturally go together.
Asphalt In My Blood
Bro. Bennie, our Pastor, told me several years ago that I must have asphalt in my blood. After a few more years and a lot more miles I am coming to the conclusion that he is probably correct. We do love life on the road.
Kelly Jo and I have had opportunities to settle down at times through the years. Have we ever seriously thought about it? Yes, but not often and not for long. Although there have been fleeting moments when we were sorely tempted and have come very near doing it. Why keep going?
Well, the answer is two fold. First and foremost, we believe that we are walking in God's plan for our lives, at this present time, to the best of our ability. That is most important.
Secondly, some where along the way, while growing up, Kelly Jo and I caught a bug that all the rest of our immediate families escaped. We love to go, we love to travel, we love the road and we can not help ourselves!
Maybe be heard too many lonesome train whistles blowing when we were small.
Maybe we saw too many cowboys ride over the next hill just to see what was in the next valley.
Maybe we read one too many books where the young man goes west and never comes back.
Maybe we heard "Ramblin' Man" and "The Running Kind" about 500 too many times growing up.
Maybe we breathed too much diesel exhaust.
Maybe we did get too close to the road when they were paving and we inhaled the blacktop dust.
Maybe we watched and read too much Charles Kuralt!
Yep, Charles Kuralt Is To Blame
Who is Charles Kuralt, you ask?
Mr. Charles Kuralt was a reporter and host for CBS for many, many years. His best known and best loved work was the short segments he produced for the CBS Evening News and later for the CBS Sunday Morning program. Some of my earliest memories are of Mr. Kuralt and his small crew reporting in from small town America every week as they traveled the back roads of the USA in a motorhome.
Maybe that is where I caught the traveling fever. Maybe the lonesome trains, wondering cowpokes, diesel fumes and asphalt are not really to blame after all. Maybe it is the fault of a man I never met but considered and old friend.
Mr. Kuralt was a paradoxical man and died before many of his personal imperfections or weaknesses became known. He was only 62 years old when he died on July 4, 1997. He will always be remembered best for his stories from small town America.
His On The Road with Charles Kuralt stories affected me more than I could possibly know at the time. In the 80's and 90's I found and read all of his books. We have eaten in restaurants where he has eaten, we have driven roads where he has driven and we have felt many of the same feelings he felt out on the open road in this great nation of ours.
About a year ago I discovered that some of his old stories are posted online. I ran across this one about the Chandler Family from Prairie, Missouri and I have saved it for this day.
I will probably write more about Mr. Kuralt in later posts but start with Alex and Mary Chandler and see if you can resist a hankering to find some more clips. I could not resist the tears as this family prays over their Thanksgiving meal as they celebrate Mr. and Mrs. Chandler's 50th anniversary. Let me know what you think.
