“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.” Psalm 108:1,3.

The theme of my sabbatical is “Stregthening the steadfastness of my heart and making music with all my soul.” Two things ignite my passion, cross-cultural mission and music. A sabbatical which facilitates the experience of cross-cultural mission and music will renew my heart and soul. Consequently, the proposed sabbatical includes travel to Tarasaa, Kenya, where my family and I will have an immersion experience of cross-cultural mission among the Pokomo people. Additionally, I will spend time learning, and recording tribal rhythms, melodies, and musical genres indigenous to their worship expression. I have learned from two previous short term missions to Tarasaa that, in Tarasaa, I am able to separate from daily demands and listen for the heart and voice of God. This will be maximized through daily reading and prayer. Our family will include two short retreats to a hotel in order to relax and process our experience.