We made it!!

 We're here!  And we've been here a whole week. How did that happen already?

We left last Wednesday just around noon, made it to the Toronto airport, unloaded all our luggage (17 pieces of checked luggage!) and boarded the plane for Paris.  Once in Paris, we had a quick lay-over and were on the next flight to Niamey, Niger.  From there we flew to Lomé, the capital of Togo!


Nate and the boys in line with our stuff


It was a miracle to discover that all our luggage arrived and in good condition.  We had our arrival COVID tests done right in the airport and then we were greeted by the heat and humidity of Lomé as we exited the airport!  However our friends who were supposed to pick us up were not there yet - so we waiting outside the airport, sitting on a curb for about an hour before a taxi brought us to our hotel.  C'est la vie!

The following day we did our grocery shopping in the capital, had real ice cream one last time, and enjoyed a burger and a milkshake at "The Best Burger".  Saturday morning we began the long and difficult trip north.  For nine hours we traveled, stopping once for a washroom break and once for pineapples and avocados.  Oh and a public protest.  About an hour from our hometown of Mango, there is a town called Kanté.  For some reason unknown to us, a large group of people decided to start a demonstration on the only road that goes north.  Just before we came upon it, a teammate texted to let us know that he had found a circuitous route around the protest and he was waiting for us at the side of the road.  We found him a few minutes later and he led us on a long and bouncy "shortcut" to avoid the protest.  As we continued north, we saw multiple military vehicles headed south to break up the revolt. Never a dull moment. About 6:30 pm we pulled into the GH and began the process of unloading and unpacking. We were tired, sweaty and ready for bed.   

Week one has been a bit of whirlwind but it is good to be here.  So far the internet has been good, so if that continues, I'll be able to continue blogging our life here in Mango.   But right now, it's lunch time and I need to sign off.  Thanks for reading - I hope to post again soon.

Comments

  1. PatJuly 10, 2021 at 5:48 PM

    We’re so happy to hear that you’ve arrived safely and are settling in! I love reading about your journey and hope we may visit you there again. We will keep you all in prayer as you begin your time of ministry to these people. Looking forward to the work that will be accomplished through your faithfulness.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DianeJuly 13, 2021 at 7:09 AM

    Diane here...... So thankful you are there safely. Praying for you all daily as it makes me feel like part of this ministry. You are all loved!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Wedding

Image
Yesterday we were able to attend a traditional wedding for one of Nate's guys, Omar.  Unlike weddings at home, yesterday was only day one of the four days of celebration.  We're supposed to be returning this afternoon for more festivities, then on Saturday for more, and finally on Sunday afternoon when the groom participates in his traditional tribal dancing.  One of the fun parts of a Togo wedding is that the guests all wear the same pattern of fabric.  The groom selects the wedding fabric, orders loads of it and then sells it to the guests to wear for the events. Nate, the boys and I purchased the fabric and here we are - in all our orange and yellow and green and black glory: The wedding began at Omar's home at 7 am.  Yes, in the morning.  We gathered with him and his family as guests arrived to greet him. The groom and the boys The family brought in some rice and beef sauce, candy and dates for us to eat.  Around 8:30 am, it was time to start moving.  The bride was stil
Read more

More Proof that God Sees

Image
Miracles happen, friend.  We have just been witness to a big one. I told you all about Little Leah.  Her abandonment.  Her smallness.  Her medical needs.  Her lack of family. But what joy I have to tell you that God saw all that.  And He took what was hard and unfair and wrong and He made it right. On October 12, Leah was discharged from the hospital.  Since she had no home or family, we decided to foster her until a forever family could be found. We knew we would be tired  exhausted from caring for a newborn with some very specific needs.  We knew we would be overwhelmed and under-qualified.  What we didn't expect was how easily/quickly the four of us would come to love this precious little girl. Nate, the boys and I just fell in love with this baby.  But before I go any further, the answer is no, we are not the ones adopting her.  We were the ones praying and praying for a Christian, Togolese family for her.  And God did just that. But before I get to that part of the story, you
Read more

Fufu Friday!

Image
Last Friday, we had a fufu party at our house with the construction team that came from Michigan.  Fufu is a major staple here for the locals.   It all begins with manioc, a long tuber type vegetable that is black on the outside and kinda hairy, but it's white one the inside.   It's kinda like a huge yam.   So first,  you peel 'em and boil them.  And then the fun begins. Here is Joseph, Marie, and Adzo, putting the boiled manioc into the fufu pounder thing. Joseph and Marie sorta beat the manioc up a bit for us first. And then the rhythmic pounding begins.  This is me and Jennifer working together pounding it. And here is Nolan and Zack, pounding it too.  It takes a LOT of pounding! And here is Nate and our guard, Ibraim, taking their turn.  Still pounding. And here's the fufu, the first batch is ready.  Think of it as really gluey mashed potatoes. And here is Teddy at the table ready to dive in.  He got a tiny portion becau
Read more