Several little blessings and an urgent prayer

Matt always picks the girls up from school, but with him gone and Nora glued to my side the moment I'm home from work, today she and I did. As we crept painfully over the terrible road to school, more like driving on the moon than on earth in 2019, she chattered about her morning, most of it spent at Joel's side.  She told me all they talked about, all the games they'd played, the way Joel's mommy had helped her when she needed it, and I was so, so thankful for a three year old for my three year old and the community life they enjoy with every fiber of their super-beings.

As soon as Lily got home, she was off to the women's dorm with a basket of beads and a pile of foil strips. She's mentioned at least 90 dozen times the past four days that today (TODAY, Wednesday, don't forget Wednesday) at 2:00 (2:00! 2:00! 2:00!) Angeline was going to braid her hair!  When I checked on the progress later, Granny was sitting in a chair to, but she had Sofie playing hairdresser, all four of them chattering nonstop, and I am so grateful...so grateful we made them learn Creole, so grateful to live on a campus of men who look out for and tease them, of women who teach them and inspire them.

Tonight Carol marveled at how gifted Nikki is in her teaching and discipling the girls, this evening I got to hear a bit about Matt's very full day, tonight I'm preparing for my classes to start on Monday, I'm thinking through what to serve our seven visitor-friends, friends-visitors for supper tomorrow night, our Music in the Church class sang in both French and English in chapel today, the Folkeringa's brought us chocolate...there are just so many beautiful things each day with a grateful heart, even on the hard hard ones. 

And we need your prayers.  I can't even begin to go into all the details and efforts to get these guys to Togo, but the reality is, doing something for the first time--sending Haitian missionaries--is incredibly challenging. There have been more obstacles, more challenges, more issues, more unique problems, than any of us ever expected.  

As our missionaries were meeting for prayer tonight, Dave reminded me that prayer is our great weapon, our powerful POSSIBLE.

The Lord has so clearly worked and opened the door to Togo and confirmed it many times, and yet we just cannot seem to find the right doors in between.  The Haitian passport is making it incredibly difficult (one wants to say impossible) to get them there.  Their Togo visa has already started, so so so so much work and prep has been done...they are ready, and we canNOT get them required yellow fever vaccinations in all of Haiti, and we canNOT get them TO Togo due to all the countries in between blocking their passports. 

Being born in America, I can't possibly understand this...the desire, the calling to go somewhere and being blocked on all sides, over and over.  Leaving of my home country, even for a missions trip, even for a few months...being IMPOSSIBLE.

This is the first time, but it will not be the last...this door that IS open in countries like Togo that need exactly the Jesus in exactly the way that Jerry and Jean-William carry Him...we will FIND a way by His hand to get to it, and when we do, there will be many more.  We have many ready and trained and ready to go.

We. Need. Your. Prayers. We need a few miracles, we need a few answers, we need a few open doors, we need a few new ideas, we need His timing His way and we need you to be praying with us, fervently.  

There are many people waiting for the Saving Grace they embody.  In their language. In their culture.  Many people who have not heard.

Will you put them on your bulletin boards, in your Bibles, on your fridges, and would you join us as we PRAY?  

When we pray, the places we have gathered together will be shaken.  

thank you