August Ministry Update

More Than a Statistic

Work –It has been busy!

We sent the baby born at 25 weeks home with mom and grandma, after almost a 3 month stay in the hospital, and had two follow up visits. All appeared well. Then we got word that the baby died at home unexpectedly. This was tough and seemed to define our last few months.

Our OB patients have been difficult. Pre-eclampsia (pregnant moms with elevated blood pressures and protein in their urine) seems to be “in the air” here. Every other pregnant patient is having blood pressure issues. We delivered one by C-section, who later developed a brain bleed. We lost a baby at 29 weeks, which was tough, knowing that a 25-weeker baby had lived.

The medical (adult and pediatric) patients have been no different. For the adults, the killer seems to be renal (kidney) failure with creatinine’s of 16 plus (normal ≤1), and alcoholism. And for the kids its anemia and malaria.

Do not get me wrong, we’ve had a lot of other pathology going on here in Togo such as meningitis, suspected aortic dissection, hyperthyroidism, DVT, cellulitis, DKA, hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state, ectopic pregnancy, etc.

In treating patients here at HBB, we do all we can and once we max out our options, we refer them to Lomé to see a specialist. Unfortunately, the cost is usually a barrier and many just go home. From here follow up is unknown. For some we get a death certificate request because the patient has, expectedly, died at home. In contrast, for others it is a surprise when they show up to clinic for their follow up appointments, alive and improving!

The video to the right is of one of our pre-eclamptic ladies who suffered a brain bleed after delivery. She had been in the hospital for a very intense week where we spent time not only treating her, but praying with her and her family. She was discharged with a referral to Lomé in guarded condition to see a specialist. The video of her follow up was unexpected and emotional. (Thank you, Dr S, for the video!)

Below also are two photos. The first photo is of Mr. C, an alcoholic, who came in with stroke-like symptoms. After a short hospital stay, he was discharged home while still being confused, unable to talk and having left-sided weakness. It was unknown how he would recovery. Two weeks later, he showed up at the clinic alert and oriented with no physical deficits! During the visit he made a commitment to accept Christ!

The second photo is of Miss. J, a 28-year-old young lady, who has diabetes and has been to our hospital now multiple times. She is not only struggling with her diabetes (A1c:14, normal < 6.5) and its associated complications of neurogenic bladder (requiring a possibly permanent foley catheter), infection and toe amputation, but also with family and financial support. Her disease process, and thus her, are a financial strain on the extended family, which is creating a difficult social situation. She is, thus, left in a position at 28 years old, of not dreaming of a future family of her own, but how she will eat and afford her medicine for today. We’re starting to form a relationship with her, and we’ve been apart of being able to help her in some areas of her needs. We continue to pray with her in these very difficult challenges and encourage her in her relationship with Christ.

In processing these experiences, we were touched by a fellow missionary’s words concerning the loss they are experiencing in the Congo as they work through the Ebola epidemic. They write “We know many who have already died by the virus or been ill with it . . . these . . . members of our community should not leave this earth known only as a mortality statistic . . .” (To read more about the McKnight’s and their work in the Congo, click here).

In this, we wish we could better convey to you the stories of the patients we interact with so that you can know them too, and not simply the failure and success of their cases. The challenge we have is that we do not know them well enough to tell their stories. Our time seems to be pulled from one thing to the next. We can, on the other hand, tell you that we share moments . . . laughing, crying, praying, etc. with them. We can tell you they are sons, daughters, husbands, wives, sisters, who are beautiful, funny, loving, strong, gentle, kind, and passionate, possessing dreams and hopes. To us, they, the patients, are not a statistic; they are people who are leaving a mark on us, and to family McKnight’s point, they should not leave this earth as a statistic: they need to be known. Please join us in praying for them!

The cost of mankind’s (our) decision to live a life separated from God is real and devastating! God’s plan for us was not this, it was paradise; it was not suffering but health; it was not loneliness and isolation but relationships. And even more so, a relationship with Him. Looking to God in the midst of our suffering changes our perspective; it changes our lives, sometimes physically but always spiritually and mentally. However, this is not easy to do. But when we do it, the impact is great. Jesus taught us this as He kneeled in the Garden of Gethsemane asking God the Father to remove the cup of suffering that was to fall on Him, but only if it was God the Father’s will. In accepting this path, yet still actively living and trusting in God the Father, Jesus looked beyond His physical suffering as a human, carrying out God’s plan for our salvation and re-establishing God’s plan, paradise, in close relationship with Him and with no more tears for us in the future

Togo, HBB (Hôpital Baptiste Biblique) – “More Than Just a Hospital”

Soccer / Sports Ministry: We continue to play soccer most Saturday mornings and are having more and more Togolese kids and adults showing up. It is fun! In this, a discussion was had by the missionaries at HBB in June, and we were asked to look into a sports ministry program that had been put together on paper by a group of missionaries over the last two years. Their plan would see the aviation ministry which has closed (that includes a hangar and an airfield) turned into a place where sports, evangelism, and discipleship are fostered through relationships and outreach. The programs included in this vision are soccer, basketball, track and field, a gym, and physical and occupational therapy. It is to say at the least exciting! In looking over and “seeing” their vision, we are working on two things: raising funds ($14,000 USD) to maintain the hangar and airfield in its current state for a two-year period, thus buying time to investigate further the sports ministry and raising funds ($6,000 USD) to encourage the continuation of the soccer and the AWANA program, while also starting a basketball ministry. During the coming two years as more detailed plans are put together by the sports ministry committee, our plan is to encourage the use of the hangar and airfield. We would ask you to consider supporting this ministry in prayers and/or finances.

