{"id":494,"date":"2007-05-28T21:36:32","date_gmt":"2007-05-28T21:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/redletters\/2007\/05\/leaving-for-afr.html"},"modified":"2007-05-28T21:36:32","modified_gmt":"2007-05-28T21:36:32","slug":"leaving-for-afr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/redletters\/2007\/05\/leaving-for-afr.html","title":{"rendered":"Leaving for Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Monday night, I’m overwhelmed, not finished packing, have way too many loose ends, and have a laundry list of people I haven’t called back (sorry)! Getting ready to leave the country for an entire month has its challenges. To top it all off, a very close friend of ours hit Gideon in the face with a closet pole and he ended up with 4 stitches (a total accident by the way). So, I spend most of my last day of preparation at the Doctor’s office. Doesn’t he look awful?!
\"Family_marmay07_019\"<\/a>
\nSo why am I writing to you when I still have a thousand things to do? Because all of you are so important to me and my family. You are our support system and our prayer covering – and we’re very thankful for you! This will be a long trip. I’m excited on one hand, and apprehensive on the other. Normally, I just take off to a foreign land and ‘do my thing.’ This, will be different. A good different that I’m looking forward to embracing.<\/p>\n

I will post as often as possible with pictures and video. I just picked up a new video camera with a hard drive system that is suppose to make it easy to email. We’ll see. Make sure you’ve signed up for the blog and it will automatically tell you when I update.<\/p>\n

Here we are on the night before our departure. The ‘extra’ is sweet Amanda from Birmingham is will be part of our family for the month. Pray for us, but please pray for the children of Swaziland. They are that country’s only hope, and their only hope is that Jesus becomes real to them. We’ll miss you! Talk to you in a few days.\"Family_marmay07_018\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s Monday night, I’m overwhelmed, not finished packing, have way too many loose ends, and have a laundry list of people I haven’t called back (sorry)! Getting ready to leave the country for an entire month has its challenges. 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A tireless advocate for fatherless children, Davis has spent most of his adult life calling U.S. believers to become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to the 143 million orphans living around the world. Through those connections, thousands of orphans now have the bright and hopeful future--one that is filled with opportunities and the love of the one true Father. Davis speaks hundreds of times each year at churches and conferences, mobilizing the church to action on behalf of the poor. He is the author of four books. His most recent novel, SCARED is a fictionalized account of his first-hand experiencing living and working with orphans in Swaziland, Africa. Davis' blog is the premier resource for the latest developments in Christian orphan ministry. Davis also currently teaches courses as adjunct professor at George Fox University in Newberg, OR. When not traveling the globe, Davis resides in the mountains of Colorado in the small community of Palmer Lake. 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