Six years ago I was asking people to pray and give so I could go to Slovenia with a team from Mark 5 Ministries (M5M). I used my IT skills and my Christian ministry experience to serve others at the annual conference for Greater Europe Mission (GEM). God encouraged me along the way through my teammates and the missionaries we helped. This year I am preparing for a similar trip.

Lord willing, I plan to depart RDU Saturday, July 29 for Frankfurt, Germany and return Sunday, August 6.

Please pray that I will receive my renewed passport at the right time. I submitted an expedited application as soon as I was invited to apply for a spot on this team. The authorities indicate I might receive it as soon as June 1.

Please pray that I would be protected from the evil one.

Please pray that God would glorify himself through me and all involved with this trip.

Please consider giving a financial gift to help me go. All gifts are tax-deductible. Make your check out to Mark 5 Ministries and mail it to me so I can make a note of it and I will send it to M5M and they will send you a receipt. Do not write my name anywhere on the check.

Phil and Angel Shepard

1026 Horsetrail Way

Wake Forest NC 27587

I made it home with my luggage! I also brought back memories and pictures. Memories of time with ordinary people doing extraordinary things because of the Holy Spirit. Pictures of God’s beautiful creation. Along the way I found my IT skills improved.
I’ll post more this weekend before I return to work on Monday. Laundry, going to the gym, and getting my repaired car out of the shop have my time and energy today.
That’s me in the background putting a laptop through the Mark 5 Process a few days ago in Slovenia. In the foreground you see Craig Pruitt, Sr working on other devices.

Please pray as I’m boarding the bus now at 6:15 AM my time. I ride from Slovenia to the Venice airport (VCE) and catch American Airlines flight 715 to Philadelphia. Later today I fly from Philly to RDU.
This has been a good trip where God has been working in me and through me. I have more to post but not right now.
My team leader took these sunset photos here.

Enjoy!

I visited three countries (France, England, and Ireland). Not really, but I did eat meals with missionary couples serving in those countries. I asked them about the families and where they were from. I asked one thing in the last year that has been really great. I also asked one thing that has been pretty difficult. The answers mixed me with shouts of joy inside my soul and heavy sighs with tears inside at the hardships. I prayed for these families and thanked God for them. As I was praying I was moved to tears.
As I shared about my wife and daughter and our Summit Church small group I saw hope in the eyes of those to whom I listened. Hope for the gospel taking ordinary people and doing extraordinary things because of the Holy Spirit at work in us. You parents think life is hard work back home then imagine moving with your kids to a new country.
I’m making a real difference with the laptops I’m working on. Thank you so much to the ones that prayed and also to the ones that gave money to help me do this. I am so grateful! Your generosity has allowed me to be generous to the missionaries.  
I think this picture was taken by Larry Sanders but I think Mary Pruitt had a good one also. It was pretty stormy last night. The lights blinked in the room but the power to the computers did not.

God has allowed me to help and encourage others but I have learned also. Pray for me that I would be open to and be hungry for God to encourage and change me. I’m reading the sermon manuscript from Pastor JD.https://jdgreear.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/4e-The-Man-Who-Lost-It-Most-1-Kings-11.pdf
At the meals I have plenty of choices for my ketogenic way of eating. Tomorrow I will try out the treadmill in the exercise area of the hotel.
I have met several missionaries and improved several laptops. Some laptops were so difficult we needed a team approach. I’m so thankful for the rest of the team.

In Italy it is Saturday morning and I have wonderful news! I have my luggage! A friendly Italian man named Eugenio came in early to work. He met me and took me to the lost and found room for luggage and we searched until we found it. Without thinking I was so happy that I gave him a hug! He smiled afterward but I think I caught him off guard. Thank you for your prayers. In a few minutes I board the shuttle bus for Slovenia and the GEM Conference where I will be serving the missionaries.

My day in London Heathrow was better than I could have planned. I made a friend and together we helped others get the charging station to work for various smartphones. Later Anand asked if I wanted to eat lunch with him. I was about to ask him but he beat me to it. I asked an airport worker where to get some fish and chips so we went there but they did not have any. Instead Anand found a native Indian dish. I ordered it also.
He told me how to eat this and how it is made. He said he was surprised that the spices did not bother me. I told him it was very tasty. He said it was authentic and almost as good as what his mother makes. Pray for him to be open to the good news. I did not get to talk about that yet with him but I intend to stay in touch.

My checked bag has not caught up with me yet.Please pray that it will arrive before I must catch the shuttle bus to Slovenia at 10:00 AM Saturday Venice time.

I arrived in Italy but my checked bag did not. It might arrive tomorrow.

In less than 30 minutes I will be boarding the plane for Venice, Italy. Please pray that I would be ready to apply Colossians 4:2-6 even though I am very tired.