Saying Goodbye to Jonathon

"If Love Could be Measured in Tears we Would have Filled an Ocean"

Jonathon boarded a plan Tuesday night bound for the States. Being a private person I never thought that I would post such a writing, but everyone keeps asking how we really are.
Our hearts just found a new hole. Saying goodbye to our youngest really hit hard.

Gin and I stood on the veranda Tuesday and cried silent tears. We were going to say goodbye to Jon in about 4 hours. I did not want him to see me cry, but the emotions would not stop spilling from my eyes. I asked God, "Will it always hurt this bad?" You know telling our children goodbye.

He did not respond, so I am sure that His answer was most likely "yes".

Jonathon visited the orphanage later in the afternoon. The boys, all under 6, hung on him. It was as if they knew that they would never see him again. Jon had a hard time telling them goodbye.

During the last 5 months Jonathon has found a love that is not easy to find, the love of the Africans. It is a love that runs deep in their culture. They value relationships as much as life itself. Many friends came by to say goodbye, their expression of love to Jon overwhelmed us.

As the taxi took off from the front of our house, Jules, one of Jonathon's good friends hugged him and said, "I will see you again in paradise."

Friendships and relationships must not be taken lightly. Cherish every person that God sends into your life.

Please pray for Jonathon as he begins his new life. He will be moving to Omaha Nebraska and serving in Bethel Christian Church. God is doing some great things in his life!

So, "How are we doing today you ask?" Well, please ask us again tomorrow.

Ken

Ok, now a week has past. Jon made it home fine and is VERY happy. We are over the shock and the sun is back out. Thank you for your prayers!

In Retrospect ......

Friends,

Here we are, another week has gone by. There are moments when time seems to be standing still, but then as I reflect back at the months that have already passed, I ask myself, “Where has the time gone?”

I would venture to say my family has settled into what I would call our daily regiments. The life style here is of a much slower pace. I believe this is probably been the most difficult to adjust to. Also, not having our own means of transportation has only contributed to these feelings of confinement. It has taken some time for each one of us to adjust at our own pace. I can only give God the praise for helping us through this period.

Is it all pedals of sweet smelling roses? Has our time here been the utopia of life’s experiences? I would only be lying if I said it was. Truth! This is what I want to convey to you. My heart rips every time I see a small child sitting in the street with his belly bulging from mal-nutrition. Or when I see a human all twisted from birth defects sitting on the street corner begging for just a morsel of bread. With my own eyes, I see on continual bases things like a teen-age girl, using water from a dirty puddle, in the middle of town washing

her hair.

You may say to yourself, these things go on in America as well. But I would say to you not at this great of magnitude. Thank God for America and its welfare system. I know that most would agree that our welfare system is broken and we are only heading for a collapse of the system if changes are not made, but if you could see what I see. Not having humanitarian needs in the fore front of the government system has brought great deficiency among this nation and its people.

Do you know that 80% of the taxi drivers here have a college degree? And believe me when I say there are a lot of taxi and moto drivers. The women that sell vegetables and fruit on the streets for the most part have degree’s as well. Why so much poverty? The infrastructure of some of the African countries, and Togo being one, does not have industry coming in. The instability of the government causes the countries that could come in and help to develop are not willing to take the risk, therefore causes the lack of jobs, which in turn causes the onslaught of poverty. I find myself thanking God everyday that I was born an American at the same time hearing the cries of the people of Lome saying, “Why couldn’t have I been born in America?”

In retrospect, for the members of the UPCI here in Togo, I see great joy, pure worship, and a true desire to serve our Lord. For the people that have found Christ, because of their great hardships, their reverence for God goes deep within there very being.

Our desire is to continue to seek out the people of Togo, and to help take them off of the road of hardship and put them on the road of blessings. Please continue to pray not only for us, but for the people of Togo and the pastoral leadership that is here.
God Bless you all
Ginny