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Up To Speed

A cozy airport hotel room called “my cloud.”

I’m in a tiny hotel room in Frankfurt, Germany, at the airport. The perfect size to get a nap and a shower in before running to your next gate, your next airplane, and your next airport.

I have so many notes and blogs in the works from our tours to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Jordan, and I’ll continue to post those in the days and weeks ahead. Today, I need to bring you up to speed. The band and I are back out on tour! This time we’re deeper into Central Asia. Two-and-a-half weeks. Two countries: Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Our travel day started yesterday at 3:45am. I showered and drove to the Nashville airport in the pitch-black dark morning… Hardly any cars on the road. Lesleigh and Theo joined me to see me off, and on our way we talked about the trip, how they’ll be spending their time these next couple of weeks, and encouraged each other about our paths ahead this month…

Lesleigh and baby Theo! 🙂

When we pulled into the drop-off lane, we hugged and kissed goodbye for a long while. Theo was awake, too, so I talked to him, and held his hand for a bit before it was time to grab my guitar and bags and walk through the sliding glass terminal door, waving through the window as they drove away from the curb.

Our first stop was Washington, D.C. We spent the day receiving a briefing at the U.S. Department of State. This is my third AMA tour, and so it was fun to see some familiar faces and to meet some new friends who had insight, information, and encouragement for us before we begin our mission.

We’re at the White House!

There’s a familiarity and a strengthening foundation of experience that each country visited, each hand shaken, and each note belted-out helps to establish… at the same time, there’s nothing routine about it. There will be new highs, new lows, new joys, new challenges, and each one will shape us as it’s meant to.

Preparing for our Department of State briefing

This tour will mark my thirteenth and fourteenth countries toured on behalf of my country. What a blessing and a joy to serve in this capacity.

It’s a time of preparation… As I soon board my flight to Kazakhstan, my mind is focused, my eyes and ears are open, and my heart is full. I move ahead eager to do the work I’ve been called into, and that I’ve prepared my whole life to do.

Here we go!

Ready to fly!


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