Today I’m flying to England for four busy days. Here is a brief run-down of what’s happening:

Wednesday: Fly to London and catch up with some friends who until recently were  living in Pakistan until that opportunity was suddenly and unexpectedly closed to them. I’m really looking forward to spending time with this family.

Thursday: Head off to Newmarket for a church planters forum, discussing what it takes to see a new church flourish and grow. It will be an interesting mix of mission into market towns of East England and planned start-ups into Lille and Helsinki and Stockholm of course.

After that I head over to Lowestoft to get some time with Mike Betts who heads up Relational Mission, the team of churches working with us to plant into Stockholm.

Friday: I head over to Peterborough, this is a quieter today. It’s a chance for me to do some shopping and come back to Sweden with much-needed supplies like custard powder, proper British tea, proper British cheese and proper British sausages. It’s also a chance to catch my breath, get some rest and be ready for Saturday.

Saturday: The main event is the Scandinavia Day (there’s still time to book in) where church pioneers into Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland will be sharing their hopes and dreams to people who are being caught up with this mission to northern Europe. Then it’s a drive down to Canterbury.

Sunday: I’m being interviewed briefly at The City Church, Canterbury. I’m really looking forward to being there for the first time, having heard lots of good things about this church! Then it’s off to Medway for a spot of afternoon tea with my friends at Cornerstone City Church, who have been really supportive of our mission.

Lastly, it’s a flight back to Stockholm from one of my favourite airports London City and back home late on Sunday night.

Time away from the family brings its own challenges, especially for my wife Emma who takes the strain at home while I’m away. So it helps to have a clear idea of why you’re doing it. I hope that this trip will encourage others involved in church planting, encourage those on their journey to serving God in a different nation, build relationships and renew friendships with churches and families. If that happens, then I’ll be very pleased.