Not My Typical Prayer Letter!

Saturday, October 11, 2014
Dear Friends,

This is not my typical prayer update.  For some reason, however, I believe the Lord is putting it on my heart to write you.  As you know, I will be on furlough in the US for the next 10 months.  One of the major prayer requests during that time is that God would somehow provide the finances needed to educate another group of probably twenty Togolese nurses for our two mission hospitals in Togo (attached is a picture of our new nurse who just graduated in May!).  Nurses who love God and who have a passion for serving Him and seeing people accept His free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ; nurses who will provide excellent patient care; nurses who are committed to giving of themselves to meet the needs of others; nurses who know the culture and the language of the country of Togo because they are Togolese!  This is an incredible project – one that demands loads of prayer and godly wisdom!  A project that involves three years of making disciples – seeing these Togolese young men and women grow spiritually and professionally!

I would like to invite you to join me in this ministry – through prayer and also through giving as God directs!  Estimated cost for educating one student nurse is $7000 (total for the entire three-year nursing program in Togo – estimated amount includes student stipends, salary for administrative assistant/translator, equipment and supplies, reimbursement for Togolese instructors, etc).  Not a bad price when thinking of the thousands of people that one nurse will touch in his/her lifetime, when considering the number of patients who will hear the gospel because that nurse is at his/her bedside, when realizing that patients will be saved physically because that nurse cared and thought and acted!! 

For some reason, I believe the Lord wants me to start off the furlough ministry by writing this letter and by inviting you to be a part of this evangelistic and discipleship ministry! Perhaps you would like to support an entire student nurse; perhaps 1/2 a student nurse; perhaps 1/4; perhaps your church or a small group would like to support a student.  Perhaps you would like to provide the support as a total amount; perhaps as a monthly amount.  Perhaps you cannot support financially – but you will be committed to praying faithfully for these young people!  If you would be willing to invest of yourself and/or your resources in the education of these Togolese young people for our next nursing program, please let me know – or please write to the address below. 

Thank you for reading/“listening” - and thank you for allowing God to touch your heart to pray and to give.

Delighted to be serving Him together!
Sharon Rahilly, PhD, FNP, RN
Director, Nursing School
Togo, West Africa
rahillys@abwe.cc or rahillys@yahoo.com
Mission Address:  ABWE, Missionary Finance, P.O. Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA  17105-8585

Musings - and Prayer!

Monday, December 2, 2013
Dear Friends,

Greetings from Togo! Thank you so much for reading the last prayer letter!  Thank you for responding to some “dis-“ comments; thank you for caring and for praying.  What an encouragement you have been to me through the assurance of your prayers, your love, your friendship! 

Would you please continue joining me in prayer?  Here are a few specific requests:
1)      Please pray for some meetings this afternoon (Tuesday) and then again this Friday (the 6th).  These are meetings between some of our nursing students and the administrative teams of the two ABWE hospitals here in Togo – this hospital in the south and the one being built in the north.  As you know, we have 20 nursing students in our current program.  The hospital in Mango (in the north) needs all 20 of them when the hospital opens. However, four of these students are asking that they be allowed to stay here in the south.  Please pray for the two hospital directors and one of our health-care providers as they meet with these four students.  Please pray for God’s clear direction as to how to manage this situation.     
    - At first glance, this might seem like an easy decision — just require all 20 students to go to Mango. 
    - However, these four students have said from the beginning (during their initial interviews) that they did not want to go to Mango.  And we took them into the program anyway. Hmm . . .!! 
    - We admitted them to the school believing that we would have at least several of our “older” nurses going to Mango (several of the older nurses had indicated a strong interest/desire to go). So we took the four students who did not want to go to Mango. Now it seems that we have perhaps only one “old” nurse heading to Mango – instead of several! 
    - Consequently, Mango needs nurses; and HBB (hospital in the south) does not need more nurses (for the moment) and does not have the budget for extra nurses. 
    - To complicate the situation, two of these four students were hospital employees before starting the nursing program — so they would need to resign from our hospital and be hired in the Mango hospital.  I am not sure that legally we can tell them to do that when they do not want to! 
    - To further complicate the situation, one of the students is engaged to one of our nurses. And from what I hear, that nurse does not believe that God is leading him to Mango – and he sure does not believe that God is leading his wife to Mango and leaving him here!!
    - All 20 students (including these four) signed a contract at the beginning of the nursing program saying that they would serve in either hospital depending on the needs and the decision of the two hospital directors. However, from years of experience with college students in the US, I know that things change!!  Family situations change, engagements happen, etc.  And contract wording is read differently by different people . . .! 
    - Bottom line:  would you please pray that God’s direction would be clear; that everyone involved (missionaries and students) will follow God’s direction regardless of what that might mean (for missionaries that might mean trusting God to provide other nurses and other finances; for students that might mean trusting God with their families and responsibilities); and that communication and attitudes would be right before God and with each other.
    For your specific prayer, the meetings this afternoon will be from 10 AM to noon EST; meetings on Friday will probably be from 7 AM to noon EST (meeting with the students individually and then with the whole class).

