Yesterday at Immanuel we finished interviewing folks who applied for our 2016 mission trip to Kenya. All total, we will take 44 people on three teams. One team will stay two weeks. One team will stay week one. One team will stay week two. Of the 44 total, 26 have been on an international mission trip, 18 have not. In only 8 months these 44 will travel around the world to share the good news, to help strengthen churches, and to minister to those in need. As we begin to prepare for this trip, here is my prayer for our team:

• I pray that God would give these 44 people a bigger view of the world. Sin has a way of shrinking life down to the size of our life. Our problems. Our worries. Our frustrations. Our struggles. I pray this trip will open our eyes to the world around us we leave our small existence behind to travel around the globe.
• I pray that God would motivate these 44 people to be more generous in giving to missions. When it comes time to take our yearly world missions offering, I hope these 44 think about the cities, the faces, and even the smells they experienced in Kenya. The needs are great, which means we must be sacrificially generous.
• I pray that God would use this trip to show these 44 people the importance of serving in Odessa. There are plenty of needs in our own church and community. For some reason many Christians find it easier to share and serve on a different continent than back home. I pray we come back ready to serve in Odessa.
• I pray that God would use these 44 people to be an encouragement to our national partners. As we interviewed applicants, I was struck by one comment shared by everyone who has already been to Kenya. They all talked about the importance of the relationships we have formed with our local partners. I pray we can be an encouragement to these believers.
• I pray that God would fill these 44 people with a burning desire to share the gospel. Our team does a variety of projects in Kenya. We visit hospitals and schools. We help build homes and church buildings. In all of our busyness, I pray that we would remain focused on the main task … Sharing the gospel and making disciples.

Originally published October 26, 2015 on landoncoleman.com.