3. British Airways Flight 81 2:00 p.m. (7 hours)
Joe:
You'll arrive in Accra at
9:00 p.m. When you get off the plane you will be led to a flight of stairs
inside the airport. Upstairs is the Waiting Room but your luggage will be taken
off downstairs. This is the most important time to try to meet someone who knows
their way around. If no one is obviously the person to help, simply go to the
counter and be assertive. SMILE…you've been all around the world. You are not
confused. You are well-prepared for this. SMILE at people. They will be nice to
you.
Ask:
1)
Where do I go to get my transit visa?
How much will it cost?
2)
When/where do I get my baggage
? I have two bags…who can help me carry them? That's alright because you're
planning to tip someone. $2.00 USD is fine. Ask lots of questions. One of the
clerks may come up and want to befriend you. That's OK. Tell him that your Dad
has been here before. Ask about his family…make a friend. Tell him you don't
want to miss your flight in the morning. Before you let someone help you make
sure it is someone who will still be there in the morning. Then tip him/her
again. It's worth it…plus you're helping that man make a living.
3)
Remember…don't leave your baggage
unattended
unless you have taken the time to meet and talk
with somebody on the flight to Accra. If there is a fellow traveler from
Christian Aid, Christian
Children's Fund worker (or the like), you can trust them to watch your stuff for
an hour or so while you go to the shops/snack bar…down a couple hallways and up
the stairs.
Otherwise, you can take all three pieces of your luggage to the shopping area
without that much trouble. I prefer that space upstairs to the Waiting Room.
There's a TV and stuff to do…not so in the Waiting Room. Of course, you can meet
everyone if you are in both places for a time. Remember, you will know MORE than
someone else who is standing there--looking confused, thinking that the Waiting
Room is the only place available. For some reason, the clerks don't offer the
information unless you ask.
Day 2 Thursday, January 12, 2006
…continued
-
I
will look to see what God says and how He works in the Scriptures.
I will make my decisions and evaluate my experiences based on biblical
principles.
-
The
Bible is my guide for faith and practice.
-
The
right question is, What is God's will?
-
Watch to see where God is working and join Him.
-
God is always at work around
me.
Joe,
does it seem like God has worked around you in the Accra airport?
How?
Who have you met? Why are your fellow travelers going to Liberia?
Click here
for Joe's Response
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to send us a
comment or testimony
Day 3
Friday, January 13, 2006
CLICK HERE
for CURRENT DATE and TIME in Liberia
4. Bellview Airlines Flight 254 7:40 a.m. Ghana
it will be ll:40
PM on Thursday in California
This will be a two-hour flight.
You're supposed to arrive in Liberia at 9:40 a.m.
It will be Friday at 1:40 a.m. in
California:
(outside california?
click here for TIME CONVERTER)
Day 4 Saturday, January 14, 2006 CLICK HERE
for CURRENT DATE and TIME in Liberia
-
God
reveals what He is about to do.
-
The
revelation becomes an invitation to join Him.
-
I can't stay the way I am and go with God.
Joe,
how has God revealed himself afresh to you so far on this trip? List
as many names (of the people Pastor Wesley introduces you to) as you
can…this will help you as the days go by. Write their names down. Who/What
are they? Fill up this space with good stuff, OK?
Click
here for Joe's Response
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to send us
a comment or testimony
Day 5 Sunday,
January 15, 2006
-
God
is able to do anything He pleases with one ordinary person fully consecrated
to Him.
-
God's standards of excellence are different from man's.
Joe,
who preached
today? What was the message and the primary texts ?
Were there any visitors in church today? What was the same about their
service? Were there any noticeable differences?
Click
here for Joe's Response
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for a Day 5 letter from Joe
A short interview with Pastor
Wesley
CLICK HERE
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for a Day 5 letter from Pastor Wesley
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to send us a
comment or testimony
Day 6
Monday, January 16, 2006
-
To know and do the
will of God, I must deny self and return to a God-centered life.
-
I must reorient my
life to God.
- I must focus my
life on God's purposes not my own plans.
Joe,
have you
struggled with selfishness of any sort during the last couple days?
Elaborate.
This will be useful for your paper.
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for Joe's Response
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for a Day 6 letter from Joe
Inauguration Day
in Liberia covered by
NBC with Video
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to send us a
comment or testimony
-
Do
things God's way.
-
God
will accomplish more in six months through a person yielded to Him than we
could do in 60 years without Him.
-
I am
God's servant. I adjust my life to what He is about to do.
-
Understanding what God is
about to do where I am is more important than telling God what I want to do
for Him.
Joe,
has anything been
accomplished quickly since you have arrived on the scene? Any thoughts on
the subject?
