Change is coming
Where does time go? It feels like we just got here yesterday, and now it’s time to move again as we go from Sherbrooke, Quebec to Togo, West Africa. I would like to tell you that change is easy, but it is not. This process is compounded by us being a family and not just being single. We have started to talk to the kids about the change that is coming.
In this, we have been blessed to have already experienced a “major move” as a family when we moved to Sherbrooke from Fort Wayne. This “common” experience has turned out to be invaluable. It has allowed us to go from a situation, as parents, of reassuring the kids, without really knowing that we will be alright, to asking them to reflect on their past experience of a move. In this, we find ourselves reflecting not only on what will be different such as the people, the weather, the foods, the school, etc. to the things that will be the same: getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, devotions, getting ready for school, homework, screen time, pizza & movie night, and more. This reflection of similarities and differences is surprising. The conversations of differences disconnect us while also creating a lot of questions and “what if” scenarios, increasing anxiety and worries about our move; whereas the conversations of similarities connect us, while also changing the type of questions, causing us to dream and hope with the kids asking, “Can we get a trampoline?” or “Can we get a pet?”
In these conversations of differences and similarities I see the power of God and His and our story. The differences of time, technology, costs, job, ways of communications, etc., cause anxiety and worries; however, the similarities, and in this case, the consistency of God’s love, God’s character, God’s expectations and God’s fellowship connect us, causing us to dream and hope.
Sherbrooke
Move / French Studies: We are progressing in our level B2 French studies with weekly tests and will be busy up until our last day of French studies on Dec 19th. From there, we will be taking 5 days to pack up our apartment and will then drive to Grandville, MI. We will spend the holidays with Grandma Ann and then a few days skiing. Next, we will make a trip to Fort Wayne, IN and continue on to South Carolina to pick up and drop off stuff to be shipped to Togo in a container. Finally, we will fly out around Jan 15th to Togo (+/- a couple of days).
Canada Post: Canada Post is on strike. Why is this important? It has delayed some of our thank you cards to those of you who support us. Please know it is only because of you all, our prayer and financial supporters that we are able to do what we do. So, please know how thankful we are for you all!
HBB (Hôpital Baptiste Biblique) – “More Than Just a Hospital”
First of all, thank you for your prayers: ABWE has established a new place to pack containers for the hospitals in Greer, South Carolina.
Updates: (from other missionary newsletters) We thank the Lord for each of these ministry opportunities and to answers to prayers!
- Maintenance department: built 4 new newborn-infant warmers
- OB service: helped a woman in becoming a momma after 3 previous pregnancy losses
- Surgery department:
- Successfully treated pyloric stenosis in a 19-day-old newborn from the Fulani tribe
- Provided temporary relief via a trach to an 8-year-old girl with a mass blocking her airway
- Medical department:
- Biopsied a large mass (by surgery) on a 4-year-old girl’s face and started treatment hoping it’s Burkett’s lymphoma (1 of 2 cancers HBB can treat)
- Shared the gospel with a woman with extensive cancer, for which there is no treatment options here.
Beautiful Feet: (An ABWE ministry with a focus to empower national churches to lead pregnancy care ministries.) On Sept 17th we met virtually with the executive director and the Togo director of Beautiful Feet to investigate how a hospital-based OB service can partner with a community-based OB service. We were touched by the meeting; the work being done and the impact that basic OB services / care is having in the Togolese communities. We are not sure what the future holds, but are excited at the work being done by Beautiful Feet, and we’re praying for how God may lead.
School Kits for Togo (UPDATE): As you may remember, we had the opportunity to participate in a VBS (Vacation Bible School) fund-raising program for school kits for Togo in July. We recently heard from the teacher involved there and this is some of what she wrote:
We are so appreciative of the opportunity to give so many kids needed school supplies and the Word of God…. We were able to put together 140 kits for kindergarten through middle school. The kits were passed out after our normal Good News Club…where the Gospel was shared. Normally, we have around 80-100 children but we had over 180! There were about 40 or so who had come for the first time…. We still had miscellaneous things and Bible’s leftover …[and] was able to give the rest of the supplies to the Adéta church who passed out these things to another 100 children.
In recap, 140 children received kits and another 140 received at least some school supplies and a Bible.
Marc, a deacon at the Adéta church … called us … to thank us for the gifts. He said that many people are struggling financially this year and this gift was such an encouragement to families.
A parent came by our house last night to personally thank us for the school supplies and for investing in the lives of her children.
Some children in our neighborhood don’t have enough money to pay for lunch at school, so they definitely don’t have any extra money for supplies. Some girls came to our house last year during the first week of school instead of going to school because they had nothing to take with them. Now, they will be ready ahead of time with the needed supplies. A few of the middle school boys are a bit rough but they faithfully come to Good News Club on Saturday’s….
