Wind and the Waves

I wish you could all be here with us in Mango. Not because I would put you to work (although I probably would!) but because writing about life here is sometimes just as disappointing as standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and taking a picture with your phone. As you try and share your experience through the small photo, everyone around you nods in delight but you know they can't actually grasp what you saw in person.

That's because beauty comes from the movement of your soul, not the image before your eyes.

The Hospital of Hope is beauty--not because the tiles are shiny and the equipment is new, but because the hundreds of stories taking place inside every day stir your soul. Sometimes that stirring is joy and hope, and other times it's crushing.

We have had four deaths in the hospital so far, and all have come out of Pediatrics--severe malaria in a 2 and 4 year old, a newborn born several hours away who had gone too long without oxygen, and our first infant born via C-Section who was diagnosed with a irreparable congenital heart defect hours later.

It doesn't take much for discouragement to try and overtake you after spending a full 24 hours working, praying, pleading for the life of another person only to lose the battle. I've thought to myself more than once this week, "how can I welcome this woman to the Hospital of Hope when she just lost her only child on my watch?"

I've actually been through this before, after moving to Togo for the first time in 2012--Death, discouragement, doubt.

I told a family that their new baby boy, hours old, would only survive a few more hours due to a heart that wasn't formed right. I openly struggled to get through a prayer for them afterwards. Tears from fatigue and disappointment were unstoppable. Afterwards, the family told me that is was God who decided for it to be this way. I took a moment to figure out who was comforting who.

As I walked away, I approached our new, young 17 year-old mother of premature twin girls. Life was passing from one room and entering into the other. I sat and held one of the twins for a few moments in amazement of God's grace on this young mom and these tiny girls.  The juxtaposition was almost too much to take in and I walked outside to breathe in some cool night air. The 3am night sky was still as I sought peace that could only come from the Lord.

Moments later a strong wind came through for only about a minute, then calmed. The lyrics to a beautiful song immediately came to me:
So let go my soul and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name. 

When Jesus stilled the storm from within the boat as he traveled with the disciples, they saw Him next to them, but they couldn't fix their eyes on the power that was before them.

Death can feel like an inescapable power that is ever before me here. An enemy that always wins at some point. But there isn't one life that passes into or out of this world without the word of the Lord, and it's beautiful. It's all beautiful.

I praise the Lord for letting me be here to see it all, to be moved by it all. Pray for me as I breathe it all in. Please pray for all of us here, whose purpose and joy is to bring the message that Christ has conquered death, and he is longing for all to pass from death into life.


**Song mentioned is by Bethel- It is Well, Album: You Make me Brave**

All we can do

A photo taken during orientation for the hospital. We spent a week learning, getting to know one another, and having fun!

I'd like to meet the person who first said, "All we can do is pray" and smack him/her upside the head. I hear this phrase often and have very likely been guilty of saying it myself. It's usually said after doing through all of our human-derrived solutions for change or resolution and realizing they wouldn't work, or didn't work. As a last ditch effort we tag God on as our "P.S." at the end of the letter, just to remind people that we are Christians, and to show the Lord that we tried everything already.

Why do we do this?

The author of Hebrews said, "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
The Psalms remind us that "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."
The Lord told Jeremiah, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

The Creator of the Universe, the Creator of YOU, wants to interact with you, love on you, meet your needs, reveal things to you, encourage you, and most of all, make Himself known to you. If prayer is a time to experience these things, why is it so often our after-thought?

One thing I have noticed most of all here in Mango is to expect the unexpected. Each day I have a goal, or a list of things to accomplish during the day, but not once has my day gone as I expected.
 "Get to the hospital early today to work on organize materials".......Flat bike tire on the way
 "I can get everything done today, but I don't have a minute to spare"....as I finish this thought, my
    phone rings. It's one of our nurses who's child is ill and is coming to my house so I can see them.
 "I will reply to all my e-mails tomorrow".....Internet goes down for 4 straight days.

