2 weeks from tomorrow I'll be on a plane with 10 others headed to Sudan. We will be teaching about the Gospel and who God is with 2 orphanages in southern Sudan.

We had a meeting today that made this all very real. In the midst of civil war and turmoil, with a peace treaty ending in 8 months, the Sudanese pastors want us to come and teach their orphans about Jesus. That HE is the only thing that sustains and provides hope.

I'm praying that I will continue to know and understand and grasp that. He IS my Father and He is the ONLY thing that sustains both a materially-abundant nation like America, AND a materially-depraved nation like Sudan. No matter the circumstances, the end goal is Christ.

The thing is, in these next 2 weeks I am also moving apartments and finishing up my first year of teaching. I wish that I could sit and prepare and have a lot of quiet time before we leave. But everything around me is incredibly busy, and my Dallas "to-do" list is ever-growing.

Lord, save me from myself. Give me your strength to finish out things well, and in these 2 weeks, even through the busy-ness, prepare my heart for what you have in store in Sudan. Fill our team with your Spirit and your Words as we take the Gospel to hundreds of kiddos. YOU are the only thing that sustains and gives ever-lasting HOPE.