Can't wait!

It's coming up fast. Before long, I will be headed back to a very special place where some amazing people live. And I will be going with an awesome group of people. Yes...it's back to Ethiopia. And I can't wait!

It really hit me today as I had to go to the Health Department and get a vaccination that had expired. It's errands like this that let you know it's coming up soon. And it is...just a little over two weeks.

I wish all of you could experience what is going on there. God is working in ways that are beyond our comprehension. As I left last year, I was pretty sure I couldn't stay away. 

One of the really cool things this year is how I am going get to go with so many awesome people. God has put together an amazing team - longtime friends and family, friends I met through my trips, and others who I know will be my friends soon.

There is my niece Macy who is going back for the second time:

There are my friends Steve, who has been helping my walk close to Jesus for more than 30 years...

...and Clark, who lives less than a mile away from me and inspires me every day with his commitment to the Kingdom:

And then there are good friends I met on past Visiting Orphans trips to Ethiopia, and I can't wait to serve with them again. There's Sarah from 2011...

And Mark and Melissa from last year...

And then there are Mike, who I met at VO training a few months ago, plus another eight brothers and sisters who I will meet face-to-face when we leave. If past trips are an indication, I will miss them when we head home.

How does that happen? I think it's a mutual commitment to Jesus and to loving children, and an attitude of wanting to honor each other and look to for each other's interests instead of their own. That can come only from God's Spirit, and it has a tendency to make for strong friendships.

So bring it on! Let's get on with God's business. Can we start now?