September Nattier News

Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

23 

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

We arrived back in Togo on September 1st.  It was really quite an interesting experience this time around.  This obviously wasn't our first time in Togo, so we recognized the airport and the process of arrival.  However, some things had certainly changed.  There were new Covid protocols, could pick up a free cell phone SIM before customs, and many others.  One of the changes was actually quite nice.  The bag handlers had all of our bags put on carts and ready for us before we even finished going through customs and having our arrival COVID tests.  This was really just the tip of the iceberg of the things that have changed since we left Togo about 14 months ago.  Some of the these changes are quite visible, and some of them are not.  Some of these changes have been here in Togo, and some of them have been in us as well.  For example, instead of being a family of 7, we are now a family of 8 (the addition of Josiah Murry Nattier).  For whatever reason, the stark differences between our passport country (USA) and our home country (Togo) were really vibrant this time around.  

When seeing changes around me, I'm often reminded of a saying I've heard many times, "the only thing that is constant is change".   Apparently, this was originally written by a Greek Philosopher named Heraclitus.   Though I would actually disagree with Heraclitus, because the Bible teaches that God, our creator, doesn't change, is immutable.  Therefore, the verse above from Lamentations has been a great comfort to me over the years, because I know that I can count on the Lord's unchanging compassion and faithfulness. It's new every morning to me who is constantly being changed and effected by the changing world around me.  I'm so thankful for truths like these from scripture, that help us to navigate this ever changing world.

Since, it's been a while since our last update, we wanted to try to hit some of the high points of our past year stateside.  We were blessed to be able to reconnect with our sending church, University Baptist Church.  It was awesome to see all that God was doing there even in the midst of the challenges of the pandemic.  We were able to travel to the southwest for Spring break and see several supporters, friends, and family along the way.  Our summer months were quite busy with opportunities to share at various churches in the midwest and southeast about what God is doing here in northern Togo.  We had the unique opportunity to participate in a conference specifically about the medical work at the two hospitals in Togo that was held in Indianapolis, IN.  We continue to be amazed how God works out these many details, and weaves our lives together with many of you.  We are so thankful for these opportunities to be together with you in person.  We were also blessed for several times to reconnect with our family stateside.  Our family had grown significantly since we had left the country and even more this past year while we were stateside.  Our own family continued to grow as we welcomed Josiah in November.  This restricted our travels a little bit during the winter months as we adjusted to being a family of 8.  However, the pandemic certainly shaped our time and travel more than anything and much more than we could have anticipated.   As a result, we certainly did not have a chance to see everyone we had hoped.  

We did recently get our prayer card updated with our two newest children.  (A long overdue project).  We will be working to get them mailed out in the near future.  We are planning to send some to our monthly supporters and supporting churches.  If you would like one and are not in one of these two groups, let us know.  

Our return to Togo was complicated by a 2 1/2 week quarantine after one of our kids tested positive for Covid upon entering the country.   This was actually a lot more stressful than I would have imagined, mostly due to the chance of an extended quarantine with 1 person testing positive after the next. We are very thankful that this was not the case.  We were also thankful for the help and support that our team here in Togo gave us during this time!  Both Bryce and Sofia's birthdays were spent in quarantine.  The day after Bryce's birthday, we finally got the all clear with negative tests for everyone.  It was a great birthday present!  

Greetings are an important part of life here in Togo, so it was difficult to have to put this off for our first few weeks.  What a blessing it has been to be reunited with our colleagues and friends.  They have carried on the work with endurance while we were stateside.  It really takes a team to work here, and we are thankful for the ways God has blessed us in that way. We are also cognizant that we are not necessary here for God's work to continue. But what a privilege and blessing it is that He has chosen to allow us to be a part of what He is doing here. 

Since we left with 5 children and came back with 6, it has been a great joy to introduce Josiah to our friends!  Here is a picture of Josiah and our friend who is also responsible for keeping our motos in working condition (he makes house calls quite often). 

Prayer Requests: 

Our family - Please pray for us as we get settled back here in Togo.  We are once again trying to find a healthy and sustainable rhythm for our family.  Bryce has already started back to work in the hospital.  Natasha has been working to get the kids settled in a school routine and tackling the many household tasks that are often different here from those stateside.  Please pray with us for a nanny to watch Melyna and Josiah, so that Natasha can return to work in the near future.  

Our team - Several of our team members will be transitioning away from our hospital ministry, and this will leave some major holes.  Please pray with us for more workers to help us to carry on the ministry here.  Please also pray for wisdom for our team as we work on establishing a leadership structure and vision for the future.  

Water - Our team is still searching for a sustainable source of water for the hospital.  There have been at least 5 attempts at wells here with very limited production from only one.  This was a major problem last year during dry season which is quickly approaching once again.  Please pray with us that God would provide a solution.