Togo Here I Come

Quick facts about Togo:

Population:  5.6 million people (44% of which are children less than 14 yrs old)

Capital:  Lome

Official language: French

Religion:  51% Indigenous beliefs, 29% Christian, 20% Muslim

If you're like me, you had to get out a map to figure out where Togo is.  That's exactly what I did when I heard of the opportunity there.  One of my church's global outreach partnerships is with the ministry in Togo, West Africa.  Due to my length of stay in Kenya, I am required to leave East Africa at least once in order to get a new visa.  I had been trying to figure out where to go for a short trip when our pastor announced the need for physicians in Togo during one Sunday morning service prior to my departure.  One of the other missions organizations that supports the ministry there is WMM (World Medical Mission, the medical division of Samaritan's Purse), which is the organization I went to Zambia with in 2008.  I was very excited to have the opportunity to serve again with WMM and even moreso with my church.

I will be working at Togo Hopital Baptiste Biblique (HBB), also known as Karolyn Kempton Memorial Christian Hospital (KKMCH), which is a 40-bed hospital that opened in 1985.  KKMCH is in southwest Togo, just north of Kpalimé.  It is a major medical, surgical, and acute-care facility that serves approximately half a million people. The bulk of the patients are Togolese, but some come from neighboring Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Benin.  There are currently three physicians working there full-time.  The pediatrician recently became ill and is now home in the US for the next year, leaving them short-staffed and in need.  I am looking forward to helping out over the next two weeks.  The current missionaries are hoping that I will consider coming there for the next year once I finish my stay here in Kenya.  Just in case, they are getting me a one-year visa.  While my committments with IU may prevent me from staying there over the next year, I am open to helping out as much as possible and we'll see what God has for the future.

So after teaching Basic Life Support all day on Wednesday, I will catch a plane to Nairobi.  I get to hang out in the Nairobi airport until 3 am (anyone who's been there knows how exciting that will be...or not) and then will travel to Ethiopia and finally to Togo.  Pray that I will quickly be able to adjust and be effective in my role there.  I will do my best to keep you posted on the Togo adventure.
   
"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." 1 Peter 4:10