Praise Reports:
Thank God for all the people who heard about Him and received medical equipment with Dr. Kristen's arrival.
Thank God that I had a refreshing time with friends in Europe.
Thank God that Pastor Denis received some funding for his school.
Thank God for allowing me to have enlightening and safe travels in West Africa.
Prayer Requests:
Please pray that I would glorify the Lord in my last bit of time in Togo.
Please pray that the participants of the Pad Project on September 9th would be open to the Gospel.
Pray for West Africa amidst instability.
Pray for my former student Esther's family.
Hello, my dear and supportive friends. There are now only 53 days before I leave what has been my home for nearly two years. Many have wondered how I’m feeling about it. The truth is, I look forward to seeing America again and watching the Lord’s next chapter for my life unfold. However, it will also be a little difficult saying goodbyes and reverting to a less obviously missional life. Perhaps numerous hardships and joys will come that I can’t even anticipate now. One thing I do anticipate: I will be glad to share what I have seen and learned with those who are interested. Please do reach out around my return date if you’d like to meet up with me. I want to hear about your life, too!
With that being said, a lot has happened since my last update. I continued to teach English classes until the students went on summer break. One of my students, 14-year-old Esther, passed away from a heart condition. These tragedies happen more often in this part of the world due to individual poverty and an underdeveloped medical system. Please pray for Esther’s family and friends.
I have also continued doing neighborhood evangelism each Tuesday. It’s exciting when I get to see people moving from feeling the burden of earning their salvation to understanding
that Jesus paid the ransom once and for all. This message is often tricky to communicate in a way that locals can understand, but the grace of the Lord has helped me.
Twice weekly I still have a Bible study with Christianna, and once weekly we gather with her friend from East Asia. Praise God, the latter has moved from a time of witnessing to a time of discipleship! After our devotionals with her and communication with her family, this girl now knows that Jesus is the true Lord and Savior and has made this personal for her life.
In the last update, I asked for prayers for Pastor Denis Allado as he works to keep his Christian school afloat with 60 orphans. Thank you for obliging that request. Send Relief granted funds to Sentinels Baptist School that cover students’ tuition and some teachers’ salaries, which is a huge help. Additionally, the school’s first two rounds of subsistence farming crops came in. Please continue to pray that the Lord would cause Pastor Denis’ means of sustainability for this school will grow for the benefit of these children and the community.
Onto the new items…in June/July, I was blessed to have another visit from Dr. Kristen (remember, the PhD in nursing who I ministered with last year). I hosted her, assisted in her “Helping Babies Breathe” classes and in the popup clinic at the Togo Baptist Convention meeting, and partnered with her in evangelism. All-in-all, 75 local birth attendants were trained, 17 clinics now have the equipment they need to resuscitate newborns, roughly 150 people heard the gospel (and more received tracts), and there were six known acceptances of Jesus as Lord and Savior. Not too shabby, right? God has truly blessed me through Dr. Kristen, our local evangelist, our deacon-chauffeur, our global partner named Susan, and several other locals that pitched in along the way. I also want to enthusiastically thank South Main Baptist Church for helping Dr. K. to get here and carry this out.
(Left to right above: Dr. Kristen demonstrating the bag-and-mask device, evangelism moments, me attaining a pastor's BMI in the pop-up-clinic, and a "rastaman" from the market who accepted Christ after Mr. Samuel and I spoke with him.)
The day after Dr. K left, I flew out for a significant change from my West African life. The IMB held a conference in the Netherlands for missionaries to Sub-Saharan Africa that I took part in. It was lovely to be spiritually encouraged and see my friends who serve in different countries. Additionally, since I was already in that region of the world, I got to visit England with the Yoakums (It’s so quaint!), and then Switzerland with other Journeymen (It’s so breathtaking!). By the end of it all, I needed a vacation from the vacation…but I thank the Lord for this special, memorable time in Europe.
(Left to right above: A cathedral in England, a friend meet-up in Amsterdam, and the Grindelwald First Cliff Walk in Switzerland.)
Not long after my return, I had the pleasure of traveling to Central and Northern Togo with
visiting IMB missionaries, Kathy D. and Judy M. These two are specialists in Orality, which is the mission strategy of verbally sharing Bible stories with people in a contextualized fashion in order to draw them to the gospel. As Togo has the "power and fear" culture that's common to Africa, the chosen stories often emphasize God's power. It was incredible seeing local people leading orality workshops in such an efficient fashion, even with so many different languages at play. Every detail seemed to have been thought of. This is what we love to see—Africans equipped to equip other Africans in advancing the Great Commission. My presence encouraged the pastors and missionaries undergoing the training a little bit, and I also used my spare time to walk around evangelizing. The people in this region are so kind—it was a joy to interact and share Christ with them.
After this trip, I was able to experience our neighboring country of Benin with my Beninese neighbors (Yes, I have been traveling all over. Unfortunate it is that my circadian rhythm won’t allow me to take naps.). This was my second voyage outside the Lomé area with only West African friends, and it was an interesting cultural experience. I even accidentally ended up in a voodoo tourist museum...Madame Allaboé was very kind to show me numerous sites and involve me in a ministry celebration.
That wraps up the major points of the last few months. As for current news, I’m translating (more like double-checking Google’s work and formatting) Eight Steps of the Missions Continuum: Building a Bridge from the Church to the Mission Field as a resource to leave with some local Christian friends. We’re also having another Pad project with women from an unreached, unengaged people group in about a week. Lastly, I’ll soon have the pleasure of visiting and ministering with IMB friends in Senegal!
Before I close—there’s a general item for which my local friends and I covet your prayers: West Africa is growing in instability. There have been 8 coup d’états (unauthorized seizure of power) in the region since 2020. The country directly to our North has now replaced Afghanistan in the number 1 spot on the “Global Terrorism Index,” and the top two-fifths of Togo have been cautiously closed off to foreigners without letters from the Ministry of Defense. We have several IMB personnel with us who have been displaced from surrounding countries.
Please, please, please, please do not worry for me—things still feel guarded and comfortable here. I haven’t heard of any nearby incidents in a long time and feel very safe walking around in my Caucasian skin. We’re just not sure this will last in the years to come. So, I ask for your prayers that people would band together for the health and unity of West Africa, and that even when devastations arrive, the saving news of Jesus Christ would spread. History shows us Church growth is very possible under these circumstances.
God has placed many items worthy of celebration on my plate. I have continued to see people come to know Him, come to better know Him, and be encouraged in the Christian walk. Your role as praying supporters cannot be exaggerated. Thank you so much. As always, feel welcome to reach out to me.
I will leave you with this famous blessing that my heart echoes from Scripture:
“The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.” -Numbers 6:24-26