OB Meetings: We continue to meet 2 times a month with the Togolese OB nurses. Our time is spent praying, discussing cases, and reviewing treatment protocols. We are encouraged by the attendance and the level of discussions; there is clearly a desire to do more. One of our challenges seems to be the staffing level. With only 2 nurses covering both the post-partum and labor decks, and recognizing the labor intensity of caring for a premature baby (feeding every 2 hours), of managing a pre-eclampsia patient (evaluations every 2 hours while on magnesium), or supporting a patient in active labor (evaluations every 30 minutes)—the work can quickly become overwhelming. In these discussions, we are recognizing two things: first, our capacity is both staffing and case dependent (the more complicated our cases, the less we can manage); second, we are developing a niche market as HBB seems to be attracting not the simple routine deliveries, but the complicated patients with history of preterm labor, fetal demise, hypertension, etc. In all this, it is interesting to see the OB nurses, not shying away from the challenge, but asking the questions of “How are we to do this?” Please continue to pray for the OB department and the work we are doing.

Medicine Clinician Meetings: We continue to try and lead medical discussions with the clinicians (Togolese equivalents of PA’s/NP’s) two times a month. Unlike the OB meetings, these meetings are not well attended; however, like the OB meetings, the discussions are solid with those who are present. Thus, our challenge currently is how to encourage attendance among the clinicians. Please pray for opportunity to improve the attendance to the medical clinician meetings.

Friends: Some friends from Ft. Wayne, IN came to visit and help out for 2½ weeks (July-August) turning our home of 6 into a home of 10. They brought gifts and notes from many back in the US (thank you!!). Mrs. W helped us out in the hospital and during this time, we also completed 2 trips to Lomé (for pick up and drop off), did 3 hikes, did some yard work, celebrated a birthday (A’s 6^th birthday), completed minor motorcycle repairs, completed a 2-hour motorcycle tour, spent a lot of time in conversation about Togo and patients, watched 6 kids spending a lot of time playing together (swimming, soccer, trampoline, and running), and did some “touristy” things (visited a historical slave house, go-karting and visited the beach).

Family Update

The kids finished the 2025-26 school year, started and are finishing some summer courses, and are getting ready to start the new 2026-27 school year. Now in addition to this, Noah had 2 of his four wisdom teeth pulled and braces placed on his top teeth; Nathanael has been encouraged to play soccer with the adults on Saturday mornings; Noémi celebrated her 9^th birthday (July 9^th), and Noll, with his siblings, has started to run cross-country. Lydia and Fred completed another year of marriage (June 19^th) and Fred had a lesion removed from his nose. Our family has become “pet sitters” to two birds for a year and 1 dog for parts of the months of June and July. We are currently managing one vehicle and one motorcycle for a family on furlough, and we bought 1 used motorcycle that has required some attention and repairs.

Prayers and Praises for:

Family

Prayers:

For the kids, their schooling, their friendships and their continued adjustments; with furloughs it can feel like a constant change at times.
Medical & OB work: (We have been cleared to do C-sections on our own); wisdom and peace in the decisions that are being made for the care of some very difficult patients; and opportunities for sharing God’s love and plan of salvation in our patient interactions.
Balancing family, community, and ministry life –knowing where and when God would have us to invest, both individually and as a family. (This can be challenging at times with the age difference.)
Wisdom needed in relationships (spousal, parenting & team).

Praises:

For the friendships that our kids are working on developing here & the “outside” ones they have been able to maintain.
Togo carte de séjour –they have been approved. (This is like an extended visa.) We will have to repeat this process is the spring.
For the successful and safe visit of friends from Fort Wayne Indiana
The successful removal, without complications of two of Noah’s wisdom teeth.

Togo, Hôpital Baptiste Biblique

Prayers:

For the patients, and their families, that come to HBB -that they may feel the love and compassion of Jesus in their time of need
Mama A (teen mom who delivered a 25 week preemie baby that passed away at 5 months of life). Please pray for her and her loss and that God would continue to work and speak into her life.
Mr. C as he returns to his home and work as a farmer –that his new found faith would start to grow and that he would be able to stay away from any alcohol. (This can be very hard!)
Miss J -that God would continue to grow her spiritual life, that He would make ways to provide for her physical, medical, and financial ways; that her sugar levels can be controlled so that she doesn’t end up with another infection and needing more than just a toe amputation; that she can find a place where there is a caring loving environment for her to live and work.
Wisdom for the medical providers, nurses and doctors caring for the patients
OB meetings ‒for continued wisdom in the discussions for both us and the hospital staff as we manage difficult cases, but also work through how to do more. Pray, too, that we are able to develop deeper relationships with the OB nurses and that it can become a true team atmosphere.
Medical Clinician meetings –for wisdom on how to encourage attendance
For the proposed sports ministry, that we will be able to maintain the present hangar and airfield status quo over the next two years, but also encourage its use –and that there will be sufficient time to further investigate the potential of such a ministry
Soccer ministry -that we’ll be able to find ways in which to develop relationships with the kids who come. (The biggest challenge is language –French is their 2^nd language as well as ours. They speak one of several local tribal languages.)
For the HBB team to have the wisdom and vision needed in the construction of the expansion project.

Praises:

For the encouraging cases where patients shouldn’t have survived but they did, and open doors with patients (as some stay a short-time and others stay a long time.
Opportunities that are occurring in tough patient situations, and the discussions with the staff that are happening afterward.
For the different short-termers who have come and are coming out to help in the hospital and to help in other ways (construction, sports, etc.).