Presidents Obama and Karzai in Kabul. (photo: AFP/Jim Watson)

Please pray for President Obama’s safety on his surprise trip to Afghanistan. “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

“President Barack Obama made the first trip of his presidency to Afghanistan on Sunday, where he said the military campaign had made progress but President Hamid Karzai still had to tackle corruption,” reports Reuters. “Air Force One landed in darkness at Bagram airfield north of the Afghan capital, and Obama was whisked by helicopter to Karzai’s palace in Kabul, where he was greeted by the Afghan president and a band playing the U.S. national anthem. ‘I want to send a strong message that the partnership between the United States and Afghanistan is going to continue. We have already seen progress with respect to the military campaign against extremism in the region,’ Obama later told Karzai in front of reporters inside the palace.”