Here's an update from Esaho & Beatrice Kipuke in Togo, west Africa. We are the primary sponsors for this couple but are eagerly recruiting other churches and sponsors for the incredible work being done in northern Togo. Here's Esaho's October report:
This publication is very special to us since it is being prepared on October 4th, the date of our 31st Wedding Anniversary. We thank God for His guidance and His blessings on our children, our ministries and especially on us. Thank you all for your cards, prayers, phone calls and the wish for many more years to come.
Evangelization
Kipuke Outreach Ministries goal for this year is to reach out to many more people in the remote villages far from Pya and win as many souls as we can for the Lord. Students and workers are mobilized along with our choir for that adventure. Elderly people in these villages who have no one to care for them will also be the focus of our outreach program. With God’s help, we will find them and provide them with spiritual and material support.
Education
Our school year 2011-2012 resumed September 12, 2011 with 47 students into our Home Economics program. School started with a prayer meeting where voices were raised up to God asking for His blessings unto all of our personal, programs and us for the entire 2011-2012 school year. Many students and workers expressed their gratitude to God for how He blessed them. They feel it was God himself who has enabled them to join Kipuke Outreach Ministries programs.
Our dormitory for girls lacks space to accommodate all new needy students. More beds and mattresses are needed. Kipuke Outreach and Ministries provides accommodations only to enrolled students coming from other villages, Cantons and Regions of the country. Exception is made to girls rejected by their families due to forced marriages, indigenous religion practices, witchcraft practices…
The Kipuke Outreach program for orphans provides education, food, clothing and medical care expenses for children they have placed in foster families. We are able to find families willing to take in an additional child, but they can barely support themselves, so we must provide money to feed and clothe the orphans they care for. The orphans resumed their school this first week of October 2011. Kipuke Outreach provided all of these children with school uniforms, school supplies, tuition and other related school fees for the school year 2011-2012. Families providing care to these children also benefited by receiving some food for the orphans under their care, and their own children
Visitations:
Kipuke Outreach and Ministries was blessed by the visit of Ed and Linda Baker, The Mission Society missionaries serving on the Global Resource Team with specialization in water and sanitation. Ed and Linda enjoyed their visit to Togo, especially the visit at the Kipuke Outreach Ministries project in the village of Pya. Ed and Linda noticed the difficulty the training center has with training the students in it’s home economics program. The kitchen has no sink and no running water, making it difficult to educate the students about cooking practices. Ed and Linda will be working hard in finding ways to get pipelines run from the well to the main building at Kipuke Outreach and Ministries training center in Pya.
The 9100 District Rotary Club Governor visited Kipuke Outreach Ministries project in Pya where the International Rotary Club approved a matching grand that helped provide electricity to Kipuke Outreach Ministries training center, add electric and manual sewing machines and purchased some kitchen supplies for our cooking program.
The Governor and all who were with him appreciated the Kipuke Outreach Ministries efforts in the area of community development. Bringing to the village of Pya a nice and well equipped school to help young Togolese women to learn a trade is a big investment a NGO can provide a rural area with.
The nursery program at Kipuke Outreach Ministries training center also attracted the attention of the Governor. He noticed that the nursery needs more equipment such as toys for children and, in the long range a play ground to benefit children in the area.
Kipuke Outreach Ministries held a three day seminar for their “Women of Love” program. The topic of the seminar was “Women Leaders – What is Their Role”. Many women from neighboring villages of Pya came. The goal was to provide information to help women understand how they can have a role when it comes to leadership - what they can do to be effective, and to not be misunderstood in a country where the culture has not fully given to women the power to be a leader of groups? A certificate of participation was given to all women who attended.
Event:
Kipuke Outreach Ministries is coordinating a French International Mobilization Conference in Togo, led by the Mission Society, December 9-13 in Bagbe (Presbyterian Retreat Center, 35 kilometers away from Lome). We are expecting church leader participants from USA, Mali, Cameroon, Bourkina-Faso, Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo.
Prayer:
Please, pray for our programs, our donors and especially for the event God has for Togo in the coming months. Also, do not forget to pray for us, your missionaries on the field for good health and patience with the challenges we have to deal with on a daily basis.