2)  Another issue that is being discussed (or re-discussed!) is that of the “certificate” the nursing students will receive at the end of their nursing program.  At this point, the Togo government only recognizes its own nursing programs. In other words, we have governmental permission to have a nursing program – but our students (and all students in any private program) cannot take the national licensing exam. So all of the nurses that we have educated, including these students, cannot receive a “diploma” but must receive a “certificate”.  I have been to the Minister of Health’s office a number of times, with a delegation of other missionaries and Togolese, pleading for official recognition of our program.  That has always been denied (in spite of a terrible dearth of nurses in Togo!!). 
    - The students are asking that something be done again.
    - However, trying to knock again on government doors during a nursing program can be a little risky (all non-governmental nursing schools, including ours, were shut down in 2003 – thankfully, that was three days after the graduation of our nursing class!  And thankfully, after multiple appointments with authorities, we were able to re-open for the next program).  So I am very willing to continue pursuing government recognition after this nursing class graduates - but not until then. 
    - The students have watched as people in the community, and nurses at other hospitals, laugh at our current nurses – saying that their education is not even “valuable".  Obviously, those people will know the value of our nurses' education if/when they come here as patients!! Our hospital is well–known throughout Togo and in neighboring countries – and there is absolutely no question about the “value” of what we are doing here! 
    - The students knew in at the time they were accepted in the program that they would be studying for three years and would receive a certificate.  We have always been very upfront about that. But sitting in an interview hearing about a certificate (and seeing it) is very different than being five months away from graduation and thinking about what one receives at the end of three years of hard work!
    - Anyway – at times it seems like there is a lack of confidence in the nursing school director (me!), lack of understanding about decisions that are made, questioning, etc. Most recently the students have expressed a desire to receive their certificates in a private ceremony - rather than a public graduation ceremony.  I am saddened by that idea – not because I am hanging onto the major celebration idea, but because that speaks to me of some heart attitudes and perceptions.
    - The last prayer letter was written after a three–hour meeting with the students; that was followed last week by a 2 1/2–hour meeting (with a somewhat better tone). 
    - Annette (hospital administrator) and I are hoping to meet with our hospital lawyer next Tuesday (the 10th) to see if we can at least add some official elements to the certificate the students will receive (“official elements” that make it more accepted in a Togolese environment) - would you please pray for for a good outcome of the discussion with the lawyer?!!
    - Bottom line: would you please pray that God will continue to give grace and patience with every question, love for every student (that is not hard – I love these students!),  wisdom for the next steps with the government (probably next summer after this class graduates), and please ask God to give us permission from our lawyer to change the certificate. 

Can I add a couple of other requests?
    - Pray for the Mango hospital: for special wisdom for Cindy, the hospital administrator, as she negotiates with employees for other departments (lab, OR, etc); pray that God would encourage the missionaries that He has led to serve Him in the north!  Satan is fighting hard – pray that our God would have a great victory!
    - Pray for our hospital in the south.  We thank God for the finances that He has provided – yet we look at the budget for future years knowing that only He can continue to provide what is needed!  Pray for employees who will be committed to doing right and to serving God – no matter the pressures or ideas of others!
    - Pray for Germain, our nursing school translator/administrative assistant.  He has been thrown into some roles of responsibility in his church and desires your prayers for wisdom.  He is also like an advisor – or a pastor – to our students and needs prayer as he tries to encourage and challenge their spiritual growth. 
    - Pray for a 6-year-old girl named Grace, the daughter of the lab tech who died (mentioned in the past prayer update).  Grace will be going to the US (Indianapolis) this Saturday (Dec 7th) for heart surgery.  She will be going without her mother because her mom does not have a passport or visa (Grace’s dad was working on that so he could accompany her).  Grace will be with a representative of the organization that is funding this surgery and the trip – someone she does not know, who does not know her language (more than likely!). Praise the Lord for the fact that one of our favorite surgeons and his wife have opened their home to Grace for the time she is in the US.
    - Pray that our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) vehicle will arrive here safely and soon (it is in Lome, paperwork is in process).  Pray for our CHE members – my sense is that we are a key time in the CHE ministry.  We need God’s direction for the villages in which to be involved, for wisdom in working with pastors, for passion to see people come to Christ!!
   
I thank God for the incredible privilege of serving Him here.  And I thank Him that He gives strength and wisdom and whatever is needed for each day and for each conversation and for each relationship.  And I thank Him for you – friends who care and pray and invest in my life and ministry and in the lives of these nursing students, and CHE villages, and hospital patients!

Thanks for letting me “muse” - and for letting me share a few comments that hopefully have given you a better idea of what goes into life and ministry in Togo! 

Thankful to be serving our Lord together!
Sharon
rahillys@abwe.cc or rahillys@yahoo.com
Blog site: http://rahillysharon.blogspot.com/
Cell Phone in Togo:  011-228-9006-3220 (if calling from the US)
Address:  ABWE, Missionary Finance, P.O. Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA  17105-8585

Bullets!

