Leadership Council

When the church plant (Eglise Nouvelle Vie) turned two years old, we believed it was time to start developing the leadership of the church at the next level. I chose six men to begin training for future leadership positions. We looked at everything from the annual budget ($750.00) to the effectiveness of our special events to being on time to services. We are studying 1 Timothy 3 together right now.

As we sat around our table in the gazeebo last night, I asked each guy how he was an example in the church and community this week. I was truly encouraged with what I heard and felt it was enough of an encouragement to pass along.

Simon- “I witnessed to the voodoo priestess that works next door to my shoe shop.” She asked, “If God made everyone, then why did He make some Christian and some voodoo?”’ Simon explained, “All men are born lost, but it is a decision to trust Christ.” He has been working with this lady for quite some time and asked us to continue praying for her.

Prosper- “It has been 7 years since I have been up north to visit my family. When I last left we had some problems in the family so that is why it has taken me so long to go back. In addition to these problems, as a child my family performed certain ceremonies on me and assigned a demon to protect me. Since becoming a Christian, I need to go home and tell them that I no longer believe in such things. I also took the opportunity to share Christ with my family.” I told him that this decision is a great example to his newly-saved wife about fixing problems from years past.

Ben- “I went up to Vogan (a city about 15 miles north in which we would like to plant a church) to visit an former school teacher and his family. I was able to witness to all the man’s children, and his two daughters trusted Christ as their Savior. The daughters instantly starting asking questions about how their promiscuous lifestyles should change. I was able to encourage them about what their life in Christ will look like. The teacher (father) went on to comment that was the first time that all the kids stayed in the same room and talked for the evening. The kids normally leave the house going their separate ways the minute dinner is over.”

Victor- “I was really excited because the friend that I invited for the New Year’s Eve party trusted Christ as Savior.”

Etienne- “I was able to have a great conversation with a young lady this week about her need for Christ. Ben and Victor know her well and should be able to help me follow up with her.”

Jonas- “I spent a good amount of time praying for each person in the church and each specific need. I am praying that God will give us people that are literate and leaders in our community.”

New Year's Day

New Year’s Day is most Togolese favorite holiday of the year. Each family cooks a big meal, everyone buys a new outfit, and they will go from house to house saying hi to all their friends. At some point throughout the day, the extended family will sit down together and talk about any problems that might have occurred throughout the year. They will fix any of these problems within the large group of people.

This year we invited 4 guys over for lunch that would not have had anywhere else to go. (2 are orphans and 2 are abandoned) We had a blast eating southern bbq pork, baked beans and sweet corn. Melissa even made some hommade chocolate pudding for desert. After lunch we watched two movies together. Invictus was the one that provoked the most thought and conversation. We in Africa must practice forgiveness at so many different level. Nelson Mandela (debately a Christian) lead his nation from turmoil to the growing nation that is part of the B.R.I.C.S.

We talked about what each person had accomplished in 2011 and what they planned to accomplish in 2012. Some goals were financial such as buying a pair of shoes and saving to pay a dowry when ready to get married. Others were spiritual such as being more respectful at home and sharing their faith more consistently. One guy said he has done a great job to stop lying in 2011. Most Togolese do not talk about their feelings openly, so I was very pleased to see how candid they were.

The guys all thanked us for the great day before they left. One in particular thanked us for the advice. He says that not everyone takes the time to teach others. I believe this appreciation should be passed on to those that enable us to do what we do.

We appreciate the opportunity to mentor guys such as this. We would never be able to live and invest in Togo if it were not for people sacrificially giving. We truly appreciate each person, business, and church that contributes to allow us to make an impact in people’s lives. I believe these guys will go on to impact many lives themselves.

Teenage Life in Aneho

So much of my time is spent living my life with young Togolese men. These guys are normally about 16-26 years old. I am so proud of them the way they are growing spiritually and making decisions based on principles they have placed in their lives. I wanted to pass on a few of the conversations I have had this month.

A church in FL bought a few bicycles to send over here. I have been able to give them to teenage guys that are orphaned. The bike's primary purpose was to help with transportation to school, as a few of them live up to 4 miles from school and have been walking. With these bikes, two of the guys have ridden to their villages in order to share their faith with their extended families. One fellow just led a person to Christ over the weekend.

Latte, 17 year old, trusted Christ because of one of his friend's witness. He has been extremely faithful this summer every since his decision. Latte walked into his home last weekend to find a huge feast that had been offered to the idols and the gods. Though he was hungry, his immediate response was to turn down the meal. It really made the family ask questions when a teenage boy from any culture turns down a meal. He proceeded to tell them that he does not follow that path any longer because he is a Christian. His great aunt listened to him intently for about an hour. She then asked for some of the "brochures" that talk about Christianity to take back to her village.

Victor, a shy 16 year old whose father passed away 3 years ago has been extremely bold about sharing his faith. He rode to his village about 3 weeks ago to share his faith. As he sat there, 12 of his older family members questioned him about his belief. They were dressed in all white to celebrate voodoo ceremonies. They told him that it is ok to serve both voodoo and Christianity. They mentioned many pastors and "Christians" in the area that still visit the witch doctor. They also said that if he does not practice both, they will never help him. (This is a big threat to a young person that is raised in a communal society.) He told them that he had made his choice to follow Christ.