I've learned to laugh at plans, at my plans. What if I just started the day in prayer, asking the Lord to show me what he needed me to do today, instead of me telling him what I was going to do today?
What would that day look like for me, for you?

Would we take 5 extra minutes to help someone who needed us? Would we take 30 extra minutes to sit before God in stillness so He could fill us up for the day? Would we be willing to throw our plans out the window and surrender to whatever God's plan was?

I'm amazed that I could possibly think I have the best plans for my day, my week and my life. Especially when I cannot know what will come in the next moment. Yet the Lord who is not bound by knowledge, power, or time wants us to spend time with him so that he can reveal small parts of this plan, His plan, to us!

It's true that "All we can do"...is pray.  I wish someone would have instead said, "We can all do prayer" or "We can do all with prayer". Then maybe it wouldn't be an afterthought at the point of our weakness, but instead a recognition of how we can join the Lord in what He wants to accomplish around the world.

I'm hoping you will join our team in Mango in fervently praying each day for the next 2 weeks as we count down to the opening of the Hospital of Hope. There is much to get done,  things that can only be completed and ready with God's miraculous hands.

We are having a Grand Opening Celebration on February 26th where many government officials (possibly the president of Togo) and the entire community will be in attendance. Our doors will open to see our very first patients on March 2. There are a lot of emotions both good and bad that are affecting us all, so please pray for wisdom and peace. Pray that we will keep our focus on why we are here!

-kel

P.S. There are many things I cannot publish on a public blog about life in Mango. If you want to know more about how to be praying for us, I have set up a "secret" group on Facebook where I will be sharing more specific prayer requests. If you want to be a part of this group, please message me through Facebook or e-mail me at faber@abwe.cc

New Beginnings

Nurse Afi and I with Charité and David--born at 27 weeks,
now 2 years old!

I'm back in Togo! To catch you up, I arrived in Togo on December 31st and was able to start the new year in Tsiko, visiting friends I hadn't seen in about 8 months. It was a very sweet time of seeing the nurses and new missionaries that had arrived since my departure. It was especially sweet to catch up with Bernadette and Grace. I was thrilled to find out that Berna's family, the Pariko family, will actually be moving up to Mango after this school year finishes, as their father has been employed as our hospital driver. I couldn't have been more excited, and Berna has told her family that she will be living with me.  I think she'll have to settle for living near by. :-)

Royal Blue happens to be the favorite color of most Fulani people.
Say hello to my new curtains as I attempt to decorate using this
bright color!

I was excited to finally make it up to Mango. The journey went well, and besides 2 of my suitcases being held hostage in Lomé customs for about 2 days, everything and everyone arrived safely. I was very much looking forward to finally moving in to my home and packing suitcases. I felt like somewhat of a nomad over the past few months and I was really to get settled. The Lord had other plans though. The wonderful family who I am living with decided that the home wasn't quite good enough and wanted to replace all the windows, and have the veranda tiled. While these are amazing upgrades to a home here, in my own impatience I must admit that I was sad. My dear friend Anna has been letting me stay with her (she only lives about 1-2 blocks away from my house) and I've really enjoyed spending time with her. Over the past 2 weeks I've been moving in little by little. I'm still awaiting the completion of some furniture, which will help me get settled. Please pray for WATER. Our home has wonderful INDOOR PLUMBING (YAY!) but the water company is refusing to turn in on until our family pays the equivalent of $600 "plus some other fees".  My family here strongly feels  that this is due to discrimination based on their tribe (the Fulani people are greatly discriminated against here, and in many countries across W. Africa). The water company says that the people who owned the property before them owed this money, so now it's our responsibility to pay it. It is not so much an issue of money, but of principle, and my family will not be giving in any time soon. Pray for wisdom and for the hearts and attitudes of those involved at the water company. I never realized how much I took clean water for granted until I didn't have easy access to it! For now, we have a well on the property and get city water from a public pump about a block away. 

Interestingly, I have heard several stories about neighboring tribes keeping the nearby Fulani groups from getting water. Wells are "held hostage" and these Fulani groups are forced to go without water, or forced to get water from the Oti River--a very large,contaminated river that runs through Mango. Pray that we will find ways to be a bridge in these factions and find a way to love people through water ministry. 