Tuesday, Nov 12, 2013
Dear Friends,

The subject line does not in any way mean that we are in danger here in Togo!  Really – there are no bullets flying over my head while I sit here writing a prayer update!!!  But this letter hits so many things that are happening here – so I hope you don’t mind somewhat of a bulleted list.  If I tried to describe everything in detail, reading this prayer update would seem rather daunting (I am sure it will be long enough even with what I call a “bulleted list”)!  Here goes:

**Hospital Finances:  The most recent letter I sent was one that featured the incredible ministry (spiritually and physically) of our hospital, HBB (Hopital Baptiste Biblique) and told about some huge financial needs.  How I thank God for the way He touches hearts — and how I thank Him for people who respond when their hearts are touched!!  There have been some wonderful gifts sent for these immediate financial needs.  We are thrilled with the way that God has provided through His people. Would you please pray that the needed regular monthly support for our hospital would also be provided?  I cannot imagine supporting a more exciting and spiritually-profitable ministry!

**Like Christmas!!  A container arrived about two weeks ago — what fun!  On the container were five used laptop computers, donated by friends in the US.  You cannot imagine the joy in being able to provide these for some of our Togolese who will have the ability to access resources, do word processing, improve communication, etc.  Last week one of our hospital employees came to the house.  His name was the first on my “laptop reception” list.  He has been praying for probably close to a year that God would provide a laptop.  He walked in and saw the laptops that I had set out on the kitchen table.  His eyes were so wide; he was amazed that God had allowed him the privilege of choosing his own laptop!  Talk about a “kid in a candy shop . . .”! 
    In addition to the computers, there was an absolutely beautiful refurbished guitar in a brand new case.  That has just been given to one of our churches — what an addition it will be to their worship of our God!! 
    And someone graciously purchased two water filters (ones that are especially designed for use in areas where clean water is hard to come by!).  One of these will be given to a pastor and his family who are currently drinking river water that is totally filthy!  We are entering dry season — and the water they drink will get worse and worse.  I realize that a filter will not be effective when the river becomes more mud-like.  A well is what is ultimately needed.  But at least during the rainy season and partial rains this water filter will be a huge help!

**Partnering with giants!!  I am frequently humbled by the spiritual lives of our Togolese and their devotion to serving our Lord.  One of these Togolese is Pastor Martouka.  His passion is to see people in villages come to Christ!  He currently pastors/oversees at least five village churches.  He would love to be able to leave his fields completely and be in full-time ministry.  But that is not possible financially since he has a wife and three children. In addition to overseeing the churches, Pastor Martouka has also returned to school to try and get his high school diploma.  That will take another two years — so there he is, 30-some years old, attending classes with much younger students!  What fascinates me is that he has already started Bible studies among the students — he came by the other day and bought a bunch of tracts from our literature ministry.  I don’t think he is ever without some type of literature that he can hand to people as he explains God’s wonderful plan of salvation!  Please pray for this pastor and his family!  By the way, he does not know it yet — but one of the laptops was donated specifically for him — a laptop that belonged to a missionary who is now with the Lord!

**Chief at Salamba-Kope:  God continues to open doors for our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) ministry.  One of the newer villages in which our CHE members work is Salamba-Kope.  Our CHE team returned the other day just delighted — the chief in that village had asked them to do a study with him and the other leaders on Biblical principles for families and for raising children !  Wow what an opportunity!

**In Port!!  Praise the Lord, our vehicle for the CHE ministry has arrived at the Lome port!!  Wow, I am thrilled — even without having seen it!  It is completely paid for thanks to so many people who donated for this ministry vehicle!  I transferred more money yesterday to cover the cost of insurance, registration, license, getting it out of port, etc.  Please pray that all goes well over the next 2-3 weeks as one of our Togolese men in Lome takes care of all the paper work.  We hope to have the vehicle delivered sometime in December!  Expect photos!!!!

**Hit Hard:  Our ministries here in Togo, our Togolese, and we missionaries have been hit hard lately with some very difficult situations.      This past Saturday we buried one of our hospital employees – 36 years old, married, with two small children.  He had a cardiac dysrhythmia that caused his sudden death.  He is with our Lord; he is rejoicing.  But what a huge emptiness he leaves — in the laboratory where he worked most recently, among friends, in his church where he served so faithfully!  Our employees (and all of us!) have been reeling from the loss! 
    Our nursing students have been hit hard too:  Beni and his wife lost their “adopted” son — a 10-year-old boy from Beni’s wife’s family. Both of the boy’s parents had died a couple of years ago; Beni and his wife do not have children; they took this boy in and treated him as their son.  About six weeks ago, he was sick, losing weight.  He tested positive for HIV.  About three weeks later, he died.  He very clearly had a love for God and had apparently given his young life to Him.  Again, that means that we are rejoicing!  But how difficult to sit next to Beni’s wife, Enyonam, hold her hand as she wept, and try to comfort this young lady who would love to have children of her own — and has now lost the child that God had given them. 
    One of our other students, Esther, lost her uncle who was essentially her father.  She lost her father at a very young age and her uncle raised her as his child.  Her uncle died a week ago.  There is no evidence hat he had a personal relationship with God – although he heard the wonderful news of salvation numerous times.  We hope that he responded to that message!
    Yesterday morning one of our students, Julie, was at my doorstep about 7:30 AM.  She had received word the night before that her younger brother had been in an accident; that morning she received a telephone call saying that he had died.  She sat and wept!  This was a young man who attended a church — but who learned in that church that he could earn his way to heaven by the good things he did in life.  Sadly, that is the complete opposite of what God’s Word teaches.  Again, our hope is that this young man listened to his sister as she, through the years, told him how he could have eternal life through faith alone in Jesus Christ’s death for him. 
    The daughter of one of our dear pastors got involved in pornography and it was just recently found out that she has been involved with several young men, some of them in the same church.  You can imagine the devastation for the pastor, his wife, the church, all of us who know and love them.  Please pray for true sorrow for sin — and for a changed life! 