Esaho and Beatrice Kipuke
Missionaries in Togo
Showing posts with label Togo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Togo. Show all posts
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Togo Dancing
It's a cloudy day in Georgia, and a perfect time to catch up on some of the summer videos from our mission teams. Here's a short clip from our missionary friend Dr. Esaho Kipuke at the Women's Training Center with Pya, Togo Dancing.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
"The Lady from Baga" by Dr. Vince Brawley
Dr. Vince Brawley was our team leader for the recent Togo Medical Mission June 21-30. Find one of the stories from the mission below which serves as an update of an ongoing story. I confess that I was one of the team that prayed through tears for this women in 2008 and none of us expected her to survive to see the new year.
"The Lady from Baga"
August 25, 2011 Mission Society News
Dr. Vince Brawley is an active member of Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church in Augusta, Georgia. He is also a supporter of Esaho and Beatrice Kipuke, Mission Society missionaries to Togo, West Africa. Here, he recounts his experience on a short-term medical mission trip to Togo and the miraculous healing he witnessed.
Kipuke Ministries in Togo, Africa is the realization of the prayers and dreams of Esaho and Beatrice Kipuke. The Kipukes are French-speaking Africans called back to their home continent to minister to the physical, emotional, economic, and spiritual needs of the poor and underserved people in the rural villages of Togo. Kipuke Ministries is administrated under The Mission Society and serves as a major international missions partner of Trinity on the Hill UMC. Speaking on behalf of the team members that participated in short-term mission trips in both June 2008 and June 2011, the progress made by Kipuke Ministries over three years is simply inexplicable apart from God's grace. The Kipukes have consistently under-promised and over-delivered. The following story represents just one of the countless blessings that have been witnessed as a fruit of this ministry.
Bernadette is a member of the Baga village near the northern Togo city of Kara. Her chief is a former witch doctor who, because of an ongoing relationship with the Kipukes, has opened his village to the teachings of Jesus Christ. When we first met Bernadette in June 2008, she was in her mid 30s and was a married mother of three young children. She presented to our make-shift medical clinic with complaints of large masses in both breasts and sores in her neck, above her collar bones and in her armpits. The rock hard mass in one breast was the size of a grapefruit and she had an orange-sized tumor in the other. The sores were likely multiple lymph nodes containing metastatic cancer. She had lost weight and appeared very ill. Without the benefit of modern pathology, a diagnosis of advanced, untreatable breast cancer was made. Even had she lived in the United Sates, her prognosis for survival would have been grim. We gave her the only medicines available in our limited clinic pharmacy (analgesics for pain and antibiotics for possible infection of the skin ulcers), then Beatrice Kipuke shared the difficult news with her - that she would almost surely die in a matter of months, if not weeks. We laid hands on her and prayed but then, having little faith in her healing, starting preparing for the support of the children after her death. For some time, our U.S. team did not receive follow up on her condition, and we could only hope and pray for the wellbeing of her family. We were not aware that the Kipukes were holding Bible studies in Bernadette’s home and continuing to pray for her. During this passage, they sensed that her faith was growing and getting stronger. Esaho reports that she was “not crying anymore, but enjoying the presence of the Lord in her.” Around that time, the Kipukes returned to the U.S. for a brief respite.
In 2010, during a later U.S. visit from Esaho Kipuke, I casually asked him about "the lady from Baga," and he shared the following account. After their return, he and Beatrice made a visit to Bernadette’s home. She appeared from her hut and fell at Beatrice's feet proclaiming the mighty power of God. She then stood to raise her shirt showing disease-free breasts and pointing to healed scars on her skin. Despite Esaho’s confident faith in this story, I simply did not believe and could only assume that he had her confused with another woman. During my medical practice, I had witnessed “unexplained” healing and should have believed. However, this "doubting Thomas" would definitely have to see for myself.
In preparing for the return medical mission trip scheduled for June 2011, still skeptical, I emailed Esaho to inquire about setting a follow-up exam for Bernadette. He made it happen. On Sunday, June 26, 2011, our team of 12 Americans, the Kipukes, and several of our other African brothers and sisters were witnesses to the mighty healing power of our awesome God. As if her humble living conditions were not overwhelming enough, the woman, who was easily recognized by me and several of my fellow team members, stood before us. She was healthy and standing beside a thankful husband and one of her beautiful daughters. I touched her. There were no masses in her breasts and there were only healed scars where there had once been festering ulcers. Just as Jesus had commanded Thomas, I felt Him saying, "Stop doubting and believe.” I could only reply, "My Lord and My God!" and lament, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20, 27-29).
