December Nattier News

Our departure date is approaching rapidly.  It's now less than 1 month away.   Our next update will most likely be made from France.  In the interim we still have more goodbyes and final preparations before we leave for 4 years out of the country divided between France and Togo.  During Thanksgiving we had a very special time with our parents, all of our siblings and their children.  It was the first time both groups had all been together since our wedding, and it's grown in size substantially since then.  We are so thankful for each and everyone of them.

This time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for.  We would like to share ours with you.

1.  A loving God who has saved us: This has changed our lives!  We should never take this for granted.  John 3:16 tells us "For God so loved that world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  This verse so succinctly sums up the Good News of what Jesus has done for us.  It's in this that we can have true 'hope' for now and the future.  It's because of this hope that the Hospital of Hope in Mango Togo exists to bring true healing and at the same time meet very great medical needs.

2.  Our family:  Our families have been incredibly supportive of our choice to devote our lives to God's work in Togo.  It's a sacrifice for us to go, but it's also a sacrifice for them to see their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews go.  We are so thankful for the great support they have given over the past several years.

3.  The churches and individuals who support us financially and in prayer.  We would not be cleared to leave in 3 weeks without the financial support of so many.  We could not do this without the great team who give so sacrificially of their time and monetary resources towards this work.  We are truly thankful for you.

4.  Our sending church, University Baptist Church in Beavercreek, OH:  While we only had 3 short years with them, the staff and congregation have impacted us and been such a huge blessing in so many ways.  We are excited to celebrate this partnership this Sunday, December 6 during our commissioning service.  We are so excited to see how God will use this partnership for His glory in the future.

5.  Our team: The Lord has already accomplished great things through the team currently at work in Mango, Togo.  While we have only met some of the team in person, we know this is a very gifted group of God's people.  We are so excited for the privilege to work alongside them.

Prayer requests:

Our family and ministry: While the final preparations are coming together our deadline is looming.  Please pray for us as we balance this with our desire to say goodbye well to our friends and family.  Please also pray for each of us as we adjust to the many changes of living in France.  Our kids are aware that they will now be learning in a foreign language.   School can be hard enough with out the addition of a language barrier.

Also pray for Natasha and I to use our time in France well.  We want to get a good understanding of French, so that we can communicate effectively with our teammates and patients.

Courtney will be joining our family to help with our youngest during the day for the first 3 months in France.  Her short stay visa appointment is Monday December 7th.  Please pray that it would be approved and be returned quickly. 

Our team:  There has been unrest in the city of Mango recently.   I can't go into details on this forum, but you can search the city on BBC or Reuters for articles about it.  Our team has been safe, but those who were injured were brought to the Hospital of Hope to receive medical care.  Please pray for our team as this instability, limited staff, water shortages and other challenges add to the stress and strain of working in this already difficult climate.  Please pray that the Lord would renew them daily. 

October Nattier News

This past month has been packed with many significant events.  Natasha has been hard at work to complete the last two of four required trainings.  When we started preparing for Togo, these classes were one of the hurdles that seemed the most challenging.  It's not that the material was hard, but it required a lot of time; The time needed to be away from kids and other distractions, which just hadn't been feasible until now.  Natasha finished these classes just a little over a week ago!

After the classes were finished, we were able to receive FINAL CLEARANCE.  This means from ABWE's standpoint, our missions organization, we are cleared to go to Togo via an 18 month stop in France!

This past week we traveled to the French consulate in Chicago to appear in person for our French visas.  There were many things that we had to prepare and present in order to be in France for more than 3 months.  There was only one thing that required a minor modification, and we emailed it to them the same day.  We don't have our visas in our hands yet, but we were given the impression that they would be issued!

Did you catch our 3 exclamation points ;) It has indeed been a big month.  

Mixed in the middle of these events, we said goodbye to my grandfather, Emil Nattier.  This was a bittersweet time for all of us.  My grandfather has made a huge impact on my life.  He set a great example of living life for the Lord.  The way he treated others in each aspect of life is a pattern I strive to emulate. He really lived out Mathew 22:36-40, the great commandment, to love God first and to love others as yourself. 

His health had been declining for the past several years- he was ready to go home to be with his Lord and Savior.  This is one aspect that was unique from anyone I can remember being around in their last days.  He had such a great anticipation and joy about going to be with Jesus.  This difference was noticeable to all and he took every opportunity to share with others how they too could have joy and peace found in Jesus, even when facing poor health and death. 

What's up next?  We still have to finish packing our container for Togo.  We are making steady progress on this front as well.  After last weekend we have the first 16 feet of the 40 ft container packed floor to ceiling.