                                      THE HOSPITAL IS OPENING MARCH 2nd!!!!

Walking into the Hospital of Hope after being gone for 8 months was overwhelming. I stood in the Pediatric ward and just cried tears of joy and relief. I am overwhelmed by all the work and prayer that has gone into this project, and overwhelmed by how much there still is to get done. Please pray as we all work as a team to do what is necessary to get everything accomplished. Pray for some laboratory supplies that have been shipped from Europe to arrive in time for the opening. Also pray for the opening ceremony that is taking place on February 26th, as we believe the President of Togo will be in attendance, as well as the Prime Minister and the US Ambassador to Togo. 

BIRTHDAY LUNCH IN KARA (about 2 hours south of Mango)

YAY for birthday cake!

     I will write more very soon, as there is too much to tell, but I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who wrote e-mails and sent Facebook messages wishing me a Happy Birthday today. It was

                    a wonderful birthday filled with cake, friends, and lots of laughter.
And remember, you can sign up to receive updates of this blog automatically by typing in your email

                                                                          on the left!

                                                                     Grace and Peace

Good news! Mango now has a pizza place:
Isa's Pizza! 

Weather Report

How can you not love Togo?!

I am not one to write blogs that I like to call "Weather Reports"--lists of things I've been doing and will be doing over the last several weeks. But seeing that my last note was over 8 weeks ago, I will be making an exception!

September and October were filled with working, actually. Thanks to some very generous folks at Kosair Children's Hospital and University of Louisville Pediatrics Department, I was able to work about 20 overnight shifts in the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Department. Many of you know that a long-time life goal I had was to practice Pediatric Heme/Onc, but life took me in another direction! Being able to once again take part in this area of US medicine was really wonderful, despite the overnight hours! The great news is that I was able to reconnect with some of the doctors who work in this area and meet the new director as well, who has shown interest in helping develop more sustained Heme/Onc treatments in Togo. This has been a long-standing need, so please pray as we work out the logistics of finding medications and the best possible diagnostic techniques. 

I was also able to reconnect with some amazing doctors and researchers in the U of L Neonatology Department. If you have been following me during my Togo journey, you are all too familiar with our volume of premature infants and newborn care. During a meeting with two of these wonderful people they asked if I had a transcutaneous bilirubinometer. This complicated term is basically a way to detect how jaundiced (or yellow) an infant is without having to take a blood sample. Because of our babies dark skin, jaundice can be difficult to see, but checking a blood level on every infant is cost-prohibitive. I told them that I did not have this machine but that I had been desperately hoping to obtain one for the past 3 years! This wonderful woman Paula replied, "I think I have one in my closet at work. Would you like it?" PRAISE THE LORD!!  Of course, I replied with a resounding YES! This amazing gift saved us thousands of dollars, so please pray that the Lord blesses the generosity of these folks! 

November started off with the Global Missions Health Conference-the largest Medical Missions conference in the world! Thankfully there were so many folks there who have served in Togo or will be serving in Togo, and we had a wonderful get-together one of the evenings that allowed everyone to meet and share stories.  

I also spent 2 weeks of November back at the ABWE office to complete my last official steps of training. It was a great time of reuniting with other Togo missionaries working hard towards getting to the field, as well as meeting so many others who are waiting to be sent out all over the world! We received some great training on conflict resolution, finances, spiritual warfare, and leadership. 

My very last steps to be completed before flying back to Togo are the completion of a New Testament and Muslim Studies class.  With my departure date approaching (December 29th!) I decided to move back home to Chicago in order to spend more time with my family.  With my medical license and sending church Sojourn being located in Louisville, it was where I needed to be during my time back home. I am looking forward to getting to spend more consistent time with my family over the next 4 weeks. One of my grandmothers' health is very poor and I will likely not see her again after I leave this time. 

