The Pfennigers – Fred and Lydia

Christianity and Islam

What are the similarities and difference between Christianity and Islam?  I really never knew before.  After reading the Quran as part of my pre-field requirement, along with a book called Encountering the World of Islam, I was surprised to find out how many words and basic concepts are shared by Christianity and Islam.  Both religions have “their own beliefs” in creation, the power of God, faith, works, rewards, heaven, hell and judgment day.  Both religions believe faith cannot be forced and is, instead, a choice.  Both faiths believe that God does not need them. The difference is Jesus.  Interesting enough the difference is not His birth or His life, but His death-resurrection and its significance.  We were created to have fellowship with God. But we broke this and instead choose our own way, living in indifference to a divine law.  Atonement, through animal sacrifice was not enough.  Jesus remedied this.  It is in Jesus’ death-resurrection that we are brought back to God.  It is through Jesus that we are justified and have salvation.  Jesus’ death and resurrection is significant.  I am praying that with this better understanding of the culture and religion of Islam I will be able to build lasting relationships and share Christ with the people in Togo, Muslims and all.

Updates

As of the end of March, we are adequately funded (both monthly and one-time costs)! Thank You, Lord! This now gives us the “green light” to start final planning to depart for the mission field, which typically starts with time in language school.  In this there are a lot of things that we are needing to process and work through.

1. Presentations – fund raising.  Although we are adequately funded presently, our financial supporters consist of one-time donors, and recurrent short-term and long-term commitments.  Given this fact, along with inflation, we will continue to do presentations and fund raising with the goal of increasing our prayer (always important) and financial base (to offset anticipated shortfalls).
2. Pre-field requirements.  To date and in preparation of the mission field, we have attended two mission conferences and completed reading The World of the Spirits, African Friends and Money Matters, Crucial Conversations, What is the Mission of the Church, Cross-culture Connections, and Global Church Planting.  Fred has also read the Quran and Encountering the World of Islam for a Muslim course and is working on The New Testament Story (an online course).  After that he will have to do a Basic Mission Theology course and lead an individual(s) through two book studies.  Lydia is currently working on Methods of Bible study (an online course).  After that she will have to do a Basic Mission Theology course, complete the Muslim course, and lead an individual(s) through two book study.  All this has to be done prior to leaving for the mission field.  (On average the on-line courses are taking us about 6+weeks each.)
3. Medical Licenses.  We are in the final year of three of our recertification exams for family medicine which consists of on-line test every 3 months.  We started in Jan of 2022 and will be finished at the end of this year.  Outside of that we continue to do continuing medical education to maintain our certifications and Lydia continues to volunteer at the Matthew 25 clinic. 
4. Language Study.  We took a language test this past month and tested out one-level below the required level.  We have a meeting set up with the Togo South Team Leader this week to determine whether we need further language study prior to departing for Togo and or if our current level is acceptable.  If yes, we will then need to go to either France or Canada for additional language study.  We will be meeting with our Togo South Team mentor next week to discuss plans.
5. Move. As we have started to accumulate furniture, we have decided to ship furniture to Togo, and not start from scratch, such that we not only have a starting point for a house but that there will be some familiarity for the kids.  Our goal this month is to make contact with a container-shipping company to figure out the details of how and if this can be carried out.  In May we will be meeting with our Togo South Team mentor to discuss containers.  In this and as we will be moving onto a hospital compound that consist of many acres, it had been recommended to us to investigate the practically and affordability of getting a gator that would allow us to move around the compound efficiently.
6. Exercise equipment.  As exercise is important to us.  We have reached out to a local gym, via email, to see if we could acquire a commercial grade treadmill, elliptical, and rowing machine, and a stationary bike.  As we will be joining a large team in Togo, getting the exercise equipment out there would not only benefit us but be a blessing to many on our team as well. To this we would also love to add some free weights.  We will be following up our email with a phone call in the next two weeks.
7. Kid’s Education. We have a meeting set up in April to talk to a missionary family in Togo to figure out how and with what resources they are schooling their kids.  We will be following this up with additional meetings with other missionary families in Togo and with the MK school at the hospital.
8. Determining a departure date.  At this time, it is hard to nail down a departure date due to not only multiple moving pieces that need to come together, but also incomplete information.  Adding to this are the facts that the kids’ school, in Ft. Wayne, starts mid-August (and if we start the semester, we wish to finish it), we wish to visit Fred’s family on the West Coast in the summer, Fred has a follow up medical procedure that needs to be scheduled in the summer, and language school has two start dates: at the end of August and the beginning of January.  With all this, we are anticipating leaving for the field either at the end of the summer and/or end of the year. 

Prayer Requests

As you pray for us, please pray for peace and that God would provide the wisdom and insight that we need for each of the tasks listed above.  And that He will continue to encourage us by opening and closing the right doors.