**Graduation!!  We are very excited to announce the date for the graduation of this class of twenty nursing students!!  They will graduate on Saturday, May 31, 2014!!  Wow is that exciting news!!  Please pray much for them as they complete course work, do a four-month internship working almost full-time at the hospital, and then graduate and start work as nurses at our hospital.  Please pray especially for those who are a little weaker clinically and academically — that we faculty would have God’s wisdom in knowing how to help them — with the goal that they will be excellent nurses by the time they graduate! 

**Critical Care:  As you pray for the nursing program and for me, would you please pray for the upcoming Critical Care course (starting Monday, Nov 18th and continuing for three weeks).  I will have the privilege of team teaching that course with Tabitha Groeneveld, an excellent ICU nurse.  Please pray for both of us — for time and wisdom in preparation!  For ability and clarity and creativity in teaching!  And for understanding on the part of each of our students.  The next few weeks look a bit overwhelming — yet exciting.  Thanks for standing with me in your prayers!

**French!!  The joys of praying in a second language — what a humbling experience that can be.  While sitting in Beni and Enyonam’s home, comforting them on the loss of their adopted son, I was asked to pray for them.  I Corinthians 15 was on my mind — and I prayed part of that passage of Scripture.  The part that talks about “mortality being swallowed up by immortality”!  Well, being a tongue-tied French speaker, I started to pray that “morality would be swallowed up by immorality”!  Thankfully, I corrected that quickly, I think!!  And went on, after praying, to share with them exactly what those verses really say — ending with the verse of victory, “Thanks be to God Who gives us the victory (over death and sin!) through our Lord Jesus Christ”!! 

Thanks for letting me share each of these “bullets” with you – even though it might not have shortened the prayer update!  Thank you for partnering with me in this wonderful ministry.  Thank you for praying; thank you for supporting; thank you for encouraging!

**Addendum Bullet:  Well, all that is above has already been written.  But now I need to ask you to pray specifically for me.  I just finished a three-hour meeting that involved lots of questions/answers.  And some very difficult things being suggested.  Not with any intention to hurt – but I find that I am saddened by some attitudes.  Truthfully, tonight I am discouraged, disheartened, disappointed.  Just about every “dis” I can think of right now.  Without going into any details, would you please pray that I would allow myself to be encouraged in the Lord; that I would know how to respond tomorrow and in the next few days; that I would have God’s wisdom and walk in faith and trust in Him; and that I would let love and patience show in everything that I do and say. I need your prayers.

Thankful to be serving our Lord together!
Sharon
rahillys@abwe.cc or rahillys@yahoo.com
Blog site: http://rahillysharon.blogspot.com/
Phone Numbers in Togo:  011-228-2449-7025 (home) or 011-228-9006-3220 (cell)
ABWE Account number: #013787.
Address:  ABWE, Missionary Finance, P.O. Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA  17105-8585

Amazed and Humbled - Try #2!!

Sorry - the first "publishing" of this update had a font that was way too small!!  Either that or I am getting way too old!!

Sunday, Sept 8, 2013
Dear Friends,

The whirlwind trip to the US ended about three weeks ago and I am back in Togo (I guess it was not really “whirlwind” since I was gone for one entire month)!  I had the privilege of making some memories with mom — and the joy of being able to serve my sister and brother-in-law by helping with mom so they could get away for a much-needed vacation.  My brother-in-law is a pastor in California – need I say more about the level of stress for him and for my sister!!  They truly were able to relax while away!!

I do want to explain that no ministry funds were used to finance this trip to the US – this was totally for family needs.  The Lord did provide in an unexpected way, however, with a personal gift that covered the entire cost of the trip.  I thank Him for that! 

I want to thank you for your prayers for the requests listed in the last prayer letter.  Let me give you an idea as to what God has been doing in relationship to those requests:

**Physician appointments: first was the dentist — and I mentioned in the last prayer letter that I ended up having a tooth extracted (no fun — but necessary!).  Next was the ophthalmologist who said that the spots/floaters will continue probably until the end of my life (whoopee!!) — so I am adjusting to new “things” in my visual field.  Then was the endocrinologist; that was for the 18-month check-up on the thyroid gland.  That went a little differently than what I had expected — but God does not always do things exactly in line with my expectations!!  I figured the endocrinologist was going to pat me on the back and say “bye” forever after doing the ultrasound and blood work.  Well, the blood work was fine (thyroid tests have never been abnormal for which I thank God!).  However, the ultrasound showed very small increases in size for three of the thyroid nodules.  The endocrinologist did not seem to be particularly happy about that (I was thankful for the word “small” and the use of “mm” as he described the change in size — but he was less than thrilled).  All of that to say that he has “invited" me to return in six months (he actually weighed the possibility of having me change my ticket and stay for a biopsy — but in the end he decided that the six-month follow–up was better).  When I say “invited” that means that he said no longer than six months — and that he actually made the appointment right there (he knows what happens when I am left to my own devices . . . there is a tendency to look at the nursing school calendar, to delay, etc!!).  So – bottom line is that I will be returning to California around mid–February for repeat ultrasound and probable biopsy. I would appreciate your prayers about that.

