April Nattier News

It's hard to believe we are already in April.  2022 has been our busiest year of work and ministry since we arrived here in Mango.  We are grateful though to be part of what God continues to do here in northern Togo. 

We wanted to share with you an answered prayer since our last newsletter.  We were praying for a nanny to watch Josiah and Mélyna, so that Natasha could continue working in women's health.  As we were praying,  the Lord brought to mind a woman we met when she brought her son into the hospital for a severe medical problem.  We saw the way she cared for her own son who is now doing very well after a couple of surgeries.  Before we left for furlough, she asked us if we knew of any work for her. At the time, we did not, but little did we know that God was already at work orchestrating an answer to both of our prayers.  Upon our return, we reconnected with her and offered her the job. She accepted with joy and gratefulness.  She moved from the city to our north and has been caring for Josiah and Mélyna since November.  The kids love her dearly, and she loves our children as if they were her own.  Her son has become one of Melyna's best friends.  We helped him enroll in the christian school that was started here in Mango last year.  He is thriving in school and was the top in his class this past quarter.  

Natasha has been staying busy as we've had several visiting ob/gyn surgeons since the start of the year.  One of her patients that she has been caring for since she started doing women's health is a friend of ours. She and her husband got married around the time the hospital opened.  They had been trying to conceive but had been unsuccessful.  After several years of infertility consultations and various treatments, heartache and yet hope that our God indeed had a plan far bigger than what we could comprehend, it is in many ways a miracle that she has been able to become pregnant.  She is due in September, and we are praising the Lord for His answered prayers and this miracle child! 

Bryce was chosen to be the medical director for this year.  In addition to the surgery work, he has been working to improve and update the systems that are in place in the hospital ministry.  After 7 years, the hospital has changed and grown with new staff and more patients.  We really have a great team to serve alongside, and God is at work in our midst.  We have had many colleagues leave permanently and temporarily the past 6 months.  Others are scheduled for furloughs this coming summer.  One of the biggest challenges most missions hospitals face is how to maintain adequate staffing, especially of medical providers (doctors, PAs, NPs).  This year we hired the first Togolese doctor at our hospital, a new graduate from medical school.   It's challenging to find people who are willing to leave the capital, the big city with access to most things, and come to the far north to work here.  He was an answer to prayer, but it has also helped us to realize the need to consider staffing now and for the future.    

We have been praying for several years about training medical doctors at our hospital to become surgeons.  There is a program that was started in Africa to train surgeons for Africa.  It's called the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons.  There are currently surgery training programs in 9 countries.  Only a few of these are French speaking programs.  The program involves 5 years of training and discipleship of christian doctors to become surgeons.  In February our team voted to pursue a partnership with PAACS.  PAACS accepted our application, reviewed our site, and we are awaiting final approval at their upcoming board meeting.  Please pray for wisdom for all parties involved as we seek to move forward with this new avenue of ministry and training.  

We also wanted to let you know we will be returning stateside for a brief 3 month break in July.  As we've reflected on life and ministry, we are hoping to try and take breaks in this way approximately once a year.  We hope to see many of you, but it will be a little more challenging as 3 months will pass quickly.  Please let us know if you would like to connect while we are stateside, as we are still planning our time.  

Prayer requests:

Our family: Prayers for wisdom as we plan our 3 months stateside (July, August, September). Also, we will be in need of a vehicle large enough for our family of 8. Please pray with us as we seek out a solution to this need. Vehicles, especially large ones, seem to be extra expensive and in short supply these days.  

Our Team: URGENT NEED: We have a thriving MK school here, but we have an urgent need for a teacher this upcoming year. One of our two wonderfully gifted teachers will be permanently returning stateside to take a different ministry position. While we are happy for her to fill this new role, we are fervently praying for the provision of a new teacher to help educate and pour into the lives of our precious children. If you are interested or know of someone who might be a great fit for this role, please let us know or contact Amanda on the photo below.  Additionally, please continue to pray for wisdom for staffing and our potential partnership with the PAACS.