Natasha is speaking at a women's event at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lafayette, IN this Saturday, October 24, 2015 and would appreciate your prayers.  We have two missions conferences coming up in November.  Our commissioning service is December 6, 2015 at University Baptist Church, Beavercreek, OH.  We hope to see many of you there! And finally, the much awaited date is now final...  We leave for France December 29, 2015.  In between these events and packing, we hope to spend some quality time with our family and friends on this side of the pond.

Prayer requests:

Our family and ministry: We are all getting excited about leaving for France.  Please pray for us as we balance that with saying goodbyes to family and friends.

*The next month will be important for our hopeful au pair.  Her name is Courtney and she has committed to join us in France.  We are so excited and thankful for her willingness to come and serve alongside our family.  She still needs many things to get a long stay French Visa.  Most of the limitations are related to her having adequate funds to live in France for 1 year.  If you feel led to help her and our family in this way, please contact us so we can share more.

Our team:

The Hospital of Hope has been open now for 7 1/2 months.  In that time they have seen 11,500 patients and performed 700 surgeries.  There are now around 13 Christian gatherings in the area.  Please continue to pray for them as they minister to the great needs of this region with a shortage of medical staff.  The staffing for the 2016 calendar year has gaps in nursing and medical providers.  Please contact us if you feel God leading you to serve Him in this way. 








 

September Nattier News

The last several weeks have been filled with several major events.  With all the current and upcoming changes and long days, it has been stressful.  We've felt both physically and emotionally drained.  However, even amongst the chaos, the days have been very productive.  In August we were able to share about the ministry in Togo with Cornerstone Baptist Church, the church we were attending in Lafayette, IN.  We were also able to share with the surgery practice and at Franciscan Saint Elizabeth's East hospital in Lafayette where Natasha and I have been working.  This was bittersweet.  We were excited to share, but we were sad to be leaving all these amazing people the Lord has brought into our lives. 

In the midst of moving, we had been waiting for our container to arrive from China, but the date it would arrive was uncertain.   Praise the Lord it was delivered just in time; the week before we needed it to pack things from our house! 

Next we finished our packing and loaded up our belongings in Lafayette.  We were so blessed by a huge turnout from our church and several surgical colleagues/friends who took time on a Friday to load a Uhaul truck, trailer, and another van and trailer.  We were especially blessed by Pastor Mike who bailed us out with the church van and trailer when we came up short on moving space.  He made the trip to our parents in Heyworth, IL to deliver our goods. 

The following day a group of guys from Nine Mile Baptist Church drove up to the site where we are packing a container that will be shipped to Togo.  We built wood crates, that now contain our belongings inside the container.  This will help protect things on the trip, and the wood can be used to build a variety of items in our house when we arrive in Togo.  We were able to build about half of the needed crates, so we still have some work ahead.

 

 

 

We are very thankful for the time and encouragement so many have given during this move.  John 13:34 - 35 talks about the love we are to have for each other, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  We certainly felt this kind of love from our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are so grateful the Lord has brought each of you into our lives.

We are currently in Harrisburg, PA as Natasha finishes the 3rd of 4 required Bible classes.   Over the past few weeks we have completed several of the requirements necessary for us to get clearance.  These Bible classes are the only things we have remaining!  The light is at the end of the tunnel for this first portion of our journey.  Next up is language school in France.  In fact, this past week we purchased tickets to fly to France on Dec 29 and were officially accepted to language school.  Please continue to pray for us as we work out the details of the language school and French Visas. 

Prayer requests:

Our family and ministry: With just a little over 3 months before we leave, we are beginning to say our good byes to our family and friends. Also we have been gone from our big kids a lot over the past several months, and they have started in a new school.  They also realize we will soon be moving far from family and friends and will be experiencing a lot more changes like new schools, new language and new culture.  Please pray for us and our children as these changes and emotions are challenging for all. 

We continue to seek someone to help our family in France.  Several of our teammates have told us how important this is, in order for us to maximize our time in France learning language.  We have one individual seriously considering this ministry.  We have to figure out several details to include funding and Visa requirements for it to work.  Please pray for her and our family as we wait on the Lord to give guidance and work through these roadblocks/details.

Our Team: The physical and spiritual needs are very great.  The Lord is clearly at work and moving in great ways through the ministry in Mango.  Please pray for more medical staff long term and short term.  There are needs especially for nurses as those who have committed for 1 year are over 1/2 way done.  There are also needs for physicians and mid level providers of all specialties.  Please contact us, if you are interested in helping short or long term. 

