Togo update

As most of you likely know, I've been very concerned about the plight of sub-Saharan Africa in the last few months. Massive flooding has finally receded, only to be replaced by great concern over water-borne diseases, lack of shelter, and spoiled food stores.

As a result, I asked you all to help my family contribute to a fund to send money specifically to a local church in northern Togo. [More of the details can be found in this post and the posts it references.]

I'm happy to report that through your efforts, we were recently able to wire-transfer $285 to Christ's followers in Togo. I don't know that we'll ever hear precisely how those funds get used, but that's not really the point. They know how best to use it - pray for their wisdom, not some specific goal you might have in mind.

Again, my thanks to those who gave. I ask that you continue to pray.

Hatushili

Type rest of the post here

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Update on Togo

As I've posted about repeatedly (here, here, and most notably here), Africa in general and Togo in particular have been very hard hit by flooding in the past month. The flooding has now largely subsided, and the real problems are beginning.

Problem number 1? People have forgotten.

Not you. I'm happy to report that next week I'll be sending along our collected donation to Togo. Right now, the total is over $200. It's not too late to help out. If you let me know by email that you still want to participate, you can do so.

Pray that ours is but a tiny drop in the bucket of donations that Christ's followers worldwide will be sending.

Hatushili

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Please donate to this African church

As promised, I finally made contact with a friend of mine who not so long ago served as a missionary in Togo, Africa. As you know from my many recent posts and updates, Togo has been very hard hit by the massive flooding that struck sub-Saharan Africa recently. I asked my friend (Wes) if he knew of a specific church that might need some help. He does...

The church is in a town of about 10,000 (as near as I can tell from websites translated from French!) called Amou Oblo. Here's what Wes had to say about them:

The Baptist Bible Church at Amou Oblo was started in the early 1990's by a young man who was saved at the Kempton Memorial Hospital by Justin our hospital evangelist. He soon went back to his home town and began to witness to others and, as a result, a small group of believers were formed. A local pastor began to meet with them, and as is the case too many times, this man was teaching heresy. Soon the other believers realized they needed to stop this teaching and find a new pastor to lead them. In 1996, the small group approached the church planters at ABWE and requested a pastor to come and continue the work there. ABWE at that point had just started a Bible Institute and were training many possible candidates, but that would be 3-4 years away. In the mean time, Justin began making the 1 Hour trip to Sunday Morning Services and Wednesday Evening Prayer Meetings. We [Wes and his wife] began working with Amou-Oblo upon our arrival in 1999. We took Justin each week to teach Sunday School and Preach Sunday and Wednesday. We began to train teachers for children's Sunday school, began a new Christian's class, and baptismal class for those interested in taking that next step. The church really started to grow through evangelism and outreach. By the time we left in 2002 [to return to the US], the church was averaging 75 on Sunday Mornings.

Currently Pastor Bamas has taken the work. He is a graduate of the Bible Institute and a great man of God. He has started 2 new churches [in Yaokope and Patatoukou] along with Amou-Oblo and travels 30 miles to these new churches on Sunday as well.

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This church is situated in an area hit hard by the flooding, and they need our help. I just saw a news headline that wondered out loud why no one in the international community seems to care much about this particular crisis. Remember, folks - we're talking about over 1.5 million people who have been made homeless by this flooding. Think about it. Take the population of the following US cities: Lynchburg, Fort Wayne, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, and Baltimore (cities I know many of you are familiar with) and you still don't have 1.5 million. Image all of those people flooded out of their homes...

If you have any money you can spare, please contact me via this email account and let me know. I'm going to pool our efforts and pass them along to Wes, so that he can be sure they get to the church there in Amou Oblo. My kids have been wanting to know how they can help these destitute people, and this will be a tangible way for them to be involved. What better way to teach our kids about compassion, love, and the importance of the Gospel?

Please, let me know as soon as possible what you'll be able to share. I prayerfully await your emails...

Hatushili

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re: Africa updated 9-29-07

UPDATE: In the interest of saving some space on the original post, I'm doing the present Africa update on this post. You can still find the original (older) updates here.

Togo is reporting that the start of school is being delayed as a result of the recent flooding. Though it sounds like they weren't ready to start anyway, these kinds of changes in schedule can really disrupt local families.

Also, since Togo is one of the poorest of all African nations, it came as no surprise that they issued an international call for help recently. There are estimated to be at least 20,000 homeless. As I mentioned earlier, I believe we'll have an opportunity to directly aid a church in Togo in the near future...

Here's another general update news report I stumbled across, mentioning a number of African nations.

Finally, at long last there are some pictures of the flooding circulating the internet.

More to come...

Hatushili

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More African hardships (updated 9-22-07)

As if the continent of Africa hasn't had enough trouble in the last ... basically, forever, here's more bad news.

It seems that most of sub-Saharan Africa has been absolutely hammered by rain in recent days, leading to unparalleled flooding and a whole host of other problems.

