Views For Miles

With so much going on around the hospital and on the compound it's hard to condense things sometimes.  I want to tell stories about the work we're doing, enjoying seeing our part of the country, frustrations we get to celebrate - and how God helps us through so many more aspects of living in Togo.

I tried to sneak this little guy into 
the pocket of one of our workers. 
He didn't go for it.

Carte de Sejour

One of the joys for Canadians wishing to extend our visas into residence permits is a fun 'scavenger hunt' called Carte de Sejour.  It's basically a game of gathering documents, stickers, stamps and signatures to compile and finally submit to the government department in charge of well, permitting Canadians to extend our visas.

My sister (who is in the north of Togo at another mission hospital) has a great story about one experience she had which highlights the red tape and bureaucracy, and silliness at times, of applying for the Carte de Sejour.  You can read about her experience here:  Please God, Not Africa  

We are currently going through this same scavenger hunt.  We have been asked for documents no one else has been asked for, been told some of the other documents are unnecessary (only to be called back and asked for said documents as they were most definitely required).

Buying stamps at the local government
office, indicating we have paid 
another fee.

A good sign, the stamps match!

Waiting in the taxation office...

This is why she's waiting - YouTube is more
important.

Christine has been working through this very diligently and has been reveling in the fact that it is nearing the end.  At the local taxation office she had the joy of being 'assisted' by four staff, two of whom were content to watch videos on their phones while sharing a desk.  I was able to sneak a photo of them, not that they would have noticed or cared if I set up a tripod and snapped dozens of pictures!

A Day's Work

Okay, not a single day, but a quick glimpse into what the maintenance side of things looks like.

- Greet the guys at the shop at the start of the day, at 7am, and get them pointed in the right direction for the day's work.

- Go to the hospital and turn on the boiler, which I've nicknamed 'Old Faithful'.  Check in and see that the oxygen concentrator is working as it should.

- Head back to the shop and grab some tools and equipment and head out to the first task on my list.

John and Mawuli working on the grader

Ingenious?  Need to drill a pilot hole
for a nail?  Use a nail.  (I bought more drill
bits for the carpenters after seeing that.)

Cutting keys for a new lock

Broken wheel studs on a hospital vehicle

How many guys can we cram into
one tiny washroom?

A short story:  While digging a trench to replace an
electrical cable going to a house, one of the guys hit 
a septic line with a pick axe.  That septic line may
or may not have been on the map. 
That created a whole lot more work.

- Get distracted by someone who has another item to add to the list.

- Work until it's time for lunch.

After lunch it is more of the same until the crew leaves around 3:30pm.  After that I have some time to myself to finish up projects and jobs without distraction.  Home time is around 5:00pm, when it's time for a shower and rest before sitting down to supper.

Restrictions Being Eased

There were restrictions in place over the last month due to coronavirus.  Churches, bars and nightclubs, and other gathering places were shut down.  With the easing of these restrictions many people are hopeful this will be the end.  One local church in the village of Goudeve (pronounced Goo de Vay) is celebrating by opening a new building.  It's not much, by our standards.  It is theirs, however.  They wanted to add a touch of 'new' to the little platform, so our carpenters were making a new podium for them.

The new church building

The first Sunday inside.

                                        (Photos of the church courtesy of John and Tabitha Groeneveld)

Left-over Pictures To Share

These big, nasty bugs are noisy.  A high-pitched
buzz or squeal comes from them vibrating 
their wings.  They like to vibrate late at night, when all
decent critters should be sleeping!

Moto rides and views.  We get to see some beautiful 
countryside!

Not Australia, not Uluru - but a pretty sweet rock formation
none the less.  So we rode up it!

The view from on top.  Look at the scenery...

It seems to be a regular segment where I share pictures of the vehicles on the roads.  This month is no different.  First up, a passenger on a moto-taxi loaded with rolls of conduit, a level and trowels in a bag, a folded up mat, a long piece of wood.  He's just leaving a hardware store.

There is a guy inside those rolls of conduit!

Bed, Bath and Beyond - your order has shipped.

And finally, a taxi doubling as a hearse, outside the
hospital morgue.  A stark reminder of the reality of death
and our need for salvation.

A strenuous 2-hour hike can offer views like this!  Imagine climbing 150 flights of stairs...

On the left, tumble to your death.  On the right, the 
more direct route.  But the view, oh, it's totally worth it! 

Wli Falls, claimed to be the highest in West Africa at 80m / 260ft,
straddles the border of Ghana and Togo.

Thanks for taking the time to read through all of this.

If you'd like to contact us on email: penny.missions@gmail.com

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