"The Lady from Baga"
August 25, 2011 Mission Society News
Dr. Vince Brawley is an active member of Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church in Augusta, Georgia. He is also a supporter of Esaho and Beatrice Kipuke, Mission Society missionaries to Togo, West Africa. Here, he recounts his experience on a short-term medical mission trip to Togo and the miraculous healing he witnessed.
Kipuke Ministries in Togo, Africa is the realization of the prayers and dreams of Esaho and Beatrice Kipuke. The Kipukes are French-speaking Africans called back to their home continent to minister to the physical, emotional, economic, and spiritual needs of the poor and underserved people in the rural villages of Togo. Kipuke Ministries is administrated under The Mission Society and serves as a major international missions partner of Trinity on the Hill UMC. Speaking on behalf of the team members that participated in short-term mission trips in both June 2008 and June 2011, the progress made by Kipuke Ministries over three years is simply inexplicable apart from God's grace. The Kipukes have consistently under-promised and over-delivered. The following story represents just one of the countless blessings that have been witnessed as a fruit of this ministry.
Bernadette is a member of the Baga village near the northern Togo city of Kara. Her chief is a former witch doctor who, because of an ongoing relationship with the Kipukes, has opened his village to the teachings of Jesus Christ. When we first met Bernadette in June 2008, she was in her mid 30s and was a married mother of three young children. She presented to our make-shift medical clinic with complaints of large masses in both breasts and sores in her neck, above her collar bones and in her armpits. The rock hard mass in one breast was the size of a grapefruit and she had an orange-sized tumor in the other. The sores were likely multiple lymph nodes containing metastatic cancer. She had lost weight and appeared very ill. Without the benefit of modern pathology, a diagnosis of advanced, untreatable breast cancer was made. Even had she lived in the United Sates, her prognosis for survival would have been grim. We gave her the only medicines available in our limited clinic pharmacy (analgesics for pain and antibiotics for possible infection of the skin ulcers), then Beatrice Kipuke shared the difficult news with her - that she would almost surely die in a matter of months, if not weeks. We laid hands on her and prayed but then, having little faith in her healing, starting preparing for the support of the children after her death. For some time, our U.S. team did not receive follow up on her condition, and we could only hope and pray for the wellbeing of her family. We were not aware that the Kipukes were holding Bible studies in Bernadette’s home and continuing to pray for her. During this passage, they sensed that her faith was growing and getting stronger. Esaho reports that she was “not crying anymore, but enjoying the presence of the Lord in her.” Around that time, the Kipukes returned to the U.S. for a brief respite.
In 2010, during a later U.S. visit from Esaho Kipuke, I casually asked him about "the lady from Baga," and he shared the following account. After their return, he and Beatrice made a visit to Bernadette’s home. She appeared from her hut and fell at Beatrice's feet proclaiming the mighty power of God. She then stood to raise her shirt showing disease-free breasts and pointing to healed scars on her skin. Despite Esaho’s confident faith in this story, I simply did not believe and could only assume that he had her confused with another woman. During my medical practice, I had witnessed “unexplained” healing and should have believed. However, this "doubting Thomas" would definitely have to see for myself.
In preparing for the return medical mission trip scheduled for June 2011, still skeptical, I emailed Esaho to inquire about setting a follow-up exam for Bernadette. He made it happen. On Sunday, June 26, 2011, our team of 12 Americans, the Kipukes, and several of our other African brothers and sisters were witnesses to the mighty healing power of our awesome God. As if her humble living conditions were not overwhelming enough, the woman, who was easily recognized by me and several of my fellow team members, stood before us. She was healthy and standing beside a thankful husband and one of her beautiful daughters. I touched her. There were no masses in her breasts and there were only healed scars where there had once been festering ulcers. Just as Jesus had commanded Thomas, I felt Him saying, "Stop doubting and believe.” I could only reply, "My Lord and My God!" and lament, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20, 27-29).
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Of Shea Butter, a Women's Cooperative, and Us
Do you know about Shea Butter?
