Pursuing A Call To Togo

As a family, we have been convinced to serve God in full-time ministry since leaving Brazil in 2020.  We have had a strong desire to serve Him in overseas missions, proclaiming His glory to the nations.  We have been patiently waiting for God to open a door to serve Him using the gifts He has given us.  During a recent missions conference at our home church, we heard about the desperate need for teachers at the missionary kids (MK) school in Mango, Togo (West Africa).  I looked at my wife right after the missionary speaker gave his report and said, “Do you want to go to Togo?”  My wife’s immediate response was, “Yes.”  This was not the first time we had heard of the wonderful ministry going on in Togo.  However, this is when we both felt compelled to serve God in this way.  After much prayer and many conversations, we decided to pursue this opportunity.  If it was God’s will, He would open the doors to allow us to go.  We can clearly see how God, in His kind providence, has brought us to this point.  We have had many wonderful conversations with ABWE (Association of Baptists World Evangelism), our home church (Meridian First Baptist Church), and the field team members in Mango.  Everyone involved believes that our family would be a good fit for this ministry.  We are so excited for this opportunity to serve God in Togo (and our kids too!).  

ABWE has been ministering in Togo since the 1970’s.  There are a variety of ministries in the town of Mango, including a much needed hospital (Hospital of Hope), a radio ministry (Hope Radio), a K-8 African Christian school (Le Bon Berger), a sewing school, a nursing school, a church planting and leadership training ministry, and many others.  The Hospital of Hope has been open since 2015, serving thousands of patients annually.  Every patient is presented with the gospel.  The medical team is meeting very real physical needs in Togo, which gives the hospital chaplains and missionaries an open door to meet the spiritual needs. The hospital serves people from Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Ghana, and Nigeria, including many unreached people groups in the 10-40 Window. 

Our role in Mango will be as teachers for the MK (missionary kid) school which is located on the Hospital of Hope compound.  This is an essential ministry because there are many doctors, nurses, and other missionaries who have children who need an education and there are no other schooling options in the region.  These MKs also need people to invest in their lives spiritually.  By coming alongside the missionaries and providing educational support for their kids, we can make it possible for them to devote more time and energy to their ministries.  MK teachers are there to support those who are on the front lines, and to help train the next generation.  There are presently over 30 MKs in Mango.  My wife, Serena, has experience teaching elementary aged kids, while I have taught a variety of classes in grades 5-12.  We would both be involved in teaching all grade levels.  While teaching would be our primary ministry, there are many other ways that we can serve too.  The needs range from helping at the hospital, the radio ministry, overseeing the guest house, encouraging chaplains, being involved in kids’ clubs in the community, mentoring the older (high school) MKs, assisting the youth group, helping train teachers at the African Christian School, and certainly other possibilities that we aren’t even aware of.  We just want to serve God in any way that will be helpful in advancing the gospel.

We know that there is a high cost to serving in Togo.  Just the climate itself will be very difficult.  We will have to learn French while we are there.  Teaching so many grade levels at the same time will be hard.  It will be tough to be away from family and friends.  We know that we will be serving in a difficult part of the world, but the reward will be much greater than the cost.  We get to share the love of Christ to the nations.  There are people who desperately need the hope of Christ!

We will be going as short-term missionaries (1 year) with the hope of transitioning to long-term status in the future.  Our goal is to be in Togo by this August!  This would allow the current MK teacher to leave on furlough (she has been in Togo for 4 years and needs time with family).  Our youngest daughters, Ally and Valerie, will be going with us.  At this point, our oldest daughter (Sierra) will plan to stay in the United States and finish her education at The Master’s University.  All three of our daughters have indicated a strong desire to be full-time missionaries when they grow up, and serving with us in Togo would be a wonderful opportunity for them.  They also will have plenty of opportunities to serve and make an impact for Christ.

We need your help!  First of all, please pray.  We can do nothing good on our own – we need God’s sustaining grace.  Pray that God would continue to guide our family and that we would be submissive to His will.  Pray for the various ministries in Togo.  Pray for the missionaries who are currently serving in Mango.  These missionaries are warriors on the front lines.  Pray for us as we seek to raise the necessary funds in order to depart for Togo in August.  There is a very substantial amount of money to be raised in a very short period of time.  We are in need of monthly financial partners, as well as one-time gifts.  If you would like to support us financially, and if you would like to receive our updates please see the information below.  Thank you for your partnership in the gospel.