Dear Friends and Family,
The congregation erupted in spontaneous applause as I was able to tell
them the great news. God has supplied the finances and we purchased
the church property for the Aneho church. We then spent the next
several minutes thanking God for what He had supplied. It was not only
a celebration, but a testament to God’s faithfulness. A week later we
met and walked the church property for everyone to see.
We are now in the process of collecting teak poles, bamboo poles, and
grass thatch to put up an overhang. Though we have to wait until the
tomatoes are harvested to use the land, I believe the young people are
itching to get to work. We plan to get started in the next few weeks.
We have pretty much run out of room in our gazebo with an average of
60 people per week. I know we are all looking forward to having some
more space even though it brings new challenges.
I have been teaching through a series on leadership over the last
eight weeks in the Aneho church every Wednesday evening. We have been
focusing on the lessons that God teaches a leader and the preparation
process. It has been so much fun to watch these relatively young
believers start stepping up to the plate. I talked with a senior in
high school this evening who was talking about sharing his faith. He
has been able to see ten people trust Christ during the month of
September. The majority of these were fellow students, but one was his
younger sister. Melissa had three ladies approach her a few weeks ago
about helping with the Courtyard Kids. She is in the process of
teaching them how to work with kids effectively. God has truly been
working in these believers lives as now they are no longer content to
sit on the sidelines.
The summer is over as school is now back in session. As we look over
the “wins” of the summer, God has truly been faithful. Some have made
foundational decisions such as trusting Christ as their Savior, while
others are taking additional steps in their journey in the Christian
life. One mobile camp stands out in particular, where 37 of the 65
campers trusted Christ. The church in Kpadape has continued to ride
the momentum wave from this week of ministry.
As we enter the 4th quarter of the year, we have just launched small
groups in the Aneho church. We are starting with 3 different groups
that meet once a week. I will do my best to be in each home over the
next few weeks as they are getting off the ground. Thank you so much
for your continued prayers and support as God continues to be
faithful to all those who trust Him faithfully in Togo, West Africa.
JJ & Melissa Alderman