I admit I never heard of the stuff until I was in Togo and saw where a Fair Trade group called Alaffia manufactures the product. It was an amazing element of our latest medical mission that was well worth the time.
One of our team members knew about a women's cooperative in Sokode, Togo that ships items to the U.S. in efforts to promote fair trade. Of the importance of this approach the Alaffia group says:
"Fair trade means paying a fair price or wage in the local context, providing equal employment opportunities, engaging in environmental sustainable practices, providing healthy and safe working conditions, being open to public accountability, and reducing the number of middlemen between producers and consumers. Fair trade is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable and gives local communities the opportunity to self empower."
"Unrefined shea butter is a valuable natural resource for West Africa and could be an important tool in empowering local communities. However, most shea butter on the market in the United States and Europe is not fairly traded. The women who gather shea nuts and hand craft this remarkable oil receive only a tiny fraction of the final price."
"It is estimated to take 20 to 30 hours of labor to produce one kilogram of handcrafted shea butter, which is traded at $1 or less in today’s market. A woman making shea butter in West Africa will receive only a fraction of this price. Therefore, a person working for 30 hours, almost a week’s worth of work, will not receive even a dollar for her efforts. Even if she received the whole dollar, this does not even begin to reach living wage standards."
"Through our direct involvement in the entire process — from gathering the wild shea nuts and crafting the butter, to distribution locally and abroad — our members receive fair and steady incomes. In addition, 10% of sales will go directly back to our community in the form of community enhancement projects, AIDS and malaria outreach, and educational scholarships. We believe in 'building African self-empowerment the moral way' and truly appreciate your involvement in reaching our goals."
Learn more about Alaffia and support them if you use Shea Butter. Tell them that United Methodist medical team that visited Sokode (So Ko Day) sent you.
I admit I never heard of the stuff until I was in Togo and saw where a Fair Trade group called Alaffia manufactures the product. It was an amazing element of our latest medical mission that was well worth the time.
One of our team members knew about a women's cooperative in Sokode, Togo that ships items to the U.S. in efforts to promote fair trade. Of the importance of this approach the Alaffia group says:
"Fair trade means paying a fair price or wage in the local context, providing equal employment opportunities, engaging in environmental sustainable practices, providing healthy and safe working conditions, being open to public accountability, and reducing the number of middlemen between producers and consumers. Fair trade is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable and gives local communities the opportunity to self empower."
"Unrefined shea butter is a valuable natural resource for West Africa and could be an important tool in empowering local communities. However, most shea butter on the market in the United States and Europe is not fairly traded. The women who gather shea nuts and hand craft this remarkable oil receive only a tiny fraction of the final price."
"It is estimated to take 20 to 30 hours of labor to produce one kilogram of handcrafted shea butter, which is traded at $1 or less in today’s market. A woman making shea butter in West Africa will receive only a fraction of this price. Therefore, a person working for 30 hours, almost a week’s worth of work, will not receive even a dollar for her efforts. Even if she received the whole dollar, this does not even begin to reach living wage standards."
"Through our direct involvement in the entire process — from gathering the wild shea nuts and crafting the butter, to distribution locally and abroad — our members receive fair and steady incomes. In addition, 10% of sales will go directly back to our community in the form of community enhancement projects, AIDS and malaria outreach, and educational scholarships. We believe in 'building African self-empowerment the moral way' and truly appreciate your involvement in reaching our goals."
Learn more about Alaffia and support them if you use Shea Butter. Tell them that United Methodist medical team that visited Sokode (So Ko Day) sent you.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Three Days of Lunch Adventures
Too often I end up eating a sandwich at my office desk while I try to catch up on some work.
Funny how the highlights of the week seem to be when I get away from the desk and gather with others for some nourishment.
Every Tuesday I start the day with a staff meeting and then a clergy meeting at the church. Like most organizations, that also involves the hallway discussions which I call "premeetings" and "postmeetings."
I leave the church meetings and walk over to the main campus of Augusta State University just across Arsenal Avenue. I direct the ASU Wesley Foundation, a United Methodist sponsored campus ministry, and our big meeting each week is a Tuesday lunch in the student activity center. When I arrived back in Augusta in summer 2007, and began working with the ASU WF which had gone dormant for 6 months, I found I had no student leaders and no students!