It's always difficult to look ahead to all that I will miss out on being far away--track meets, basketball games, holidays, and school plays. But I know that I'm supposed to be in Mango. I know it with all that I am. I'm obviously not a parent but I do think I have a glimpse of what it's like to be one--loving each child with 100% of your heart. You cherish the sweet things about them while praying that the Lord will change the parts that need refinement. Meanwhile you can't imagine your life without them. 

My sister Patti and I with the Marshall Fields Clock in Chicago.
Although this store is now Macy's, we refuse to accept it!

This is a glimpse of what it's like to be a missionary in a foreign land. I want to be in Togo with every fiber that makes me whole. But I long for the same thing regarding being here in the US with my friends and family. I can easily list the beauty and horrors of each place, the pictures of grace and need for redemption on both sides of the ocean. I'm grateful to be living in a time where I don't have to choose one over the other. Missionaries no longer pack their belongings in a coffin and kiss their loved ones once and for all. I often joke that we live during a "wimpy" missionary time, where Skype and airline tickets are always at our fingertips. Maybe the Lord knew I needed to live now instead of back then. Maybe I wouldn't have gone. 

Please pray for my time remaining here in Chicago. Pray that I would spend it well and balance the preparations to go with the joy of spending hours with family. Pray for my upcoming transition back to Togo as I re-experience the culture shock of returning. Pray that I will transition well, and not overwhelmed by, my new living situation (I will be living in town on a small compound with a Fulani family, opposed to on the hospital compound). Please also pray for new prayer and financial partners. I am overwhelmed and grateful for everyone who has sacrificed to make my departure possible. It's only because of your prayer and gifts that I will be in Togo in time for the hospital doors opening. A few partners have had to step back which is leaving an opportunity for anyone who has considered monthly giving to join in! 

Please let me know how I can also be praying for you during this time! I consider it a privilege to be a part of petitioning the Father on behalf of you, as it brings me an opportunity to also Praise Him when those prayers are answered. 

You are loved. 


www.abwe.org/give/commit-to-support-a-missionary
Account #: 0135691

Hands and Feet. Hats and Ebola.

I'm not sure where the last 2 months have gone! I spend several weeks traveling to various conferences I was required to attend, and thankfully got the chance to meet some amazing folks along the way!

One of my travels brought me to a small baptist church in Greer, South Carolina. The connection to the church was random in and of itself, since it began when I received an e-mail from a complete stranger not long after getting back on US soil. The e-mail introduced me to this wonderful couple to wanted to join my Togo support team! Not only was this a complete shock and blessing straight from the Lord Himself, but the couple continued to seek ways to be involved in the Togo ministry. This resulted in "Togo Tuesdays"--a time when folks from Victor Baptist, ages 8-80, get together to crochet hats and toys for our infants and children in Togo! I can't express what a blessing it was to get to go personally visit this church and meet all the people involved in crocheting and praying for Togo!

Experiences like this one are always humbling as I watch a practical way that the church functions as the hands and feet of Jesus himself. And although, making baby hats and toy animals may seem small to some, it's not easy. And I don't mean that it's not "technically easy" (although learning to crochet can be difficult as I found out in Switzerland while my 90 year-old instructor frequently shook her finger at me while saying things I didn't understand!).  What I mean by not easy is that each of these folks is taking time out of their lives, using skills they possess, to do something for someone they have never met; a baby they will never hold; a child they will never speak to.

But, why?

I'm not going to answer that, for I think everyone probably has their own answer and I can't pretend to know them all! But although this might seem like quite the stretch.....it makes me think of Ebola.

EBOLA?! Yes, Ebola.

As you may, or may not realize, their is a large Ebola virus endemic going on in Africa. Chances are that the first you heard of it was when a US physician, Kent Brantley, who was serving in Liberia under Samaritan's Purse, contracted this deadly virus while trying to care for people suffering from the same.  Praise God that he is now well and home with his family. In fact, he is speaking before congress today to give a first hand account to what is happening in West Africa and what is needed to help with this epidemic.