Ministry: Please continue to pray with us for a couple of surrounding villages where the ground has been hard and there are still no church or Bible studies.  Also pray with us for our Muslims friends who are currently in Ramadan.  This is a time during which they are seeking God, and we pray for increased sensitivity to the hope found in the Good News.

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.     

August Nattier NEWS

It's been a while, since our last update.  To be honest, we have wanted to write since our return to the USA, but it's been a whirlwind in may ways.  As you all have no doubt also experienced, COVID 19 has had a great effect on many aspects of life for us and our work.  It has definitely had a drastic impact on international travel.  As a result of this, from the outset of the pandemic, there has been a great deal of uncertainty about the future of the medical work in Togo, especially due to the challenges for short term volunteers to come.  Initially, it was unclear whether or not flights would continue to depart from Togo.  They stopped from some of the other countries in our area, but they never did stop completely from Togo.  However, passengers were no longer allowed to come to Togo from the USA.  As a result, our teammates were unable to return as planned in April.  This lead us to consider delaying further our return to the USA.  Ultimately we kept our return flights which were purchased preCOVID.  Our teammates were able to return to Togo about 3 weeks later, which was a huge answer to prayer for us and our team.  The border to Togo has now reopened to returning passengers with some modifications like COVID testing on arrival.  Please continue to pray with us for our teammates, especially our surgical team pictured below.

Our last several weeks, ended up being very full with packing up our home and working until just before our departure.  However, we had some special times saying goodbyes to many of our friends.  It was interesting seeing this part of the culture, which is a bit different than our culture of origin.  We first visited them in their homes, and then they would come visit us in our home up until the day we left.  We are thankful for these relationships that God has allowed us to develop over the past 3 years.

Since arriving here in the states, we spent a couple of weeks quarantining in SC, before we moved into our home for the year.  This was a nice time to rest and decompress a little.  We had a few days to move into our home in Greenville, SC, and then we hit the road for variety of trips to see as many of our friends, family, and supporting churches as we could before school started.  This was a special time which included meeting two new nephews.  Natasha was able to be in VA for the birth of a 3rd nephew.  After helping with some training at our mission's headquarters in PA, we headed to OH to reconnect with our sending church. We greatly enjoyed meeting the new staff and many new members of our home church, UBC, in Beavercreek, OH.  

We have been extremely excited to catch up with so many over the past few months.  We could probably even say we have been in a state of euphoria.  However, with the arrival of a new school year with many changes due to COVID, I'm starting to wonder if we are going through a little reverse culture shock.  It's hard to know if everyone is struggling to figure out what their kids are supposed to be doing while e-learning or if it's just us, but this has been a significant challenge while trying to get settled. We've noticed how technologically behind we are. 

Prayer Requests

Our family - Please pray for our family, as we readjust to life here in the USA for the next year.  This may not be news to some of you but, our family is excited to announce that we are expecting our sixth child, a boy!  Both the boys and the girls are excited for arrival one more boy in the family. Please pray for Natasha and a healthy last trimester of her pregnancy.  She is due the beginning of December.  

Our stateside ministry - With the current pandemic and school starting, we are trying to find a healthy way to share about what God is doing in Togo.  We have a few events planned in the Fall, but we will probably wait until the Spring for a big trip to visit a number of churches in Southern Illinois and the Peoria area.  If you would be interested in having us come and share with your church and small group, please contact us at bnnattier@abwe.cc.  

Our team - Our surgical team recently welcomed another new surgeon and family- the Chmil Family.  Please pray for them as they get settled and begin ministry in Mango.  Please pray with us for our medical providers as well. They have a serious shortage until the arrival of two families early next year.  If you are a medical doctor and would be available around a month or more, please let us know.  The current quarantine in Togo, makes shorter trips too challenging for the moment, but we hope this will change in the near future.

  

April 2020 Nattier News

Hebrews 12:1-3 New International Version (NIV)

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

I have always found the comparisons of the human life and experience to a race to be quite accurate.  "The race marked out for us" mentioned in verse 1 is never compared to a sprint like a 100 yard dash.  It's never said to be without obstacles like if we were running around some kind of 400 meter track.  Quite the opposite, life is much more like a marathon.  The courses of marathons are quite variable.  The course is marked out, but it can vary depending upon the circumstances and weather of that particular day and time.  

