Introduction

My wife (Debbie) and I are going to Uganda this summer as part of a two week mission trip sponsored by Global Family Rescue. Over the next few weeks, we will be posting blogs about our preparation and experiences while in Uganda.

First, a little background about Global Family Rescue (http://www.globalfamilyrescue.org/) and how we got involved. GFR was founded by Ben and Melody Pahlow (Pay - low). We have been privileged to know Ben and Melody for a little over two years. GFR is sponsoring three two week mission trips to Uganda. The trips start June 1 and conclude July 14.

I am a deacon and chairman of the Mission Committee for First Baptist Church (http://www.fbcliberal.org/) in Liberal, Kansas. In 2005, we (First Baptist) decided to start funding Missions 'in-house' rather than just mailing in a check. We wanted to be more involved and decide where the money from our congregation was sent. We wanted to do everything we could to ensure that the money was going to the missionaries and not being wasted.

As part of our process, we asked members of our congregation to give us suggestions that we would further investigate. The children of two of our member families live in the Chicago, Illinois area and gave us the contact information for Ben and Melody. It was the start of a partnership and a journey of faith between Global Family Rescue and First Baptist Church.

FBC is currently sponsoring six families in Uganda either collectively as a church or individually. Ben and Melody have visited FBC twice (and lived to tell about it). This summer, my wife and I will be traveling to Uganda along with Taylor Apsley. We will be constructing a church and a house as well as a personal relationship with the people of Uganda. We want to share Christ's love with the people of Uganda and bring back those memories to FBC.

We start our journey on June 15th (our daughter's birthday). We will leave Liberal for El Dorado, Kansas and stay overnight with my mother. On the morning of June 16th, my sister will drive us to the airport in Wichita, Kansas and we will fly to Chicago, Illinois. We will meet the rest of our group (Group 2) and depart O'Hare International for London, England. From London, we connect to Entebbe and then on to Kampala.

We have our passports, our immunizations, our funding (thanks to our wonderful Church family and friends) and we are ready to go.

Stay tuned for more. We would appreciate your prayers and support.