around the world with Jesus

I’ve read books about leadership, worked with an amazing array of leaders over the years, and have heard stories of leadership (good and bad) from friends. If there’s a quality, outside of integrity, that impresses me the most about leaders, it’s when it’s clear to all that they’re real people and they care.

It was normal. It was good.

Here’s the group photo. His son Ron, and daughter-in-law (Bob’s wife) joined us as well…as did numerous grandchildren. Fun times, good conversation, interesting talk.

The team is wonderful. We leave tomorrow for Kansas City and they’ll fly to El Salvador early Tuesday. I’ll join them soon.

These days have been very, very full, but wonderful. The team heads out Monday and I’ll join them soon after. We’ll be at a team building rope’s course tomorrow. Will blog about that day too. When I get a minute I’ll actually blog a bit more about what’s going on. Good week.

The first intern has arrived. It begins.

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We’ve been working hard getting ready for the team. They arrive Monday. Here’s Chad on a forklift carrying a bin of food into our intern training room.

Pastor Victor faced communism with courage. Nearly 20 years ago he defied the authorities in his Soviet-eera Moldovan village and held an open air presentation of the gospel. Thousands of people came. Life in his village changed forever. Here he shares the short version:

About a year later, his church became the first officially sanctioned in the Soviet Union…it’s approval came from the top. It’s now a large mother church that has planted churches across Moldova.

While the country is in great need (Eric Weiner called it the “least happy country” on earth in a Newsweek article), people like Pastor Victor are seeing to it that people learn of truth. He’s not sad. The elderly people who’ve moved from their cold in the winter/no running water homes to the retirement center his church has built are not sad. The men at the Teen Challenge weren’t sad. Still, many others are.

I’m excited to work with our team and Pastor Victor there this fall…and to see some sad people find joy.

I’m here now.

Beauty (I see Mt. Arrarat each morning…it’s where they believe Noah’s ark is),

Strategy (I was in some rooms where pastors go over some courageous strategy…and I won’t say more about that on the web),

What a place. After some rest I’ll post some more thoughts, but I’m really enjoying time here in Moldova. I’ve met some amazing people, seen some amazing ministry and have begun the dreaming process for what it could look like as our Convoy of Hope Interns come here this fall. Andy hosted me during my stay. Here he is in front of the former Soviet Union’s first officially sanctioned Pentecostal Church.

I’m on my way to Moldova and then Armenia to do some set-up for our fall intern teeam. It’s been a long process of delays/cancelled flights and stuff like that. I’ll skip the details. I’m on a rerouted journey, currently in transit in Frankfurt, Germany. I grabbed a Starbucks (Americano with 2 sweet-n-lows and cream) which is what’s keeping me awake to write this. While in line, I saw these two shelves…

and purchased none, but it got me to thinking…

1. This world is getting smaller. It’s sad in some ways, cool in some ways, but regardless of the implications, it’s getting smaller. I wonder how long it will be until this tribe will have their own Starbucks…sadly, it may be quicker than we think. Globilization.

2. I like to drink coffee.

A few moments ago, I met David, a new Facebook friend. He’s returning from Iraq where he was injured as a gunner in the National Guard. Good talk.I’ll write more from Moldova when I’ve had a bit more sleep!