Sickness in Togo

When people think of Africa they think of many different things. Most people have a National Geographic view of Africa, that people live in huts and wear loin cloths and carry around spears to fend off the wild animals all around. To be fair, if that is all you know or all you see, then that is what Africa is to you. People do still live in huts here, just not everyone, and the other things you never see in Togo.

So much of Africa is developed to a point, some countries more than others. Togo is one of the countries that is less developed than most others. One huge problem in Togo is sickness and a lack of good health care. Just a year ago a wonderful American mission hospital opened up about two hours north of us, and we are so happy and excited that we have something so close. Prior to that, we would have needed to travel seven hours south to get to a good hospital.

Togo has many different sicknesses just like most places in Africa. To be honest, it is scary to think of how many different kinds of illnesses there are, and dangerous ones at that. I just heard today that another person died of meningitis. Life is very fragile here, more so than in the States it seems.

Just recently Jesse became ill with malaria. Normally you start treatment and it starts to go away after the first dose, or at least that has been our experience. But not this time; after the second dose Jesse's temperature continued to climb and would not come down. He was so uncomfortable and miserable. His temp was 104 before it started decreasing.  We were finally able to get it down a few degrees, close to normal. He later on told me that it was the worst fever he has ever had, and he just wanted to die because he was so uncomfortable. After the third dose of medicine he really started taking a turn for the better, and he started walking around by himself. Before this, he had to put his arms over my shoulders and walk that way for fear of him passing out or falling. The next day, he was much better and we were praising God for his healing. It was such a scary time and a time of complete trust in the wisdom of God on how to deal with the situation.

Just recently, in the hospital two hours north of us, a doctor became ill with malaria and was not getting better. He also had another infection that they could not pinpoint. It got so bad that he was flown to Germany to get help, but our Heavenly Father decided to take him home. It was such a scary time for everyone. We were on our knees begging God to spare his life, to heal the sickness that was attacking his body. But in the end God took him home and we wonder why, but our faith is in the One who controls the universe, who is sovereign, and know this doctor by name and cares for him deeply. He is His child.

This happened shortly after Jesse got sick, and it made me start thinking of my life and my family. We are not promised tomorrow; our life is just a vapor and then it is gone. I started asking myself questions like: Who am I living my life for? My family or my Lord? Am I willing to let my husband go completely? Am I holding on too tightly to him? Am I holding on too tightly to my children? Have I taken up the cross and truly abandoned my life for Jesus? Yes I live in Africa, yes I have given up things to be here, but have I truly given my life, poured it out for Him? What is the most important thing in my life? Is it stuff, family, entertainment? What do I live for?

All of these questions are continuing to go through my mind as I am in Togo, hearing about people dying, and children coming down with rare diseases. How closely do I hold onto my life? Now I am not saying I don't use the brain God gave me to be cautious, but do I live in fear over these things to the point that they will hold me captive and not allow me live out my life for Him in Togo?

I am not a perfect Christian or a perfect missionary, I have never claimed to be. I wish I could tell you I answered everyone of those questions with a great answer, but it is just not so. So please pray for me and my family, that we would not hold tightly to the things of this world, but keep our eyes on Him.

Shopping in Togo

Me with Shakira and her son

I get this question a lot from people in the States, "Where do you shop? What are the stores like?"
Where we live in Kara, we have some grocery stores but they are nothing like what you would see in the States. I would say they are more like 7-11s. But I am very thankful for our 7-11 sized stores since you never know what you are going to find in them. We have about four small grocery stores and a huge open-air market where we can buy all of our fresh produce, and you can find tons more at the market if you want to rummage! Here are some pictures of one of the stores that I go to every week. My friend, Shakira, runs the store for her husband, and she is trying to learn English, so I try and teach her phrases every time I shop there. One fun phrase I taught her that she loves is "see you later, alligator; after a while, crocodile." It has been great getting to know her.

We also do some of our shopping in Lome, which is the capital city about six hours south of us. We are able to find a lot more there than in Kara. We buy a lot of our meat and cheese there, and we also can find goodies at a store called "The Dollar Store," except nothing is a dollar! We just found Honey Nut Cheerios, and the boys were so excited! Okay, so maybe I got a little excited too. This store has a lot of things coming from Costco, and boy it is wonderful! One of my favorite stores in Lome is Orca. It's packed full of things for your house like a mini-Ikea. It really is amazing what you can find here now compared to just a few years ago. We do most of our shopping while in Lome at Champion, a grocery and home goods store. I am always excited to go and see the new things we can get. Well, I hope you have seen just a little peek into my life here in Togo.

Just a short little recap of our lives in 2015

Just a short little recap of our lives in 2015. A beautiful place to stay in while in the States. Pregnancy. Adorable new baby - Ian Thomas Shanks. Meeting incredible new friends. An unruly but delightful 4 year old. An amazing 12 year old. New truck from God. Saying goodbye to family and friends. Packing. Moving back to Africa. A very long plane ride. Malaria. The enemy fighting. God intervening. Many blessings - so many our cup overflows. Helping others. Amazing growth in the ministry. New friends. New pet snake, lizard and puppies.
I could go on and on about how God has blessed in so many ways.
I am in awe of how God has taken care of our family. We are claiming His promise that as we continue to seek His kingdom He continues to take care of us. I am so thankful for this last year; as I look back on all the amazing things He has brought us through and the things He has done for us, I stand amazed.