Well it has been a busy last 3 weeks here. Friday the 8th of Feb. I traveled from Benin to Ghana to receive our team of 8 that arrived Saturday evening. This included our daughter, Marie-Louise, friends Bill and Cathy Hoffman and Cathy’s son, Tim Wright, and our niece Hannah Davis. With us here in Africa for the first time was, Tina Davis our daughter-in-law, and two nurses, Emily Ingole, daughter of a pastor friend in Ohio, and Michele Harter. We slept that night in Accra, Ghana at the S.I.M. Guesthouse.
Sunday it was off to Cotonou, Benin. Everyone was up and ready to go by 8 am as planned, but the minibus didn’t arrive. Finally it showed at 9:30. We packed, bought gas and were off around 10:15. We arrived at the border with Togo around 1:00 pm – late and the minibus that was to meet us and take us on to Benin, had given up and left. So, our good friend and interpreter, Pastor Augustin, set off to get us another one. It took him well over an hour to get another one. We were in the sun in the heat of the day – no fun! By the time we did the border formalities into Togo and the out of Togo and into Benin, the sun was going down. By the time we got to the Baptist Guesthouse in Cotonou, the sun was well down. Debby came out to greet us with a big smile.
The first week the women did 2 three-day women’s seminars. Monday – Wednesday was in Se a small town – nearly 2 hours away. Then Thursday – Saturday was in another small town, Tori, about an hour away. I taught Bible School Monday – Thursday for Pastor Mathias in Cotonou – doing live teaching at a Video Bible School. Bill Hoffman was off at night preaching at village churches.
The second week was equally as busy. Sunday we were all off to different churches. Bill went 5 hours North to Parakou for the weekend to be with Pastor Augustin at his church. Then Monday – Friday I was teaching at Pastor Nazaire’s Bible School that we have been working with since 2002. Tuesday – Thursday most of the team went to “Exodus House” orphanage – less than an hour away. The nurses checked out all the children and girls. Cathy with others got the picture and name of each of them and the staff. Tina taught 3 nights at Pastor Mathias’s Video Bible School. Bill and others went off to village churches at night.
Then on Saturday, Feb. 24th was the trip back to Accra, Ghana. It was worse than the one 2 weeks earlier. The minibus didn’t show up to get loaded till 10:30. At the Togo Border we had to get visas for all 10 of us, but they only had 5 forms so we had to wait over an hour for the other 5. By the time we got to Lome, Togo everyone was overheated and tired. We saw some Orphan Children there and had a late lunch. Then we went over the border into Ghana.
We had too many people trying to “help” us at the border as usual. While Bill and I were in the office processing everyone’s passports the sun was going down. Our pastor in Lome was outside with the team. Our arrangement for the minibus in Ghana fell through, so we had to get one there and then. I was confident that Bill and I could get one. But, if you know how these borders are, you have a bunch of people trying to sell you things, others begging from you and then there is the press of the guys who want to “help” you – they generally cause you problems and then want money. The van they got was to small so I said “no” but they insisted as did the pastor, that we needed to use it. It was getting dark and so I relented. Big mistake. It was too small for us and our luggage. Hannah lay across the lap of 3 others to fit. The later it gets, the more police are on the road and that means more hassle. At a roadblock we discovered that the driver didn’t even have a license. So we spent an hour till he negotiated and paid his way out. Then the battery was dead and we had to push it to get started. Then he didn’t stop at another check point so they called ahead and had us stopped at the next – this time it took him around a half hour to negotiate and pay his way out. We got to the Baptist Guesthouse in Accra very late and tired.
Sunday morning we were all in church together with Pastor Albert. Sunday night, February 24, four of our “girls” left – Tina, Emily, Michele, and Hannah.
Last week, Feb. 25-29, I taught Bible School at the church each morning for 3 hours. At night we had service and the last 3 nights were a church crusade that Debby preached.
Sunday evening the 3rd of March, Bill and Cathy Hoffman with Marie-Louise, flew back to the USA. Monday, March 3, I got Geoff Bretches at the airport at 8:30 and we got the distance taxi to bring us to Lome, Togo. It was another one of those experiences. The first taxi kept overheating and stopping to add water. We changed to another and just a kilometer before the border, the tire blew.
The three of us are staying in Lome and going an hour each morning to Vogon to have a Leader’s Seminar. It is a small town that is the center for a number of villages. It is full of witchcraft and the churches are not united, but weak. By the grace of God, we can help bring the church leaders into a better unity. This is the first time ever, in the history of the world, that there has been a Leader’s seminar here. Just bringing the leaders together in one meeting is a step in the right direction. Thank you for praying for this.
We have 2 very interesting things going on with this trip. First of all, someone wants to donate land to us. Bill and Cathy have a great love for the orphans and street children. We are trying to help them. We are praying to build and orphanage for some of them. The land the man told Bill he wants to give is 10 hectors – more than 20 acres! That’s enough for an orphanage, soccer field and garden for them. Plus, we could build a residential Bible School / Conference center. Please join us in prayer for this.
The second interesting thing is, Debby’s cousin wrote and was in the middle of an adoption that has failed to work out. She wondered if we had twin girls at the orphanage here – we do. They are not identical twins and they will turn 4 years old in 2 weeks. So, if all the paperwork comes together, we will bring these 2 girls to the USA with us to their new Mom and Dad.
