Welcome to the First Baptist Church of Detroit
May Update 05/07/2010
 
I am back down in the South for some meetings and also able

to do some visiting of people and ministries.  It is exciting to see what God

continues to do in south. 

 

God is good !!!!!!!!!  The Agou church building has almost

all the walls finished.  It is exciting to see it go up.  We are thankful for 4

guys who came out and got it started and have done alot of hard work to get it

to this point.  A missionary and his Togolese workers will now finish in the

next few months.  So thank you for praying.  They had alot of challenges along

the way.  One of them was the death of Pastor Bonifaces’s niece, 16 years

old, and one of the member’s son in the same week.  That was really a

difficult week for Pastor Boniface, trying to keep the construction going and

then dealing with these deaths.  It was reminder to all of us the brevity of

life.  We went to the wake of the member’s son, and showed some

evangelistic films.  Here in Togo

the families and friends of the deceased stay up all night so we thought it

would be a good opportunity to show these films.   We praise God that

inspite people drinking and some disruptions the gospel was preached and 4

young men prayed to receive Christ as Savior that night. 

 

I was also able to go visit the church of Wonougba

and Pastor Koffi and his wife.  They are so inspiring in that inspite of lots

of hard hearts in this village they continue to persevere.  And it was so

exciting to hear that morning two women were saved!!!!  So please continue

to pray for the Wonougba church  and Pastor Koffi and his wife Mansa.  Pray for

these two women that they would have a desire to grow in their faith. 

 

 

Last week we had Tom Lothamer who has many experiences with

boards come and meet with the hospital board.  That was very helpful to meet

with him and to learn how to function as a board and the whole administrative

organization.  This week our whole missionary team is gathered for two days of

meetings.  Pray for us as we discuss important items and desire to know the

mind of God in all that we do. 

 

While here in Tsiko I was able to meet with a woman who is

from Mango.  I was able to practice my Anufo with her and that was

encouraging.  Pray for her as she was muslim and  has professed Christ as

Savior.  She was saying to us that her family is not helping her and rejecting

her due to her faith.  I was able to talk with her brother and ask him

directly.  He did say that if she continued to go to church that they would no

longer help her.  Pray for us as we work with a local church in how to help

her.  What is also difficult is that she has AIDs and is not in good health. 

Pray that she would see God provide for her needs and that she would remain

strong in her faith. 

 

Finally, I would ask that pray much for a great need at our Mango hospital.  Last week a well drilling team tried

to drill for water, they went down 240 meters and did not find water.  We are

praying for God’s help to know what to do next.  We need water for our

hospital and we believe that God will provide!!!  Somehow!!!  So pray for this

need. 

 

God is doing great things.  Thank you for your partnership

in prayer, it is greatly needed!!!

 

For His glory in Mango,

 

Cindy.
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"All things are possible for those who believe." God is teaching me much about believing, and praying in faith. I have many answers of prayer that I want to share with you, but first want to ask you pray on Monday, March 29 for our tax exoneration for materials coming for the construction of the hospital. God is moving in the hearts of the gov.t as they have agreed to exoneration but we still need one more signature to make an official. It is a bit complicated, and I won’t go into details but Randy Young, missionary who is working diligently on this issue is going to the customs office tomorrow and staying there until they sign the document. We have a container waiting in port over two weeks and cannot take it out without paying if we do not have the document. A team is arriving in two weeks that need the materials on this container to do the next phase of work. Please pray on Monday that God would bring us this signature for the tax exoneration so the container can leave port!!!

I also want to share I have found a language partner!!! Her name is Rakiya. She is a muslim woman who has 4 children. She came to visit with Alain and Katherine Niles as she is a friend of theirs. I really think she is the right lady to help me. So I will be meeting with her each day starting Wed. Pray for me as I start full time in language study. So praise God for bringing Rakiya and pray that I might show her the love of Christ as we meet. Pray as for me that God would give me the intelligence to understand and hear the language correctly.

I was excited to have several neighborhood kids come over last week. We colored and read a story and kicked a beach ball around. They seemed to really enjoy coming over. Several of the kids live in the house behind me. The father of the kids is a soldier who works here in Mango, so it is nice to know that he lives right behind me. Please pray for these kids, Maurice, Monique, and Foside and Fousina, that I might love them like Christ as well. I have had some conversations with their moms as well. I am really enjoying living in a neighborhood and being able to go walk around and talk to people. This has been a dream I have had for a long time, and praise God for this opportunity he has given me.

I have a guard that is here each night. It is not that people are violent here, but just to let people know that there is someone at the house at night. His name is Soukala. This past week his youngest brother was killed while riding his bicycle. Soukala had to go to Ghana to bury him there as that is where he lived. When he came back I had the chance to talk with him about eternal life and that we all need to think about the life after here, as we never know what will happen each day. Today was the funeral here in Mango. They came to pray for the family and his brother. I stopped by this afternoon as I was traveling back from Tamberma this morning. I just wanted to show him that I cared and give my sympathies. Pray that this might make Soukala think about his life and what God has given us in Christ Jesus.

