Me and Yvette
When God placed me and my family in Togo, I knew He would bring some amazing people into my life, and I could not wait to meet them. One of these very special people is a lady named Yvette. If you ever hear me talk about my life in Togo, her name will come up several times in the conversation.
She has a very sad and happy story at the same time. She is a mom of four children and has been raising them for over 13 years all on her own since her husband had abandoned her. Before my family and I arrived in Togo she lived in one small room with three, and sometimes four, of her children. Here in this culture, that’s not too terribly bad; many people do this, but this room was so tiny. She was selling food on the streets to keep her children in school and feed them. She was poor—very, very poor. I was told all of this by another missionary before I met her. The missionary friend told me she thought Yvette would be really good for our family to help out in the house, so I agreed to meet her and talk with her.
When I met her I asked her a few questions but I really felt pressed to ask her how she was doing. Now, I know her past and what she had gone through and what she was currently going through. But despite all of the hardships, after I asked her this question, she put her hands up in the air and said, “I am blessed! God has blessed me in so many ways.” I knew at that moment that she would be a part of our family. She started helping us in our house immediately, and our friendship started growing.
She has been one of the most caring, giving, loving, and godly women I know here in Africa. Yes, she is human and I know she can do wrong just like me, but I am so thankful that God has placed Yvette in our lives. She has become like another mom to my children; she loves them, cares about them, and prays for them all the time. She is 100% behind us in everything and loves to hear about what God is doing in the villages. Her love and passion for Christ is amazing and I am so encouraged and blessed by her.
I am so thankful Yvette is part of our family and we are apart of hers. As a matter of fact, David, Joshua's best friend here in Togo, is her son. So you could really say we are family.
Many people have asked what she does around the house for me. She mainly does a lot of the time-consuming jobs that I am not able to do because I’m busy homeschooling and cooking every meal from scratch. We tag team and work a lot together cooking, baking, and cleaning. It gives us ample time to gab and share praises and encourage one another.
I am so thankful for this beautiful lady that God has brought into our lives.