Upcoming events:

October 4-7 - American College of Surgeons meeting - Opportunity to meet several surgeons from the WACS (West African College of Surgeons)

October 24 - Natasha speaking at women's event at Cornerstone Baptist church

November - 5-8 Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, KY

November 23-29 - Family gathering with Nattier's and Murry's

Dec 6 - Commissioning service at University Baptist Church

Dec 7-? - Travel to South Carolina and Georgia

Dec 29 - Leave from Chicago to France

Jan 4 - Language school begins

July Nattier News

       We have reached our monthly support need that is required for us to serve in Togo!!!  Thank you to all of you who are partnering with us and have helped to make it possible for us to serve the people of Togo. When we initially learned the dollar amount that we were required to raise, we were very shocked.  I will have to admit that I had doubts whether we could raise this amount.  We were encouraged by this thought, "God had called us to go to Togo, so He would provide everything that was needed for us to go."  This is exactly what He has done through the generosity of many of you! This will allow us to focus more on making the final preparations needed in order for us to leave. With this said, if you are still interested in and feel led to partner with us, we would still love to talk with you.

       We are still in need of about $10,000 for our one time expenses.  This money will provide for our plane tickets, language school tuition, shipping for our household goods, a vehicle, and a portion of our home that will be built near the hospital.  Natasha has now completed 2 of the 4 seminary classes.  She will be working on the remaining two courses in the coming months, and then we will both be finished with all required training. We are currently working on the arduous task of packing our belongings for various portions of the next 4 years.  This includes about 4-5 more months here stateside in various locations, 12-18 months in France, and then 2 1/2 to 3 years in Togo.  We are still trying to determine the make-up of the months following our move from Lafayette, but we have tentatively planned to leave for France between Christmas and New Years.  The language school we have applied to starts the second week in January.  There is also a strong possibility that we will start an intensive language course in Tennessee in October.

      These next 5 months hold many tasks and challenges as we make these transitions and say our good-byes.  We would greatly appreciate your continued prayers.  Over the past 3 weekends, we have greatly enjoyed spending some time with our family.  We were able to see many of Natasha's relatives at the Murry family reunion.  Then my brother Derek's family visited, and we attended his son's 1st birthday.  This past week my sister Aimee's family visited us in Lafayette.  Then we headed to our 4th annual father and kids camping trip with the addition of the women and smaller children this year.  We camped near Mammoth cave and enjoyed some hiking and cave exploring.

Prayer Requests:

Our Family and Ministry: As we pack our house, the reality of the upcoming major changes to our environment, activities, and proximity to family and friends is affecting us all.  Please pray for wisdom on several decisions we are making about many of the details of the next few years.

We are currently looking for a person that could assist us in France with our children during language school.  This would allow both Natasha and I to have a little more flexibility and margin to study and excel during our French studies.  It may also shorten our time in France which would decrease our costs and get us to Togo sooner.  We want to find someone that would mesh well with our family and whom God is leading to serve in this way.    

Our Team: God is at work in the ministry of our teammates at the Hospital of Hope.  They are bringing new hope to the many physical and spiritual needs of the patients they encounter in northern Togo.  One of the surgeons from the practice here in Lafayette, Dr Francis, is there currently.  Here is a link to his recent blog about Mango describing the facility and the work there: www.surjohn.blogspot.com.  There are still gaps in the medical staff that are being filled by short term doctors.   A significant one is OB coverage starting in August.  When there are gaps it increases the stress and strain on our teammates in Mango and requires them to turn away even more patients.  Please pray for more doctors and medical providers to come short term and long term to Mango.  Please pray with us for God to be at work in and through our team in Mango.

Upcoming events: 

August 16 - Speaking at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lafayette, IN

August 21 - Presentation to medical staff in Lafayette, IN

August 28-29 - Pack moving truck and depart from Lafayette, IN

May Nattier News

Thank you!

 

We have been amazed by the generosity of several churches and individuals over the past few months.  This help and encouragement has brought us very close to completing our financial needs, so we can depart for France enroute to Togo.  In fact, we are only 340 dollars per month away from reaching the monthly minimum for financial clearance.  To break this down, we need 7 more financial partners of 50$ per month.  Thanks to several very generous one time gifts and the current giving of our monthly supporters, our one time account is rising quickly.  At the current rate of giving, we should reach the number needed to complete this requirement sometime in September!  This is even sooner than we expected.

 

Paul wrote a fitting thanksgiving to the church in Philippians 1:3-5.  "I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now" (NIV)

 

This past week we completed our final training provided by ABWE.  We learned a lot of important information to include cross cultural training, conflict resolution, and the requirements for us to receive the 7 clearances needed before we get to depart for France.   

When we returned from Togo on October 1, 2014 the list of tasks that we needed to complete before we returned to Togo seemed huge and insurmountable.  The list included: Natasha finding a job and completing the hours, and recertifying as a nurse practitioner (check), reach 85 % of our monthly costs, complete required reading, and attend field preparation seminar in May (check), complete monthly and one-time fund raising (getting closer), complete another required educational training (scheduled for the beginning of June), Natasha complete 4 bible classes (1 done, another scheduled in June, 2 remaining to complete online), pack a container and move out of our house (to be completed by August 31).

