Greetings from the Protestant churches in Morocco to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Kentucky Baptists! I traveled to Morocco with 13 other Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) of Kentucky Baptists from Owensboro, Georgetown, and Danville. The first Sunday, our whole group attended services at the church in Rabat. Over 300 congregants sang out with joy and exuberance! It was World Communion Sunday and I participated in the French speaking service by helping to serve communion. How powerful the Holy Spirit was that morning in the two-hour service. The service overwhelmed me. It was the highlight of my trip.

On Monday, we all traveled about 6 hours by bus to Oujda, near the Algerian border, where we spent three days painting the two-story parsonage of Pastor Fritz and his wife, Immanuella. They will move into the house in November after renovation is complete. A church in Germany provided money for the skilled renovation of the parsonage, and we provided the painting and trimming. What a cooperative team we Kentucky Baptists were!

On Thursday, we rode the bus to Fez where we all visited the ancient walled medina (old city) with winding streets like a maze with stalls of leather goods, jewelry, fabrics, rugs, pottery, fresh vegetables, spices, and fresh meat, etc. The Fez medina was a feast for the senses! That evening Karen Zimmerman, CBF field personnel, and I checked into the Splendid Hotel in Fez. The other Kentucky participants scattered to be with the churches they support: the church in Rabat, Casa Blanca, and Agadir. Bob Fox, Coordinator for CBF Kentucky, and his son, Evan, traveled to the Mohammedia parish. Highland supports the Comité d’Entraide Internationale which ministers to migrants.

During Friday and Saturday, Karen Zimmerman and I met with Freddy Noel, who is the head of the Outreach Team which helps migrants in Fez. Karen and I met with two migrants the CEI is helping. (More about this later in my Advent Devotional.)

Karen Z. and I worshiped on Sunday with the church in Fez, which is not as large as the congregation in Rabat and is struggling. Please pray for the churches in Morocco. Pray for the CEI which works so hard with so little resources for the migrants. Pray for Karen Zimmerman, CBF field personnel, who is learning the culture, as well as French (already proficient) and Arabic. Pray for Karen Thomas Smith, who is a force for good in that part of the world. She has a great relationship with the King of Morocco and gets things done for the good of humanity.