Rather than compete with the existing religious groups on the 7500 member commuter campus who have a track record and students we chose to do something different. The existing groups build their program around a weeknight big worship event. We chose to work the day time crowd and offer food, conversation, and a coffeehouse approach emphasizing music and relationship building.
It has been tremendous fun, and usually the highlight of my week as 75-100 students of different backgrounds, majors, races, & religions gather. I can't adequately convey how wonderfully diverse the group is! The lunch gathering has awakened me to how the church ought to be everyday out in community, with emphasis on relationships, eager to engage people in conversation and life, and not so quick to emphasize the points that can easily separate people. I always enjoy the lunch because of the conversation and encouragement that is shared.
On Wednesday I gathered with my friends at the Salvation Army. We are working together on creating more of a partnership here in Augusta in the Harrisburg community. The church is ready for ministry which is more than band aids on old problems, and more than throwing a little money at someone who is requesting financial assistance for this months bill. So, we talked, and toured, and then sat down for lunch. It turns out they serve 3 meals a day, including 2 which are open to the public. Imagine a small cafeteria with some of the SA workers, 3 church visitors, and then many men and women who currently call the SA home. It totally changes a conversation ABOUT someone when THOSE people you are talking about are sitting next to you.
Then to top of my three days of lunch adventures I stumbled upon lunch.
Since we are starting a Hispanic ministry I figured I'd catch a little fast food somewhere and drive around south Augusta and then toward Grovetown to look and think about the project. As I took a cut through road I noticed some cars at the Korean Methodist Church. That made me think about our Korean Methodist friends in Togo who were such a help to the ministries this summer. It also reminded me that though we are neighbors in the same town, and share the same faith, we really don't know each other.
I turned the car around and went in to see if we couldn't take some first steps in developing a relationship.
As I walked into the building I smelled food, and as I turned the corner found six people eating lunch. I apologized for interrupting their meal, and after making my introduction and handing over my card said I'd come back at a more convenient time. But they'd have none of that and had me sit down to join them! What a delicious treat with different food, tastes, and textures than I'm accustomed to each day. It sure beat a boring old sandwich as I wrapped meat, rice, and vegetables in a leaf. It was a better lunch than I'd imagined I'd have, the best Korean food I've eaten since our guests in Togo fed us, and I think the conversation is the beginning of something new and exciting!!
Life sure is exciting when you venture away from the desk, enjoy some good food, and enjoy living and learning from others.
Funny how the highlights of the week seem to be when I get away from the desk and gather with others for some nourishment.
Every Tuesday I start the day with a staff meeting and then a clergy meeting at the church. Like most organizations, that also involves the hallway discussions which I call "premeetings" and "postmeetings."
I leave the church meetings and walk over to the main campus of Augusta State University just across Arsenal Avenue. I direct the ASU Wesley Foundation, a United Methodist sponsored campus ministry, and our big meeting each week is a Tuesday lunch in the student activity center. When I arrived back in Augusta in summer 2007, and began working with the ASU WF which had gone dormant for 6 months, I found I had no student leaders and no students!
Rather than compete with the existing religious groups on the 7500 member commuter campus who have a track record and students we chose to do something different. The existing groups build their program around a weeknight big worship event. We chose to work the day time crowd and offer food, conversation, and a coffeehouse approach emphasizing music and relationship building.
It has been tremendous fun, and usually the highlight of my week as 75-100 students of different backgrounds, majors, races, & religions gather. I can't adequately convey how wonderfully diverse the group is! The lunch gathering has awakened me to how the church ought to be everyday out in community, with emphasis on relationships, eager to engage people in conversation and life, and not so quick to emphasize the points that can easily separate people. I always enjoy the lunch because of the conversation and encouragement that is shared.
On Wednesday I gathered with my friends at the Salvation Army. We are working together on creating more of a partnership here in Augusta in the Harrisburg community. The church is ready for ministry which is more than band aids on old problems, and more than throwing a little money at someone who is requesting financial assistance for this months bill. So, we talked, and toured, and then sat down for lunch. It turns out they serve 3 meals a day, including 2 which are open to the public. Imagine a small cafeteria with some of the SA workers, 3 church visitors, and then many men and women who currently call the SA home. It totally changes a conversation ABOUT someone when THOSE people you are talking about are sitting next to you.
Then to top of my three days of lunch adventures I stumbled upon lunch.
