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Thank you for your prayers. There are three distinct praises: One, God provided my wife and I tremendous peace and assurance as I left two sick girls. (See my wife’s A Journey of Joy blog “What Does One do?” for more on this.) Two, God opened my eyes to the busyness and confidence in my own abilities that has crept into my life and He has called me to desperation for Him. While I praise God for this revelation it has not been an easy revelation and your prayers are requested as I make needed changes. Three, Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah provided renewed vision and renewed direction for the ministry of TWR in the Africa region.

Over the next few months the Africa region of TWR will be developing a strategic ministry plan. This strategic ministry plan will then drive our decisions, structures and budgets. I have been asked to join the team that is putting together this ministry plan and will return to J’burg two more times before the end of the year.

Hence, I am writing from the airport at Nairobi on my way back to Benin. Once it became clear that I would need to return to J’burg this year. I felt it critical to skip a conference and some training in order to have adequate time with the Benin team before leaving again, not to mention time with a beautiful wife and two wonderful girls. I’ll spend a couple of days with my awesome son when I come back through Nairobi in a few weeks.

Please praise God with me for what he has done and continue with me in prayers for the continent of Africa.

Grace & Peace — Paul

If the amount of trouble before a trip is any indication of the significance of the trip, then my trip to South Africa will be very significant. Tomorrow (Saturday) I will leave Parakou to start my voyage to South Africa to hear about the new TWR leadership plan for Africa. Today both Micah Joy and Miriam started running a high fever with diarrhea, vomiting, and negative Malaria tests while yesterday Nehemiah went to the infirmary at boarding school with Malaria.

We believe the timing of these illnesses is an attack; please pray foremost that God would be glorified in the midst of our circumstances. Pray for my time in South Africa as I will be participating in some key meetings, a conference and training. Pray for Donna as I leave her with sick children. As one dear friend pointed out that the Cox family will be on three corners of a very large continent. Pray that God would speed our reunion.

Grace & Peace — Paul

Thank you for your prayers. We are truly grateful for them. As far as we can tell, Nehemiah is doing well at RVA and enjoys being there. At this point it is harder on Donna and I than Nehemiah. While talking with him on Sunday we asked him if he was glad he made the choice to go and he said “Oh Yeah!”

Unfortunately, I was unable to fix the problem at Voi that I mentioned in my last prayer blog. However, with God’s help, we were able to definitively identify the problems so that they can be fixed. Praise God for safe travels and for a successful rendezvous with Mrs. W in Nairobi. Also please continue to pray for those I mentioned in difficult situations. (See the previous prayer blog for more details.)

Toward the end of this week I will once again be traveling. This time to South Africa at the request of Emmanuel Mbennah (TWR’s new international director for Africa) to hear his new leadership plans for the Africa region. Pray for Emmanuel as he finalizes his leadership plan and pray for the remainder of my week that I would have wisdom with my priorities and quality time with my family. During my time in South Africa I will also be attending the Africa by Radio conference, please pray for divine appointments during this conference.

Grace & Peace — Paul

Friday afternoon (Aug 28) started a new adventure in the Cox family, especially for Nehemiah. On Friday afternoon I left Nehemiah at Rift Valley Academy (RVA) in Kenya. It was difficult for me to leave him. The Thursday and Friday morning before was a fantastic orientation time at RVA. Praise God for the wonderful orientation, pray for Nehemiah as he starts boarding school and pray for the rest of the family as they re-adjust.

Since dropping Nehemiah off at boarding school I have been working with our national partner TWR Kenya on some technical issues. The most pressing is a Studio Transmitter Link in Voi (four hours SE of Nairobi). Pray that God would give wisdom and insight as we work on this link and safety while traveling.

During my time in Nairobi God has providentially brought some people in difficult circumstances across my path. Pray for wisdom, grace, safety and the Spirit’s leading in these circumstances.

Lord willing on Thursday (Sept 3) I will rendezvous with a new short term volunteer for Benin, Mrs. W, at the airport in Nairobi so we can travel to Benin together. Mrs. W. is from South Africa and will be helping TWR in Benin for three months. Pray that the rendezvous will be easy and pray for Mrs. W as she settles into life and ministry in Benin.

Emmanuel Mbennah (the new international director for TWR Africa) has asked me to travel to South Africa on September 15 as he rolls out his leadership plan for the Africa region. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to go and hear first hand the new leadership structure under Dr. Mbennah. The down side is that I have been away from my family a tremendous amount the last few months. Pray that God would richly bless my time with Donna and the girls before I pack up again and pray for the new TWR leadership structure in the Africa region.

Grace & Peace — Paul

It was great to meet and spend time with Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah (the new TWR International Director for Africa) while he was in Benin. There were a number of things that struck me about Emmanuel: One, he is passionate about reaching those who do not know Christ. Two, he has a true heart of compassion for the poor and the suffering. Three, Emmanuel thinks and acts strategically. Please join me in thanking God for Emmanuel’s passion, compassion and intentionality and pray for Emmanuel as he leads the Africa region.