Victor then proceeded to talk with a young guy who is training to be a witch doctor. The orphan asked him what his consequences would be if he followed Jesus. He said, "I will loose everything. I will not have a place to stay, anything to eat or many clothes." Victor told him to count the cost and that they would talk again in a few weeks.

Please be in prayer for these young people. They are facing opposition every day.

Sunday in Kpadape

I woke up this morning at about 5 a.m. in order to be on the road by 5:45. Mawulolo and Ben traveled with me to Kpadape. Ben wanted me to drop him off in his village so that he could see his family. As we passed through Lome on the way to Kpalime, we saw a man and son whose motorcycle had broken down. I picked up the son while the father waited with the motorcycle. As soon as the son climbed into the back seat of the car, Ben started sharing Jesus with him. They were going to the same village so I let them out of the car together about 15 minutes later.

The church service had a great feel. I could hear the singing as I pulled up and the crowd was somewhere around 80. I spoke on the first few verses of 1 Timothy. We are beginning the process of developing qualified church leadership. After the service, I baptized 9 people, including two young people from the mobile camp this summer. After a great lunch with the pastor and his wife, we started the 3 1/2 hour drive home. We picked Ben up about an hour into the trip. He gave us a great report that the boy had trusted Christ and as well as another girl.

Once we pulled into Aneho, we stopped at the church where Jonas was teaching the discipleship class. There were about 10 in attendance. Half of which are goinag through the course a second time so that they can teach in the near future.

I walked into the house about 6 just in time for dinner. It was truly a rewarding day.

Monday afternoon thoughts

This caught my attention because someone is finally telling the truth. The world jumps on bandwagon causes because the money is flowing. We must believe in the cause and therefore do everything we can to make it a reality. Unfortunately, many jump from money tree to money tree. The goal is then no longer rescuing the lost and forgotten, but raising one more dollar from a well to do donor. We must keep the main thing the main thing and not believe everything we see. It is about people. Yes, resources are definitely needed, but we must start by giving part of our lives instead of just throwing money at situations.....Just a few Monday afternoon thoughts........

"Charities raise money for starving Africans. What do Africans do? They starve. But mostly they starve in our imaginations. The starving African is a Western cultural archetype like the greedy Jew or the unctuous Arab."

"In a recent phone conversation, Ms Polman told me that the "starving African" story is not just the easiest to tell, especially in a continent that does not generate much international media coverage, but is also the most "politically correct." After all, who in their right mind would want to be accused of doing nothing for dying people?"

"The cosy relationship between aid workers and journalists has thus distorted the way Africa is reported. Journalists often do not get to the heart of the story or take the time to do the research into the causes of a particular crisis. Africans do not feature much in their stories, except as victims."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201108081852.html

Invisible War

I have been teaching our church family every Friday night on subject of spiritual warfare. We have been studying Ephesians 6 and it seems as though the devil is trying to put us to the test.

The last two weeks have been marked by a bit of opposition. We know that the physical world does not control the spiritual, but the spiritual controls the physical. With this said, it seems like one thing after another has been going “wrong”.

It started last week with Jonas and Naka’s son getting sick with malaria. While a normal incident in Togo, it is more of a timing issue. As soon as he got better, Jonas was in a motorocycle accident. He spent one night in the hospital and is now ok. The day he was realeased, Naka’s brother died of AIDS. He was a pastor who contracted the virus through an automobile accident 9 years ago. Naka is not back from the funeral yet and Melissa has been sick with malaria for 6 days now. Jonas is currently in Lome trying to get his Togolese passport. This will be his 30th trip to the passport office in the last 18 months. He needs this to be able to travel to Ghana with me in two weeks.

On the positive side, we are relocating the church property, getting ready for a missions team of 34 poeple to run a medical clinic, and preparing for summer camp. God is at work and we believe the next 90 days will produce true spiritual fruit. I know we talk about the need for both financial and prayer support. Right now we are really asking people to step up the prayer support.

May Update

This year we have been praying and working towards the goal of 111

people attending Eglise Nouvelle Vie, un eglise baptiste biblique by

the end of 2011. We have been out of space for quite some time, but

were not quite ready to make the transition to the property. This week

we are building two overhangs for the church on the land. This Sunday

will be our first Sunday to worship on the church property.

Just recently, there were 9 kids that trusted Christ in Courtyard

Kids. Most have been coming faithfully every Wednesday for a year and

a half. One seven year old boy went home and told his mother that he

will be a better boy because he now had God living inside him and he

is a Christian.

We have been playing soccer every Saturday night on the church

property. There have been about 20 guys coming out every week to play.

Jonas or I invite them to church and share the gospel every week. This

Sunday, three guys came to church for the first time and two of them

became Christians.

One of the church members’ grandmothers passed away last week and the

family asked me to preach at the funeral. Both Jonas and I were able

to present the gospel to about 150 people in our immediate community.

The great part about the event was that Ben, the grandson, had led his

grandmother to Christ months earlier.

In two weeks, we will be welcoming a short-term missions team from

Alabama. We will have four days of medical clinics at the church

property. The doctors and nurses will provide free consultations as

well as a limited pharmacy. Our goal is to share Christ with every

person that comes. Please pray that this time is extremely effective.