This verse from Hebrews encourages us to keep our eyes fixed on someone who has already run this race, Jesus.  He endured all the challenges life has to offer including all kinds of opposition even to the point of dying on a cross.  He conquered death, as we recently celebrated His resurrection during Easter.   This text says to consider Him, so that we do not grow weary and lose heart.  

This particular scripture encourages me when I'm struggling with challenges, fear or uncertainty.  I'll be honest, the current COVID-19 pandemic has given us here in Togo and the rest of the world plenty of uncertainty.  While living overseas we try to plan a break about once a year.  Since we are living in a challenging climate and environment this would preferably include traveling outside of Togo.  This month we had planned to attend a medical missions conference in Greece.  Unfortunately for us, and many colleagues all over the globe, this conference and any kind of travel quickly became impossible.  Some of our colleagues here in Northern Togo were asked to evacuate, since we did not know if flights would be possible to return to the states for an extended period of time.  

Here at the Hospital of Hope, we began making preparations in March for receiving patients with COVID.  Togo closed its borders and significantly limited travel within the country shortly after having only one positive case.  However, over the past month, the number of cases here have started to climb.  As of today the country has registered 109 confirmed cases, with 7 deaths and 64 patients who have recovered.  We are thankful that the outbreak here in Togo has not been worse, since we have no ventilators and are always in a resource limited medical system.  There has only been 1 case diagnosed in the northern region of Togo.  While that was nearly a month ago, we have not seen any further cases in our region.  We are a little more isolated here in the north compared to the capital city which sees many international travelers.  This may be analogous to the rural areas in America who have not been effected to the extent of large cities.  We do not know what the coming months will bring here in Togo and throughout the rest of the continent of Africa.  However, the current travel limitations will significantly impact us and most other missions hospitals ability to have volunteers come and help.  In reality, missions hospitals provide a significant amount of the medical care across the continent.  We will all be looking for ways to continue providing compassionate healthcare during these changing times. 

We are still planning to return to the USA in June.  With the current restrictions and social distancing, we will be flexible in considering how we can best communicate with you.  We hope that will be in person, but we will wait and see what life looks like there!  We hope to communicate some of the events that have happened in the past 5 years since the opening of the Hospital of Hope.  In February we celebrated all that God has done here in the first 5 years.  For this occasion, there was even a song written in the local language which was God honoring and a lot of fun!

Prayer Requests

Our family

Many of our plans for our furlough have been affected by the current pandemic. The uncertainty of the housing market has affected our ability to find housing for the year and we are still in need of a vehicle. We know the Lord will provide, but it is difficult to make plans while these two key pieces are still largely unknown. Please pray with us for the Lord's provision in these areas. Please pray with us also for guidance as we seek to use our time back in America to rest, reconnect, and prepare to return to the work and ministry here in Northern Togo.

Our team 

As mentioned above, the changing travel environment has affected our team greatly.  The next 6 months will be short in many areas with limited options for short term help.  Not having volunteers also affects our ability to get supplies.  Please pray with us as we look to find alternative options to continue the work here.  Please also pray for our coworkers and patients who are currently fasting and praying during the day for their holy month of Ramadan.  We hope to minister to them well, especially during this time. 

     

January 2020 News

We hope you had a Merry Christmas and happy New Year.  We had a nice time with our family and friends here in Mango.  We were also thankful for several opportunities to share why we celebrate Christmas with some of our local friends.

It is a bit hard to believe that we have now entered into 2020.  I can remember thinking of this year as extremely far in the future and wondering what the world might be like.  You may have read some of the predictions that had been made for things that did not come true like flying cars.  This has given a chance for us also to reflect back on all that God has done during this past decade.

The Hospital of Hope

It's mind boggling to look back at the changes that have occurred here in our area of Mango from the time the ground was broken for construction in 2009, to the inauguration and opening in 2015, to today.  This year will mark the 5th anniversary of the hospital opening.  There have been some extreme highs and lows for the team here during that time, but we are thankful that God is faithful and still at work here in our midst today.  During that time, over 56,000 patients have been treated.  There have been over 5,000 surgeries performed.  We have seen God bless many with healing, both physical and spiritual, that would likely not have been possible without this ministry.

