Not too long ago I was sharing a story with a friend of mine about my encounter with an Ethiopian Uber driver. What struck me was his friendly, garrulous demeanor and his love for his family. We started off on the right foot with a deep and riveting conversation about soccer and the recent world cup (which we both agreed featured the best world cup final of all time!). I then asked him about his family and we didn't stop talking for the duration of the trip. We connected on Ethiopian culture and foods and...Jesus. Turns out he knew who Jesus was and had made a personal decision to follow him. Praise God!

Unbeknownst to me, my friend was also organizing a mission trip to Ethiopia. He invited me to join and after swift deliberation with God and the counsel of others, I made the decision to go. How could I not? The following passage is sort of a life mission statement for me. A manifesto you could say--- 

2 Corinthians 2:14-17

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

This is exactly what the team will get to do in Ethiopia. We are partnering with Ethiopian believers to share God's story with unreached peoples in Ethiopia. My desire is to bring glory to God and to make His glory known in all I do. On this adventure that means I will get to share the story of my savior, Jesus, with those who - unlike my friendly Uber driver - haven't heard of him before.