Thank you again so much for your support and prayers! Please feel free to reach out to us at any time for any thoughts and/or questions, including how we can be praying for you!

God Bless

Fred, Lydia, and family

God bless and please let us know how we can be praying for you!  

the Pfenniger’s (Fred, Lydia, Noah, Nathanael, Noémi, and Noll)

www.fredandlydia.com Now at 66% of our monthly costs!

Dear Friends and Family,

We’re excited to share with you how God has been working in our lives and the blessings that He has given us in the midst of challenges! Click here to read our new newsletter.

Look forward to hearing from you all and how things are going and how we can be praying for you!

God bless,

Fred, Lydia, Noah, Noémi, Nathanael and Noll

To all who prayed for us almost 2 weeks ago -THANK YOU!!!
(and sorry it took us this long to let you know what happened!)

It started off a little bit rough -as we found out the night before we were to leave, that our 6 year old had a possible exposure to COVID. So after conversations and prayers, we decided not to bring our kids, and Lydia’s mom so graciously dropped everything and drove the 4 hours so that she could watch the kids while we went to Indy. Though at first this was hard, we actually felt like this was a blessing, allowing for us to completely be able to focus on the conversations and discussions versus needing to split our attention.

In the conference, itself, there were some very good presentations that then allowed for some good conversations to occur that we felt are going to be key in helping us make a final decision.

So, NO, we have not made a decision as of yet, but feel like things are starting to come together to allow us to make that decision. We plan on spending the next few weeks praying, and talking with each other and some people from our church here in Ft. Wayne, with the idea of making a decision by the fall. At that time we will be sure to let you know what we are doing!

Again -thank you so much for your prayers for the past weekend!
We would appreciate your continued prayers as we pray and work through the conversations, the encouragements, and fears and work on trusting God for what this next step will be.

God bless,
Fred and Lydia
Noah, Nathanael, Noe’mi, and Noll

Dear Friends and Family,

I don’t know if it has seemed like a long silence since you last heard from the Pfenniger Family and what we are doing.
Honestly, it has seemed like a long period of silence to us as we have sought for God’s clear direction in what He would have us to do -returning to Togo long-term or staying in the US.  The silence for us over the past 2 years has not been easy, as at different times, we thought we would make a decision and then things unexpected happened – COVID, Lydia’s dad being diagnosed with cancer, Noll having a heart valve defect that will require surgery.
In this quietness we have wondered, why the silence and why we weren’t hearing a clear direction. I (Lydia) struggled with the ideas of “are we doing something wrong?” “are we not doing enough of ______?”
In all of this we have been very grateful for a Bible study through the book of Genesis that reminded us that God is faithful and even though He may be quiet for long periods of time, He is still working and will not leave us nor forsake us! (Abraham and Sarah waited 20 YEARS for the birth of Isaac and this is just one such example! Jacob working for Rachel, Joseph being sold and then being in prison -wrongly accused, etc.) In all of this as we look back over the past 2 years, we can see how God has worked and answered prayers -though at the time we did not always see it.

So all of this to say -we have started to feel that God may be starting to answer those prayers and maybe starting to make a path clear.
There is a Togo missions meeting June 12th in Indianapolis, IN to which we will be going and praying to have some good conversations with some of the long-term missionaries there again at HBB.  And family concerns seem to becoming more clear (Lydia’s dad passed in January, and her mom seems to be finding her “path” and Noll will not be requiring surgery at this time but yearly surveillance until surgery is deemed necessary).

Do we know what we are doing yet? NO, but we feel that the answers we were needing have come become more clear and allowing us to be able to have “clearer and better” discussions.  We do NOT know what exactly we are looking for when we go to this meeting on June 12th -but we are asking God that He would have both of us walking away from this meeting with a clear vision, passion, and direction that we can talk through with each other and with couples from the missions committee at our church.  We’re asking God for very clear direction, guidance and wisdom in helping us to make this decision -so that we will know by this fall what we are doing and can start taking steps forward.

And so for this reason I’m writing you –in the past you all have wonderfully supported us in prayers. And so we are asking you again if you would lift us and our family up in prayer for:
1. Protection over the travel and being involved in the conference on June 12th
2. God’s hand and blessing in conversations that occur on and around June 12th
3. Clear thoughts and conversations for Fred and Lydia with God’s guidance and wisdom in the conversations and thus ultimately the decision that needs to be made of whether we will be returning to Togo or staying in the US. (praying for the kids as well as they will start to also be apart of these conversations)

Thank you so much for your prayers! Thank you so much for the way that you have followed us over the past few years!
Please feel free to write with whatever questions and/or any prayers that you would have for us. And we will plan on updating you as we come to the end of this long-period of silence and the beginning to the next steps in our life.

Love in Christ and God bless,
Fred, Lydia,
Noah, Nathanael, Noe’mi, and Noll
Pfennigers