Many of you have asked for our timeline for departing to France and Togo.  Well it was contingent on all of these things above.  Stay posted, because we hope to report in the next few months that fund raising is complete.  Then we can schedule our language classes and our departure! 

Prayer requests

Our Family and Ministry - Our trainings recently and the next several months involve a lot of traveling for Natasha and I without our kids.  The kids are staying with their grandparents more than their parents during this time.  They are having lots of fun! 

Please pray for us, our kids, and their grandparents during this time of instability for all of us.  Additionally, the task of buying a container to ship over seas, packing what is needed for Africa, packing things for France separately, and storing or getting rid of everything else seems like a huge task.  We now have a deadline to move out of our house by August 31.  Please pray for our sanity and endurance as we continue to labor diligently at these tasks towards our goal of returning to serve the people of Togo.

Our Team - We continue to hear many exciting stories about the work that is going on in Mango.  Our friends the Huber's returned this past week, and they have shared how God is at work in Mango, Togo!  One of our colleagues there, recently shared that 75-100 patients have to be turned away every day because there are not enough providers to see them.  Additionally, the work there is rewarding but also taxing.  Please pray for nurses, doctors and other medical providers to join our team.  Also pray for our team to recharge from the unlimited source of power found in Jesus Christ.

Upcoming events:

Crescent project: May 30 - June 6

Roots of Faith - New Testament: June 22 - 26

Pack container and move out of house: by August 31

We still have openings in our schedule.  If you would like to hear more about the work in Togo please contact us.

 



March Nattier News

There are several biblical references to our life being like a race.  One example is Hebrews 12:1-2.  "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

The ministry in Togo was recently compared to a Triatholon which has 3 very different components that are all part of the race: the swim, the bike and the run.  In order to open a new hospital in Mango, Togo 5.5 million dollars had to be raised - The swim.  Then the hospital and supporting buildings had to be built, which required about 6 years of construction to complete - The bike.  Well this Monday, March 2, the marathon of operating a mission hospital in a 3rd world country officially began.  On the first day around 200 patients were seen, the clinic visits for the rest of the week were filled before lunch, 9 patients were admitted to the hospital and 2 patients needed urgent operations.   We are already hearing exciting stories from our teammates of the amazing ways that God is working through the hospital ministry. 

 

Here is a picture of some of our teammates American and Togolese that were working diligently to make all the preparations needed to get the hospital running and now operate it day to day.

Here is a picture of the Togolese hospital staff in their clothes made of the Hospital of Hope fabric for the opening ceremony.

Our journey to start meeting the physical and spiritual needs in Togo is progressing as well.  We are a little earlier in the process with the triathlon analogy.  We are still in part 1 of 3, which entails raising funds to cover the costs of living and working in Togo. There have been many new people partner with us on the journey, and we are now around 90% of our monthly support.  We continue to be amazed at those of you who are joining our team and those who continue to faithfully give.  All the funds that are given now continue to accumulate towards our one time expenses.  

The second part of our race will involve moving to France to study French.  The national language of Togo is French.  It is spoken by the educated half of Togo and will allow us to communicate.  There are a number of tribal languages spoken as well, but we will wait to learn those to some extent in Togo.  After we complete an intermediate level of French training we will head to Togo to begin this journey of ministering in Togo.  We have really enjoyed answering questions like these as we have been with our sending church, University Baptist Church, this past week.  If you have other questions please feel free to email us.  If we see a recurring question, it will help us to share it in a format like this with others who may be interested.

Prayer Requests:

1.  Our Family - We have had a brief break in our travel that was much needed, but we are hitting the road again in the next few months.  We will also be separated from our kids for a number of weeks for training.  Please pray for us, our kids, and our parents during this time.  Please pray for good health as we've recently battled some colds that is even more challenging with traveling and being away from kids.

2.  Our Ministry - We are praising God for many new partners.  Please continue to pray for us as we share the needs in Togo.  Our team is still in need of teachers, nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists to name a few.  If you know people that are interested in short or long term service in Togo contact us or check out the link for Hospital of Hope's website here http://hospitalofhopemango.org/.

3.  Our Team - We are praising God for the success of the opening ceremony which included a visit from the President of Togo.  The opening of the hospital seems to have occurred with great success as well.  Please continue to pray for our team as they begin the grueling task of meeting the great medical and physical needs of the area. 

Upcoming Events:

March 15 - Ten Mile Baptist Church

April 1 – Woodland Baptist Church

April 27 – May 7 - Field Prep Seminar in Harrisburg, PA

May 30 – June 6 – Crescent Project in Minneapolis, MN