À Bientôt

"He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Revelation 22:20

    À Bientôt! (see you soon), I called as I left her room, eager for our next meeting.  My visit to a few church members at the assisted living facility near my house turned into an evening that pulled at my heart. Oh, how I wish that I had gone earlier in the afternoon to spend more time with such dear brothers and sisters in Christ! M, to whom I had made a promise to try and visit again shortly, had welcomed me in even though I did not know her until I knocked on her door and told her I was from her church.  She let me know early on that she had a difficult time hearing and seeing, so our visit consisted of me talking loudly and slowly in French while writing short phrases for her to be able to peer through her glasses and magnifying glass, understand, and reply. In the middle of our brief visit, she took my hands and asked if she could pray for me and my ministry in Togo. We sat there, praying for one another, and it was precious.

    Needless to say, the blessing of living in here in Switzerland continues, with plenty of opportunities to get to know others, whether in the classroom, at church, or elsewhere. Jesus' words about His nearing return are often in my head.  Sometimes, in thinking "He's coming soon, there's so much to do! Where do I start, or on what should I focus?!" I can turn the mentality of my Christian walk of reliance upon the Lord into a scurryfunge (no, I'm not going to give you the definition, but it is in the dictionary! :D).  Yet the Lord reminds us in Ephesians 2:10 that God has already prepared good works for us, "that we should walk in them." May the urgency of sharing the truth with others grow in our hearts as the time of Jesus' return draws ever nearer, but let the Lord direct and empower the work, for His glory alone. Without Him, whether here, the US, Togo, or elsewhere, nothing will come to fruition.

    I share these things for a couple of reasons. The first is that in the two months that have sped by, there have been many individuals I have met whom I'd like to get to know better, share truth with, learn from, and encourage in Christ. Would you join me in praying that I would trust the Lord to direct my steps and that He would give me humility, peace, and wisdom to know how to serve here? At the same time, continue to pray for the many opportunities present in Togo to share the truth of Christ, among the nursing students at the Hospital of Hope, neighbors, church-goers, the list goes on! The hospital in Togo is still in need of providers and nurses, so please keep praying for God to send willing servants to Mango and sustain those already there! A second reason is that, as Christmas season approaches, there are many older individuals, widows, or widowers, who, due to age, covid restrictions, or loss of loved ones, face a very different Christmas season than do many of us who view the season with merry anticipation.  Please be in prayer with me for how we can encourage those around us. Many are extremely lonely or are grieving and would benefit greatly from the attention of others, whether in prayer or directly! Finally, as covid restrictions increase again and we wonder how God will work sovereignly in the ever-changing circumstances, would you pray that He continues to bring people to Christ and strengthen the faith of His followers, even as He has in the past 2 years? 

    School, by God's grace, is going well! Our last day of class before a break is Christmas Eve! After Christmas break, we have 4 more weeks until the next and final level of my program (which will last until the end of April). It has been a blessing to expand my vocabulary and comprehension, though there is so much more to learn!  Christmas season is in full swing, and I am enjoying celebrating advent in a different neck of the woods. I'll spend Christmas day with my host family and a couple other individuals, then head to the pastor's house the day after for more fellowship! New Year's Eve will be with my host family and their friends (we might even catch a glimpse of the city's feu d 'artifice)!

Thank you for continuing to pray! You are ever in my thoughts and prayers! Let's continue to press on in the Lord as we wait for His return.

In Him,

Theresa

You’d never be able to tell by the amount of sprinkles that it was a group of kiddos that made these cookies, right? :D So thankful for families willing to share their children with me here.

My wonderful classmates (though one has now left us, and another will soon)

 It’s so fun learning and laughing with this bunch

 Women’s Saturday outing in the snow!

As you might expect, many, many vineyards exist here! I love the opportunity 

to think of Jesus’ use of imagery of the vine and branches in John 15.

And in full sun, the lake is just lovely.