**Nursing school:  thank you for continuing to pray for our nursing students.  We still have 20 very special young men and women — and I am thrilled to pieces (whatever that means!) to know that God alone has brought them to this point in their education.  And that He has given wisdom and health and strength to all of us involved in shaping their lives as nurses!!  I have been doing clinicals with the students since I am not teaching in the classroom right now.  It is so exciting to see the progress they have made!  But not everyone progresses at the same rate — so please pray for God’s wisdom to know how to help those who are slower or weaker in certain areas! 

**Decisions about where our nursing students will serve:  The administrators for both the southern hospital and the under-construction northern hospital will be making the final decisions as to where these nursing students will live and work!  Four of our students very very very much want to serve here in the south — that is where their hearts are.  It would be possible for them to stay at this hospital – if some of our current nurses were to move north (and then these nursing students would take their place at our southern hospital).  However, it appears that we may not have any of our current nurses going north.  In which case, there would not be positions here in the south for these students who very much want to stay here — and they would need to move north instead.  Please pray much for these decisions!  They are decisions that are critical to the ministry of the hospital in the north – and also decisions that will affect our nursing students for the rest of their lives!

**Nurses for our northern hospital:  we expect that our northern hospital, when it opens (probably January 2015) will be even busier than our southern hospital!  Medical care in the north is minimal!  Health needs are overwhelming!!  The access area includes the north of Togo, Burkina, Ghana, Benin . . .!  Nurses (American nurses) are desperately needed in addition to our Togolese nurses — American nurses for long-term commitments as well as for short-term service!!  If you are a nurse, or know a nurse — and if you are brave enough to let God tug your heart toward a population in need, and gutsy enough to move out of your comfort zone in order to serve people who have next to nothing — please let me know!!!  I will be glad to answer any questions — and would be delighted to put you in touch with the health care missionaries in the north.  You would be meeting a need that is bigger than you can imagine — and you would have the time of your life if you are willing to serve God in this way (seriously – I know, and I wouldn’t trade what I am doing here for anything in the world!). 

**Vehicle for the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) ministry!  The price quote is in (received in this morning’s e-mail!); the vehicle is in Gibraltar and ready to be put on a ship headed for Togo as soon as the word is given!  And let me tell you what just happened!! As I was writing this part of the prayer letter, I prayed that God would provide what I thought was approximately $10,000 still needed to purchase the vehicle (that was not counting the tax and in-country fees). I started writing this sentence, "Would you please pray that God would provide the last . . .”, and stopped writing.  I thought, “I should check the account on-line and see exactly how much is in the account right now for the CHE vehicle”!  So I did — like two minutes ago.  And I am sitting here amazed at what God has done once again!  As of right now, the amount in the CHE vehicle account will pay for the entire CHE vehicle!! I can hardly believe it - I actually double-clicked around the site a few times to see if I was in the correct account!! But it is there!! There remains approximately $4000-$5000 to cover the tax, in–country fees, licensure, registration, etc – but the amount for the vehicle itself is already there!!  In addition, God has incredibly answered prayer about the tax for bringing the vehicle into the country – the authorities have given Adam Drake, the missionary that is navigating this whole process for us, the “okay" to bring in the car for a 5% tax instead of 53%!!!  What a huge answer to prayer that is as well!  I wish I could begin to express how I feel right now:  my gratitude to the Lord, my amazement as I see Him work in such a wonderful way!  Once again, our God has touched so many hearts — and people have responded in incredible ways!!  Thank you — for praying and for giving!!!

**Pray for our CHE ministry — that God will continue to touch the hearts of villagers.  I am constantly thinking, “What can we do better in the CHE ministry?”  I am sure there are many things — but with God’s help we continue to share the gospel as well as teach about disease prevention and community development.  The last time I was on furlough, when speaking in churches, one of the pictures I showed was that of the chief of Kaduasso-Kope, one of our CHE villages.  In the presentation, I showed his house with a fetish (chicken on a pole) in front of it to protect his family from evil spirits.  And I showed several pictures of our CHE members in that village and the church that God has raised up.  Over the past month or so, the Lord really put it on the heart of those CHE members to pray for the salvation of this chief (he is no longer chief; a younger one has now replaced him).  The CHE team recently visited his home in the village.  He had heard the gospel before through the CHE teaching and also from the pastor — but this time two of our CHE members once again presented the clear truth that nothing can save other than the blood of Jesus Christ.  No fetishes, no good works, no church attendance, no baptism — nothing but faith alone in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for sin!  That day, the chief — who has lived his entire life in animism — listened, and then expressed his understanding of what Jesus Christ did for him - and asked God to save him and make him His child!!  Wow!!  Many of you have prayed for him for at least the past 4–5 years!  What a reminder that our prayers are not in vain!! 

