We have a few updates - as
well as some HUGE praise items that we are excited to share with you. God has been so faithful
in every aspect of this journey. He is a God who cares about details
and order, isn’t He?!
At Work
A number of you have been faithfully praying for Manny, Derek’s boss, and for timing for Derek to tell Manny about our upcoming mission trip. A huge “thank-you” to you is in order, because God has answered your prayers!
A little background here, Derek works for an industrial roofing company. As you can imagine, work there is full-tilt busy from spring through until fall. Derek needed to ask his boss for a leave during this entire busy time.
Derek let Manny know about our plan to go to Togo last week, unsure what Manny’s reaction would be. I also know some of you were praying that God would provide for Manny in Derek’s absence.
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| This is the kind of roofing the company does |
Well, Manny thinks he will be able to fill Derek’s spot during his absence and that Derek is to come ‘talk with him’ when he returns from Togo. Manny also showed concern for the boys and wanted assurance they were going to be OK living in Africa. He also does not yet 'get it'. His business mind can’t comprehend why we would go to work in Africa, for no pay - in fact we are paying and raising funds to get there. He just shook his head! This is about the best response we could have hoped for. And, of course it is – God planned it that way! Continue to pray for Manny, too.
At Play
As many of you know, my
sister-in-law Erin and I run Sistas in Soccer, a womens' recreational soccer league. My sister, Tamara also helps out in our business. She looks after all of the bookkeeping, as well as various other aspects as the need arises. Well, God
has not forgotten that part of my life.
Let me tell you this story…
In the fall, we
received an email from Alana, one of the ladies who plays in our league,
totally unexpected and out of the blue. It had God’s loving
fingerprints all over it! This email contained within it an
offer to help, if needed, with the league. Alana is a Christian, she
loves what the league stands for and she would love to be a part of
what God is doing with the league. And, by the way, she added, I’m
an accountant... Whoa!!!
We emailed her back, met
over coffee this week and found her to be a great fit! So, Alana will
come on board and free up Tamara from some of the book keeping
details so she can fill in for me in my absence. We couldn’t have
thought of a better solution! God knows our skill sets, our gifts… He gave them to us! If we are willing, He can use those gifts to
bless others in unimaginable ways. So a big thank-you to Alana for volunteering to be a part of our journey to Africa.
Education and Equipment
About three years ago, I
was intrigued when I heard about a new charitable organization that
started up. It’s called Respiratory Therapists Without Boarders. And hey – I’m a respiratory therapist! I have been in touch with
the people who launched this group from the beginning. The two
people who started it are Christians, although the organization
itself is not a faith based group, it’s humanitarian. Through a
series of conversations with RTWB, my Togo hospital, Hopital Baptiste Biblique has agreed
to be a health care partner. What this means in practical terms is more access to
donated medical equipment (awesome!) and linking the hospital with other
potential RRT’s who would be interested in working there in the
future to further share their skills, knowledge and expertise to give
back to the global community (also awesome!).
It’s hard to explain but
I am falling in love with this hospital and I haven’t even met it
yet! I love hearing news from there. I recently learned a few
stats, and I love numbers!
Here they are...
- HBB sees 80-100 patient’s each day at
clinic...
- they admit approximately 2900 patient’s each year...
- they perform approximately 600 baby deliveries per year...
- they perform around 2200 surgeries in a year...
- they are the
second busiest hospital in the country, including all the larger, government-run hospitals...
- they are the primary referral hospital for a large
region, including surrounding countries...
- they have 50 beds and operate 24 hours / 7 days a week...
- and, they also run a nursing
school...
Any guesses at their yearly operating budget? Anyone?? No?
$1 million. A paltry $1 million US
Dollars. That’s it. Incredible!
Finally...
As of right now, we are at
55% of our fundraising goal, with about $11,000 remaining. Thank-you so much for your
continued support, prayers, enthusiasm and excitement!
Things to pray about right
now?
- Please pray that the rabies vaccine will be
available for Derek and I in time before we go. Presently there is a
shortage, enough to vaccinate the boys only.
- Pray for Derek
and I as we prepare the boys for life in a new culture.
- Pray that our visas will process quickly and smoothly. We're sending them out this week.
- Pray for the boys as we take them to get three more vaccination needles soon.
A funny story about the vaccinations...
Hudson is six years old. After receiving the first of three rabies shots he asked, "If a lion bites me, will this shot keep it from hurting?" Not quite, but it's interesting to see how kids think. I set him straight, but he was less than impressed with the reality of it all.
And a couple of things we are so thankful for...
- We bought our
plane tickets. We were able to buy the tickets for about $4000 less than the price that was anticipated. Yeehaa!
- Praise to God for our insurance company, who has been
super to work with. Who ever says that about their insurance
company??!! Last week I drove home from the hospital pharmacy with
probably $8000 worth of vaccinations and anti-malaria pills. I only
had to pay $35.
God continues to amaze me!
