I hope the preparations for your trip are going well? As an African I am so glad that you will be visiting our continent – it’s a wonderful and alive place – I trust your trip will be greatly blessed. Our continent is massively diverse in almost all ways, so I hope this can be the first of many visits so that you will be able to experience the diversity of cultures and landscapes God has blessed us with.

As a South African thinking about Africa, there are two prayers that are particularly special to me, and I thought I’d share them with you – I hope they might help you prepare for the experience. I’m not sure who wrote the first, but the second’s history is well documented (just Google it!).

All the best,
Pete

Prayer for Africa:
God bless Africa,
Guard our children,
Guide our leaders,
And give us peace,
For Jesus Christ’s sake.

Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (“God bless Africa”):
[English translation]:
Lord, bless Africa;
May her horn rise high up;
Hear Thou our prayers And bless us.
Descend, O Spirit,
Descend, O Holy Spirit.

(how do you like my little name up there?)