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here
for Joe's Response
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for Day 8 note and photos from Joe
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to send us a
comment or testimony
Day 9 Thursday,
January 19, 2006
-
God has
not changed. He still speaks to His people.
-
If I
have trouble hearing God speak, I am in trouble at the very heart of my
Christian experience.
-
God
speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer,
circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
-
Knowing God's voice comes from an intimate love relationship with God.
Joe,
what is
the Name
by which
you
could best describe God today?
Why?
Day 11 January 21, 2006
-
The
moment God speaks to me is the very moment God wants me to respond to Him.
-
The
moment God speaks to me is God's timing.
-
God
develops my character to match the assignment He has for me.
-
He has a right to
interrupt my life. He is Lord.
When I accepted Him as Lord, I gave Him the right to help Himself to my life
any time He wants.
Joe,
has God interrupted your plan since you have been in Liberia?
Give the glory to His Name by writing
one long sentence with details.
Click here
for Joe's Response
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for a long letter from Joe
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to send us a
comment or testimony
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for CURRENT DATE and TIME in Liberia
Day 12
Sunday, January 22, 2006 (Sanctity
of Human Life Sunday in America)
-
My
Christian life depends on the quality of my love relationship to God.
-
God
created me for a love relationship with Him.
-
Everything God says and does is an expression of love.
-
A love relationship with
God is more important than any other single factor in my life.
Joe,
meditate upon this thought: Love NEVER fails.
Who has
shown you an act of unconditional love today?
What
happened? Sermon points?
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for Joe's Response
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for the
latest photos
from
Joe
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to send us a
comment or testimony
- To be loved by God
is the highest relationship,
the highest achievement,
and the highest position in life.
- God did not create
me for time; He created me for eternity.
- I will let my
present be molded and shaped by what I am to become in Christ.
- "Seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness."
- I will make sure I
am investing in things that are lasting.
-
Only He can guide me to invest my life in worthwhile ways.
Joe, before the day is over 'make at least two
investments for eternity'
…then
before tomorrow, write two prayers to water
the seed you
have
sown in the field where God has plo'd.
1.
2.
click here
for Joe's response
click here for yesterday's
letter and photos from Joe
click here
for Dad's reply to Joe
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to send us a
comment or testimony
- When my
relationship is as it ought to be, I will always be in fellowship with the
Father.
- I will make the
priority in my life to come to love Him with all my heart.
- I will have my
quiet time because I know Him and love Him, not in order to learn about Him.
Joe,
have you been seeking a place
to be alone for a quiet time?
Describe the setting, please? (at least four
sentences)
If not, tell us why and what
you'll do
next.
Click here
for Joe's response
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to send us a
comment or testimony
- In this
love relationship, God always takes the initiative.
- I do not
choose Him. He chooses me, loves me,
and reveals His eternal purposes for
my life.
-
I cannot know the activity of God unless He takes the initiative to let me
know.
Joe, you did not
take the initiative to fully ready yourself for Liberia because of
feelings.
Now that
you are 15 days
into this adventure,
what have you learned about God's Way in YOUR life?
Click here
for Joe's Response
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to send us a
comment or testimony
-
The relationship God wants
to have with me will be real and personal.
-
God's whole plan for the advance of the Kingdom depends on His working
in real and practical ways through His personal relationship with His
people.
Joe, name three people there who seem to be 'practical' in their
daily lifestyle?
Tell us something about each person.
1.
2.
3.
- Knowing God only
comes through experience as He reveals Himself to me.
- I know God more
intimately as He reveals Himself to me through my experiences with Him.
Joe , meditate upon intimacy with the Father, with Jesus, with the Holy
Spirit.
What verses come to your mind
right now? Pass/Pass *no fail...no grade…(yeah!)
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for Joe's Response
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for a Day 17 letter from Joe
- Obedience is the
outward expression of my love of God.
- If I have an
obedience problem, I have a love problem.
- God is love. His
will is always best.
- God is all-knowing.
His directions are always right.
Joe, you have always been obedient to your
parents.
God promises a blessing to you for
that.
How has 'the blessing' you have
received been channeled to others around you?
Think and write:
- God is
all-powerful. He can enable me to do His will.
- All of God's
commands are expressions of His nature of love.
- When God gives a
commandment, He is not restricting me. He is freeing me.
- If I love Him, I
will obey Him!
Joe, today at church, Jeff McGhee will be our guest. He will
preach about Stewardship.
If Mom and I were to sell our
house in California,
how much would you
want to see us invest in Liberia?
Where precisely?
Click here
for Joe's Response
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to send us a
comment or testimony
Day 20 Monday, January 30,
2006
Day
21 Tuesday, January 31, 2006
-
A tender and sensitive heart
will be ready to respond to God at the slightest prompting.
