My Journey To Africa

by Christine

A Visit To The Hospital

I have not always been a fan of missions...short term trips in particular.  I struggled greatly with the financial costs associated with them.  I always felt the money could be used so much better being invested directly into the missionaries serving the third world people groups, not North Americans going over there for a short period of time.   And then my brother-in-law went to Togo on a mission trip.  I had no idea what this event was about to stir within me.

Here I am now - going on a mission trip!  

How I have gone from that point to where I am today has been the result of prayers, reflection and the realization of my lack of trust in God.

Plans Come Together

Derek was able to go visit our family in Togo  three years ago, in the winter of 2013.  He was impacted in a big way.  His love for the people of Africa was so evident.  He wanted to go back.  I was not so interested, yet.  I heard Derek talk about how the hospital staff walk around and pray with their patients, and how this hospital sees 2000 people make a commitment to follow Jesus as their Saviour every year!  Incredible!  I was intrigued by this and longed to see this.   We talked about doing missions trips after we retired.

I had saved up for an approved leave from my work at the hospital, seven month’s worth.  As Derek and I were discussing what we were going to do with this incredible gift from God, God would whisper in my ear thoughts of Africa.  These thoughts would be quickly followed by intense fear and feelings of inadequacy.  I wasn't too quick to catch on, but I eventually came to the realization that fear was stopping me from acting.  

How many times in the Bible does it say "Do not fear!" ?  The answer - 365 times!  (once for each day of the year!)  We have tried to raise our boys to be brave and not fearful.  There was a day a couple of summers ago that 3 different people said to me, "Wow, your boys are fearless!"  Praise be to God.

So, when I acknowledged to God and myself that fear was holding me back, that opened up a floodgate for me.  I was now jumping in with both feet.  Derek and I eagerly started to pursue a mission’s trip.

Confidence In Him

Sitting at work one day, fears of inability started creeping in again, but, this time I took that fear and gave it to God.  I said, "I can't - - but You can!"  A great quote I read recently says, "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called".  God is growing my trust in Him.  I am loosening the grip on the steering wheel of my life.  He's a better driver anyways!  I know God has called our family to go to Togo.  Derek and I are answering that call and I am at peace knowing that He doesn't call us to something without also supplying all we need to do it.

Here is a verse that God showed me just yesterday, it's found in Luke 10:19 ..."I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”  

I would like to add spiders into that verse, as well...

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This one was found on the hospital grounds.  It didn't survive.

This snake was dispatched, as well.

We Can't Do This Alone

We feel we have been called to serve for 6 months at the Hopital Baptiste Biblique in Togo, West Africa.

Christine will be working at the hospital.  Derek will be helping out wherever a hand is required.  The three boys will be a (hopefully) welcome distraction for both the locals and the missionaries and medical staff on the grounds.  We've gone through the application process with the mission agency ABWE.  We have been approved by our home church.  We have committed to a time frame from April to September 2016.

We have a great church that has offered to support us financially.  We have friends, family and a church that are all willing to pray for us - to get us there, and to cover us while we're in Togo.

We'd love to have more people praying for us.  Really, really love it!  If you'd like to join with us - we'd be glad to have you join with us.  We know we'll need the support and intercession.  We covet your prayers for our time there, that we will be successful in completing our mission.

If you want to do more than pray, there is the opportunity to support our mission financially.  We are hoping to be able to take some medical equipment over with us to make the work there more effective.  Specifically, we are looking to purchase a couple of BiPAP and CPAP machines and the required tubing and masks to make the whole system work.  We want to take these with us.
You can give a one-time gift or sign up for monthly donations.

This is a BiPAP machine.  Two of these would be so nice to have.

This is a full-face mask for use with both CPAP and BiPAP machines

Gifts and donations are always tax-deductible and there is a lot of info on giving options on the sites listed below.
For more information on what the funds will be used for, feel free to contact us:                penny.missions@gmail.com


Here is the link to the ABWE mission donation site: www.canadahelps.org/dn/3067
You can find us - Penny, Derek and Christine - in the dropdown box.