Surgery Department

There have been many challenges in our department to include the death of our leader and visionary, Todd Dekryger in 2016.  We have seen our department go from dependance on those who could come for weeks or a few months, to three full time surgeons for a time this year.  We also anticipate the arrival of two new surgeons this next year from language school.  This has allowed us to do 50% more surgeries this past year than any prior year on record.  We are especially thankful for the faithful work of our Togolese colleagues who have been the real stability and solid foundation of our department.  We have been able to add two OR aides this past year, and we hope to soon add another anesthetist.  God has definitely sustained us, and we wait in anticipation to see what these next years will bring.

Our family

In 2010 we were living in Augusta, Georgia while Bryce finished his last year of surgery residency.  It was during that year at the medical missions conference in Louisville, KY that we first learned about the work going in Togo and met Bob Cropsey and Todd Dekryger.  In 2011 we traveled to southern Togo for the first time to see what missions looked like in a mission hospital.  After 3 years in the military and 1 deployment, in 2014 we returned to Togo and were first able to visit the Hospital of Hope while it was nearly finished with construction.  After 3 more years of preparation, including 18 months in France learning language, in 2017 we arrived to work here in Mango full time.  During the past 10 years, our family has experienced quite a number of challenges and changes.  It is only by the grace of God's work in our lives that we have been able to overcome the many obstacles and participate in what God is doing here in Northern Togo.

We are looking forward to our upcoming furlough during 2020, and the chance to share with many of you in person more details about God's work here.  Please let us know if you would be interested in hearing more in person.  We are planning to travel back to the states to Greenville, SC in the middle of June.  We hope to travel to our sending church, University Baptist Church in Beavercreek, OH and visit others in the midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois) the end of July and first part of August before school starts for our younger children in Greenville, SC.

Prayer Requests

Our Family

Since we will be traveling back to the USA in 5 months, we have already started making preparations for the work here during our time away.  Togo has in many ways become our home, and it's hard to imagine being gone for a little over a year.  Please pray for us as we prepare to hand over our ministries to others.  It's a good reminder to us, that this is God's work and it will go on without us.  However, we do desire to have as few disruptions as possible and smooth transitions for our Togolese colleagues who don't take these long times away. Please also pray for us as we make preparations to live stateside- housing, vehicle, schooling for our children, etc.

Our Team

We have continued to see an ever growing number of patients, many with very complicated problems.  Often times these patients have been to other hospitals and come to us in the late stages of their problems, or after all other options have been exhausted.  We are thankful for this opportunity to help them in their darkest hour and time of need.  This past month, intermixed in a record high number of surgeries, have been many such complicated and challenging cases.  Please continue to pray for strength, endurance, and patience for our team here, both Togolese and expat.

October News

We have been staying busy here in Togo with a summer break for the kids that seemed to fly by all too quickly.  We were blessed to have Bryce’s parents and our oldest niece here during the month of June.  It was fun seeing our life here in Togo through her eyes.  The kids loved the time they were able to spend together, and we all learned a new game, Monopoly deal.

We continue to see an increasing number of patients at the hospital and many who are coming specifically for surgery.  We recently saw the 55,0000th patient since the hospital opened just under 5 years ago.  We are thankful to be a part of what God is doing here in northern Togo.  As we have mentioned in the past many of these patients are coming from Burkina Faso to our north, which has experienced increasing instability this year.  Please be praying for our friends there.

We want to update you about a story we shared with you in our last post.  Our friend M is doing well so far.  He is still healing, and he was able to start school this year.  He and his mom are very pleased with his progress, and it’s a joy each time they come for a check up.  Unfortunately, school here in Togo can be hard for kids with medical problems, because there is less supervision.  Please be praying for him and his family as they try to figure this out.

