Preparing for Asian Access Board Meeting

October is upon us and is shaping up to be a very full month of ministry. On Monday October 5 I will join the Asian Access Board of Directors who will be meeting near the Los Angeles Int'l airport for two full days of meetings. These meetings will be an important time of engagement on our ministry vision and mission. In particular, they will be considering approval of some new strategic initiatives to accelerate our work in Japan.

The day after the board meetings finish, I'll be headed for Cape Town, South Africa to participate in a key gathering of the Directors of the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. The Congress itself will happen one year from now, in October 2010. This will be a key planning meeting. I'll look forward to working alongside our former president, Doug Birdsall-- my friend and collegue of over 25 years (pictured together on the Great Wall, China).

Prayer requests:
So much to do to get ready for the board meeting
So much to do to get ready for the long trip to South Africa
Health (No Flu!, etc.) for the demanding schedule over the next two weeks.

Back

Thanks for your prayers for the trip. I'm back in Los Angeles. The trip was fast paced, but I think very productive. In Japan, I was able to meet with all of our staff in the region and brainstorm our strategic movement toward our 2020 vision for the nation.

In Singapore, we were able to meet with all of our national leaders as they lead Asian Access in the nine countries we are currently working in. There is a tremendous energy and focus in those leaders to identify, develop and release leaders of leaders in their countries.

Glad to have labor day off today before going back into our headquarters office in Los Angeles tomorrow. Again, really appreciate your prayers!

What does Little Arabia have to do with Asian Access?

Tonight we went to the "Little Arabia" district of Singapore. Arabia doesn't have much to do with Asian Access, but it happened to be where a cool little hole in the wall restaurant was that provided space for us to have a private dinner with friends in Singapore interested in the ministry.











I never tire of hearing our national leaders share about what God is doing in their countries. In this picture, David Dayalan, our leader in India is sharing about the life transformation pastors experience in the Asian Access learning community.

Wednesday Update

I I sure appreciate your prayers. The flight from Tokyo to Singapore went really well. First, I got a seat open next to me on the plane. That makes a HUGE difference. Second, I was on the brand new Airbus 380 which just recently was put into service. It is the largest plane in the world. It has two levels and can be configured to seat over 800 people. Fortunately Singapore airlines has it configured for about half that so as to give each seat extra space. It has all the highest tech stuff on it. Practically a mobile office and entertainment center. I think I was most amazed at how quiet the plane is. Much less engine noise than any other plane I've been on.

Tuesday update

Thank you for your prayers. They got me through a very long day on Tuesday. Started with Breakfast at 6:30 AM. Included 5 hours on the trains, meetings all day, and back to the hotel at 10:00 PM. Good meetings with all of our missionaries and national staff in the Tokyo area. I have a 7:00 AM breakfast with one more family Wednesday morning.

As I traveled back and forth across Tokyo (see picture from the Ikebukuro train station), a song came to my mind as I watched millions of Japanese people going through the "motions" of a work day not knowing the love and saving power of Jesus Christ:

Matthew West:

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHmiFaX_pk

Todays prayer requests:

• Meeting for breakfast is a good time relationally and seeking input for Asian Access
• Flight to Singapore is on time and safety
• Can get some work done on the airplane
• Tranfer Wednesday night from the airport to the hotel
• Initial meetings with people on Wednesday night

Thank you!