This week the hand of our Lord was with us as we had a number of high-level meetings in Cotonou. Praise God that the meeting with the local TWR Benin board was a wonderful time of fellowship and corporation. Our meeting for the shortwave license was very positive, there are a number of procedural items for the licensing authority and a few details through which TWR must work before the license can be considered. Please pray for these items and details to be worked through quickly. Our NGO status is still in process but moving slower than anticipated. Pray that this process would be accelerated and would be without error.

The tremendous joy of the success that God gave us with our meetings this week was overshadowed by the death of my Aunt G, who has been ill. While we rejoice that her suffering in this life has ended and that she is with our Lord, we mourn for our lost. Please pray for Aunt G’s family. (One the things that makes missionary life difficult is times like these when we cannot join our families to mourn together.)

Next week I will take Nehemiah to boarding school in Kenya. Pray for us as we say goodbye and pray for Nehemiah as he enters a new stage in his life.

Corrections: In my blog of August 10 there were a number of errors in the spelling of names. The correct spellings are as follows: Mr. Werner Kroemer, Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah and Rev. Abdoulaye Sangho.

Grace & Peace — Paul

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.

In my last prayer blog I asked you to pray for our colleague who was stuck in Ghana with a visa issue. Praise be to God that after a month in Ghana he received his visa and is now back in Benin.

One of the things that we have been working on is purchasing land in Parakou so we can build an office and houses. By God’s grace we are very close to purchasing this land. Please pray that all of the details of this transaction would be handled correctly to help eliminate (or at least reduce) future problems. (Land disputes are a common part of life in Benin.)

We are also working toward having a shortwave transmitter in Benin. Right now we are working on some of the planning details. Pray for wisdom as we work through these details.

The day I wrote the last prayer blog Micah Joy came down with Malaria.  She responded well to the treatment.  This is something that is constantly looming over us.  Most of the time Malaria if treated quickly is not too serious but it can quickly become serious.  Please pray for protection and wisdom.

I would appreciate your prayers that I do not get trapped in the tyranny of the urgent but that I would use my time wisely.

Praise be to God for our safe travels and that all our luggage made it to Benin with us (a truly miraculous feat since we only had 35 minutes to change planes in Casablanca). We have been in Benin just over a week and it is great to be back. While we were away from Benin we changed houses (our old landlord doubled the rent) so this last week has been busy with un-packing and settling into a new house.

It is never easy to say good-bye to family and friends, pack up, travel internationally, un-pack from traveling, un-pack from moving and re-settle. However, God’s sustaining presence has aided us and there has been great joy in our reunion with friends and colleagues here in Benin. Donna has posted a very nice blog about this on the family blog, www.cox-net.com/family_blog.

One of my key colleagues here in Benin, needed a United Kingdom (UK) visa. Since there is not a UK embassy here in Benin he went to Ghana to get his visa. As usual he turned in his passport to the UK embassy, what was supposed to take a couple of days has turned into two and half weeks of waiting. Given that the embassy has his passport he is stuck in Ghana until the embassy returns his passport. Please pray for his visa and passport to be returned quickly.

Also pray for wisdom as we return to the work here in Benin. TWR is pursuing a shortwave license here in Benin, more than likely we will be very involved in this process. Praise God the broadcast has worked without us for five months. Over the next couple of weeks we need to get to speed on what has happened in our absence.

Praises

• Safe and uneventful travel for both our bags and us
• Joyous reunion with friends and colleagues
• Successful broadcasting without us

Prayer Request

• Our colleague seeking a visa in Ghana
• Shortwave license
• Our evaluation of last five months and wisdom on what to change

I have been in Canada taking a conversational French course since April 27 while Donna and the kids have split their time between my mom in New Mexico and Donna’s parents in Texas. Between May 14 and 18 I was able to visit my wife and kids in Dallas. My French course will finish in three weeks and I will be re-united with my family.

While it has not been easy to be away from my family for an extended period of time God has aided us during this time. We would greatly covet your prayers these last three weeks that God’s grace would abound to our marriage and family while we are apart and that everyone (especially our children) would finish this season strong.

Praises:

• While being apart has been difficult, God has sustained us.
• Nehemiah’s acceptance into RVA

Keep in Prayer:

• The team in Benin as they keep up the broadcasting
• Wisdom as TWR makes cuts because of the worldwide economic situation
• Our final preparations for returning to Benin at the end of June

Thanks for your prayers — Paul

The problem with studying any subject is that the more you study the more you realize how little you know about the subject. This is how I feel about French. Since I have arrived in the province of Quebec I have realized how much further I need to be in French. However, by God’s grace, I am making progress.

• Praise God for some good meetings that happened this month in Benin.
• Praise God that Nehemiah has a provisional acceptance to Rift Valley Academy (Kenya) for boarding school in August of this year.
• Praise God I am making headway in French

• Pray for team in Benin as they work on solidifying the operation in Benin and seeking a shortwave license for Benin.
• Pray for our family as I am in Canada while Donna and the kids are in the States.
• Pray for our final preparations to return to Africa at the end of June.