**And then there was the request I sent last time for "used laptop computers that might just be sitting around your house"!!  I thank the Lord for several people who provided laptops and one guitar, all of which are now on their way to Togo!!  What an incredible blessing and help those will be:  to a pastor who is passionate about studying and for whom this laptop will open a world of information that he has never imagined!; to a young man who wants to be trained in computer technology and who spends every “holiday” with a computer guy in one of our churches, learning how to use and work on computers; to a couple other Togolese believers; and to the group of believers in a church on the mountain who will delight in having guitar accompaniment as they worship God!  Thank you for sending these items to Togo!!  An added blessing:  in the process of communicating with a dear friend who donated her husband’s laptop (he is now with the Lord), she decided to contact a friend of hers who supplies water filters to developing countries.  So on the container there will be the gift of a water filter — one that will help a number of people who do not have access to potable water!  How fun to see the “side benefits” of donating a laptop computer!!! 

I typed the words “amazed and humbled” on the subject line of this e-mail.  Amazement is evident in just about everything I mentioned above.  Humbled is because God chooses to use me.  Humbled is when I realize how many people give so sacrificially for His work here in Togo. Humbled is when I hear people say that they pray regularly, even daily!

Thankful to be serving our wonderful Lord together!
Sharon

P.S.  Get a load of this from the journal of one of our nursing students (“journal” in this case being a required documentation of the application of Bible principles to life. We require this type of “journaling” of our students on an almost-weekly basis).  This particular student wrote the following about the application of I Timothy 6:12 to her life:  “Since reading this verse, I continually entrust myself to God and I ask Him for the strength and the wisdom to be a good ‘combatant’.  I have determined a plan for prayer and to be in communication with God; a plan for reading the Word of God, in order to know the Word to determine the good instead of the wrong according to His Word.  Because I cannot ‘combat' using my own ideas.  I have determined a plan for the end of each day.  Around 9:30-10 PM, I analyze all that I did during the day, I think through my actions in order to evaluate the wrong actions and the good actions.  I bring to mind any counsel/advice that I received and I determine all that conforms to the Word of God so I can put that in practice for my spiritual growth in order to better fight the good fight.  I evaluate my thoughts and my words to know where I have failed.  Where I have failed in action, in word, or in thought, I confess sincerely these failures and I establish a better plan in order to better confront the next situation with victory. I place myself in God’s hands so that He would give me His grace.”  This is the type of student for whom you are praying!!! 

Amazed and Humbled!

Sunday, Sept 8, 2013
Dear Friends,

The whirlwind trip to the US ended about three weeks ago and I am back in Togo (I guess it was not really “whirlwind” since I was gone for one entire month)!  I had the privilege of making some memories with mom — and the joy of being able to serve my sister and brother-in-law by helping with mom so they could get away for a much-needed vacation.  My brother-in-law is a pastor in California – need I say more about the level of stress for him and for my sister!!  They truly were able to relax while away!!

I do want to explain that no ministry funds were used to finance this trip to the US – this was totally for family needs.  The Lord did provide in an unexpected way, however, with a personal gift that covered the entire cost of the trip.  I thank Him for that! 

I want to thank you for your prayers for the requests listed in the last prayer letter.  Let me give you an idea as to what God has been doing in relationship to those requests:

**Physician appointments: first was the dentist — and I mentioned in the last prayer letter that I ended up having a tooth extracted (no fun — but necessary!).  Next was the ophthalmologist who said that the spots/floaters will continue probably until the end of my life (whoopee!!) — so I am adjusting to new “things” in my visual field.  Then was the endocrinologist; that was for the 18-month check-up on the thyroid gland.  That went a little differently than what I had expected — but God does not always do things exactly in line with my expectations!!  I figured the endocrinologist was going to pat me on the back and say “bye” forever after doing the ultrasound and blood work.  Well, the blood work was fine (thyroid tests have never been abnormal for which I thank God!).  However, the ultrasound showed very small increases in size for three of the thyroid nodules.  The endocrinologist did not seem to be particularly happy about that (I was thankful for the word “small” and the use of “mm” as he described the change in size — but he was less than thrilled).  All of that to say that he has “invited" me to return in six months (he actually weighed the possibility of having me change my ticket and stay for a biopsy — but in the end he decided that the six-month follow–up was better).  When I say “invited” that means that he said no longer than six months — and that he actually made the appointment right there (he knows what happens when I am left to my own devices . . . there is a tendency to look at the nursing school calendar, to delay, etc!!).  So – bottom line is that I will be returning to California around mid–February for repeat ultrasound and probable biopsy. I would appreciate your prayers about that.

**Nursing school:  thank you for continuing to pray for our nursing students.  We still have 20 very special young men and women — and I am thrilled to pieces (whatever that means!) to know that God alone has brought them to this point in their education.  And that He has given wisdom and health and strength to all of us involved in shaping their lives as nurses!!  I have been doing clinicals with the students since I am not teaching in the classroom right now.  It is so exciting to see the progress they have made!  But not everyone progresses at the same rate — so please pray for God’s wisdom to know how to help those who are slower or weaker in certain areas! 