We also have another update on a patient's story we shared with you exactly two years ago, October 2017.  At that time, A was unable to walk due to a fracture caused by her bone being chronically infected.  In the past two years, we have seen a remarkable improvement in her health.  A has grown almost a foot and gained weight!  She has also started school, so we can communicate better in French.  We had a really nice visit with her mother and younger brother recently.  Please continue to pray for her and her family.

This past month Bryce celebrated his 40th birthday.  Natasha managed to give an amazing and unexpected gift this year, a visit from Derek, Bryce’s brother.  It was a quick trip, but quite a surprise and encouragement to us all to have some time with Uncle Derek.  

As we took him back to Lomé, we were able to bring back with us a much needed commodity, another surgeon.  We welcomed Jesh and Julie Theisson and their 3 kids, who will be joining us for almost one year.  This has been yet another blessing and encouragement to us all and a much needed relief for Bryce and John in surgery!


Prayer Requests:

Our Family:  As our time of furlough draws closer, there are many decisions that need to be made and things that will need to be handed over here during our time away. Please pray for clarity in the decision making and for us to finish our first term well.


Our Team: As the medical ministry continues to grow, this often brings growing pains and new challenges. Please pray for our team to have Godly wisdom as we make decisions about the future, and that our hearts would remain united in truly seeking God's glory in all we do.  

April/May 2019 Nattier News

Yes, we admit that some time has passed since we released our last newsletter. We've had some "encouragement" from some of you, informing us that you are anxiously awaiting more news from this side of the world, and we are thankful for your interest and partnership in what God is doing here. The truth is, we've actually been pondering about what we should write in our next release ever since we released our end of the year news. Yet, here it is, already May and we are still pondering.  What seems like a simple task can be quite daunting at times to us as our days are filled with normal tasks, and one day just seems to turn into the next. Sometimes, it seems that there is nothing interesting to report. Neither of us are super poetic, we aren't gifted writers who can creatively spin our everyday happenings into deep truths or thought-provoking insight.  So acknowledging that about ourselves, we constantly dialogue back and forth about what to say and how best to share our lives here in a way that is respectful to those we do life with, but still keep you informed of how God is at work. In this lies the struggle.  So being honest, it’s a difficult task because, in just "doing life" it’s hard to come up with things to share that we think you all will find interesting and encouraging. God truly is at work here, but in the day to day, through all the struggle and heartache we see all around us, through all the business that is life and work here, it is often difficult to see. Which is where the Joy of writing our newsletters comes in. While we ponder and stew about what to share next, when we actually sit down to write, we are forced to reflect on how even amidst the business, day to day tasks of just living "our normal," God is deeply at work in our own lives as well as in the lives of the Togolese, in big ways and small. The small subtle ways that He is at work are often more challenging to identify but they are what keep us going when things get tough. In doing life here, we continue to provide quality health care to hundreds of patients, share the gospel, and build relationships. Sometimes we get to see fruit but often we just trust that God is continually at work. So, thank you for your patience with us as we struggle through processing and sharing what is going on here.

It's crazy to think that the first 4 months of 2019 have passed.  For us, these have been rather busy but productive months.  The kids have been working hard at school, and the end of school is approaching quickly.  They are preparing for the annual living museum.  Elli will be Queen Elizabeth I, Andrew- Albert Einstein, and Sofia- Corrie ten Boom (pictures to follow soon). Because there are no stores here and ordering costumes from amazon that can be shipped to Togo isn't really feasible, we often have things made here by very talented seamstresses and tailors. We love our friends who are talented in this way as we think we might lose our minds if we actually had to make these costumes ourselves (especially for 3 kids at the same time). In needing people to help us with some of the more challenging tasks here, we are getting to know them quite well. In fact, I'm quite sure that one friend/tailor must laugh each time I call to tell him I have a project for him because they are usually complicated projects that must, at times, seem like strange requests. We are so thankful for opportunities like this to need others and build/deepen relationships. 

