This is the Kaneshie Presbyterian Church in Accra, Ghana, where Jerry and I and the mission team from the Chicago Presbytery will worship next Sunday.  Jerry and I and nine others from four churches in the Presbytery leave for Ghana on Tuesday.  The rest of the team will return to Chicago on August 6 while Jerry and I will begin making our home for the next few months in Akropong at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute.  If you would like to follow the mission team while they are in Ghana, visit www.knoxpres.org.

It's a small world!  Our PCUSA mission worker in Ghana, Josh Heikkila, saw this young man at the beach wearing an Arlington Heights Park District shirt and asked if he could take his picture.  Did you ever wonder what happens to all those clothes you donate?

Josh is a real blessing and someone to keep in your prayers.  He does a wonderful job representing PCUSA and has been a huge help to our group from the Chicago Presbytery in making arrangements for their trip to Ghana this summer.  He does a tough job with amazing grace and faithfulness.

Life before retirement...life is good; church is good; family is good; health is good; what could be better? Retirement?

The dictionary defines retirement as "withdrawal from active work."  Really?  Sister Joan Chittister says instead that "retirement is the gateway to fresh life and new challenges.  It is a time to grow and learn and make the world a better place."  Amen!

So we're heading to Ghana to learn more about this amazing world God has made, to continue to grow in our faith, and to share what we can with incredible people who are working to build the kingdom of God.

We want to share our experiences with you and would love to hear from you.  Please keep us in your prayers and know that you will be in ours.