Merci(e)s in Togo

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” -Habakkuk‬ ‭3:17-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬ This will be a very focused update, but I wanted to share a prayer request for those who aren’t already aware. (Also, it is late and so I apologize for typos!) Little man here, Ahad, is now in Florida.  In the last update, I believe we were waiting for his passport. Well, I the span of about a week we obtained his passport, applied for and received his visa, and flew to the US. During the flight Ahad demonstrated his dislike of flying: he started having trouble breathing, turned a bit bluish, and his oxygen levels which are normally low, went even lower. The flight crew gave us an oxygen tank with the reminder that there was only so much oxygen for everyone for the flight in case of ...

"I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee! O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee  - Annie S. Hawks, "I Need Thee Every Hour" " Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6    Let me ask you a question: What is the definition of a "good day?" A relaxing one with few worries? A day free of children complaining, or at least one with less complaining than normal? A day where you have a skip in your step and a happy ditty in your head without really knowing why? With the last couple weeks being a bit bizarre, I have found myself asking the same question. What characterizes a “good day?" In a place where your schedule for the day can change in seconds, and it takes a while to accomplish tasks, I have since left the word “productive” far behind from being part of my "good day" definition. The health of my...

 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor." - 1 Corinthians 3:6-8      If you were to come on a walk with me near my house, you'd likely see puddles on the road from the recent pluie (rain). You'd observe goats scrambling, donkey's braying, cows parading by, and plants poking their heads out of the soil in the fields. The air can often be humid, the mosquitos abundant, and the mornings cooler after an overnight shower. Conversations at work can center on how planting rice is different than sowing seed for corn. My friends educated me on the fact that both general and selective herbicides exist, which blew my mind!  How do they do that, single out the pesky weeds and leave the crops alive?! (As you can tell, I am not a gardener or farmer at all, so pardon my naiveite...

       Yes, we are going to talk about feet this go ‘round. In case you were wondering, mine at present are sweaty, stinky, decorated with the occasional mosquito bite, and have reddish Togo dirt on them. Go ahead and look at yours and consider what you do with them. With mine, I pick things up when my hands are full, squash bugs, race kiddos, pedal a bicycle or shift gears, and, most often, make dusty or muddy footprints through my house. Feet are fabulous.      There is an Anufo saying that mentions this wonderful part of the body. “Ajari sa lamoya su.” Basically, it means that it is the feet that reunite or connect the family. If you say that you have family in town but never go to visit them and they never come to you, that’s not really a relationship. The same goes with friends. Friends are made with your feet. I met the twins inside the hospital and have gotten to visit them in their home since. Josias in green didn't seem to want his photo taken...

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." - Romans 1:16-17 Greetings from TOGO!!!! Oh friends, it is a joy to be back again. God provided safe travels and a lovely welcome from friends, coworkers, and neighbors here. Greetings in Togo are huge, so I am thankful for the opportunities this past week to visit with others and marvel at God's kindness in preserving and working in our lives.   It may sound very silly, but when COVID-19 hit while I was in the states and we still weren't sure what exactly we were dealing with, I started to wonder if I would see my friends again this side of eternity. One prayer of mine was that God would keep my friends and community members safe here and that we might have a future reunion in Togo. Thus, there were smiles and much rejoicing when I got to see many dear ones again! Yet, even more exciting is that God's work continues here...

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 ...