**Decisions about where our nursing students will serve:  The administrators for both the southern hospital and the under-construction northern hospital will be making the final decisions as to where these nursing students will live and work!  Four of our students very very very much want to serve here in the south — that is where their hearts are.  It would be possible for them to stay at this hospital – if some of our current nurses were to move north (and then these nursing students would take their place at our southern hospital).  However, it appears that we may not have any of our current nurses going north.  In which case, there would not be positions here in the south for these students who very much want to stay here — and they would need to move north instead.  Please pray much for these decisions!  They are decisions that are critical to the ministry of the hospital in the north – and also decisions that will affect our nursing students for the rest of their lives!

**Nurses for our northern hospital:  we expect that our northern hospital, when it opens (probably January 2015) will be even busier than our southern hospital!  Medical care in the north is minimal!  Health needs are overwhelming!!  The access area includes the north of Togo, Burkina, Ghana, Benin . . .!  Nurses (American nurses) are desperately needed in addition to our Togolese nurses — American nurses for long-term commitments as well as for short-term service!!  If you are a nurse, or know a nurse — and if you are brave enough to let God tug your heart toward a population in need, and gutsy enough to move out of your comfort zone in order to serve people who have next to nothing — please let me know!!!  I will be glad to answer any questions — and would be delighted to put you in touch with the health care missionaries in the north.  You would be meeting a need that is bigger than you can imagine — and you would have the time of your life if you are willing to serve God in this way (seriously – I know, and I wouldn’t trade what I am doing here for anything in the world!). 

**Vehicle for the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) ministry!  The price quote is in (received in this morning’s e-mail!); the vehicle is in Gibraltar and ready to be put on a ship headed for Togo as soon as the word is given!  And let me tell you what just happened!! As I was writing this part of the prayer letter, I prayed that God would provide what I thought was approximately $10,000 still needed to purchase the vehicle (that was not counting the tax and in-country fees). I started writing this sentence, "Would you please pray that God would provide the last . . .”, and stopped writing.  I thought, “I should check the account on-line and see exactly how much is in the account right now for the CHE vehicle”!  So I did — like two minutes ago.  And I am sitting here amazed at what God has done once again!  As of right now, the amount in the CHE vehicle account will pay for the entire CHE vehicle!! I can hardly believe it - I actually double-clicked around the site a few times to see if I was in the correct account!! But it is there!! There remains approximately $4000-$5000 to cover the tax, in–country fees, licensure, registration, etc – but the amount for the vehicle itself is already there!!  In addition, God has incredibly answered prayer about the tax for bringing the vehicle into the country – the authorities have given Adam Drake, the missionary that is navigating this whole process for us, the “okay" to bring in the car for a 5% tax instead of 53%!!!  What a huge answer to prayer that is as well!  I wish I could begin to express how I feel right now:  my gratitude to the Lord, my amazement as I see Him work in such a wonderful way!  Once again, our God has touched so many hearts — and people have responded in incredible ways!!  Thank you — for praying and for giving!!!

**Pray for our CHE ministry — that God will continue to touch the hearts of villagers.  I am constantly thinking, “What can we do better in the CHE ministry?”  I am sure there are many things — but with God’s help we continue to share the gospel as well as teach about disease prevention and community development.  The last time I was on furlough, when speaking in churches, one of the pictures I showed was that of the chief of Kaduasso-Kope, one of our CHE villages.  In the presentation, I showed his house with a fetish (chicken on a pole) in front of it to protect his family from evil spirits.  And I showed several pictures of our CHE members in that village and the church that God has raised up.  Over the past month or so, the Lord really put it on the heart of those CHE members to pray for the salvation of this chief (he is no longer chief; a younger one has now replaced him).  The CHE team recently visited his home in the village.  He had heard the gospel before through the CHE teaching and also from the pastor — but this time two of our CHE members once again presented the clear truth that nothing can save other than the blood of Jesus Christ.  No fetishes, no good works, no church attendance, no baptism — nothing but faith alone in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as payment for sin!  That day, the chief — who has lived his entire life in animism — listened, and then expressed his understanding of what Jesus Christ did for him - and asked God to save him and make him His child!!  Wow!!  Many of you have prayed for him for at least the past 4–5 years!  What a reminder that our prayers are not in vain!! 

**And then there was the request I sent last time for "used laptop computers that might just be sitting around your house"!!  I thank the Lord for several people who provided laptops and one guitar, all of which are now on their way to Togo!!  What an incredible blessing and help those will be:  to a pastor who is passionate about studying and for whom this laptop will open a world of information that he has never imagined!; to a young man who wants to be trained in computer technology and who spends every “holiday” with a computer guy in one of our churches, learning how to use and work on computers; to a couple other Togolese believers; and to the group of believers in a church on the mountain who will delight in having guitar accompaniment as they worship God!  Thank you for sending these items to Togo!!  An added blessing:  in the process of communicating with a dear friend who donated her husband’s laptop (he is now with the Lord), she decided to contact a friend of hers who supplies water filters to developing countries.  So on the container there will be the gift of a water filter — one that will help a number of people who do not have access to potable water!  How fun to see the “side benefits” of donating a laptop computer!!! 

