It never ceases to amaze how the Lord always seems to bring together the exact right people for each trip. Not once, in the entire history of Mission Partners For Christ, have we been left wanting for people. It is a testament to the Lord’s faithfulness; when He calls MPFC to minister in a country, He is also faithful to call the people we need!
This trip was a beautiful reminder for all the MPFC team members of why we go on medical missions. We firmly believe that medical missions are one way God communicates His love for people through His children. Can you imagine being an adult who has never seen a doctor even once? We meet so many people with that same story on every single trip. God has so lovingly provided for these communities by calling medical professionals to their nation.
This trip was no different, and our team was so blessed to love them as Jesus does by providing free medical care and telling them about the Savior who cares for them!
Here are just a few of the highlights from our November trip to Togo:
Togetherness
We had an incredibly diverse team of volunteers to help meet the needs of the villagers we saw at our clinics. In total, we had 55 team members ranging in age from mid-20s to 60s and hailing from around the world from nations like the USA, Nigeria, Benin, and more!
One amazing thing to note about such a large team is that there was always a sense of togetherness and unity. Many of us were strangers at the start of this mission. Yet, we all became comfortable with one another very quickly. MPFC founder shares one vivid memory that stays with me is one from the third morning:
As we all gathered outside on the patio where we were staying, we cheered and clapped for one another as we stepped onto the patio. There was such an atmosphere of joy in assembling as one group to spend time together in the Word and worship our God (in French and English!).
As I took in this scene, I was struck with this one conviction: this moment of pure joy in just getting to fellowship with other believers felt as if God were winking at each of us and saying, “You’re special. You’re needed on this team, and you’re making a difference by being here.”
I’ll always cherish that memory.
Sheri Postma, RN
Would Komlan Join Mission Partners For Christ On Another Trip?
“Yes, The impact on the people we have served strengthen me to more to do this again”
Medical Professionals And Non-Medical Personnel Working Side-By-Side
We were blessed to have a number of people from many different backgrounds working alongside us, including a pharmacist (Julie), a doctor (Kim), 2 nurse practitioners (Akouete and Edward), and 2 nurses (Devora and Komlan). plus our founder, Sheri Postma, RN who works on all of our trips.
We also had a number of nonmedical volunteers join, which was great! We were blessed by Norm (attorney), Roger (CPA), and Barb (Women’s Ministry Leader)
While our medical team saw patients, our non-medical team provided us with tons of support by:
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Weighing children
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Offering Health Education
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Setting up medical clinics
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Bus driving
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Cooking
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Translating
We were so thankful for all those who volunteered their time and their skills to ensure a successful medical mission trip for all.
Nurse Practitioner Ed Treating A Patient
Roger fitting a young child with a new pair of expandable shoes
Yelivo villagers praying to accept Jesus as their Savior
MPFC Founder, Sheri Postma, With the four TCD Champions of Togo
Reaching Kings & Village Chiefs
One thing Sheri specifically prayed about before traveling to Togo was for God to open doors to reach village leadership with the gospel, and our Father did not disappoint!
We had the privilege of meeting with a king in the village of Yelivo. He was such a kind man who was very open to our work. He was curious, however, how we chose his village to minister in, and we were able to tell him that we were there only because God specifically told us we were needed there. This king appeared to be in awe that God would single out his village, so he invited us to his palace and opened up some of the grounds where his palace stood for us to hold our free clinic.
Why Does Julie Recommend Mission Partners To Christ To Other Aspiring Missionaries?
“Well organized group, always keeps God first, & humble leadership!”
Women Matter To Jesus
One heartbreaking aspect of medical missions that I will never get used to is seeing how, in some places, women often don’t have a sense of how much they matter simply because they exist.
We saw many women who are, quite honestly, treated like the property of the men in their lives. These people were created in God’s image, and they don’t understand how deeply loved they are.
That’s something that many of us here in the USA can take for granted. SO many of us are blessed to know our standing with God and to be able to make my choices for our own lives, never having to wonder if we’re worthy of love.
Many of these women also lacked basic education about their own bodies. A common theme we saw with older women were concerns about not being able to get pregnant anymore. In that culture, the ability to give birth heavily impacts your worth to the rest of the community. So, as menopause sets in, and with little to no education about what is happening with their bodies, many of these women were left devastated and desperate for any help we could offer.
