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!!!
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