Wednesday, May 30, 2007

More Car Troubles

I received a call from Brett this morning. They had left Ghana and were in Togo when they had car trouble. Several of the missionaries here in Togo that have Toyota Prados have had a tire completely fall off the car. Well, it happened to Brett today with a car full of interns. They are all safe and Brett sounded very calm and "oh well, that's Africa for ya" on the phone. I'm sure for the interns it was a nice welcome to Africa cultural experience. Please be praying the car is fixed and will hold for another month until our new truck arrives.

Friday, May 25, 2007

April's 1st Village Visit

Last week Becky Reeves invited me to join in going to the ladies out in Soumdina Po Wayi. I was excited for the opportunity because they were going to be teaching her how to make soap. Becky is doing a series of lessons on cleanliness. When she discovered during her last visit that some of the ladies knew how to make soap, she asked them to teach her. Becky had planned on teaching a lesson about clean water in addition to the story of the woman at the well....but as is typical in Africa, things don't always go as planned. The lady that seems to be in charge was in another village visiting her sick brother, therefore, no one was there to teach us to make soap or to hear the lesson. We did, however, schedule a time to return in a few weeks to learn how to make soap (and share the lesson). We're looking foward to bringing some of the interns with us. Our hope is that the interns can each teach their host families during bonding how to make soap, as so few Kabiye people know how to make, or have access to, soap in the villages.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Africa Moment #5

He gets His toes from another farm just down the road...

(or add your own caption!)

I Am a Child in Togo

Here is a little piece that Brett wrote for part of the Mission Weekend program. It was read at the Saturday night worship service as we focused on having compassion for the children of Guatemala and Togo. Thanks to Laura Plunkett for reading it with such passion and feeling!

I Am a Child in Togo


I am a child in Togo
I am a 10 year old girl
Today I woke up one hour before the sunrise to begin my chores
I fed the goats, swept the floor, cleaned the pots, and got water from the river
I did all of these things with my infant brother strapped to my back

I am a child in Togo
After I did my chores, I ate breakfast
Breakfast was some left over bean cakes and a glass of dirty river water
The same thing I eat every single day

I am a child in Togo
After breakfast I said goodbye to my oldest brother who was leaving for school
I don’t get to go to school because my family can’t afford to send me and they need me to work
I desperately want to go to school
But I never will

I am a child in Togo
I spend my morning working in the fields, planting seeds and pulling weeds
By mid-morning it is 100 degrees and there is no shade for me to work in
The work is hard, and I am tired

I am a child in Togo
When I finish in the fields I eat lunch
Rice and beans
The same thing I eat every single day

I am a child in Togo
After lunch I get to play some with the other kids my age who don’t go to school
We kick around a soccer ball made from twigs and leaves
We climb a tree
We chase the goats
I wish I had some toys to play with


I am a child in Togo
I want to keep playing with my friends
But my mother says it’s time to prepare dinner
I only got to play for 1 hour
And now I have to strap my baby brother to my back and do more work

I am a child in Togo
My mother sends me to the river to get water
The river is a mile away
And I have to go 3 times

I am a child in Togo
After I get the water, I pound some corn into powder
It takes me an hour to pound enough for my family
The work is hard, and I am tired

I am a child in Togo
It is almost dark and dinner is ready
I eat outside the house with my 7 brothers and sisters
Corn mush and spicy sauce
The same thing I eat every single day

I am a child in Togo
After dinner I am ready to sleep
Morning will be here soon, and I am tired
Tomorrow will be exactly the same as today
Because I am a child in Togo

Friday, May 11, 2007

WAMR


Our return to Africa started off with a bang at the West Africa Missionary Retreat. This is an annual gathering of Church of Christ and Christian Church missionaries from all over West Africa. This year we had representatives from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Burkina Faso.


The idea of WAMR (pronounced WAMMER) is to be a time of refreshing and encouragment from the Lord for everyone, a break from the daily grind of life and ministry in West Africa. This year's speaker was Joe McReynolds from Atlanta, GA. He blessed us with many truths about God's character and who He wants us to be in repsonse to who He is. Papa Joe has countless stories of God working in his life and the lives of those around him in amazing ways. Thank you Joe for filling us up with Truth and encouraging us all to become more like our Maker!


Here is a pic of all of the missionary families who attended WAMR this year. It was a great group, and we all enjoyed worshipping and fellowshipping together. Praise God for what He is doing among us and through us, and may all of us working for Him in West Africa be fruitful and full of His Spirit!

Friday, May 04, 2007

The Emersons's Journey Back to Africa

So I just realized that we should probably change the title on our blog...because Africa is now home for us. After being in the States for three weeks, we were ready to be home again. Brett's mom says home is where your heart is; Brett says it's where your stuff is. Well, Africa is where our hearts and stuff are. So yes, we are home. We are thankful for a safe trip and thankful that all of our bags have arrived (even if it took 2 days). Thank you to everyone that has been praying about our travels. We enjoyed every minute with each of you that the Lord blessed us with.

If you don't read our family blog, then you might not know that we are expecting baby #2 around December 3rd. Please join us in prayer as we make the decision of where the baby will be born. We will keep you updated with info. about the pregnancy on the family blog: http://theemersonfamily.blogspot.com