Recently I watched the movie Invictus, which is about Nelson Mandela, the South African Rugby team and the 1995 Rugby World Cup. There is a scene between Nelson Mandela and Fancois Pienaar (the captain of the South African Rugby) that has caught my attention:

Nelson Mandela: How do you inspire your team to do their best?

Francois Pienaar: By example. I’ve always thought to lead by example, sir.

Nelson Mandela: Well, that is right. That is exactly right. But how do we get them to be better than they think they CAN be? …. How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us?

This scene, along with some other events, has lead me to ask: How do I inspire myself to prayer greatness, to pray more: more deeply, more fervently, more intentionally? How do I inspire others to prayer greatness?

Oh Lord, may you motivate your people to pray more deeply, more fervently and more intentionally and may you start with me.

Please continue to pray that the required documents from the USA are completed quickly and arrive in Benin in a timely manner. Pray for our continued efforts to secure a high-level government meeting for TWR leadership concerning our shortwave license. Pray that God would send us a broadcast engineer. Pray for Paul’s continued recovery from Malaria. Praise God with us for spiritual refreshment from the SIM Spiritual Life Conference that we attended.

For those who want more prayer requests and more praises, please download our top 10 things for which we are thankful and 10 prayer requests: http://cox-net.com/pdf/2010.11_Cox.pdf

For those of you who follow the world news closely, you are aware that there has been significant flooding in Benin. We are very appreciative of all who have called or emailed to check on us. By God’s grace we are fine and dry. My wife has blogged about this and you can read more on the Family Blog: http://www.cox-net.com/family_blog/?p=146

Thank you so much for praying for my trip to Cotonou. You will remember I was hoping to meet with various people to follow up with TWR’s NGO status and short wave license application. Both meetings ended up being more than just follow up.

While following up on the NGO status I discovered some missing paper work. This paper work requires documents from the US government. It will probably take four to six weeks to gather all of this documentation. Pray that this process goes quickly.

My meeting about the short wave license concluded with a recommendation that TWR have a high level meeting with a government official. Currently we are trying to secure this meeting and coordinate calendars between this official and the TWR leadership who will need to be present. Pray that all of these details can be worked out.

Next week we will be involved with SIM’s Spiritual Life Conference. We are really looking forward to hearing God’s word and worshipping in English. It is also encouraging to visit with other missionaries we do not see often. There should be about 20 children of all ages so you can imagine Miriam’s excitement. Joy, Donna’s sister, will be here to lead the worship time.  Please pray for spiritual refreshment for the Togo and Benin missionaries that are attending.

Sunday at church as I listened to the African rhythms and the joy in the Bariba voices (which I do not understand) my heart was encouraged to be with fellow believers worshiping God. But then I started thinking about the problems facing the Benin church (curse of a theologian): lack of biblical teaching, some pastors more interested in position than service, and lack of spiritual depth. I was reminded of the problems facing the American church: materialism, business and declining interest in missions. At some point, the cries of joy in Bariba brought my thoughts back to the present worship of God. My heart was warmed: despite the problems the King of kings, the sovereign Lord almighty was being worshipped and my heart rejoined the worship. May we be quick to praise the all powerful creator of the universe and slow to critique His creation.

A huge thank you to those who prayed for my training and then the leadership meetings in South Africa. Both went well and God was gracious to my wife and I while we were apart.

After being home for two weeks, today I leave for a short (three day) trip to Cotonou. I will be meeting with various people about TWR’s shortwave application and NGO status. While these meetings are mainly follow up and I do not anticipate any watershed discussions, I would appreciate your prayers for divine providence.

In my last blog I mentioned a providential encounter with a key leader of an organization who was enthusiastic about helping TWR. Last week I was able to communicate with her via phone and email. Her enthusiasm remains, for which I am thankful. Although the process has to go through other people within her organization. Pray that God would grant TWR favor in the eyes of all those involved.

After much prayer, effort, time and energy, TWR has the title deed to the transmitting site. While all the legalities of the title deed still needs to be double checked, it looked correct to me with my very limited understanding of legal French. Please note that this is the first of two title deeds TWR needs. The second property for houses and offices is still in the beginning stages of the title deed process.