Thankfully, God provided for these women by ensuring we had a local midwife to volunteer alongside us. She was able to take each woman aside and teach them about menstrual cycles, what it means when menopause begins, and how to care for their bodies’ changing needs.
God Is In The Tiny Details
While we often bring back stories of miraculous healing during these mission trips, we cannot say that we witnessed supernatural healing this time. However, What our team witnessed was just as powerful as any sudden healing.
Over and over and over again, we saw God show up in the details.
We saw Him show up on a hot day when we were suffering after spending hours in the hot sun, and one of our team members prayed for a simple breeze to bring some relief to us all. This person clasped their hands together and prayed, “Lord, we need a breeze right now.” In immediate response, God sent a refreshing breeze.
We saw God show up as our glucometers kept breaking and refusing to work for us. It was believed that the malfunctions were sent from Satan as an attempt to halt our ministerial work. So Sheri picked up those glucometers, unsure if she had the faith to pray what she needed to, and asked the Lord to fix the glucometers.
Once again, God responded and fixed them!
Each time our team members saw God show up to make it possible to keep working and treating patients and sharing His love, we felt as if He were whispering in our ears, “I love you, and I love these people. Keep caring for them and telling them how much I love them.”
Why Did Roger Join Us In Togo?
“The president/founder of MPFC does a FANTASTIC job of preparing for the trip, setting up logistics, and showing us that prayer is important for ALL things!”
Lasting Impact For the Gospel
If you’ve been following Mission Partners For Christ for a while, you will know that the driving force behind the work that we do is to share the love and the gospel of Jesus with unreached communities. We believe in pairing our medical expertise with gospel work because it helps to illustrate to those we are serving that we’re not speaking empty words to them when we share the gospel. We love them because the Lord loves them, and God loves them so much that He cares for their physical needs and the spiritual health.
On each medical mission trip we venture on, we also bring some tools along with us that can be used by local missions partners. Togo was no exception.
We were able to bring with us a number of solar audio Bibles for each of the four communities we served. These audio Bibles allow villagers to hear the Word of God in their native language, making the gospel much more accessible to all. We took these solar audio Bibles and divided them between each community, to ensure maximum reach for God’s message.
We May Have Left, But The Work Goes On
Something that a lot of people may need help understanding about short-term medical missions is that while we may only physically be with the villagers for a short time, the work continues long after we leave.
One of our objectives in coming into these villages is to support our local partners on the ground. Helping to facilitate relationships between our partners and village leadership helps to ensure that the village will be empowered to thrive under their own leadership. We aren’t there to fix anyone but to ensure these villages have the tools they need to succeed.
Our partner on the ground in Togo is Global Hope Network International, which works with underserved communities on a 3-5-year coaching program called Transformational Community Development (TCD). In order to create lasting leadership within the village itself, a special person, called a champion, is chosen from the community as a teacher and a leader throughout the coaching program. Once the village has graduated, this person will maintain a leadership role within their community to ensure that the entire community continues to thrive and succeed.
This program focuses on five different components to empower each person in the community:
- Access to clean water for the entire community
- Every girl and boy will have access to primary-level schooling
- Health and sanitation education for the community
- Resources for sustainable family income
- Access to nutritious food to end malnutrition and hunger
As a missions team, it was our privilege to help foster relationships between GHNI and the communities we were serving and to be used by God as a tiny part of setting each community up for long-term success.
We are all so grateful that the Lord called us to Togo. It never gets old to see the many ways in which God chooses to open doors for the gospel.
We were so blessed to treat nearly 2500 patients in the short time we were in Togo. When asked if they would like to receive a gospel message and/or be prayed for, 625 people said yes. Our volunteers met them with love and care at our makeshift counseling center. In the end, 77 people accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior!
Since we left Togo, our partners have given us some fantastic updates!
- All four villages have access to a VIP pit latrine (toilet) that will improve sanitation and keep people healthy.
- Three hundred eighty-five more people gave their lives to Jesus – including a king!
- All four villages we served have said “yes!” to Global Hope Network International’s TCD program and are all at the beginning stages of creating their own committee to oversee growth and development.
Please remember Togo in your prayers, particularly those who have accepted Jesus. As we all know, those early days of faith are vulnerable. We pray they will all learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and grow in community with our faith partners in the area.
