Here am I, send me!              Our team is on the way


The team of 6 college students left Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta at 5:45 p.m. today. They will fly direct to Paris and then from there to Cotonou, Benin.  The team will arrive at 7:00 p.m. (Benin time--2:00 p.m. in Georgia).  Pray for safe and restful travel. 


Barbara and Jeff Singerman will meet the team at the airport and welcome them to Benin.  Barbara shared these prayer requests earlier today:

We are gearing up for:

~The arrival of a university team from Beech Haven Baptist Church , Athens , GA , who will be working in villages among the Maxi people for 6 weeks. They arrive in a few days, Saturday night, the 26^th.

~Pray for all the members: to maintain a close walk with Christ; to be greatly effective in evangelism and planting churches; to work very well with our Baptist leaders among the Maxi; for cultural adaptation; the

  ability to “rough it” with a sense of joyful adventure; safety in travel, and that they would remain energized and healthy!    

  Kathryn Porter is the team leader.

  John Marc, a ministry partner and long time member of the Singerman family, although born to a Beninese family, is the team coordinator. Remember his wife, Ani, in prayer as she will be without her husband

  for 6 weeks.

~Jeff and I will be transporting them from the airport to their lodgings, feeding them Sunday evening and Monday, traveling with them 4 hours north to the town of Glazoué . We return to Cotonou on Tuesday, May

   29 .

Darrell Huckaby, educator, author, and father of one of the team members, wrote this in the Rockdale Citizen today:

There are dozens of groups of students serving near and far this summer.(In the Send Me Now program of Baptist Collegiate Ministries, GA Baptist Convention) One group of six brave souls, sponsored by Beech Haven Baptist Church in Athens, is being sent to Benin, in West Africa. They have packed everything they will need for the summer in a backpack that will fit in the carry-on space of an airplane. They will travel from village to village, sleeping on the floor of huts and eating what the local villagers eat. They will have no phones, no contact with the "real world" and probably no toilet paper. They will miss the U.S. Open and the Fourth of July and air conditioning.

#They will reach out to the Mahi people, who are traditionally steeped in the practice of Voodoo, and will aid the Christian church of Benin, which is in its infancy, by teaching, modeling, and story-telling -- and playing soccer with the youth.

#One of them is my daughter, Jenna. I watched with pride -- and a bit of fear -- as she packed her belongings into a bag that is smaller than the one I take to school every day. This is her second summer in the program. Last year she was sent to New Mexico and earned the name "Danger." I can't wait to hear about this summer's experiences -- and the lives that are changed.

#"Here I am. Send me."

#Please send them back safely. Amen?

We are grateful to Kathryn, Jenna, Ellen, Austin, Travis, and Jake for not only hearing God's call to serve, but for obediently answering His call to serve.  Pray for them as they share Jesus Christ  and for the precious Mahi people that they may come to know the Most High God.  

More updates as we hear from the team.

Keep praying!

Bush Mama