Currently I am writing from South Africa where I am receiving management training this week and attending regional management meetings next week. Your prayers for the training and meetings would be appreciated.

Donna was in Kenya for 11 days to get Micah Joy settled at Rift Valley Academy and returned on September 4.  A week later (September 11) I left for South Africa, where I will be for two weeks. Please pray for our time apart.

Another significant praise is that during a meeting on the day I left for South Africa it was suggested that I meet with a particular organization to solicit their help with our application for NGO status with the Benin government. As I was flying out of Cotonou I providentially ran into one of the key leaders of this organization. She was enthusiastic about the possibility of helping TWR.  Praise God with me for this providential encounter.

Normally when I walk I head North on a road/path and walk by where Miriam goes to school. The other morning I wanted a change of pace and headed South on some small roads/paths. On my 20-minute walk I passed two fetishes, one talisman and two mosques.

I was burden that the gospel has yet to impact many of the people within a 20-minute walking radius of my home. I was further burdened by the tremendous spiritual and physical needs of Benin and of West Africa. I was reminded of all the outstanding issues on my plate with TWR (shortwave license, NGO status, housing project, title deed, open positions for an engineer and mechanic here in Benin, etc…). My desire was to do more.

For the next weeks I pondered how I could do more and just how much effect it would have if I added an extra 30 minutes or hour here or there to my schedule. I started feeling quite depressed by the overwhelming need and lack of resources (especially missionaries here in Benin). At some point in time, that I cannot pin point, during the weeks of my reflection a warmth of hope started slowly growing in my heart. It started as a small spark that I did not notice; by God’s power and grace it was kindled and slowly grew until hope’s warmth was unmistakable. This warmth reminded me that as Christians we are people of hope. Hope, not in what we can do, but in what God can. Hope that the Sovereign King of the universe will, one day, bring His creation into glorious freedom. While I remain burdened by what is not, I have a burning hope of what will be.

Yesterday, what an interesting day full of twists, turns and clear evidence of God’s abounding grace, not to mention cultural and language challenges.

Early in the morning a man and his supposed daughter showed up at our gate stating that a crime took place in our yard. Donna and I asked them if we could have one of the guys working for TWR help investigate the issue since we did not speak the language of the child. Later in the day the child accused the TWR worker of the crime and the story continued to evolve and evolve and change… Providentially, our coworker, Garth had the wisdom to suggest that the discussions be recorded.  After a long day and much prayer for God to be glorified the situation was resolved.

The supposed daughter was not a daughter but a child worker with a history of lying. The recorded conversations had contradictions and did not align with other facts. In reality, the crime did not take place in our yard, and was not with the TWR worker. Last night a small delegation of six people and two babies showed up at our gate for formal apologies, both to the accused and us. We have asked for the young girl to receive help as we accepted the apology of the man who aided in the accusations.

The story is much longer and complex than this synopsis with family ties, locked gates, guards, dogs, cultural nuances, irrefutable alibis and God’s power clearly demonstrated. Praise God with us for the resolution of these accusations. Please join us in praying for this man, the child and for others apparently involved in the true story. Also, pray for protection for our family, those working with us, and the ministry here.

Your prayers and your efforts to call other people to pray are greatly appreciated! Overall the meetings in Cotonou went very well. In a positive meeting, the licensing authorities assured us that they are still processing our requests and we need to continue to be patient. Thank God with us for the favorable meeting with the licensing authorities. Please continue to pray that God will give us wisdom (and patience for me) as we follow up with the procedures and that this process will produce a shortwave license with the needed flexibility.

In a meeting concerning our title deed, an impromptu visit was suggested to another government office. This impromptu visit led to a truly wonderful and providential meeting with the director of this office. The Lord blessed this meeting and at the end we were able to pray for the director of this office. In addition, during the meeting he actually called in the person responsible for our issues and instructed her to resolve it. Praise God with us for this meeting. Please pray that the lady charged with following up our issue would be able to do this in a timely manner.