This past Friday I went to Kara to meet with several people, one of was a lady named Veronique. She is praying about moving into my spare room in the back of the house. In Africa, many houses have living quarters separate from the house for people to live who need a place to live. So pray that God would make it clear to both Veronique and myself if God would want her to come to Mango.

One of the other reasons I traveled to Kara was to attend a Women’s conference for the women of our churches in that area. It was encouraging to have 7 ladies from Tamberma, which is over an hour to Kara, able to come to the conference. There were over 100 ladies and it was a great day to see all of them together. The teaching was great, about how to be victorious over problems in the home, using God’s word and putting it into practice. Pray that these ladies would practice what they learned at the conference.

God showed me again how he is a God who is sovereign and is in control of all the details of our lives. One of the ladies from Tamberma showed me her son, 9 months old, who had strange bumps on his skin. It was apparent that it was spreading over his body and was uncomfortable. I thought we could go to a local pharmacy and see what they thought they could give him, as it was about 6pm. We arrived at the pharmacy there was a man at the counter getting medicine. He stood there for a minute when I explained the problem with the child. The pharmacist asked us why we had not gone to the hospital as he was not sure. I explained that

they are from Tamberma and we just arrived. The man that was waiting at the counter heard what we said and told us to bring the child over the car as there was another man in the car who was a doctor. He looked briefly at the child and told us what to ask the pharmacist for. I was just so amazed at how God led us there at that time when this doctor was there and was able to get what was needed. God is good!!!

Keep praying as well for our Kabiye NT Bible translation project. The consultant is coming this week for the last check and I will be meeting with him on April 7 to discuss the last details of the project. We praise God that we needed $10,000 for the printing and God has provided over $11,000. Pray for Pastor Lomdoh, the translator that he might finish these last few steps in the next month or so. We have been working on this project for over 12 years and it is exciting to see it coming to the final stages.

Also, a huge praise is that the Agou church building is going to start construction this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a huge praise. Pray for a team that is coming the day after Easter for a month, these men include the brother of Beky and some friends of his. Pray for all those who will be working for protection in the heat and that might get much done. We hope that it might be done in a month. We are so excited and thankful for how God is bringing this to pass. Thank you all for praying so faithfully for the Agou church building!!!!

I know I am giving you lots of things for you to pray for. I have much to pray for!!!!! Please pray as we try to make some important decisions about hiring at the Hospital of Hope in Mango. We are discussing alot of important issues and we really need to know the mind of Christ in these decisions.

Finally I want to wish you all a joyous Easter!!!! It is a wonderful time of rejoicing for us who believe in Christ. He is alive and because of Him I am redeemed and my name is written in heaven. Let us rejoice greatly in his sacrifice and grace that has given us new life!!! We will also rise with Him one day!!!

For His glory in Mango,

Cindy

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Greetings from Mango!! Thank you so much for your prayers for the move. God has really given much grace in the move and the adjustment of leaving the south. things in the house are progressing. It was so nice to have Beky and Akouwa come with me and help me get settled. They did a ton, even though it was a challenge not having any where to put things as there is not any storage built in the house, no cupboards or closets etc. It is hard to imagine, but houses here are not usually built with cupboards and closets. So you learn to be creative. Hopefully kitchen cabinets will be installed this week.

I am thankful for the house. You can see the attached photo. I praise God for the gifts that made it possible to get the roof on which will help alot to keep off the hot sun and also for installing windows. I had my first party last week, inviting all the missionaries that are here in Mango to thank them for their help to get me moved. They cleaned my house and had everything moved in before I even arrived. They have been a great help. I would like to introduce you to the group of missionaries: Tim and Esther Neufeld are the team leader and have been in Togo for awhile. Peter and Janice Maybury are finishing the first term and are church planters , they have two children Ben and Victoria. Alain and Katherine Niles are here in the first term and are church planters as well, and are first time parents just giving birth to Camille a few weeks ago. It is fun to have a baby around. Randy and Lisa Young, and their two teenagers Mallorie and Jonathan. Randy

is helping with the construction project and are here until 2011. Ted and Diane Weinberg are here overseeing all the construction of the hospital. Also Becky Courliss is a single and Anna Chubb a short term Mk teacher. Please pray for this team that God has brought to Mango.

The people of Mango are so nice and welcoming. I had a woman come and welcome me a few days ago, her name is Pierrette. It is so nice to live in a neighborhood with people around. My house is across the street from a water pump. People come to buy a bucket or bowl of water. I have met the lady who stays there all day to run it, Please pray for Madina and her two children. Each day I go to greet her and have met several other people coming and going. The other day a teenage girl stuck her head inside my gate to check things out. She introduced herself as well, her name is Zofala. So I am very excited about being able to meet people and starting developing relationships.