Since we are starting a Hispanic ministry I figured I'd catch a little fast food somewhere and drive around south Augusta and then toward Grovetown to look and think about the project. As I took a cut through road I noticed some cars at the Korean Methodist Church. That made me think about our Korean Methodist friends in Togo who were such a help to the ministries this summer. It also reminded me that though we are neighbors in the same town, and share the same faith, we really don't know each other.
I turned the car around and went in to see if we couldn't take some first steps in developing a relationship.
As I walked into the building I smelled food, and as I turned the corner found six people eating lunch. I apologized for interrupting their meal, and after making my introduction and handing over my card said I'd come back at a more convenient time. But they'd have none of that and had me sit down to join them! What a delicious treat with different food, tastes, and textures than I'm accustomed to each day. It sure beat a boring old sandwich as I wrapped meat, rice, and vegetables in a leaf. It was a better lunch than I'd imagined I'd have, the best Korean food I've eaten since our guests in Togo fed us, and I think the conversation is the beginning of something new and exciting!!
Life sure is exciting when you venture away from the desk, enjoy some good food, and enjoy living and learning from others.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A Thursday in Local Mission
Usually Thursday is a quieter day after a busy Wednesday night supper & associated ministries with the church full of activity for children, youth, and adults. It's typically a pleasant, more meditative day closing out a busy time from Sunday through Wednesday. It's a great day to prepare for weekend and Sunday ministries with a slower pace & a time to catch your breath.
Today was a little different.
9:00 AM - I filled my van with school supplies for an inner city school. I then spent some time with my local missionary friend Marsha and the principal of the elementary school. We talked about community partnerships in after school ministry, summer programs, and enrichment activities.
Returned to church office, took care of some phone calls & e-mail, and wrote letter requesting donations from some local companies to fill a 40 foot container to be sent to Togo next month for the orphanage, school, and Kipuke ministries.
11:30 AM - Arrived at Salvation Army for tour and lunch. Discussed partnership with our church with their existing SA work, as well as sharing ideas about ways to partner as Augusta prepares for a Kroc Center to be established in a neighborhood very close to Trinity on the Hill. The Kroc Center would include something like a community center and a one stop social services complex. I also ate a "free" SA lunch.
1:30 PM - I met for an hour with a college student who is entering her junior year. She is a double major in English and Spanish, and has done Study Abroad in Spain and served on mission trips in two South American countries. She is looking forward to next summer and wants to do a 3 month internship with opportunity for more extensive immersion in Hispanic ministries. Hmm, the possibilities for next summer are already shaping up!?
3:30 PM- One hour meeting with a friend from our church who is interested in establishing Hispanic ministry in our metro Augusta area. She is native to Mexico, married an American a number of years ago, and has called Augusta home for the last few years. I'm currently talking with local United Methodist pastors and churches attempting to build a coalition of people interested in this opportunity. I'll facilitate 5 sessions in September and October as we gather these interested parties around the table and discuss the prospects for development of this over the next year. Plus we'll eat some authentic Hispanic food and listen to music from some Central and South American countries courtesy of Carmen!
The interesting thing is none of these meetings were on my calendar when I stepped in the office Monday morning! It's always a wonder to me the way God can connect us if we are open to new creations and available to listen to one another. Let's see where this breeze of the Spirit takes us...
Today was a little different.
9:00 AM - I filled my van with school supplies for an inner city school. I then spent some time with my local missionary friend Marsha and the principal of the elementary school. We talked about community partnerships in after school ministry, summer programs, and enrichment activities.
Returned to church office, took care of some phone calls & e-mail, and wrote letter requesting donations from some local companies to fill a 40 foot container to be sent to Togo next month for the orphanage, school, and Kipuke ministries.
11:30 AM - Arrived at Salvation Army for tour and lunch. Discussed partnership with our church with their existing SA work, as well as sharing ideas about ways to partner as Augusta prepares for a Kroc Center to be established in a neighborhood very close to Trinity on the Hill. The Kroc Center would include something like a community center and a one stop social services complex. I also ate a "free" SA lunch.
1:30 PM - I met for an hour with a college student who is entering her junior year. She is a double major in English and Spanish, and has done Study Abroad in Spain and served on mission trips in two South American countries. She is looking forward to next summer and wants to do a 3 month internship with opportunity for more extensive immersion in Hispanic ministries. Hmm, the possibilities for next summer are already shaping up!?
