US State Department Travel Warning for Chad

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Chad and recommends citizens avoid all travel to eastern Chad and border regions. Because of security concerns the U.S. Embassy in Chad reviews all proposed travel by official U.S. government personnel to areas outside the capital, N’Djamena, and its immediate surroundings before approving such arrangements. U.S. citizens affiliated with humanitarian relief efforts similarly should review security precautions and consider measures to mitigate exposure to violent crime and other threats. U.S. citizens residing in Chad should exercise caution throughout the country. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning for Chad dated March 29, 2012, to update U.S. citizens on the current security situation in Chad. Read More »

“The Entire World Flipped On It’s Head”

The bottom line is that the Christian has a calling and a responsibility to think, work, and live in terms of how the world ought to be in contrast to reacting to how it really is. Christians who engage the world—like the many stories I’ve shared and the many more I could have—are consumed by this “way things ought to be” mind-set. They eat, drink, and breathe restoration. They see injustice and fight it. When confronted with evil they turn it for good. They are motivated to bring the love of Christ into every broken system they encounter. Instead of being cynical and hopeless, they bring optimism and expectation. For them, the entire world has been flipped on its head. Their focus has moved from self to others; from problems to solutions; from failure to redemption; from brokenness to restoration. They recognize the broken, weak, fallen, and corrupt but can’t leave them in that condition—they are moved to change things. The next Christians are offering a new way forward—a way to act, live, and bring others along with them into the new reality of how things ought to be.

Excerpted from The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons

Restore Haiti Mission Trip Update

Leading up to the trip, our team kept busy. We were constantly receiving donations for health kits, which we assembled two weeks prior to the trip. We sorted hundreds of medications to distribute at the clinic. Lastly, we prepared as a team.

The ages of the team members ranged from the teens to the 50’s, but we would not let age interfere with our connection as a group. We viewed it as something to celebrate. It showed  that no one is too young or too old to set an example as a follower of Christ. As we landed in Port-au-Prince, and prepared to drive to Jacmel everyone’s hearts were racing. The entire team was anxious for the week ahead, and ready to see what the Lord had prepared for them. Read More »