Togo Team Interview & Recap

Togo 2011 Recap Video

Dan Harris

Farver – October 2010

As usual the last couple months have been very busy. It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out in the process of raising support. Yet, as I reflect on the happenings of the last two months God’s blessings and provisions are abundantly visible! So, we continue to find rest and comfort in God, our refuge and hope! In September and October we traveled repeatedly to Northwestern Iowa, to Illinois, and finished off with a church right here in Des Moines. We started off going to Grace E-Free Church in Denison, Iowa. The following week we were in LeMars Iowa at LeMars Bible Church where we took part in their Mission’s Conference. The very next weekend we were back North in Onawa, Iowa where we were part of Onawa E-Free’s Mission’s Conference. After that, we traveled Southeast to Quincy Illinois where we shared with Calvary Baptist Church. Finally, last weekend we shared with Trinity Baptist Church on the South side of Des Moines. Every one of these Churches were welcoming and encouraging to us as we shared our passion and vision for Mango. So we say thank you to the Churches and pastors who have allowed us to share! We are so grateful for the friendships we have made in our travels (this is definitely one of the best parts of pre-field ministry)!

We are also excited to report that we recently received word that Fellowship Baptist Church in Mt. Zion, Illinois (near Decatur) is taking us on for support! This is a great answer to prayer and brings our monthly support level to almost 52%. Another answer to prayer recently was meeting Glenn and Carol Ginder. The Ginder’s were missionaries in Malaysia for many years working with Muslims. They are now back in the Des Moines area and willing to teach us and plug us into Muslim ministry here! Things in Mango continue to progress well, and building will pick up even more with the end of the rainy season. One of the latest projects was the installation of a swimming pool on the Hospital compound. The pool was donated and installed by a company here in the states. It will provide much needed relief from the heat for building teams, missionaries and missionary kids for years to come. Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support! It is a blessing and comfort to know that we are greatly supported by so many faithful friends and family. May God bless you all!

Togo Team Update – April 18th

Here is the audio from Sunday Night’s Togo update.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 7:27 — 3.4MB)

Togo Team Pictures

Picture Slideshow of the Togo Team including a prayer service and send off.

Togo Team Update – April 14th

We have heard from both our Togo teams, the Larson’s in the South and the construction team in the North. Their updates are below.

Update from Abe and the team building the Wendell Kempton Memorial Hospital in the North.

Today they were eating lunch under a very large shade tree. (It sounds like it could be the only shade tree!) He said they are all doing well but it’s so hot. They are working very hard building the wall around the complex. They’re hauling everything by hand and laying the rebar so tomorrow they can pour cement. The electricity has been going out a lot so sleeping has been pretty miserable. Yesterday the temperature in the house was 105 degrees when they got home from work! One of the generators was out in the village which makes it very difficult to get their generator going. He also said after dinner last night the wind picked up and it started to rain. So they climbed up on the roof and got soaked! He said it was AWESOME!! So very refreshing! Praise the Lord for that blessing!

Update from Chuck and Donna Larson at the Karolyn Kempton Hospital in the South.

Donna and I arrived safely at the Karolyn Kempton Hospital (called HBB in Togo) on Sunday after splitting off from our SBC construction team in Lome. When we arrived there had been a fight in a local village with machete and gunshot wounds so Chuck got a quick indoctrination into ER medicine at the hospital before we could even unpack. Monday was also a blur as the hospital was very full and everyone was busy with much activity. Today was a little slower medically so Chuck was able to see a few patients with just an interpreter in the clinic and has admitted a couple patients to the hospital. Some of the medicine is the same as the US (hypertension, impotence, abdominal pain) but there is a lot of malaria and sickle cell anemia and a lot of pediatric cases in the hospital (thankfully Dr. Ebersole the pediatrician takes care of the kids). The next week will be filled with more clinic work, rounds at the hospital, some nights on-call, and whatever else they want Chuck to do. Chuck hopes to do an endoscopy test on Wednesday using the equipment here – it should be a hoot.

Donna has helped care for an abandoned baby in the hospital and accompanied some kids to The Mercy Ship in Lome today who had surgery. We have not been bored. There are a lot of people here – at least a dozen other short term doctors and nurses – so everyone is very busy. We do not know if we will get to Mango or not as of today. Time will tell.

We have witnessed good fellowship among the missionaries, witnessing and presenting the gospel in the clinic, and encouraging/singing in the hospital. We suspect everyday will be busy and full. It is hot, but bearable here in the South. We hear the guys in the north do not have a generator and are hot. We are praying for them daily.

Thanks for praying for them. As you can tell they are serving with excellence. Saylorville is very well represented.

Togo Team Update – April 11th

The following is an update from Jessie Miller:

Abe called to let us know they made it to Mango in about 9 1/2 hours. The trip was extremely hot. Air in van only worked part of the time. The roads were better than expected but the drivers were dangerous! They had dinner with the missionaries at the guest house and then joined them for their church service there. While in the service the electricity went out, thus went the fans! It took a while to get the generator going so they could have some air circulation. He said he was standing on the porch out back and there are nicer houses than he expected around them. Outside of the village there are many more grass huts. They start work early tomorrow morning and he said it is beastly hot. They are all just dripping with sweat! One of the air condtioners is out in their bedroom so pray that they could get it fixed! They are all tired but ready to get to work he said. Found out Tylers’ suitcase with tools in it was lost. Praise the Lord not his clothes!!

Togo Team Send Off Prayer

Pastor Pat Nemmers prays for the Togo Team before they leave for Africa.