After two months of steady debrief, special time with family and friends, my mind begins little by little to pick up memories from some of the most significant months of my life.
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I’ll miss my Arab buddies, Saturday night basketball, and cheap shawarma. Those friendships have steadily carried on even to now. I guess I looked a little like them with a fraction of their facial hair, some dark curls, and not pasty white skin, but little did they know the Lord was working through me to plant ever lasting seeds in their hearts.

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I shared about Jesus—His forgiveness, His call to turn the other cheek, and the personal way He has walked with me on the road of purity. When I spoke of the cross and what it meant to follow Him, their eyes lit up with hunger. They started asking questions that came straight from the soul:

Who is this God? Could He really teach me how to be a man? Can He actually keep my heart pure?​
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And then it was back to goofing off, playing ball and breaking the speed limit (I was not driving). Some real brothers were made in my time in the Arub Gulf, and I’ll never forget them.

But the Lord was not finished.

During that same season, I had the opportunity to travel to our MAPS Global team connection in East Africa for a 50-hour prayer gathering. What I encountered there was unprecedented.

I was met with a physical representation of the second commandment. The brothers and sisters on that team that took us were sincere, full of life, and poured out joy. We got to spend five days of growing in love and friendship that crescendoed in two days and two nights days of worship to Jesus.

Around 2 a.m., somewhere in the middle of that meeting, I had a holy moment with the Lord. It wasn’t dramatic—it was just clear:

“If I could live out Psalm 27:4—the one thing—with these brothers and sisters, I would do it forever.”

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That conviction hasn’t faded. It’s what’s driving my next steps.

I’ve officially decided to join MAPS Global staff to help plant and strengthen our base in East Africa. As part of that journey, I’m planning a short-term return trip this November—still along with my sister Maddie. We want to continue building what the Lord began: deepening the relationships, serving the house of prayer, and laying foundations for the long term.

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For this trip, I’m praying to raise $2,250, and I’d be honored by your support—whether through giving or prayer. If you feel led to contribute financially, you’ll find the links below.

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But even more than funds, I’m asking for your prayers in this season.

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Would you consider covering me in these specific ways?

• Provision – That every need—spiritual, financial, and logistical—would be met as I follow the Lord’s lead.

• Tenderness of heart – Toward Jesus, His Word, and every person He puts in my path.

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Thank you for walking with me. I can’t wait to see what God will do next.

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Maranatha,

David