Merci(e)s in Togo

Talking to myself is something I do quite frequently, and I am certain that I am not alone in this practice. Urging my feet to move faster when I was about to miss the train or bus in Switzerland, giving myself a pep-talk (and praying) before initiating a conversation with a stranger on the plane ride home, admonishing myself yet again for making another French grammatical error...these are just a few of the numerous examples of thoughts addressed to my mind. Self-talk can be quite dangerous if void of the proper content and purpose, and I have found this out the hard way many times! Yet, filled with God's Word in a way that leads to trust and praise of Him, a conversation in the mind can be quite beneficial! Thus, as a couple of weeks lie between the present and my arrival in Togo, and when my self-talk can jump between " Ahhh I'm excited!" and "Ahhh what am I doing?! , here are some verses that come to mind and help direct my thoughts and my heart.   "For...

  " For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person- though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:6-8       Regarder  is a word that has come up a lot recently, in a plethora of contexts. This word, meaning "to watch" or "to look at," can be expressed in the imperative with excitement by my 7-year old friend when he wants to show me his slingshot techniques. My sister in Christ Hermine often uses this word to point out the beauty of the Alps from her balcony or the colors of one of her blooming tulips, allowing us to share a moment thanking God for His beautiful creation.  I have even used this word as a verb by accident in a text message to my family in explaining a movie night.  Their chuckles over my seemingly poetic phrase "I regarded ...

"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 ask...

"Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:20 One of the songs in my running workout playlist talks about being amazed by God's daily gifts.  This song, entitled "Blown Away," always puts a skip in my step and reminds me to praise the Lord for who He is and the things He has done.  Friends, I can tell you that this past week I have been BLOWN AWAY by God's grace. From a nice long nap during my 24 hour journey to Switzerland, to the incredible welcome by folks here and God's merciful, unceasing presence through it all, I just can't stop smiling.   What does life look like right now? Well, I'll start with the caveat that it has only been one week since leaving the U.S. so I hesitate to give an exact description, but the overall principle has been soaking up French. School is a 15 minute walk from my house and extends from 0900 t...

          " Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20       Happy Independence Day! I pray you all are having a lovely summer.  The past few months have been quite full and extremely sweet. God has definitely blessed this season with treasured times with family and friends, which become increasingly precious with the approaching anticipated departure for language school in October!          So much of life and ministry, both here and especially in Togolese culture, is based upon relationships. Relationships with neighbors, co-workers and their families, the ladies at the market, the mechanic, and the list goes on. This can be an exciting reality a...

  Have you ever pondered the mystery of a memory? How a scent, word, or other stimulus can cause a chain reaction involving both electrical and chemical signals from different parts of your brain to recreate a thought or picture from the past, with emotions attached?  You can try to explain to me the minutia of neuroscience and the pathophysiology of the nervous system until my ears hurt, but in a way, a memory will forever remain one of the many everyday mysteries.  Memories have been a big part of my life for the past couple weeks, as they may be for many of you. Below are a few "snapshots" that have come to mind in the past couple weeks. The last is my favorite, and even though it is not one I have personally experienced, it adds immeasurable sweetness to the first three. Snapshot 1: I trembled as Pastor Leake came into my house for my baptism interview. I was around  11, a fairly new believer, and in my hands were pictures I had drawn in hopes of demonstrating to...

  "Emergency!" came a cry from outside my bedroom. With multiple possibilities of mishap running through my nurse brain, I opened the door to my mother. She handed me our slightly sudsy foster baby who had just sabotaged her bathwater.  The little rascal looked quite pleased with herself as I carried her in search of a towel and my mom made a second attempt at drawing the bath water. This is not an uncommon scene in our household these days, (or ever, really. As with every other family, a dull moment rarely exists). Yet it does make me ponder these months leading up to returning to Togo. Earlier this month I went to a training session at ABWE, the missions agency that is partnering with my church in sending me to Togo. There, the agency approved me as an ABWE missionary.  During the training, we discussed the pre-field period, which is the time leading up to the missionary's departure to their ministry destination.  While this time involves countless details, emails,...