Thank you for your prayers concerning the purchase of land. Trans World Radio (TWR) was able to purchase about 1.3 acres (5400 square meters) of land here in Parakou for houses and an office. Over the next couple of months as TWR builds a wall and works on getting the title deed to land we will truly find out if we are caught in a land dispute. (This may sound a bit strange to some of you who are use to American land deals where title companies, banks, surveyors and appraisers scrutinize the purchase. One of the realities of developing nations is that this type of infrastructure with double and triple checks does not exist. Hence making land purchases without disputes much more difficult.)
Between August 13 and August 19, the new TWR International Director for Africa, Emmanuel Ebennah, will visit Benin for the first time (this is my boss’s boss). The TWR Staff in Benin, Donna and I will be meeting Emmanuel for the first time.
Joining Emmanuel in Benin will be the leader of TWR’s Global Leadership Team, Werner Kromer (who answers directly to the president of TWR) and the TWR Regional Director for West Africa, Abdoulaye Sanhgo (a peer to my boss). We will be working on TWR’s non-government organization (NGO) status, the shortwave license, planning for the shortwave and meeting with TWR Benin (the local Beninese board of directors).
Please pray for unity, clarity and that God would go before us, especially as we meet with government officials concerning TWR’s NGO status and shortwave license. Most of these meetings will take place in Cotonou (six hours from were we live) so I will be away from my family much of this time. Pray for Donna and the kids during my absence. In addition to all of this the Kennedy family leaves on August 12 for a six-week furlough in the UK, Nehemiah leaves for boarding school on August 25 and a new short-term worker arrives on September 3. Pray that we would find our rest in God and that God will give us wisdom to distinguish between the important and the eternal.