“Do you want to go to Egypt?

“Do you want to go to Egypt?”

Standing at the indoor tennis net, with blue walls highlighting the green floors and white lines, well-used floor-to-ceiling court dividers separating the three courts at Riverside, I will never forget the moment on court two when Jan asked me to go to Egypt with her. As COO of ICM, a non-profit organization committed to planting churches worldwide, Jan’s team planned to visit current projects in the mid-eastern country.

Subbing in the Saturday morning tennis league for my business partner, I didn’t know saying “yes” to Martha’s request to fill in would change my life. Ironically, I didn’t want to give up my weekend morning to sub, but needing the exercise, and without a good excuse, I couldn’t say no.

God directing my steps.

“What’s the cost?”

“Around $4000,” Jan replied, a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

Not bad, I thought. But thinking of the long flight, and many unknowns, I started preparing my no, knowing Ron wouldn’t want me to go. Besides the money, I didn’t think he would want me risking another blood clot like the one I suffered a few months earlier caused by travel.

“You have to go,” Ron said when I told him Jan’s request. “I’m totally jealous, but it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. And you’ll be helping Jan out. You gotta do it.”

“What about the blood clot?”

“You’ll be fine as long as you get up and walk around.”

And so Ron’s support took away my excuses.

“I’m not sure I want to go.”

“It’s up to you. But I think you’ll regret it if you don’t go.”

And so I began praying about Jan’s question and the opportunity it gave me. I would regret it if I didn’t go, and the only reasons I could come up with for saying “no” all had to do with fear.

Fear of leaving Ron, fear of political unrest, fear of not getting back in the country, fear of something terrible happening, fear of flying, fear of…

And then I thought of Jan and her faith.

“The way I look at it, I’ll keep moving forward. If God wants me to go, He’ll open the doors; if not, He’ll close them. My faith is in Him.”

I remember Jan’s words when I asked her months earlier if she had any anxiety about her impending trip to Egypt. I sat in the back seat of her car as she drove us to the charity golf tournament for ICM. Looking at Jan, both hands on the steering wheel, eyes on the road, I heard the resolve in her voice, and I admired it.

https://fb.watch/lXtDF7SHjP/?mibextid=VUMmCQ

And now she wanted me to go with her. How could I say no?

Let the preparations begin.