I want to issue a thanks to CBC for allowing me to travel twice over the last few weeks to engage in missions and ministry work in our denomination (I know sacrifices are made at church and at home while I'm away). First, I went to a missions conference in Fresno at Mountain View Church. Then, I had board meetings with Multiply, the missions agency of the USMB. Together these trips have been encouraging, sharpening, and challenging. One key takeaway from my time is simply that we have to find a way to be more engaged in the work of missions - as a denomination of local churches, and at our own church of CBC, and personally. Speaking specifically to CBC, I think we have a faithful heart for missions as a church. We have supported our missionaries well, and have been privileged to send out some of our own on the mission field. But we need more CBCers to go set foot on foreign soil and see the work of missions up close. Something different happens when you see for yourself where the gospel needs to break through. We need to send people out from CBC to see mission fields and get a vision for God's heart and plan to see people from all nations come to worship King Jesus. Personally, I need to be more intentional about making sure we are making strides in this area. And, as a denomination, we need more church leaders and pastors meaningfully engaged with Multiply and our international missions efforts. I'd hope to find a time to talk with more from CBC about this, but we are entering a critical season in the life of USMB and our missions efforts, and we need the US churches engaged with Multiply and missions, and setting a direction for our future in taking the gospel out. Again, I hope to talk more about this at some point. But for now I want to invite you to pray for misssions, and I want many in our church to pray and ask the Lord if they might be called to engage in missions in some way. May the Lord send more of us to those who need to hear the gospel of salvation in Christ.