Living Word

One thing I love about the Bible is the way it comes to life in dramatic and very undeniable ways creating within us an experience that deepens with time and has far reaching effects.

There is a leader in Ahepe named Feli who for many years was at best a churchgoer. About six years ago, Feli became the default leader of the church in his neighborhood. He was still selling lottery tickets and riding the fence of sincerity. He wanted to believe, but just wasn’t sure if he could depend on God to really take care of his family.

About two years ago a gracious opportunity presented itself to Feli that upon giving up the lottery he would have ownership of a corn grinder and begin a new chapter.

He took it. This is equivalent to a loss of at least 50% of his income. Since then he has vaulted the fence and has really grown in his love for Jesus.

There were two “Bible come to life” events for Feli last week that really encouraged me. Two ladies had missed worship on Sunday morning. So, in the afternoon Feli went looking for them. He found them in their fields grinding and cooking cassava to sell at market on Monday. He began encouraging and working with them and before he left they sent him home with a huge bowl of roasted cassava which his family ate throughout the week. Then on Thursday, Togo’s labor day, Feli was called to a feast. Upon arriving, there were several men gathered who were decked out in their festive garments ready to eat. Feli was invited to bless the meal. After the meal was over the group requested for Feli to share a message from the Bible. He taught from Matthew chapter six about how God blesses us and takes care of all our needs if only we will seek him and his will. His message was well received and he went on his way.

It hit me as I sat with him this past Friday, how dramatically his life has changed and how even the cynical population of his village has taken note of this transformation. What happened? What made the difference? He took God at his word and God is faithful.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

 

Little did they know…

Four years ago, we had decided that it was enough.  We were coming upon our seventh year in Togo, which was our original commitment.  Yes, there was more work to do.  Yes, we were being used effectively in a fruitful work.  Yes, things had gotten better over the course of time in Togo, but we were tired; we were beat up; and we were ready for the easier road.  So, without asking God what we should do or what He wanted us to do, we made the decision that we were going to come back to the US for good in 2006.  Upon our visit to the states that year we made our annual trek to Harding to teach in some classes and encourage students to consider missions.  God had arranged two encounters for us on that trip.  One was with missionary veteran, Fielden Allison of Kenya.  He was the missionary in residence at that time and I was teaching a class with him.  After the class, he asked me what my plans were beyond Togo.  I revealed to him the Marty planned return of 2006 to domestic ministry in the states.  At this point I must clarify that there is nothing at all wrong with that if that is what God has planned for you to do.  On the other hand, if He has called you to something else, and you are making that decision then hopefully someone will ask you the same question Fielden asked me.  ”Why?”  There was a lot to this very simple question.  Why do missionary veterans return to the states after acquiring language and cultural assimilation skills and after learning to share Jesus and mentor leaders so effectively?  Some are called to, but surely not all.  All the reasons that I had in my bag of justification melted before Fielden in an instant.   Yes, I was speechless.  I knew then what I had done and I stood rebuked.  It was for my own convenience that I wanted to come back to the states, definitely not in answer to God’s call.  Then later that day, we met with our friend Dr. Carr.  He then, in his very excitable and charismatic way, began sharing how wonderfully effective for the kingdom some African missionaries are and have been, literally touching thousands through their ministry and potentially hundreds of thousands through several generations of growth.  This was it, the moment where Louise and I were pushed over the edge and humbly brought back to the “why” of our being in Africa.  It all began with a desire to be effectively used by the Master.  Here we are, now, about to return to Africa and finish up our work in Togo and begin a new work in Rwanda.  It has been an incredible ride with God and promises to only get better.  Upon our visit to Harding this last November, we seized the opportunity to share all of this with Dr. Carr.  It was a wonderful awakening to a moment of serendipity from years ago when he, by God’s design, turned our hearts back to not only Africa for Christ, but more importantly to the acceptance of God’s will for our lives.  Little did he know.

        

 

A new name

Among the Watchi the name you receive is usually based on what day you were born. That is, until the fateful day when you first “need” major assistance from the voodoo spirits. On that day your name usually changes to reflect whatever voodoo you have been linked to. This name then becomes who you are in more ways than one. There are, of course, other trappings that go along with the worship, but it is the name that really establishes your identity and reminds you of whom you serve as you are hailed daily by that new moniker. One of my dearest friends I have called Houndzo ever since I met him over six years ago after he began serving Jesus. About two months ago I noticed that those closest to him began calling him by the name Bertin. Upon some investigation I found out that the name “Houndzo” had been his voodoo name and that he was getting rid of that. Bertin had received his new identity in Christ six years earlier and has worked selflessly to plant five other churches in these last years, but had somehow forgotten to change his name. So, all of you out there who have regularly prayed for Houndzo, please stop. Don’t pray for him anymore, pray for Bertin, Houndzo died over six years ago.