3:30 PM- One hour meeting with a friend from our church who is interested in establishing Hispanic ministry in our metro Augusta area. She is native to Mexico, married an American a number of years ago, and has called Augusta home for the last few years. I'm currently talking with local United Methodist pastors and churches attempting to build a coalition of people interested in this opportunity. I'll facilitate 5 sessions in September and October as we gather these interested parties around the table and discuss the prospects for development of this over the next year. Plus we'll eat some authentic Hispanic food and listen to music from some Central and South American countries courtesy of Carmen!
The interesting thing is none of these meetings were on my calendar when I stepped in the office Monday morning! It's always a wonder to me the way God can connect us if we are open to new creations and available to listen to one another. Let's see where this breeze of the Spirit takes us...
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Summer Catch Up- Togo Revisited
I'm wrapping up some summer work and attempting to shift gears into fall activities. That's tough to do when it's over 100 degrees! But school starts next week and it's about time. Here's some of the "sights and sounds" of Togo from our June medical mission.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Togo & Life Memorial
I'll end the Togo reflections with a story that was profound in it's emotion and impact. Three of our team members attended a memorial service for the patriarch of the family just hours before we caught the flight in Atlanta taking us on to Paris then to Lome. The grandfather had spent his first 9 years of life in Africa as a child to missionaries. They celebrated his life, and the celebration continued by extension of their mission.
I posted a number of pictures and a video from our busy Tuesday with the large crowd. During lunch the 3 went to a nearby mango tree, offered a prayer, and placed some of the ashes at the base of the tree. One of the locals, curious what was going on, went to them and asked what was happening. When he realized he too offered a prayer of blessing!
It was an amazing thing to watch as the week unfolded and as these 3 worked, and laughed, and lived. There was grief, yet it will continue to give way to celebration and to life.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Togo Full Report
The team saw 1231 people come through the medical clinic and pharmacy, about 750 additional people received worm pills and either vitamins or aspirin, and another 1023 people receive glasses.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Togo Eyeglass Clinic
The eyeglass clinic is always a phenomenal success when we do these mission projects. Imagine people who've NEVER had access or ability to have their vision checked or to receive glasses. The results and the joy is immediate! Many people in their 50's, 60's, 70's, and older have struggled with the daily tasks for years and accepted their situation. Many children of these poor families who live a subsistence lifestyle struggle with little hope of acquiring a luxury like a pair of glasses. Imagine suddenly being able to read, or thread a needle, or see a face at a distance. The results are immediate and profound. A small everyday miracle for us perhaps, though for much of the world it is a transformational moment when someone receives a pair of glasses.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Idol or Protector
This is an idol in the village of Aklakou in Togo. It's at the outskirts of town. Once they'd had a Roman Catholic crucifix in the center of town, but they moved that out claiming it had brought them bad luck. I couldn't imagine how anything could have been any worse in that primitive, isolated, 19th century location. I'm trying to use harsh language because it really is even worse than you can imagine, even by Togolese standards! The crucifix sits further outside town with it's back to town. This idol sits between the crucifix and the village.
Further into town their is another idol, and then around town there are many "babies" which are small stones. It's all pretty foreign to Western sensibilities and thinking. But there was some revelation in all this for me a couple of years ago in my first visit to the village. The local people don't call these idols. Instead, they refer to them as the "protectors."
Now that's an interesting, new way for me to tackle this. Turns out there are many "protectors" in my life which I rely on. These are monuments I set up in my world which give me a sense of stability, priority, safety, protection. These aren't rough stones, but polished weapons, agencies, governments, entities. I won't enumerate them for you. Chances are it's a rather lengthy list if we are honest.
Hmmm, maybe I'm not so different from the villagers in Togo after all.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Togo- Luke Dancing with Blessing
We enjoyed having a mixed group of ages on this recent mission experience. That really is the best way to do it! We had teenagers, young adults, and adults of all stages. Part of the children's ministry had teenage workers, and they gave the energy and enthusiasm which adults would loose by mid afternoon in the African sun! Check out Luke dancing with a little girl named Blessing. Note the music is missing, & the sound was so distorted with so many other voices that I muted it as it detracted from the beauty of the video. Just imagine the music and put yourself in the shoes of one dancing with Blessing.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Pya, Togo Worm Pill Line
So many strange, unusual things happen during a mission experience in a foreign country it's often hard to know where to start or what to say. And it takes some time to settle into your life so that the emotion and the experience of it all match up. Sometimes those don't ever match up. About all you can do is tell the story.