Well this is really a long one – sorry. I was trying to get certain pictures from the trip from the camera of one of the team to put with this, but never was able to get them.
THANK YOU so much for your prayers and finical report.
To go to our web page – it is http://www.davismission.com
Sunday it was off to Cotonou, Benin. Everyone was up and ready to go by 8 am as planned, but the minibus didn’t arrive. Finally it showed at 9:30. We packed, bought gas and were off around 10:15. We arrived at the border with Togo around 1:00 pm – late and the minibus that was to meet us and take us on to Benin, had given up and left. So, our good friend and interpreter, Pastor Augustin, set off to get us another one. It took him well over an hour to get another one. We were in the sun in the heat of the day – no fun! By the time we did the border formalities into Togo and the out of Togo and into Benin, the sun was going down. By the time we got to the Baptist Guesthouse in Cotonou, the sun was well down. Debby came out to greet us with a big smile.
The first week the women did 2 three-day women’s seminars. Monday – Wednesday was in Se a small town – nearly 2 hours away. Then Thursday – Saturday was in another small town, Tori, about an hour away. I taught Bible School Monday – Thursday for Pastor Mathias in Cotonou – doing live teaching at a Video Bible School. Bill Hoffman was off at night preaching at village churches.The second week was equally as busy. Sunday we were all off to different churches. Bill went 5 hours North to Parakou for the weekend to be with Pastor Augustin at his church. Then Monday – Friday I was teaching at Pastor Nazaire’s Bible School that we have been working with since 2002. Tuesday – Thursday most of the team went to “Exodus House” orphanage – less than an hour away. The nurses checked out all the children and girls. Cathy with others got the picture and name of each of them and the staff. Tina taught 3 nights at Pastor Mathias’s Video Bible School. Bill and others went off to village churches at night.
Then on Saturday, Feb. 24th was the trip back to Accra, Ghana. It was worse than the one 2 weeks earlier. The minibus didn’t show up to get loaded till 10:30. At the Togo Border we had to get visas for all 10 of us, but they only had 5 forms so we had to wait over an hour for the other 5. By the time we got to Lome, Togo everyone was overheated and tired. We saw some Orphan Children there and had a late lunch. Then we went over the border into Ghana.
We had too many people trying to “help” us at the border as usual. While Bill and I were in the office processing everyone’s passports the sun was going down. Our pastor in Lome was outside with the team. Our arrangement for the minibus in Ghana fell through, so we had to get one there and then. I was confident that Bill and I could get one. But, if you know how these borders are, you have a bunch of people trying to sell you things, others begging from you and then there is the press of the guys who want to “help” you – they generally cause you problems and then want money. The van they got was to small so I said “no” but they insisted as did the pastor, that we needed to use it. It was getting dark and so I relented. Big mistake. It was too small for us and our luggage. Hannah lay across the lap of 3 others to fit. The later it gets, the more police are on the road and that means more hassle. At a roadblock we discovered that the driver didn’t even have a license. So we spent an hour till he negotiated and paid his way out. Then the battery was dead and we had to push it to get started. Then he didn’t stop at another check point so they called ahead and had us stopped at the next – this time it took him around a half hour to negotiate and pay his way out. We got to the Baptist Guesthouse in Accra very late and tired.
Sunday morning we were all in church together with Pastor Albert. Sunday night, February 24, four of our “girls” left – Tina, Emily, Michele, and Hannah.
Last week, Feb. 25-29, I taught Bible School at the church each morning for 3 hours. At night we had service and the last 3 nights were a church crusade that Debby preached.
Sunday evening the 3rd of March, Bill and Cathy Hoffman with Marie-Louise, flew back to the USA. Monday, March 3, I got Geoff Bretches at the airport at 8:30 and we got the distance taxi to bring us to Lome, Togo. It was another one of those experiences. The first taxi kept overheating and stopping to add water. We changed to another and just a kilometer before the border, the tire blew.
The three of us are staying in Lome and going an hour each morning to Vogon to have a Leader’s Seminar. It is a small town that is the center for a number of villages. It is full of witchcraft and the churches are not united, but weak. By the grace of God, we can help bring the church leaders into a better unity. This is the first time ever, in the history of the world, that there has been a Leader’s seminar here. Just bringing the leaders together in one meeting is a step in the right direction. Thank you for praying for this.
We have 2 very interesting things going on with this trip. First of all, someone wants to donate land to us. Bill and Cathy have a great love for the orphans and street children. We are trying to help them. We are praying to build and orphanage for some of them. The land the man told Bill he wants to give is 10 hectors – more than 20 acres! That’s enough for an orphanage, soccer field and garden for them. Plus, we could build a residential Bible School / Conference center. Please join us in prayer for this.
The second interesting thing is, Debby’s cousin wrote and was in the middle of an adoption that has failed to work out. She wondered if we had twin girls at the orphanage here – we do. They are not identical twins and they will turn 4 years old in 2 weeks. So, if all the paperwork comes together, we will bring these 2 girls to the USA with us to their new Mom and Dad.
Well this is really a long one – sorry. I was trying to get certain pictures from the trip from the camera of one of the team to put with this, but never was able to get them.
THANK YOU so much for your prayers and finical report.
To go to our web page – it is http://www.davismission.com
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