September 2010 Prayer Letter

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

Courtyard Kids is Off to a Great Start!

Wednesday, November 4th is the day we launched our children's program, Courtyard Kids. What a great day it turned out to be! 

I had had several meetings with the staff about many different topics pertaining to this new program, prior to this week. Some concepts were extremely practical, yet very useful such as: guidelines for staff members working with children, the three different learning styles, the definition and examples of positive reinforcement, and the basics of public speaking. 

Most importantly, we went through, in detail, how to clearly and simply present the plan of salvation to a little one. The staff was, and is, all ears to learn and practice all they can in regards to the evangelism of their friends and neighbors, no matter how young or old. That is truly an exciting thing to consistently be around. 

I structured "Courtyard Kids: Where Character Counts!" after several youth programs in America. I looked for the best concepts in each, and tailored a children's program to work here in Togo. Each week the children will be taught the following: a character trait, a Bible story, and a Bible verse. Each lesson may take 2-4 weeks depending on the particular concept of each lesson. For instance, next week, I am starting the character trait, "Be Orderly". The Bible story is about creation. The verse is I Corinthians 14:40 (Everything should be done decently and in order.). The following lesson is "Be Attentive"... the story is about Samuel... the verse is Psalm 85:8a (I will listen to what the Lord will say.). I love this concept because not only does each child learn a Bible story and to "hide God's word in their little hearts", but they also are taught the practical application to their own life. I'm so excited about it! Please continue to pray as we also will be teaching obedience, respect and honesty... all before the new year! 

Please pray that relationships may be built with these kids' families. JJ and I desire to establish a Courtyard Kids program in every local church that we are part of planting in Togo.  We see it as a tangible, reproducible, and effective program to aid in church planting here.

An average "Courtyard Kids afternoon" consists of our staff arriving at our home at 3 pm from their afternoon break (noon-3 pm). It is at that time that we start setting up the courtyard... the ribboned flags are hung, the woven mats are arranged, the dry erase board is brought out, the drinking water bucket is filled and the music begins to play at 3:40 pm. 

By 3:45, this week, there was nearly 75 kiddos waiting so patiently outside our blue doors. We could hear some of them giggling and playing out front for over an hour before we opened the gate at five minutes to 4 pm. The last head count, 20 minutes into the afternoon, was 142 kiddos in attendance. The ages ranged from a 6 month-old carried in on the back of an older sibling, to several young teenagers who jump right in singing and playing the games with everyone.

Everyone of the staff members knew their role. Maz opened the afternoon, and greeted the kids by teaching them a new song. Naka then creatively taught the children John 3:16. Maz practiced the song with them a bit more. Then, with JJ translating for me, I taught a lesson while answering these two questions: "What is this Bible you are talking about?"(Many of the children in the Aneho area have never heard about Jesus, the Bible, or anything pertaining to God.) and "What am I going to do when I come to Courtyard Kids?". When I had finished, Abraham and Junior taught the kids how to play "Voici, Voila" (It's like Simon Says). 

An hour and a half later, we had given out the last sucker to the grateful little ones and had shaken the last little hand good-bye. 

I can't wait until next Wednesday...

Melissa