The quick summary of Ebola is that it is a virus that has no cure. It is transmitted through body fluids like sweat, blood, vomit, diarrhea, and saliva. The current strain of Ebola in West Africa has a death rate of about 60% and there simply aren't enough medical staff nor medical centers to keep up with the exponential growth of the disease. There are several reasons that Ebola has not been contained up to this point which include: misconceptions to how it is spread, beliefs that Ebola isn't even real, people afraid to seek treatment, cultural practices such as burial rites (washing of a dead body that, in this case, results in continued spread of the virus from the deceased to family members), lack of trained medical volunteers, and a lack of clinics able to handle this level of outbreak (just to name a few). So far, this current outbreak has reached 5 countries (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Guinea, Nigeria), more than 4,000 people with estimates of a continuing growth to over 20,000 people without any end in site. This isn't meant to scare anyone, it's just reality.

But what does this have to do with hats?!

Since Togo is in the West Africa region that has been ravaged by this virus, our team is having to come up with "what if" plans.  I frequently get asked from folks here in the US if I will stay home and "wait it out." I will admit that this question always surprises me a little bit. Wait it out?

I think one reason that Victor Baptist crochets for Togo is because we have a need, and they can fill it! If Ebola reaches Togo, their need will be even greater than ever, and I can help fill it. Why wouldn't I go? How could I watch my friends and people I consider family suffer through a fearful endemic that I have a skill to help fight? Togo is one of my homes. Who doesn't go home during a time of need?

I understand the fear of Ebola. I understand fear, period. But the Bible says in 1 John 4:

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Over my 2 years in Togo, I developed a love for the Togolese. How could I say "I love you, but I won't risk my life to serve you?" Isn't our life just a vapor? James 4: 14 says:

What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 

I think the Lord invites us to spend our lives serving. God surely isn't inviting us all to go serve in Africa treating Ebola! And I pray that Ebola never comes to Togo! But I am ready.  

So whether you make hats, treat the sick, raise your children, or invest people's money.....

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4: 10

Leaving Home to Come Home

Most of you know by now that I am home--at least, at one of my homes.  I left Africa on April 26th for Greece to spend a week at a medical conference where I could get some Continuing Medical Education credits completed while meeting with other medical missionaries from around the world.  I'm sure Greece is a wonderful place to visit, but I honestly didn't experience much of it as I was trying to wrap my mind around leaving Togo and getting ready to integrate into American culture.

I landed in Chicago on May 5th and was emotionally well until the plane hit the tarmac and the reality of being back couldn't be denied.  I began to cry while listening to the woman sitting behind me talk about her favorite Michigan hotel that costs over $300/night to stay at.  Sigh.  I wanted to say Did you know that $300 could treat 300 small children for malaria in a village?! 
"It's okay", I told myself, "it's just different here."

Successful track meet with my sister and her kids. Left to right:
Emma, Patti, me, Mary and Luke

Some of my family met me at the airport:  My sister, Patti, had brought me some bacon-maple donuts while my nephew Luke made me a welcome sign consisting of random French words just to test me language abilities. :-) My mom was there as were 2 of my nieces, Mary and Emma (who all made signs as well).  It was surreal to see their faces in person opposed to through the Skype computer screen. Overall, I was quite emotionally drained but was looking forward to the time ahead with family and friends.

The 2 weeks that followed were spent in Chicago where I celebrated my dad's college graduation from Moody Bible Institute, got to watch my nieces and nephews in several track & field competitions and a gymnastics performance, see extended family, catch up with some close friends, eat cheese, eat some more cheese, and FREEZE inside of every store and home with air-conditioning.

I moved down to Louisville, KY on May 20th. The Lord provided an amazing, generous and kind family for me to live worth during my time in the States. He also provided a job at the hospital I trained at here in Louisville that allows for my frequent travel schedule. I've gotten to be a part of the Global Health Program in both the residency and the medical school that I attended, and it's been very sweet getting to attend my home church, Sojourn.