If you want to send funds through the ABWE Canada office by phone, you can call 877-690-1009.

If you would like to donate funds by mail, you can send a cheque to:
ABWE Canada
34 - 980 Adelaide Street S.
London, ON
N6E 1R3
Account ID: 0787768

For more information on donation options you can go to this site:
www.abwe.ca/give/ways-to-give


Almost half of our expenses will be in airfare to get there and to come back.  We have been given a target number of $27,000.  That sounds like a lot - and it is, but with our personal contributions and with the assistance of the church and other individuals we've got confidence that we can reach or surpass the goal!


Here is a map from Google Earth to show the distance we need to cover to get to Togo from our home in London, Ontario.

Follow the red line from our home to the hospital in Togo.

Our Journey

It has been a journey to get to this point.

I was able to go visit my sister, brother-in-law and family while they were building a hospital in northern Togo, in West Africa during 2013.  I spent a week at the existing hospital at Tsiko in the south of the country, seeing how things worked.  I then went with them to Mango, in the north, where the new hospital was being built.

When I came back home I told Christine we should go there.  She wasn't too keen on the idea.

Looking down on the Tsiko hospital from the mountains

The Idea

Christine has banked some time at work - 6 months worth.  When I asked her what she was going to do with the time off, she said she wanted to do more than just have fun here at home. This is where the idea began...  

To do something meaningful and impactful, with eternal benefits!  Great idea!

She wasn't a fan of short term missions, like two or three weeks.  But six months - that started to make more sense to her.  To use her medical training to benefit people who could really need it, to have an impact in lives for God.  Now we're talking!  The journey in her heart was making it's first steps.  It took a few months but she became enthusiastic about going to a small hospital 'in Africa, maybe?'.  It has been so cool to watch this shift happen.  I love watching this stuff!

We prayed about an opportunity.  Christine contacted five hospitals about coming to do some work with them.  After a few gently closed doors and some waiting and wondering and praying, we were presented the opportunity to go to the small village of Tsiko (pronounced Chee-ko) in Togo, West Africa.  Across Borders for World Evangelism has a long history of operating the Hopital Baptiste Biblique.  You might not be able to find Tsiko on a map.

So, we have a destination and a length of time.  Now we need a departure date. 

W5

The five questions.  Who?  What?  Where?  When?  Why?  Well, this is going to be easy to answer.

The who:  That would be us - the Penny family, making up the loosely organized 5 Cent Mission.  If I have to explain the 5 cent bit, well... nevermind.  We are Christine and Derek, Logan, Keenan and Hudson.

The what:  We're going to serve at a small hospital to help meet the medical needs of people as a means to meeting their spiritual needs.  This hospital ministry has seen thousands of people accept Christ into their lives.  What an amazing opportunity.

The where:  The village of Tsiko, Togo.

The when:  We're going to leave Canada in early April, 2016 for a period of six months.

The why:  We have the ability, we have a God that calls us to the ends of the earth to serve others and serve Him.  We're not part of a club, we're part of a mission.  Get out and serve, or support those that are going.  Simple as that.  We're going.  

We have three boys who we want to teach.  Teach them to love God and follow Him.  To learn to love other people and be willing to go somewhere possibly uncomfortable to serve them.  To learn to love missions and different cultures.  

Derek, Keenan, Logan, Hudson and Christine

What's Next?

We have to raise some funds to pay for the airfare and our food/lodging while in Togo.  It's going to cost somewhere around $27,000 for the five of us to go for the six month period.  

Doesn't sound like much - if you say it fast!  The crazy thing is half of that amount is just airfare alone.

We have preparations to make here at home.  We've seen some amazing things just 'fall into place' in only a way that a mighty God could make happen.  It's been so fun to be caught off guard by things sorting themselves out before we could begin to get stressed about it.  Just... wow!  

There will still be details and loose ends to tie up right until we depart.  So many answers to prayers already - and some answers before we even knew what to pray for!  Again, just being stunned at what God does for us.  More affirmation that we're doing what He wants.