-
Pray and watch to see what
God does next.
-
Make the connection. Ask
probing questions. Listen.
-
God speaks when He is about
to accomplish His purposes.
-
What God initiates, He completes.
Joe
, write down three probing questions
you would like to have answered by God.
Quickly write them down now:
1.
2.
3.
Today or
tomorrow , choose three unsuspecting
individuals and ask them these questions.
What were their responses? I'm serious. Write down what they
say….(God works in mysterious ways).
1.
2.
3.
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comment or testimony
Click here for Day 21
Letter from Joe
Day 22 Wednesday, February 1, 2006
If I do not know when God is speaking, I am in
trouble at the heart of my Christian life!
- God speaks to His
people.
- That God
spoke to people is far more important than how He spoke.
-
When God spoke, it was usually unique to that individual.
- When God spoke, the
person was sure it was God.
- When God spoke, the
person knew what God said.
- When God spoke,
that was the encounter with God.
- If I do not have
clear instructions from God in a matter,
I will pray and wait. I will not try to bypass the love relationship.
Joe, you are your father's son. You know me.
What do you think that my five most important life messages
have been through the years you have known me?
Write them down.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Click here
for Joe's Response
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to send us a
comment or testimony
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for Joe's Day 22 Letter
Day 23 Thursday,
February 2, 2006 (Groundhog's Day)
- An encounter with
the Holy Spirit is an encounter with God.
- I understand
spiritual truth because the Holy Spirit is working in my life.
- When I come to the
Word of God, the Author Himself is present to instruct me.
- I never discover
truth, truth is revealed.
Joe: Of your Dad's five Life Messages you've identified choose the three
themes
which you MOST share passion. Prioritize in importance to you.
1.
2.
3.
Click here for
Joe's Response
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to send us a
comment or testimony
Day 24 Friday,
February 3, 2006
- God's revelations
are designed to bring me into a love relationship with Him.
- God reveals Himself
to increase my faith.
- God reveals His
purposes so I will do His work.
- God reveals His
ways so I can accomplish His purposes.
Happy Birthday, Joe! You are no longer a
teenager. God will reveal Himself to you today.
You are entering true ADULTHOOD. You will probably get married within 2-6
years.
It is important for you to KNOW yourself. Throughout this very day look for
NAMES of God.
Remember, I teach that when God reveals
HIMSELF, it teaches you more about WHO YOU ARE
in relationship to Him. Your future wife will be blessed that you went on
this VISION QUEST
as a rite-of-passage into ADULTHOOD.
Maybe some Name (of Revelation) will come to you that ISN'T already in the
Bible.
Write them down a few times through this day…especially before you go to
sleep.
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for Joe's Response
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to send us a
comment or testimony
Day 25 Saturday, February 4, 2006
-
God
speaks uniquely to individuals, and He can do it in any way He pleases.
-
When God
speaks to me, I will recognize His voice and follow Him.
-
I cannot understand spiritual truth unless the Spirit of God reveals it.
-
He is more interested in what I become
than what I do.
Joe,
here's a simple question:
What/Who are you 'becoming' while you have been on this Spiritual
Adventure?
Fill this space, buddy!
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for Joe's Response
Day 26 Sunday, February 5, 2006
- When the God of
the universe tells me something important, I should write it down.
- Truth is a
Person.
- Prayer is
two-way communication with God.
- Prayer is a
relationship, not just a religious activity.
- I need to make
sure that my only desire is to know God's will.
So, what was the sermon about?
Who showed up that delighted you in some way?
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for Joe's Response
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for this morning's note from Joe
Day 27 Monday,
February 6, 2006
- Oh, God, if I
ever give You a request and
You have more to give me than I am asking, cancel my request.
- Only the Spirit
of God knows what God is doing or purposing in my life.
- God will let me
know what He is doing in my life when and if I need to know.
- Sometimes God's
silences are due to sin.
- Sometimes God
is silent as He prepares to bring me into a deeper understanding of
Himself.
Joe, pick one of the above points and respond to it below. Fill
the space.
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for Joe's Response
Day 28 Tuesday, February 7, 2006
- God used
circumstances to reveal to Jesus what He was to do.
- Jesus watched
circumstances to know where the Father wanted to involve Him in His
work.
- To understand
my bad or difficult circumstances, God's perspective is vital.
Joe, what are the circumstances facing various people today?
What might God be saying
to you? How should you try to be involved?
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for Joe's Response
Day 29 Wednesday, February 8, 2006
- Never, ever
determine the truth of a situation by looking at the circumstances.
- I cannot know
the truth of my circumstance until I have heard from God.
- The Holy Spirit
takes the Word of God and reveals God's perspective on th