At end of the Tuesday med clinic when we ran out of time to see everyone in line we gave out worm pills and vitamins or aspirin. Check out the previous posts to get an idea of how large the crowd had been ALL day. Add the noise level. Include English, French, and a couple of ethnic/tribal dialects like Ewe & Mina but multiply times 200. For me this video offers a strange contrast with Michael James playing keyboard and singing in background as the large crowd receives a "parting gift."
At end of the Tuesday med clinic when we ran out of time to see everyone in line we gave out worm pills and vitamins or aspirin. Check out the previous posts to get an idea of how large the crowd had been ALL day. Add the noise level. Include English, French, and a couple of ethnic/tribal dialects like Ewe & Mina but multiply times 200. For me this video offers a strange contrast with Michael James playing keyboard and singing in background as the large crowd receives a "parting gift."
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Another Day, Another Crowd
This was from our Tuesday medical clinic in Pya, Togo. It stayed like this all day. Even though we saw many people many more would come to take a place in line. The whole med team wore scrubs no matter what our duty or specialty might be. I had the experience of walking through the crowd and people trying to show their problems and get a diagnosis even though this guy in scrubs isn't a medical doctor!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Togo Med Clinic Crowd
I'm still readjusting to my "normal" life.
I'm still feeling like I'm in another time zone, maybe on another continent.
This is the crowd I was in one week ago today.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Back from 10 Day Medical Mission in Togo west Africa
I arrived back in Augusta last night around 11 PM. Strange stuff- to leave one continent on a Sunday night, spend half a day on a plane, then do a layover on another continent before spending another large portion of a day in another plane. Then you touch down on yet a 3rd continent. One emerges to a different world.
More to come later as an update on what happened. It was one of the more eventful mission experiences with many stories emerging each day. As I recuperate some, enjoy my own bed and my normal diet, I'll ponder what all this means and what doors may have opened for me and for others because of our time serving others.
More to come later as an update on what happened. It was one of the more eventful mission experiences with many stories emerging each day. As I recuperate some, enjoy my own bed and my normal diet, I'll ponder what all this means and what doors may have opened for me and for others because of our time serving others.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Upcoming Summer Days
I get into some fast paced summer service projects the next few weeks.
This week we meet in Athens, GA for the Annual Conference meeting. That's a gathering of clergy and lay delegates from the area, in our case the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church, for worship, business, and setting of pastoral assignments ("appointments" we historically call them) and agenda for the coming year. I'll use this as a time to renew some friendships, swap some stories with clergy, eat some food, enjoy some worship, and relax.
My church then sends out a medical mission team Friday to work in Togo west Africa. I've been there once before and spent time in Lome, in a number of bush villages, and then in the north around Sokode and then Kara. I'm sure I'll have some good pictures and stories from this. Experienced my first idol, witch doctor, and time with a village chief under the "truth telling tree" when I was last there in March 2006. Also ate lots of cous cous and gumbo.
This week we meet in Athens, GA for the Annual Conference meeting. That's a gathering of clergy and lay delegates from the area, in our case the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church, for worship, business, and setting of pastoral assignments ("appointments" we historically call them) and agenda for the coming year. I'll use this as a time to renew some friendships, swap some stories with clergy, eat some food, enjoy some worship, and relax.
My church then sends out a medical mission team Friday to work in Togo west Africa. I've been there once before and spent time in Lome, in a number of bush villages, and then in the north around Sokode and then Kara. I'm sure I'll have some good pictures and stories from this. Experienced my first idol, witch doctor, and time with a village chief under the "truth telling tree" when I was last there in March 2006. Also ate lots of cous cous and gumbo.
I'll return home for a few days and then we're off to New Orleans to do some Hurricane Katrina relief. I signed up for interior repairs, but mysteriously roofing has crept on the list. Hope I don't have a July roofing experience in New Orleans on my resume! Probably more gumbo to be eaten if I'm lucky.
More stories later...
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