Friends and Family,
Some of you may know I have been planning over the past few months to go overseas again this summer to join an organization for a short-term missions trip. The organization I am going with is based out of Minneapolis, MN, and is called Training Leaders International. This new group has been started to help train church leaders overseas. The statistic that is breath-taking for me is that for every 1 trained leader outside of the United States there are 450,000 people. This statistic is staggering. As I was in Central/Eastern Europe last summer, something that God laid on my heart is the need for leaders to be trained overseas. With even, more modernized countries like Czech, Slovakia, Croatia, and Hungary, they are still in need of help with training leaders. Many of the seminaries are struggling to even keep their doors open, so let us think about what it is like in Africa, Asia, and other third-world countries. What this organization is doing is sending seminary students who have a wealth of knowledge already in comparison to these pastors and church leaders who have been in ministry for years and some decades, and help train them.
So where, does this put me? Well many of you know that it took some time for me to choose a trip. I chose three trips, and was placed in one to Naples, Italy and Vienna, Austria. One of the key reasons it seemed that I was placed in this trip was because of my time already in Europe, and my heart for the church there. However, within a few weeks of being placed in that trip the second week we were to be in Austria at a conference, this conference had been cancelled. Therefore, we were stuck to one week in Naples. Once this happened the other people who had planned for this trip chose other trips and it was down to the team leader and me. After some time, and looking at the idea of going for a week with only two of us it seemed not the best route with using our resources. Therefore, I have been lead to take the final position on a trip to Kenya in late July. This has not been finalized yet but while it was on my mind, I wanted to post this and share my heart with you. On this trip, we will get to spend almost a week and a half with native pastors and church leaders. We will get to help in teaching and being mentored ourselves through this process. This will help in training me as well as cross-cultural teaching and things of the sort.
I know this is very short notice and I should have posted something before now of me going on a trip but I wanted to get some of the things padded out before I posted anything and shared in a larger mass. What can you be doing for me during this time. We are heading out mid-July and returning at the end of July. Firstly, you can pray for me: spiritually, physically, mentally, and financially. During times like this, God really reveals Himself to us, as we surrender ourselves to Him and His will. I know that many times I try to do everything myself and not rely on Him, but I know that if this is part of His plan for my life, then He will prepare me in every facet. Secondly, you can help as I have already begun to save and prepare to give in support financially. If you are interested in doing so, please contact me through email (jdkeith2@liberty.edu), or by phone (5406167035). I will begin to talk to many people about these issues but if you could mainly pray for me, I would greatly appreciate it during this time of my life.
Thank you and blessings,
Joshua D. Keith