Since the departure of our full time Ob/Gyn, Natasha has taken on the task of Gynecology clinic in addition to where she had been working, with the maternity patients for their outpatient obstetrical visits.  The demand and need for women's health screening and care here is huge. Many of the patients who present in the gyn clinic come seeking diagnosis/treatment for infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss.  Some have struggled for years and have never been pregnant, others have been pregnant 10+ times and may only have one or no children. Discussions and counseling with these patients can often be very difficult as we only have a limited number of things we can try medically. Often, we have to deliver news that there is simply nothing more that we can do, and from our human perspective, pregnancy will not be possible. These cases are frequent and heartbreaking. But regardless of the situation, we have many opportunities to share the hope we have in the one true God, one who created us, knows us intimately, and who has a plan for our lives far better than we can comprehend. It is always such an incredible joy and gift from the Lord when we see our patients, who have presented to our gyn clinic with infertility or recurrent loss, walk into our OB clinic pregnant and an even greater joy to see them deliver. We give all praise and glory to the Giver of Life!

Bryce continues to have a steady stream of surgical patients.  The first three months of the year were some of the busiest surgical months since our arrival.  We continue to see the effects of advertisement by the word of mouth of our patients.  One example of this is the large number of people waiting to be seen at the gate of the hospital.  Some of them will wait a week or more.  We have been told that they do not have a problem with this because they are confident that they will receive high quality care here- and they just keep coming!  We are thankful for this testimony of our hospital.

Bryce recently had a unique experience transporting a patient and his mother, with our family, the 8-hour drive to our sister hospital in southern Togo.  Bryce and a visiting pediatric surgeon were able to perform his surgery the next day.  Two days later we all made the trip back to Mango.  He is doing very well and just had the final step for his treatment which was a colostomy closure.  He has a problem called Hirschprung's disease which effects the last portion of the colon.   He initially had problems passing stool as a baby, and later he had a colostomy.  For this reason, his parents haven't sent him to school with his colostomy and the social problems that brings.  At this point he is 7 years old, and his mother is very excited for him to now be ready to start school in the next school year.

We recently enjoyed a little break to attend our mission's regional conference.  All of us working in West Africa traveled to Capetown, South Africa for the week long conference.  We are thankful for short term surgeons and other doctors who came to serve while we were away.  The conference was a definite time of encouragement. We were blessed to get to know our mission's new president, Dr. Paul Davis, as he and his wife spent  the week with us and shared from God's word. After the conference, we were able to enjoy a week of vacation.  Capetown reminded us a little of California, and had many of the things we appreciate/miss in the western world like restaurants, interstates and dependable roads without vehicle eating potholes, shopping malls, grocery stores, and much cooler temperatures.  Bryce had the opportunity to enjoy a deep sea fishing trip with some of our colleagues off the southern tip of Africa in the area where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.  He finally caught a yellow fin tuna, something that has been on his bucket list for a long time. We greatly enjoyed
some wonderful meals from the meat!

We had fun hiking through Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, exploring the World of Birds and a big cat sanctuary, sailing out to seal island, riding a cable car to the top of Table Mountain,  admiring a colony of penguins in their natural habitat, and visiting the beautiful Cape of Good Hope. 

All this to say, our time away was much needed and the timing (brief escape from hot season) was perfect. We came back encouraged and refreshed, ready to jump back into the work God has for us here.

Spring is full of birthdays for our family. Ahni recently turned 5, Elli is officially a teenager, and Andrew turned 11. Mélyna was excited to celebrate her 1st birthday in S. Africa and throughly enjoyed her red velvet cupcake.

Prayer Requests: 

Our family - We left America 3 1/2 years ago, so we would normally be headed back for stateside ministry in December.   However, we are awaiting the arrival of two surgeons here early next year, so we have decided to delay leaving Togo until the summer of 2020.  This will also allow our kids to finish one more school year here in Togo.  Please pray for us to be strengthened in the Lord for this remaining year of ministry.  We are excited for a visit from Bryce's parents and our niece next month.  Please pray for them as they travel.

Our team - There are two surgeons and their families committed to coming here who are currently in language school in France.  Please pray for them as this is a challenging time trying to learn a second language as a family.  Pray especially for the Chmil family whose son Hudson was recently badly burned in an accident. He was treated in the burn center in France two hours away from the language school.  Please pray for God's healing for Hudson, and for their entire family as they navigate this in France.