Most importantly, the Gospel was given to around 300 children. Some of these kids have heard the Gospel from us and have accepted Christ as their Savior, and we rejoice that there were new kids who heard the clear Gospel.
Projects: HBB has multiple projects on the go as they expand to meet needs in Togo. The end of the year is quickly approaching, and as you take some time to pray about if and where God would have you to give, please consider and pray about these projects:
- Expanded leach field – underground system to treat waste for Rapha House (housing for patient’s family)
- 2025 HBB staff Christmas bonus
- Lab machine – computer hardware update to automate services, and battery backups
- Wholesale Bible and Audio-Bible – purchases for distribution to patients in the hospital and in the community
- Solar project – (All the materials have been purchased and shipped.) Funds are needed for permits and paper work
- Chaplain development – for training, conferences, workshops, materials
- HBB entrance remodel – roadways, water line, signage, parking, employee parking
- Two sets of OR lights needed
- Missionary home renovation – updating a 40-year-old missionary home (for Family M)
- New or used-tractor
- Vehicle fleet replacement (for the vehicles used by the hospital)
- Hospital Benevolence funds – used to help pay for services (medical, surgical, pediatric, palliative) that families can’t otherwise afford
- Mobile Medical Clinic – this outreach into rural villages is entirely funded by donations (run by the family G) with a sharing of the gospel while meeting medical needs
**If you wish to know specific dollar amounts needed, please write us. If you feel lead to contribute to any of these projects, you can click here on ABWE HBB projects and then choose the project you want. If you do not see the project listed, specify the desired project you wish to give to in the instructions box.
Preparing to go to Togo: We continue to move forward in our preparation to leave for Togo! We all have one more vaccination to do and as such will have a “Cholera party” in November. Also, we have 9 more weeks of French study, and we have solicited airline quotes. Our container has arrived in Togo (yeah!) along with the exercise equipment and we are starting to plan for the home-schooling part that we will be responsible for (math, French, physical education and music) outside of the subjects taught at the MK school. We are excited in all this, but also a bit anxious with all that needs to be done. Once we arrive in Togo, we understand we will have 2 weeks of free-time to set up our house and the exercise equipment; then 2 weeks of part-time shift work at the hospital, followed then by full time work. (If you know anyone interested in teaching 2 kids the recorder virtually, we would love to talk to them).
Family Update
Fred and Lydia: We continue to do all right but are being challenged by another move. We are talking with the kids about the move and what to expect, while also trying to ensure we have “all our i’s dotted and t’s crossed” before we leave such as wills done, documents scanned, etc.
Noah / Nathanael / Noémi / Noll: The kids started school on August 28th (grades 8, 4, 3, and 1 respectively) and are overall enjoying school. Otherwise, they are keeping busy with weekly church kids club, soccer (Noah, Nathanel & Noémi), running (Noah & Nathanael), gymnastics (Nathanael, Noémi, & Noll) and chess club (Noah). Noah ran a personal best in the 3 km (11:20), and he has one more race on Oct 21st (Dad has challenged him to a time of less than 11 minutes.). He has also cooked a few deserts for the family –our favorite has been the “Ding-Dong Cake.” Nathanael has recently been working on his back flips, pommel skills, and soccer foot work calling on Dad to come out and play with him. (At 53 years old, I am realizing I cannot do what I used to do.) Noémi is enjoying her friends on the campus here and is outside often running around the place with Noll. Noll is working hard on his reading because for him to be a part of the MK school in January he has to be able to read on his own.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
May God bless and keep you all in the upcoming months!
Prayers and Praises for:
Kids
- Prayers: for their friend situations as we leave Quebec; that they will hear God’s call; for their transition to the Togo MK school and home schooling in the new year; for Noll’s reading
- Praise: for a good start to school and the friendships that they have formed
Fred and Lydia
- Prayers: to continue to learn French well; for wisdom in relationships (spousal & parenting); wisdom in preparing to move to Togo & all the tasks with this; wisdom to do medicine/OB again in the new year in Togo (we have been out of medicine for > 1year)
Togo, Hôpital Baptiste Biblique
- Prayers: for the team, the vision/expansion project (wisdom & construction), the growth of the OB service, managing unexpected and expected increasing costs (increased electricity costs, unexpected tax bill); some national concerns (You can search African news.)
- Praises: for the response to the Gospel through the multiple ministries (especially with the school supply kits); new shipping site to pack containers in the US for the hospital
People of Sherbrooke (& Quebec)
- Prayers: for the ministry of Parole de Vie (our language & the Bible school) and the local churches in sharing the message of Christ; new legislation being considered that could greatly impact churches & Christians here in Quebec (re: public prayer, tax exemption, etc.)
Other
- Prayers: Friends and colleagues going through some challenging situations (cancer, family complications)
- For wisdom and responses as we look for opportunities to present our ministry.
- Praise: Overall, our financial needs are being met