It's obvious to ask, "How are you adjusting to the US?" I knew there would be some reverse culture shock, but I thought I knew what I would be "shocked"over--the materialism, what people wear, large stores like Wal-Mart. But I expected to be able to take comfort in people and catching-up with life. I think the "punch-in-the-stomach" was when I realized that I somehow flipped a switch with the material changes in culture (like $4 coffee), but I was quickly overwhelmed by people.  This might not seems strange to some, but anyone who knows me well, knows that 3 years ago it would've been impossible to overwhelm me with people.

It's no one's fault, it's just what happens when you step away from your life for 3 years. Standing in a room filled with people you once knew, who once knew you.  So familiar, yet not familiar at all. It's like you stepped away from the movie and someone pressed a fast-forward button and wants you to fit into the rest of the movie.  You try, but you can't because you just can't shake the feeling of confusion or that everyone knows something you don't. You feel like a 4-year old child at your parents fancy dinner party. People want to engage you, but they either don't know what to ask or they aren't interested in the stories a 4-year old has to tell.

Togo missionary reunion in Chicago with Erin and Cindy

This is all sounding very depressing, which isn't my intention. I'm just trying to give you a glimpse of what many missionaries experience upon returning home. I have had amazing reunions and times of great joy with friends and family since my time back. Rejuvenating moments of sweet embraces that could have only come from the Lord. I've especially cherished times with people one-on-one or in small groups.







Sarah Groves, a Christian music artist, has a song called "Painting pictures of Egypt" that expresses things well:

I dont want to leave here, 

I dont want to stay
It feels like pinching to me either way
And the places I long for the most 

are the places where I've been
They are calling out to me 

like a long lost friend

Its not about losing faith, 

its not about trust
Its all about comfortable 

when you move so much
And the place I was wasn't perfect 

but I had found a way to live
And it wasn't milk or honey 

but then neither is this

I've been painting pictures of Egypt,

 leaving out what it lacks
'Cause the future feels so hard 

and I wanna go back
the places that used to fit me 

cannot hold the things I've learned
Those roads were closed off to me 

while my back was turned

So I have been back in the US for 10 weeks now, which still seems very strange most days. I have done a lot of traveling for various reasons and have A LOT of traveling left: Harrisburg, PA (end of July), North Carolina followed by Tennesse (August), possibly Boston late August, Fort Meyers, Florida (end of Sept), Harrisburg PA (mid November).  I'm sure I'll have some trips to Chicago, Indianapolis and Wisconsin mixed in as well! :-) If you are in or near any of these places I would love to see you!! (don't be scared off by what I wrote about earlier!!).

Thanks to many of you, I am on track to fly back to Togo during the first week of December, which gives me 1 month to help the team prepare for the opening of the Hospital of Hope on January 8, 2015!! I oscillate between 97-100% support on any given month and I am very appreciative to everyone who continues to give during this long journey.


Please continue to pray for Mango and for Togo-especially during this time of Ramadan. Pray for the team who continues to work in Mango building both the hospital and relationships as they invest in the Kingdom.  And for those of you in the Louisville area on September 26th, we are planning a benefit concert here in Louisville called "Music for Hope". You can follow us at www.facebook.com/musicforhope and stay tuned for how to be involved!!

Was blind but now I see

Some of you may remember a boy named Bawa from Mango.  I wrote about him and his story in a previous blog post named "How Beautiful on the Mountains" (if you haven't read it, pause now to go look at it).  In very brief summation, Bawa was a 22 year-old young man who had chronic type 1 diabetes that wasn't diagnosed until a fellow missionary brought him down from Mango to see me at the Southern Hospital, HBB.  He was already blind due to his illness and was the size of a 10-12 year old. His mother, although uneducated, worked very hard to learn how to administer Insulin and take care of him the best she could.  After a difficult battle, including a miraculous recovery from a diabetic come where we discovered Bawa at a local hospital unconscious and with a blood sugar of 20, Bawa passed away.  It was difficult for all of us, but most of all for his family.  It was the 7th time this mother would have to bury a child.  Only one child remained.

