November Newsletter 08

Togo!


ovember 2008

An insight into the ministry of LCMS Long-term missionary Megan Birne y serving Christ in Togo, W est Africa

Nothing Short of Thankful There are many things I appreciate about life in Togo; I love waving to people from church, CLET students, and professors when I ride my bike across town and even though most of the time I am not included in it, I am completely enamored by the constant sense of community I can always see and feel. I love how the Fluegge kids explain things to me and how they rationalize the differences between life in West Africa and the States. Everyday presents a challenge which prevents me from being able to slump and find myself unengaged with the world around me. I am so thankful that God would chose me for this service despite my restless and often selfish heart. This month has been very interesting! Living in Florida my entire life, I have soaked up the transition from flood to famine here in Togo. It’s a little scary to think that I won’t see rain again until sometime in April and I might never say it again but I love humidity compared to the dry dusty air that casts a hazy glare over the sun nowadays. Most of the Africans who bike along side me now don surgical masks to avoid inhaling the dust clouds; I don’t think it’s quite that bad but I have to say I am a little apprehensive that it will get to that point! The first weekend in November, we traveled to Nalergui , Ghana to celebrate the Reformation (and Halloween!) with our closest missionary neighbors; the Hewitts (IMB), the Esalas (LBT), & the Fedowitzs (LBT). The ride was quite an adventure! The roads to Nalergui are completely unkept and unforgivingly rocky so though Dapaong and Nalergui may look close on a map, the ride took us almost 4 hours. The three boys decided to be pirates and since Caleb and Samuel insisted on sitting in the truckbed (with no objection from me considering I was in the back with all five of them!). By the time we arrived they were COVERED in dust while the rest of us only sustained a light coating; they looked just like REAL pirates! The Baptist Medical Center is located in Nalergui and Dr. Earle Hewitt heads the mission. Luckily, our Reformation and Halloween party coincided with removing Jesse’s cast! The party was a great time of games and candy for the kids and fellowship for the adults. Jesse & Glenn will fly back to France the 3rd week in December to have the pins surgically removed from his elbow. Please continue to pray for healing!! The next week Susan, myself, Abby, and Eliana spent two days in Ouagadougou,

Burkina Faso at an art show called SIAO. It is an African wide show with exhibitors from almost every African country! I saw booths from both Madagascar and Botswana —that’s about as far as you can get from Togo and still be in Africa ! There were beautiful pieces of furniture, cloth, jewelry, musical instruments, and tribal wares. Susan helped me bargain since French numerals still elude me. It was a great experience and made me even further appreciate the beauty of Africa . On the 8th, Charles Sakpani was ordained in Dapaong as Togo’s 11th Lutheran pastor. Sakpani was able to train at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis for two years and the first day I met him, he told me he knew my friend Brian—that’s Vicar Brian for all the SOTCers! Quite a comfort when you feel so far away from home and yet can find someone with a mutual friend! Sakpani has been called to church planting in Kara, which is located in southern Togo. Please pray for him and his family as they move & begin this ministry! I will be celebrating my first Thanksgiving away from my family this year but am so very thankful to have the Fluegges as my surrogate family for the holidays. I am truly thankful for the opportunity the Lord has given me to serve Him through His ministry here in West Africa . Thank you for being a constant partner in His awesome work in West Africa through your prayers!

Blessings on a happy, healthy holiday season!

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 Pictures! Above: Caleb and Jesse as pirates. Below: Glenn praying over Sakpani at the ordination.

November 2008

LCMS World Mission 800-433-3954 www.lcmsworldmission.com [email protected] Learn more about the work of LCMS World Mission in Africa by visiting: www.lcmsworldmission.org/africa

Living in the Dark Last night, the cell phone system stopped working and early this morning the electricity went out for the majority of the day. As I rode my bike to the post office this morning (instead of sitting and reading in the heat of my house, thinking I’d at least be productive and sweaty at the same time), I thought about how I would react if these two things happened simultaneously in America . I can’t help but think that Jack Bauer would probably become involved because loss of electricity and the most widely used means of communication would only happen if there was some sort of major crisis. However, here in Africa, I am almost coming to know these things as everyday occurrences and just the way of life. The CLET has a generator but it costs about a $1 an hour to run so they only use it when professors are in their offices. One dollar?! Seems kinda crazy, but it’s a lot of money here in West Africa (between half to a quarter of a day’s work!) When I was told that, my first thought was “I will volunteer to pay however many dollars just to have my fan run during the night!” Yet, I am surprised how my body has adjusted to the constant heat. Susan and I drove to the post office this week in the Landcruiser, which was a nice change from walking the bike back up the mountain, and I was freezing with the a/c at 80 degrees! Haha. However, these things are normal here in West Africa and I am adjusting to living in the dark without any means of communication. What a better way to commune with Jesus than when He takes away all means of distraction?

“...You don’t have to move that mountain, just help me Lord to climb it. You don’t have to move that stumbling block, just show me the way around it…” - Nickel Creek

Contact Info Megan Birney B.P. 38 Dapaong, Togo West Africa [email protected]

Prayer Requests • • • •

Check out my blog: acrossanoceansizedlove.blogspot.com

Strength, guidance, & courage as the Lord is constantly teaching me more about West Africa and His will for the next 6 months and beyond. That the Lord would continue to be prevalent in the lives of the Fluegge children and that I would continue to be effective in their learning. For health; that the Lord would continue to keep my mind and body free of sickness, fatigue, & anixieties. The students at the CLET (Centre Lutherien D’etudes Theologiques); that God would steady their hearts to pursue their calls to leadership training in serving the Lutheran Church in West Africa & the CLET professors that guide their journeys; give them strength and affirmation in their calls.

Visit my project page: www.lcms.org?13343

•

Praise for the ordination of Togo’s 11th Lutheran pastor, Charles Sakpani.

•

Download my prayer card: www.lcmsworldmission.org/ prayercards

For FES; travel for not only myself & the Fluegges but also for all of the other families travelling to Ouagadougou (11/29-11/30); that the children and families would be blessed with fellowship & a great two weeks of learning (12/1-12/15)!

•

For missionaries in Ghana (Esala, Fetowitz, & Hewitt families) and the nationals of Ghana; for peace and safety with the tension surrounding the upcoming election in Dec.

•

My fellow long-term missionaries serving this year, for the opportunity & strength to live out Christ’s love on the mission field.

•

For the hearts of West Africa.

Access my photo albums: picasaweb.google.com/ megaroonski Megan Birney B.P. 38 Dapaong, Togo West Africa

If you would like to receive this newsletter electronically, please e-mail me at [email protected]!