I typed the words “amazed and humbled” on the subject line of this e-mail.  Amazement is evident in just about everything I mentioned above.  Humbled is because God chooses to use me.  Humbled is when I realize how many people give so sacrificially for His work here in Togo. Humbled is when I hear people say that they pray regularly, even daily!

Thankful to be serving our wonderful Lord together!
Sharon

P.S.  Get a load of this from the journal of one of our nursing students (“journal” in this case being a required documentation of the application of Bible principles to life. We require this type of “journaling” of our students on an almost-weekly basis).  This particular student wrote the following about the application of I Timothy 6:12 to her life:  “Since reading this verse, I continually entrust myself to God and I ask Him for the strength and the wisdom to be a good ‘combatant’.  I have determined a plan for prayer and to be in communication with God; a plan for reading the Word of God, in order to know the Word to determine the good instead of the wrong according to His Word.  Because I cannot ‘combat' using my own ideas.  I have determined a plan for the end of each day.  Around 9:30-10 PM, I analyze all that I did during the day, I think through my actions in order to evaluate the wrong actions and the good actions.  I bring to mind any counsel/advice that I received and I determine all that conforms to the Word of God so I can put that in practice for my spiritual growth in order to better fight the good fight.  I evaluate my thoughts and my words to know where I have failed.  Where I have failed in action, in word, or in thought, I confess sincerely these failures and I establish a better plan in order to better confront the next situation with victory. I place myself in God’s hands so that He would give me His grace.”  This is the type of student for whom you are praying!!! 

Heavy Duty CHE Car?

Another prayer concern that is on my heart this morning!  I have been asking you to pray for a heavy-duty vehicle for the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) ministry.  Yesterday, in the prayer update, I added a web-site for a vehicle that one of our Mango missionaries recently purchased.  After I sent out the e-mail, the comment was made that perhaps that link got lost in the e-mail.  Hard to imagine that since the e-mail prayer update was so short and concise (yes, I am joking!!).  Anyway, here is the link below that will give you a glimpse of this particular vehicle. Cost is approximately $38,000 which includes purchase, customs, shipping, and whatever else my colleague in Mango needed to pay in order to get it here!

Web-site: http://ecom.toyota-gib.com/Default.asp?WCI=VariantDetails&WCE=VID:2008431 

I was going to try and send just a picture of the car, but can’t quite figure out how to do that!!  Thank you so much for your interest in this village ministry – and thank you for your prayers!

Serving our Lord together,
Sharon

Mango Missionaries!

Happy May 1st (in case you have not yet received those holiday wishes!)!  This is a huge celebration here in Togo – parades, lunches for employees, etc.  So, from this Togo missionary, enjoy your May Day!!

I realize that I just wrote yesterday, but two things are very heavy on my heart today.  I will probably write them in two different e-mails so they don’t get lost in one. 

For this e-mail, I would like to ask you to pray for our nursing students who are currently in Mango, Togo.  They arrived last evening – a tiring trip but a safe one for which we thank God.  They will be in Mango all day today and tomorrow and then head back south on Friday.  This morning they will be marching in the May Day parade with the Mango missionaries and Togolese employees (those who are doing construction on the hospital site).  This afternoon they will take a tour of the hospital property and see the amazing way that God is working to build the hospital there.  There are a number of other activities planned for the students for the next two days including some special prayer times.

This morning, as I thought and prayed for the nursing students, I began to realize the huge commitment that this is for them to move to Mango to serve as nurses in our future hospital.  We recruited heavily from the north for this nursing class - with the goal of having students who already had connections with that part of Togo.  So about five of our 20 students moved here from the north of Togo; a number of others have ties with the north (although some of those are ties from way back in their lives, not recent connections). But we also have a number of students who are from this area (Kpalime region) and a number from the Lome area.  These students will be moving to Mango to serve God there – not just for a year or two, but for a lifetime!  That is huge.  It hit me today that this is truly like being a missionary for these young men and women – leaving behind home and family and friends – in order to serve God.  A person can say, “but this is a small country; it only takes about 7-8 hours to return to Lome or Kpalime”. But for someone who has almost no extra money, and who does not have transportation access like we are used to in more developed countries (I.e., taxis here in Togo, usually way overloaded and not always the safest), this is a major change and it is a major commitment to our God. 

My heart’s prayer is that God would put such a huge burden on the heart of each of these students – a burden for the souls of people in the north of Togo, many of whom have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, people who are enslaved to a religion that cannot give hope or true peace!  Would you please pray with me today and tomorrow (and even after that!) for each of these twenty students?  Please pray that God will work in their hearts individually as they are in Mango.  Please pray that they will return home with a passion to study and learn and prepare for their missionary service in the north of Togo!  Please pray that, as with any missionary, they will view this as a privilege and a joy as they are called to serve the One Who loved them and sacrificed everything for them!  Thank you for your prayers for each of them!

Serving our wonderful Lord together,
Sharon