Thankfully, the same faithful missionary who began helping Bawa, continued to visit his mother and grandmother in their small one room hut, sharing the gospel, meals, and providing encouragement whenever she could.  I also made sure to visit this sweet family each time I visited Mango.  Unfortunately, my visits were not frequent due to the distance.  But during the first visit I had after Bawa's passing, I watched how is also blind grandmother sat in despair and had no likely hope for the improvement of her own physical life as well.  She spent her time seated on the hut floor and relied on other to cook for her and even help her go to the bathroom.  Blindness in the third-world setting is somewhat of a death sentence, or at least condemnation to a life of solitude and complete reliance on others.

As we sat and shared the gospel message with her one again and spoke of our memories of Bawa, I turned to ask my friend, "Has anyone ever prayed for her eyes to be healed?" Although I am a physician, I know nothing of the eyes.  (ask my medical school friend Lana who went into Ophthalmology and she will confirm that I shrink away from anything eye related!!).  I had to history to confirm the etiology of her blindness or whether it was curable from a medical stand-point.  All I knew is that I knew The Healer and He might be willing to heal her as a gateway to showing her His amazing love and mercy, and to show her that He was and is the One true God.  We told her what we were going to do and and I crawled over to her, placing my hands on her head and prayed for the Lord to heal her as a means to show Himself to her.  I wasn't expecting her healing to be immediate or to take place through me.  But I was praying with confidence that the Lord would work.

Later that month, my missionary friend told me that after our meeting and prayer time with Bawa's grandmother, she decided to take her to see an eye doctor to find out if she could be healed medically.  The news was that although she was permanently blind in one eye, he felt that the other eye was repairable!!  It turned out that she suffered both from cataracts along with an chronic infection called Trachoma, which causes an inflammation of the lid which in turn causes the lashes to scrape against the cornea, causing blindness.  The doctor explained that he would perform some injections for the infection and after that had healed, he would remove her cataract.   Although painful, the first intervention allowed to to distinguish between light and dark.  I was able to visit her after she had completed this portion of care and I reminded her that although our friend and the doctor were vital in her healing, it was Christ alone who had worked to make this happen and he was worthy of our worship.

The day after leaving Togo I received an email from my friend in Mango that grandma had undergone the cataract removal operation and that she could see again.  Below is an excerpt from that e-mail:

Just got back from visiting them. She has been taking her medicine as indicated and was chattering away when I first arrived. I had put my hand in front of her face to see if she could see it and she laughed and laughed at why I was doing that and started talking about the colors in my pagne and how my pagne colors were different from hers. She said she is now able to walk outside of the hut by herself to go use the bathroom and is starting to be able to see things. She said she can't clearly distinguish all of the features on people's faces, but she can tell when people are there and can tell if someone is black or white. She was a hoot this morning. They said to tell you hello and thank you for everything in Lome. I was asking her again about the trip down and back and she said she was served an enormous amount of patte, much to her delight. She and Bawa's mom say thank you for the trip and everything you did to get them back up here and for making sure they were not hungry. When I was leaving she grabbed my pagne again and gave one more run down of the colors, and then Bawa's mom was pointing to different objects to see if she could say what they were, like my keys, which she did. It was kind of surreal. I don't know if this description does it justice, but hopefully when you read this it can capture some of the joy of the moment and the freedom and independence she feels.

I think our Father has the ability to heal instantly, and without our help.  He created us from dust and is all-powerful to intervene on our behalves at all times.  But I am amazed and when he allows us to be used in practical ways, in order to display the gospel message of love and restoration among those we love and care about.  I have no doubt that the Lord will use this to draw this family to Himself, to show them His love and power, to show them that they are not forgotten.

It was such a sweet conclusion to my time in Togo and I can't wait to see Grandma face to face for the first time.

Grace and Peace


p.s.  FYI- yes, I am now back in the US and will be writing soon about my transition and future plans.  Please pray for my adjustment to US life and culture and for my plans while I'm here over the next 7 months.  Don't hesitate to e-mail or call if you'd like to set up a time where we can visit one another as well!