Praise God for his grace that renews us daily and the frequent reminders of that renewal.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” (II Cor. 5:17)

 

Tyler Zoo

 

They first took care of the important things, to see the unique animals of America. Whereas most kids head for the lions and elephants, our kids took off to see bisons and bears.  They were enthralled by the beasts of North America, yet in the end they found themselves migrating towards the pacoderms and royalty of the savannahs.  Upon sighting the elephant, who can here be seen practicing his gymnastics, their faces grew rather long.  They, as well, miss Africa.  A zoo is great, but nothing beats a full

grown bull elephant charging your car as you drive down the gamepark road or having lions lounging by a recent kill twenty yards from the road (especially when a French tourist, not seeing the lion, decides to get out of the car and walk up to the recently deceased buffalo).  Well, just seven weeks to go and they will be back in the wilds.  There is a good chance that as we depart Virginia in January we could see an increase in temperature of at least 85 degrees in just one day’s journey.  Yet, even as the heat hits them and they shed all the clothes and don flip-flops, they will praise God together with us that we have returned to the great continent of Africa to share the love of Jesus.

 

 

Our adoption of Glenwood

Or is it the other way around?  Who is adopting who?  We are finishing up our last visit to Tyler, Texas with the Glenwood congregation before making our final preparations and getting holiday time with family before our January departure for Africa.  It has been wonderful as they have welcomed us in like family.  All in all, we can’t say enough about the believers here.  They have moved us with their prayers.  They have wooed us with their love.  They have challenged us with their spiritual depth and insight.  They even took us to the zoo, a dinner theater, and to play golf!!!   I think we should adopt them and call them our own.  Welcome, Glenwood, to our family of supporters!  We look forward to many years of partnership together as we serve God in Togo and later Rwanda.

 

Homecoming to Harding

We haven’t been at Harding for a Homecoming since 1990 and even then we didn’t really participate. Homecomings were always for the aged and elderly. They would smile upon arrival and talk about how much has changed and remember the “good ole days”. They would make the appointed meetings, banquets, and traditional stops. They would take in as much of the musical as they could before falling asleep and attend the football game while never really watching the game itself, but instead standing in the end zone finding as many people to reconnect with as they could. They would lead their children around the campus talking about that which occurred there and this which happened here.

I must now confess that upon my recent prodigal return, I did all of the above and I loved Homecoming weekend. I now have more merit to calling myself middle-aged. It was great to reminisce with those I could remember who also actually remembered me. More than anything it was great to realize how much of an impact Harding has had on me. I learned about Jesus there. I grew up there. I met the love of my life there. I embraced a life-time vision that all began there. I am amazed at all the incredible things that God has done in my life and so many of them originated from my attending Harding. So, if it has been a while, go back for a visit and remember, there, what God has done for you since. It is not heaven, but it is a blessed place that in spite of its faults continues to bless my life.

 

Second frost

It was much better than the first and prettier as well.  We stood outside and gawked.  The boys went and sat in it.  We sang.  We prayed.  We stood amazed as our back yard world was encased in shining silver.  Even though the frost melted in the bright morning sun, our hopes in Christ for the day did not.  As we had started in worship, we continued to worship throughout, and ended our day in the presence of God, still in awe of the beauty of our creator and his deep, specific love for us.  Oh for the ideal day, daily, how sweet it would be.  Yet, so many of our days don’t begin with such beauty as the second frost, but, they still can begin in the beauty of his love.

 

Back again.

The dying internet connections in March just about did my blog and I in after the inconsistent ones from December, January and February.  I really began to wonder if blogging for a missionary in Tabligbo was really possible.  But, now I am stateside.  I have no excuse.  In fact, I have been stateside now for two and a half months.  I guess it just took me a while to resurrect my desire.  Well, resurrected it is and you can expect a few musings about events that have occurred months ago and then a few present day musings as well.  Blessings to you all, in the mean time, and hopefully tomorrow you will find something meaningful to read.

 

Hindered

Usually not to much gets in my way.   I tend to just plunge right through, the faster the better.  As you may notice I’ve not blogged much lately.  I have come upon a road block or should I say a computer block.  My wife has found Face book.  That says it all doesn’t it.  You know what I mean.  Three days ago I checked mail and had seventeen letters.  Sixteen of them referred to Face book with someone having written on someone else’s wall and someone wanting to be your friend.  The other was for an on-line pharmacy.

Have we been teleported back to the seventh grade?  What is going on here.  She is on night and day Face book’in.  What can I do?  Help if you can.  Is this something to join in on or do I jilt it altogether?

 

Efficiency

We all long for it.  Well, it has brought about change for me, the desire for efficiency anyway.  It has prompted me to change my blog to this new location.  Blogspot and Togo don’t do well together for some reason.  So we are going to give wordpress a run and see how it turns out.  With blogspot and the combined factor of Togo I was definitely exceeding my ten minutes to muse by a good twenty or so.  As for Togo, we are doing what we can for it.  We continue to share Jesus, continue to hope and pray, and we continue to share the vision.  Change is coming, of course not as quickly as we long for it or shall I say not as efficiently as we would like.  We know, though, that God is faithful and that with time, what God will do among the Watchi will exceed my greatest expectations and even my highest aspirations for efficiency.