The big adjustment is the heat. Right now it is starting to get warm so if you want some warmth come to Mango. Yesterday it was 96 at 9pm at night!!! So I will leave it to your imagination to know what it was during the day!! You learn to take a short rest in the afternoon and praise God for swamp coolers. They blow cool air in one place so it helps alot at night.

We have our first team coming to help with the construction. Two buildings are already going up and they will be helping put on trusses. Pray that they will tolerate the heat and God would protect them.

I am also thankful that I have been able to go to the Tamberma church the last two Sundays. It is fun to be able to be there more often. And it is encouraging to see many people there, kids and adults. Please pray for me was a start doing a ladies study once a month and also encouraging the teen girls.

Please continue to pray for a language helper as I would like to start studying soon. And also for a Togolese woman to live with me. That God would make it clear who these woman should be.

Please continue to pray that I would love the people of Mango and that they would see Christ in me. I am excited to see what God will do in the days ahead.

For His glory in Mango,

Cindy

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Happy New Year to you!!! Thank you for praying for our Tamberma trip. We truly sensed your prayers, God was good in many ways. I want to share some highlights with you.

We were encouraged as there were 70 adults at the church on Sunday and several nights the church was overflowing for the evangelistic films that were shown.

I attached a picture of some kids, we spent each morning doing a kids club; praying, learning a verse; singing; playing and of course teaching God’s word. Most days there were about 80 kids that came. The last day there were close to 100. Keep praying that God would work in the lives of these kids. A lot of the kids are not in good health. We are praying about how we can improve their health. Please pray that God would give great wisdom and pray that we can get their well fixed that we tried to put in last year.

The other picture I enclosed is ladies, I had the privilege to teach one day and Gladys did two other days. We are definitely seeing signs of growth, asking more questions, remembering what has been taught in the past. Antoinette, the lady in the front, is married to the chief and she does translating for me. I have asked for prayer for her in the past that she would stop drinking and she has shared that she stopped drinking. So I praise God for how He is

working in their lives. Another woman, Tempe, the 3rd woman from the left in the first row, was baptized last August. In October, he youngest girl died. It was very difficult for her but she shared that she trusts God in it and has left it in his hands. She comes faithful to church and can see that she is growing in her faith. The first day that we taught I noticed two women that I did not know, Martine and Antoinette. I talked to them after the meeting if they knew Christ as their Savior, they said no. They said that they wanted to receive Christ as Savior, so it was a joy to show them God’s word that explained what salvation is. Please continue to pray for these ladies as well. And pray for the young people that they will keep their lives pure for God.

I also praise God that He kept all of us in good health and helped our cars a lot!!!

On our return to the south we drove two hours from Tamberma to Bafilo where we were going to spend the night at Pastor Mantaguay’s house. About 10 minutes from his house my car started making a weird noise. I was able to drive to his house. A mechanic from Kara came the next day to look at it and said it was the water pump. He drove it back to Kara but had lots of trouble getting it there as it was a half hour away. So that delayed our return on Sunday, so the rest of the team left and I said with Gladys. I was struggling a bit staying an extra night as it was now 9 days that we had been gone and was looking forward to

sleeping in a bed. God reminded me that he was in control and I just needed to accept this and thank Him for his mercy for allowing me to be somewhere it could get fixed. So I asked God to show me what He wanted me to be doing while I was waiting for the car to be fixed. The place that we were staying is the house of a Muslim couple. I was able to talk to the wife about Jesus being the only way and the only one that could satisfy our hearts. So please pray for Foussina that she would read God’s word and understand who Jesus is. The mechanic brought it back Sunday eve. About 8pm and we were able to leave early Monday morning. I praise God for how He took care of my car!!

I also took a short trip to Mango to see how the house was coming. The roof is done and is keeping the house much cooler. I praise God that He has more than supplied the need for the repairs, please praise Him for this provision and his faithfulness!!!! We also praise God that the first buildings are going up at the Hope Hospital in Mango. It is exciting to see!!

We also praise God for what He is doing here at the hospital in Tsiko. We have had spiritual revival meetings Wed., Thurs, and Friday. Pastor Sossa who is on the hospital board has been doing the preaching on the One Another’s. I praise God for this pastor who is very powerful and has a great manner to communicate God’s word. God is

working. Please pray that God would bring true revival in all of us in the hospital ministry.

I am finishing my last three weeks here in Tsiko and planning to move on Feb. 3 to Mango. Please pray that I would finish well these last few weeks and continue to learn all that I need to learn.

I am so thankful for you and your faithful prayers…..I praise God for you who give so faithfully …..God is so good…..I look forward to seeing all that He is going to do in 2010!!!

Cindy

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First Baptist Church of Detroit an American Baptist Church