New Friends (Pt 1)

A week has gone by in Togo, and already God is bringing new friends into our lives to encourage and challenge us. What a blessing Christian fellowship is, and how great to see on a daily basis that the bond we have in Christ extends beyond continent and culture. Many of these new friends are missionaries here. We have also made friends with several of the Togolese believers, though the language barrier often limits us to befriending those who speak English. If we could have one thing different , both Lisa and I wish we could speak French or Ewe so we could develop relationships with the dear brothers and sisters here as well as reach out to the many who do not know Christ. Still, this is where God has us these 6 weeks, and we are thankful for the friends we can make. And we are convinced that investment in language training in the future is a vital skill as God leads us towards full time missions.

While time does not permit us to share about all our new relationships, I wanted to highlight a few of the people we have befriended to give you a picture of our life and hopefully challenge you.

The first week, Lisa and I stayed with Michael and Cheryl Gayle (we just moved into the guest house yesterday). Michael is a Family Medicine doctor, and one of the main people who influenced me into pursuing Family Medicine. He and his wife Cheryl sold their practice in West Virginia about 8 years ago to begin a second career, this time serving God in Togo. While Michael works mainly in the hospital and clinic (though he wishes he had more time for evangelistic mobile medical clinics), Cheryl overseas logistics for the short term people staying in the guest house and helps with translation work in the Christian Resource Center. They both serve at a church in Tsavie (pronounced “Cha-vee-ay”) about 30 minutes from the hospital, where they have been involved in since its conception. Whether sharing meals or just chatting, we were encouraged by their heart for God's glory and the Togolese people and thankful to learn from their wisdom. Our time together is showing us that missionaries aren't supersaints nor are they perfect (Michael is a Yankees fan), but are normal people who love the Lord and sacrifice other pursuits to build Christ's kingdom.

Pastor Jeremie is a Toglese believer who helped plant the church the Gayles serve at. We first met him when taking his family (he has a wife and two children, including a cute 5 year-old boy named Jean) to the Tsavie church. Only on our ride back did we learn that he spoke English...he had been hiding it the whole ride up. Talking with him, I have grown to appreciate his passion for evangelism. Not only does he serve at the Tsavie church, but works as a chaplain in the hospital and will go preach at the hospital's Mobile Medical Clinics. It is so encouraging to see that, in a place where the gospel was hardly present half a century ago, God growing up mature leaders within His church who are spreading His work among the people here.

(Check back in the next day or two for the second part of this post.)