Even our “worst” meeting (which did not turn out as we expected) ended positively much to the credit of God giving Dr. Mbennah insightful, wise and timely words. Join us in rejoicing for God’s intervention and the positive end of this meeting. Pray as more follow up will be needed in this area.

The team traveled from different places for all these meetings. Praise God that everyone was able to make connections and have safe travel. Also, thank the Lord that everyone on the team was healthy while here.

One downside of our meetings is that a number of things need follow up here in Cotonou, both immediately and in the coming months. Because of this, I have delayed my return to Parakou by a day. This has been rightfully disappointing to my wife and daughters. I would covet your prayers in this area.

Many thanks for praying for the Regional Management Team meetings in South Africa and for Miriam during my absence. These were productive meetings and God’s grace abounded at home during my absence.

You will remember that next week there are key meetings in Benin concerning TWR receiving a short wave license in Benin. This license needs to give TWR flexibility to make short wave broadcast viable from Benin. Werner Kroemer (Vice President TWR), Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah (International Director for Africa) and Rev Abdoulaye Sangho (TWR Area Director for West Africa) will be coming to Benin to take part in these meetings.

Please continue to pray that God would raise up a team of people to pray for these meetings next week and continue to consider how you might be part of helping raise up this team. Pray for God’s favor from the government of Benin towards TWR, wisdom for the TWR team and safe travels for the TWR team.

I am writing from South Africa where I am attending the Regional Management Team meetings for TWR Africa. During the rest of this week we will be discussing some key issues for TWR’s broadcast in Benin (including the shortwave license) and in other parts of Africa. Your prayers for these meetings would be greatly appreciated.

On June 21 and 22, 2010 there will be important meetings with government officials in Benin concerning the short wave license. Werner Kroemer (Vice President TWR), Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah (International Director for Africa) and Rev Abdoulaye Sangho (TWR Area Director for West Africa) will be coming to Benin to take part in these meetings. TWR is praying that God will arrange for a shortwave license that grants the needed flexibility to make shortwave from Benin effective. It is my firm conviction that this time needs to be bathed in prayer.

First, please pray that God Himself would raise up a tremendous prayer team for this time. Second, consider how you might help recruit people for this prayer team. (Please be careful if considering email as a recruitment method as we do not want to contribute to spam.) Third, please put June 21 and 22 on your calendars and pray.

The down side of my travels it is always hard on the family, especially Miriam. Pray for God’s grace during these travels.

Did you know that TWR has two audio channels delivered via satellite in Africa? This not only gives cable TV listeners the chance to hear God’s Word but this is a great opportunity for local FM radio stations to capture and broadcast TWR programs proclaiming the good news of the gospel.

The first two weeks of May the technicians from the transmitting station here in Benin and I were in Burkina Faso. A team from Canada gave training to the technicians from Benin and to the local technicians on how to install satellite downlinks so radio stations in Burkina Faso can broadcast TWR programs. During this two week trip a total of seven satellite downlinks were installed, with most of the installations being done by the trainees. It was very exciting to see these technicians receive and apply this training. Praise God for this great success

Another great event that happened since my last blog is that Chris and Christine, who are dear friends, came to Benin for a visit. Their visit was a huge encouragement to us. Thank the Lord for their visit.

At the risk of being to repetitive, the requests that I mentioned in my last blog for prayer for the shortwave license, NGO report and staffing needs are still very significant needs. Continue to pray that the shortwave license will give the needed flexibility. Next week a colleague will come to Parakou to, Lord willing, finish this report. Pray that this report can be completely finished then. Your continued prayers for more staff are greatly appreciated.

On the family front, Rift Valley Academy, where Nehemiah goes to school, requires that Nehemiah have two guardians in Kenya. These guardians keep Nehemiah during mid-term breaks and are available should he need something RVA cannot provide. One of the guardians will be returning to the States to accept a teaching position at Rosemead School of Psychology in California. Hence we are looking for an additional guardian. Please pray that we are able to find a suitable guardian. If you know of anyone in Kenya that could feel this role please let us know!