14 days until we leave for Congo - Beginning to Pack Bags

We covet your prayers. We are packing this Saturday for our trip to Congo. The team is taking 36 bags of items. We leave on June 3rd. We will try to post updates on our Blog --http://ritchies4orphans.blogspot.com. We are focusing on orphans and the rest of team is working with the pastors, health clinic providers and persons involved with economic development to fund orphan and mercy needs.

Keary and I are also planning to deliver photos and visit the MTW work in Ethiopia on our way back to the U.S. See this MTW AIDS Care and Treatment Ministry. This work provides medical care and counseling. Covenant has been working with ACT as well. --- http://www.mtwact.org

Thank God for Congolese Friends

We are looking forward to Friday. We are meeting with our dear Congolese friends. They are translating some things for us into Lingala and we will share a meal together. When the time comes I am apparently going to be able to read it! We'll see! They are going to give us some Congolese culture lessons as well. Skip and I are a bit overwhelmed by the idea that we will ever be able to understand the culture we are headed into and know how to effectively connect with these precious children we are headed to serve. Pray that we would be great listeners on Friday (we love to talk!) and truly hear about how to connect to our friends in Congo... folks we have never met but none-the-less are are so anxiously awaiting for our arrival!