Two weekends ago, 185 of us from Covenant loaded up in buses and travelled down to Atlanta for the MTW Global Missions Conference. A few students shared about their experiences in chapel today, which was a good reminder of God’s ongoing work in hearts and minds.

That chapel session is not available yet, but others from this semester are now available on iTunes for free download. You can review the semester, from Archbishop Henry Orombi’s messages during the Neal Conference to Dr. Grant Wacker’s lectures on Billy Graham and Chaplain Messner’s sermons on Philippians.

The semester is nearly done, with just three more chapels, and exams around the corner. Even crunched for time with exams, paper, projects due, Covenant students seem to look for ways to celebrate the season as often as possible. We have Christmas parties (Mistletoe Mingle at Rock Creek Fellowship, anyone?), amazing hall decorations, Chorale concerts, Madrigals. It looks to be a celebratory few weeks before everyone takes off for Christmas.

I experienced my first Covenant Day of Prayer yesterday. We had a beautiful day, beginning with a sunrise prayer and praise time at Rock City. The sun rose over the valley, with layers of fog captured between mountain ranges, and the vibrant colors of fall everywhere. It was a joy to begin my day in contemplation of the God of all creation.

Here are a few photos (the whole selection is here):

At Tuesday’s International Dinner, we had a flag identification game. Here’s a photo of the flags we used. #1-10 are on the bottom row, and #11-20 on the top. Timothy Newbrander and Brandon Iler were the top winners, each correctly naming 17 of the 20 flags. How many can you name? Below the photo are the answers.

The Correct answers are:

1. Zambia
2. Bhutan
3. Tunisia
4. Sierra Leone
5. Lebanon
6. Zimbabwe
7. Sudan
8. Bosnia & Herzegovina
9. Sri Lanka
10. Nepal
11. Panama
12. Iraq
13. Morocco
14. Qatar
15. Barbados
16. South Africa
17. Mauritius
18. Malaysia
19. Azerbaijan
20. Croatia

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

Psalm 67 is our theme passage for our semester Day of Prayer tomorrow. We meet together at 6:30am to head to Rock City for the sunrise and prayer time there. Then throughout the day, various prayer gatherings are scheduled, and halls have plans ranging from off-site retreats, to cooking breakfast with another hall, to quiet retreats.

We are praying that God would indeed bless us that we might be a blessing to others, that all the nations might be glad and sing for joy!

Monday night, two families shared with us about their experiences in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. The Warrens (parents of Covenant junior Asher) work with an HIV/AIDS ministry in Addis Ababa. Here’s a note about their ministry from the MTW website:

Restoration in Ethiopia

As we walked down the narrow alley ducking under clotheslines, we were met by a smiling young lady at the door of her one-room home. Two weeks before, this AIDS patient was curled up dying on her bed. Her aged father was trying to care for her but did not know what to do. Our MTW missionaries Andy and Bevely Warren heard about her and visited her with Teddy, the Ethiopian manager of their HIV/AIDS program. Now, just two weeks later, she is on her feet. She still has a long way to go and will never be cured of AIDS, but she is moving toward being able to care for herself.

The MTW program in Ethiopia that Andy and Bev have created is one of the best anywhere, and the World Health Organization has asked them to train all of their personnel in Ethiopia.

In addition, the main hospital has asked MTW to staff 13 new AIDS-area clinics with a counselor and “subject specialists,” who are AIDS patients in our program. These people are often the best trainers for new patients, because they are able to explain what is going on, how to take the medications, and the importance of consistency.

The Warrens will be a part of next weekend’s MTW Global Missions Conference as well, if you missed hearing them last evening.

The Joyces (parents of Covenant freshman Maaika) work with the Fulani tribe in northern Burkina Faso. Mrs. Joyce shared the story of Mariama, a Fulani woman who came to know the Lord, and I found her story online. It’s exciting to read about how God is working in extraordinary ways to bring people from the Fulani tribe to Himself.

Please pray for the work of the gospel in the 10/40 window. Here is an excellent site for informed prayer for the Muslim world. You may think about printing a few requests out as we look ahead to the campus Day of Prayer next Wednesday, Nov. 14.

Today we begin hearing from Dr. Michael Cassidy in Chapel and in several evening sessions.

We’re sorry but we’re needing to postpone the International Dinner to NEXT Tuesday. Next Tuesday in the Great Hall, we will have an International Dinner from 5-7 pm, where you can:

Test your knowledge of Africa and African countries with our trivia table tents.

Match flags with their countries (Win prizes!)

Try out Chartwell’s International cuisine.

Listen to international music.

Enjoy good conversation.

However you can still get downtown to hear Dr. Fikkert review the Mike Davis book Planet of Slums at Rock Point Books on Broad Street.

RWANDAN “HOPE TOUR”

Join us in support of the Mizero Children, join them in celebration and hope, plus join us after the concert for a Rwandan coffee tasting!

Next week is Missions Emphasis Week at Covenant, with special guest speaker Dr. Michael Cassidy. This week is an exciting time at Covenant, and it offers a great preparation for the large group that will be attending the MTW Global Conference the following week.

We begin on Monday with a student-led chapel, featuring two student speakers sharing about their experiences this summer. That evening there will be another gathering in Mills lobby, to highlight the work of the gospel around the world. A family who serves in Africa will be the highlighted guests.

On Monday and Tuesday, Jason Lehn will be in the Great Hall with information about Break on Impact trips and other cross-cultural opportunities. On Tuesday evening in the Great Hall, join us for an international dinner.

On Wednesday, Michael Cassidy will begin his series Moving in Mission: Opportunity of a Lifetime. Dr. Cassidy is the founder of African Enterprise, which began in 1962, to “evangelize the cities of Africa in word and deed in partnership with the church.” I’ve heard Dr. Cassidy speak several times, and have always come away challenged by the claims of Jesus on my life and more aware of the needs around me in the world. He writes:

“Any religion that professes to be concerned with the souls of men and is not concerned with the slums that doom them, the economic conditions that strangle them, the social conditions that cripple them, is dry as dust religion. We can go further. We can say it is false religion. Deeds are demanded of us. Words and deeds belong together — the words interpreting the deeds and the deeds embodying the words of Christian compassion.”

Michael’s talks are listed here