...The rains and floods inflicted extensive damage on a northern region that was traditionally Ghana's major food basket, growing rice, maize, millet and sorghum. "This flood is unprecedented; thousands of acres of farmland have been destroyed, including livestock," Amoo [of Ghana's National Disaster Management Organization] said. Barns and silos ... stored food ... Infrastructure like bridges and roads have all been destroyed," he added.

Please pray for these desperate people.

Hatushili

click below to read updates as they become available...


update 9-18-07: I've discovered a new website of some use in tracking this catastrophe: AllAfrica.com. There are two links from that site that provide updated information on the situation.

For the area around Ghana (Western), click here.

For the area around Uganda (Eastern), click here.

The BBC also has a good update here.

Please pray specifically for protection from disease, a major concern in the coming weeks. Consider this:

He [the Ugandan State Minister for Disaster Preparedness] said the humanitarian situation in the areas is unimaginably unbearable adding that although there is no outbreak of disease yet, six to eight weeks after the floods have recessed, will be the "most critical" and "troublesome period in terms of health."

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update 9-19-07:

Benin - the tiny little country next to Togo (not exactly a large country itself) has joined the growing group of nations declaring their need for help.

Also, whereas reports from the day before had 600,000 displaced people, the UN is now reporting in excess of one million...

On a more positive note, here's a list of work that Christian Aid is doing, sorted by country.

Please continue to pray.

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update 9-22-07

Apparently I'm not the only one that thinks this disaster is getting too little attention. A blogger working with Reuters contends here that the British newspapers are largely ignoring it, too.

In more bad news, the UN has now increased the estimate of displaced people to 1.5 million.

Some good news - apparently relief is starting to arrive, especially in Ghana (which has arguably been the worst-hit).

I've been in contacts with a friend who knows people in Togo. If it works out, I may well be asking you to help me contribute funds to help these people. Stay tuned...

Hatushili

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Freedom From Religion

Interestingly, I read an article about Tibet and the Chinese persecution of Buddhists the other day. It was an old article - a year old magazine at work. It talked about how the Chinese government hopes to break the spiritual hold that Buddhism has on Tibet by eventually selecting the next Dalai Lama (when the presently 72 year old Dalai Lama dies).

According to Buddhism, the Dalai Lama is reincarnated as a child shortly after he dies. The Buddhist community therefore spends the next few years or so identifying/finding this child. I believe this tradition goes back 600 years or so.

Anyway, in a move that should be frightening to anyone with an innate sense of religious freedom, China is about to enact a very strange law...

This MSNBC article points out that China is now regulating where a person can be reincarnated! Under the new law, you cannot be reincarnated within China (which technically includes Tibet) without government pre-approval. I know this sounds comic ... and sad. But on another level it's just the natural extension of a regime that wants its people to have freedom from religion.

If given the chance, don't you think the ACLU (and plenty of others) would do the same sort of thing here in America?

Anyway, pray for Tibet and China. Talk about a spiritually dark and blind country! Our church family supports missionaries in China (though not Tibet), and they've recently come home for a brief stay. They tell strong stories about the power of the Evil One over there. We must be diligent to pray that the love of Christ might grip hearts and the power of the Spirit might give needed grace that these people might become followers of Jesus. Nothing short of God's name/glory is at stake.

And on a human suffering level, this new law is potentially cataclysmic. When the current Dalai Lama dies, the Chinese government will undoubtedly set up their own puppet Dalai. But the traditional Buddhists will also undoubtedly select their own Dalai. This, in the opinion of many experts, may well lead to massive revolts and vast human suffering.

Who knows?, perhaps all of that is somehow in the LORD's plans for His glory, so certainly I pray that His will be done. But if there's any way to avert this potential catastrophe, we should all be praying for peace.

Hatushili

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Book Review: To Alaska on a Tractor

Yes, I've been reading a lot lately.

Yes, I actually read a book called To Alaska on a Tractor.

No, I'm not crazy.

The book was, believe it or not, one of those "can't put it down" reads...

I'll admit it - I stayed up too late last night to finish reading this book. I just couldn't put it down. I read the entire book in one sitting.

The book is the story of a married couple (each in their 60s) who decided to drive their old two-cycle John Deere model B tractor from their home in Ohio to Alaska (and back) in an effort to raise awareness and funds for missions. Their local church funded the trip, though many, many people along the way gave them things (meals, camping, etc...) for free as well.

What's endearing about the book is its simplicity. The wife wrote the book herself, and hers is a grateful tale of a Christ-follower willing to do something way outside of the box for His glory. She merely records the highlights of their days, mentioning people and places by name and always with thankfulness.

I guess what I like most about the book is two things: 1) The many, many stories of the "small ways" the LORD provided for this couple. Needs and wants were met over and over again by their great God. 2) The true spirit of Christian community that this couple experienced as they travelled and came across people with nothing in common but the cause of Christ. Christians invited them into their home. They fed them. They encouraged them. They trusted them. All in the name of Jesus. It was a wonderful testimony to the truly universal bond in Christ.

It's a short book (less than 150 pages), so you have little excuse not to go out and read it! Trust me, it's worth the time. You'll be encouraged and perhaps motivated.

Hatushili

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