To Togo I Go

I arrived in Togo on June 17th. It is a stark contrast compared to Malawi—the main differences are it’s hot here (in the 90’s versus in the 60’s in Malawi), very green (it’s the rainy season here verses dry season in Malawi), and a highly concentrated Muslim community (versus a high percentage of Catholics and Christians in Malawi).

I’ve been staying with the Thompson family and working at the hospital in the village of Mango, Togo. Janelle, my friend from Cedarville, has oriented me to being a nurse’s aide in all the units in the hospital: men’s, women’s, infection, emergency, intensive care, pediatric and maternity. We work four 10 hour days or nights per week.
Some highlights from our shifts so far:

Getting to know Bomboma.

This 7-year-old boy fell out of a tree three months ago and was paralyzed from the waist down. His family did not care for him properly, so he got massive stage four pressure ulcers on this back side. He has been in the hospital for three weeks now and his wounds are slowly starting to heal. As any kid would be, Bomboma is bored out of his mind. Thankfully Janelle and I have been able to spend much of our down time with him. Bomboma loves to blow bubbles, fly paper airplanes, take selfies, color, and read Bible stories. We’ve been having lots of fun together.

Babies!

Who doesn’t love to hold them, feed them, snuggle them, and love on them? I could only stay awake through night shifts because of these little guys! Also, it has been incredible to participate in five deliveries so far. I am constantly amazed at God’s creation of new life!

Getting to know the staff.
It is great to pick the American nurses’ brains about missionary nursing and to joke around with the Togolese nurses. There is an atmosphere of continuous teamwork at the hospital. I’m grateful to be a part of it.

When we don’t work, we play:

• Read books in the enormous climbing tree
• Attempt to learn French
• Walk down to the market
• Cook lots of tasty food
• Go swimming during our midnight break from work and see multiple shooting stars
• Play with missionary kids 
• Learn to ride motorcycles (the main vehicles of transportation around here are bicycles or motorcycles)

Prayer requests:

• Our Muslim community is finishing its 40 day fast for its holiday called Ramadan. I don’t know how it is for other Muslims, but during the last 10 days of Ramadan here, the people are praying more fervently than at any other time of the year. They are staying up all night and crying out to god, hungry for him to answer their prayers—but their god is not our God. We are humbly asking our God to make Himself known to these people and that they would come to find salvation and new life in Jesus Christ.

• About half of the hospital staff are Muslim. Pray that God would give boldness to the Christians to speak with grace and truth about our faith in God.

• Pray for Bomboma. Although he is getting lots of love these last few weeks, it doesn’t sound like his family cares/has the means to take care of when he goes home. My biggest prayer for him is that he may come to know Jesus!

• Pray for the missionaries who are here—that they may be “likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” (Phil 2:3).