April Showers

You know that old adage, “April showers bring May flowers?” Well here in Togo it not only brings the flowers but marks the end of the extreme hot season.



Just last week, before the rains started, I remember looking at the thermometer and it was 107 degrees at 7:30 pm in the evening. But with the showers we have settled pretty much under the 100 degree mark.

The rains are intermittent at the beginning of the rainy season and we still have some toasty periods in between each shower. But the rains, when then come, bring some much needed relief! The grasses which have been lying dormant since about November have perked up again and now the countryside is looking absolutely picturesque. This really is the best time of the year to be in or live in Togo.


However, with the advent of the rains come some pretty strong storms. Just this past week, we had one which might have been the worst I’ve seen since arriving in the country. The yard has six mango trees which are all in full season. This most recent storm came in and blew literally hundreds of mangos down. Gusts past 40 miles an hour snapped a nearby mango tree in half and deposited the majority of the broken tree into my yard.

One of the limbs had pierced a hole in the tin roof right over the Bible and Tract storage room. Thankfully, no damage was done but it was interesting to be standing in the room, in the dark, with a flashlight trying to move dozens of boxes to prevent them from being ruined. It wasn’t till the next day that we were able to climb up on the roof. Two hours, a pretty good sunburn, and 15 dollars later the roof was actually repaired.

Togo is an adventure sometimes. You never know what to expect!

March/April 08 Newsletter

Dear Friends:

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of driving through northern Togo and then five hours into Burkina Faso to visit some missionary friends, Keith and Rebecca Shumaker. The trip, while being a reprieve, was also an opportunity for me to see his church planting efforts in action and chance to gather some ideas. From his work and his personal encouragement, I came back extremely motivated to do more here in Kara. I was not sure at first what that would be, but the Lord started to lay on my heart a men’s Bible study. I of course thought, “There is no way that I could teach, in French, a men’s Bible study.” But sure enough, where God’s leads, He provides.

After the decision was made, I began recruiting. I found a couple men from Lama Fin, the church that I attend. Baoubadi is a welder by trade and is the church’s unofficial/official translator from French into Kaybe. The second young man is Jule who works along side Baoubadi and who has worked himself through most of our discipleship materials.

The Bible study commenced around the second week of March and has been a wonderful success. The men are enjoying the study, and I have been encouraged by the opportunity to take some of the skills that God has given me and put them to use.

If you would please continue to pray with me that God will bless these Bible studies, that He will increase our numbers and eventually give us more men for the ministry here in Togo.

There are also some exciting landmarks coming up in my life, and I sure would be thankful if you would pray with me over those as well. In May, I will be moving out of my current location and into my permanent Togo residence. It will be my first home here and an opportunity for me finally to unpack my container which has been sitting full since its arrival back in October of 2006.

Thank you so much for your continuing prayers. I am so blessed to have so many faithful folks back in the U.S. praying and giving towards the work of Christ here in Togo.