It has taken us much longer than anticipated to get this update written. A lot has happened in the last two and a half months! We arrived in Mango just two days before Christmas and settled temporarily into the home of furloughing missionary friends. After a few weeks of adjusting (a process we’re not sure we’ll ever be done with!) to the culture, weather, dialect, having guards and house help, shopping and other aspects of everyday life, we slowly began integrating into our outside-of-home ministry roles. Exactly two months after arriving, we were able to move into a home of our own. We are thankful for how God had already gone ahead of us and provided exactly the details we had been praying and hoping for in a house.
Jonathan has enjoyed finding a routine in his IT role at the hospital, while at the same time balancing that with working on overseeing and completing various projects on our new abode. There have been and continue to be at times frustrations and setbacks with timing, details, and lack of French technical vocabulary, but lots of progress has been made and Jonathan has done a great job meeting the various challenges that arise. On top of all this, he has also been busy coordinating details for getting our truck to Mango. We hope we will soon be heading down to Lomé to pick it up as it has been a longer-than-expected process. Thankfully, in the meantime we have been borrowing a vehicle from some friends, and Jonathan was also able to purchase a moto, which provides him with a much smoother ride over bumpy dirt roads.
Bethany started orienting to the maternity ward (here that includes Labor & Delivery, Postpartum, and NICU) at the hospital around the end of January and works there two to three days a week when house and other life necessities don’t interfere. It is a big change from the Medical-Surgical Progressive Care Unit in Roanoke, but she is enjoying learning how to care for and minister to the moms and babies here. When she’s not at the hospital, she keeps busy trying to turn the new house into a suitable nest, getting used to shopping at market and elsewhere around town, getting to know the lady who is currently our house help, and more. Having someone else in your kitchen/home is an adjustment, but it didn’t take long to realize what a huge blessing it is to have someone help with cleaning and cooking — with as quickly as the Harmattan dust collects, and with the lack of most typical western ‘convenience’ foods/items.
Our Youngling is growing steadily and getting stronger and more active. At the last ultrasound everything looked great and right on track. He or she seems to be developing quite the personality, giving the doctor quite a difficult time getting all her measurements. And if Bethany is standing against the sink doing dishes too long, lots of kicking seems to let her know somebody wants more personal space 😊 The Youngest Edwards has even started helping with ministry. About ten nurses needed to practice finding and counting a fetal heartbeat for an in-service a couple weeks ago, and she/he was glad to volunteer.
Overall life here is going well. We find that sometimes God needs to remind us that any abilities we might think we have – whether spiritual, linguistic, technical, relational – are in no way why we are here. Sometimes we make the silliest language mistakes and tell friends with a new baby that God has blessed us instead of them and then don’t realize until a few minutes later why they laughed. Sometimes we forget to give money or accept items with only our right hands (Bethany 😉 ) or to ask all the customary greeting questions (How are you? And your family? And how is the morning/day/work, etc. going?) . So we just try to laugh at ourselves and do the best we can, praying that God uses us in spite of ourselves and that we don’t get in the way so much that we offend others or hinder the work He wants to do through us.
Our missionary team has welcomed us graciously and showed us where to find things and how to get places around the community, hosted us for meals, loaned us items until we could get our own, helped us transition into the hospital, answered lots of random questions, and so much more. We are grateful to have such a patient and kind built-in family and support system here.
We also continue to be thankful for those of you reading, for your steadfast prayers, encouragement, and financial support. Being in Togo has made us realize and appreciate afresh the generous provision God has provided through our partners.
In a previous update around October we mentioned that we would be under-supported significantly by the end of the year. We truly wish that this weren’t the case. We don’t like having to focus on money and would rather keep our focus on ministering here rather than on the means to stay here. Unfortunately, despite our physical distance from the US, its economics and laws still affect us in profound ways. (plus the fact that we’re adding a third member to our family). Currently we’re 9%, $505 per month below where we’d like to be. So here it is by the numbers: In 2018 & 2019 the IRS changed rules governing the taxable income and insurance rates went up 20%. That’s about $258 per month, and there are added fees and costs associated with making and keeping a third person a legal resident within the country. Unfortunately as happens when you have a fixed amount and some of the money is shifted elsewhere in the budget it must come from somewhere else. We’ve already shifted $350 per month (the maximum available) from ministry funds to cover these but there is still a deficit of over $155 each month that reduces our salary. While we would not say that we are suffering because of this, we do know that it limits our ability to minister effectively. Thus far God has been gracious to provide gifts that have offset the difference. Would you pray with us that He would continue to help us to fill this gap so that our focus can remain on ministry?
Praise God with us …
… that we are here starting ministry in Togo! It has felt like a long road at times, but He has been faithful to bring us to where He has called us.
… for the provision of a house here that we both like and think will be a good fit for our family for as long as God has us here.
… for good staffing currently at the hospital. Bethany is thankful she has not felt pressured to rush into full-time working before she is ready.
… that Jonathan has had a smooth transition as he has gotten back into working with the IT at the hospital.
… for an uneventful pregnancy thus far; our little one seems to be growing well.
… that we’ve stayed healthy so far in spite of changes in environment and diet.
Pray with us …
… that we would be a light to our Togolese and Burkinabé neighbors.
… for continued growth in our cultural and lingual understanding.
… as we form relationships with new guards, house help, co-workers, and others in the community.
… that God would give us a clear idea of how we should focus and prioritize our ministries.
… for the situation in Burkina Faso, and that the Muslims in northern Togo, Benin, and Ghana would continue to reject extremist ideology and not permit it to be taught, that the restrictions this causes would not hinder ministries, and that Christians in affected areas would continue to stand firm in their faith.
… that we’d be able to get our truck soon.
Thank you for taking the time to read and pray.
Serving Him Together,
Jonathan & Bethany and Youngling
