Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. Matthew 26:11
Dear Friends,
Greetings in Christ! Salutations en Christ! N fuond'i a Klistu saan i!
I must always apologize for being so slow in writing. I have so many things to say, have difficulty deciding what to write about, and honestly find it so difficult to try to express my thoughts in ways that will truly be meaningful. There is no possible way that a page of typed words can express an experience in life. I had hoped to be able to be in Turlock at this time, to share in person, but God had other plans. So, let me begin.
The three scriptures above run through my thoughts often. In Matthew 7: I know that Jesus is speaking of seeking, finding, and entering our heavenly home. My faith is firm, and I eagerly wait for that moment. However every day, there are knocks at my gate. The poor asking, seeking, wanting to enter in. . .but with needs such as lack of funds for school, health problems, no food or charcoal, debts, transportation. I open my gate and listen, hopefully with patience and love. I share what I can, when I can, but though many ask, seek and knock, I cannot give as the Lord gives. I can share the Lord's love, but cannot care for the many needs. Sadly many days my heart feels hard when one more person comes with problems . . I pray for forgiveness.
Looking at the second verse, I know that I cannot, in myself, be perfect. . . even if I sell what I do have to give to the poor. There are times when I consider the days remaining until my salary will come again and think, 'the Lord will provide.' It is not that my salary is insufficient for me alone, but my family is very large. . .and growing. School will finally begin here in Togo next Monday, October 17th. Most of the harvest is finished so the 'time of famine' is over. Courtyards are filled with ears of corn, black eyed peas still in the pod, okra, piment. . .all laying out in the sun to dry. On my way to Sankpong this morning I saw several fields where women were seated in groups, picking the peanuts off the upturned plants. All harvesting is done by hand. The overwhelming need now is for school supplies and fees. Many of the older students hurry to cultivate their fields here in May and June, then as soon as school is out, they go to Ghana or southern Togo in hopes of finding field work to earn money for school in the coming year. They return a few days before school begins with perhaps enough money to pay for notebooks and pens. High school students must leave the village for a larger city to attend high school. Many junior high kids also want to attend school in a larger town where French will be spoken and hopefully they will have a better chance. This year, here in my compound (walled in home area) I will have four high school students, a junior high school student, and a family of five, with the kids all in elementary school. Two of the high school students are boys (or young men) who have been in Ghana, working. They returned to Lokpano, their village, last week and hopefully will arrive by bicycle, today or tomorrow. I have no idea what they will be bringing with them. The two girls were with me last year. Teni returned to the village to make charcoal and help with the harvest. The junior high student Kokou has been with us all summer. He is 12, a cousin to the kids already here. I have worked with him and Jean in French and English a little during vacation. I have been buying notebooks for them all, little by little. I am concerned about food and charcoal, but have faith that God will provide. The Togolese are used to living 'in family' and in small spaces. There will be 10 people living in 3 small rooms, with outside latrines/showers. We have to go to a pump down the path for water, but there we do have electricity to study at night. I have my own little house apart, for which I am very thankful. I pray that my family here will be able to live peacefully together, and that the students will be able to succeed in their studies. I help when and where I can, sometimes in giving help in English, French or math, sometimes aiding with needs for food, school fees, health, whatever. The two girls have been attending church in Sankpong with me, and Jean and Kokou have also joined us. I don't know how I will fit two more high school kids in my car? Perhaps we will rotate. I will TRY to have devotions at home with them. I am anxious, yes. But I know that Jesus has prepared a home for us in heaven, where there will be many rooms and we will have treasures in abundance. God will provide. I will follow Him and serve
The third scripture is Jesus's response to those who were grumbling about Mary's extravagant 'waste' in anointing His feet with expensive perfume. Mary's action was out of love and adoration for the Lord, and she gave willingly. Those critiquing her felt the money could have been better used in giving to the poor. Jesus's response - 'the poor you will have with you always. This verse gives me comfort and reassurance. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by the needs of the people here. I feel frustrated and troubled that things don't seem to change. The Togolese government does not consider the needs of the people. The people themselves have difficulty identifying their own needs, and making changes in their lives. I get impatient with leaders who cannot see beyond today and present wants. I question myself. . am I of any use to God? I ask God, why don't things change? But then I remember that I do not see as God sees. I do not know what God knows. What is most important is to willingly give what I have to Him, and ask for guidance and wisdom, grace and forgiveness.
I opened this 'epistle' with greetings in English, French and Mual. I am feeling a bit more like I am making progress in my mual language learning. With no printed material from which to learn, I feel lost. Finally I am acquiring enough of a vocabulary that I can make up my own written phrases and ask Pastor Djatoite about the grammar or even the thoughts. I've figured out that often the verb precedes the subject. Many words are tonal, meaning the same word, pronounced with different inflections, has a different meaning. One of my kids, now a university graduate, shared with me that the mual language has only a couple thousand words, where English and French have so many more. Context is extremely important, and misunderstandings frequently occur! Often I study the Mual New Testament, the French Bible and the English Bible to learn vocabulary and grammar. Language learning at my age is difficult. L paa paa!
In August, Pastor Remi, President Lambon and I visited all sixteen literacy sites to 'Test' the learners. Because of some scheduling conflicts the testing dates had been postponed for more than a month after the last classes. The women had been working in the fields, and the rains were heavy. Most of the instructors offered a few days of review before our visits, but many of the women were afraid. We wanted only to see how the project had succeeded, where we needed to change, and to give them some satisfaction in seeing what they had learned - we did not pass or fail anyone! The rains were a challenge to us as many roads had become very difficult. I was able to go to three villages in my car. The two pastors went on their motorcycles every day, and two days, I rode on the back of a motorcycle after meeting the two in Nano. Every day in the rain! Several times it seemed impossible to get back to Nano after the village visit! I learned one mual expression very well: I mɔk sukl! Have patience! In our five days of testing, we worked with 174 learners. Mostly women, but we also were glad to have several men, even one village chief! The learners were very serious about their studies, and those who attended the testing sessions gave so much effort in doing their best. The tests were composed of a dictation segment, a math segment, and an oral reading segment (done individually). As each village has a slightly different dialect, and the learners had entered the program at various times during the three years, the test was very limited. But it brought a sense of accomplishment to the students. A number of the women now are able to read the Scripture lessons on Sunday mornings in their congregations. Finally, in September, we gathered all of our literacy teachers together in Nano to present Certificates of Honor for every learner who had participated in the test. We designed and printed certificates for each participant, with each name written in mual (this was a challenge to me) as well as the signatures of Pastor Remi, the president of ATRADEC (the literacy and development organization that has been formed) and DAPOKLE Lari, the literacy coordinator. With official stamps (or seals) for each also. We were not able to assemble all of the learners, as we would have been responsible for transportation costs, and providing a meal. Our remaining funds were limited. We did present each teacher with a small financial thank-you for his/her efforts. They had worked voluntarily throughout the year. Our Literacy Project funds from LWML are now finished. We have received a small grant from LCMS OIM to continue the project, and I pray that we will be able to continue working with literacy in the villages for many years. Reading God's word in one's mother tongue is a comfort and a blessing! Having the ability to read and study God's word brings joy to the heart of a believer.
I thank the Lord always for you! Your prayers, encouragement and support mean so much to me!
Klistu manu i! Christ's Peace!
Valerie StonebreakerLutheran Missionary, Dapaong, Togo LCMS OIM