Need To Translate For the Brochure

Are there any of you out there fluent in French?  If so, we need your help translating testimonies and other materials we brought back. Please call Matthew Beish at 978-887-5701 if you can read French well and would be willing to help us!  Thank you!

June 17 The going is over, the partnering continues

The going is over, the partnering continues
Matthew, 12:14 p.m.  Tuesday June 17:  Thank you again, senders, for an amazing trip!  Thank you God for an amazing partnership You have given us with the Center for Lutheran Theological Studies in Togo! 

We arrived safely into Logan airport yesterday afternoon (Monday) at about 4 p.m.  Holly, TJ, and Virginia Betts were there to greet Bill and Dan Schlueter came to pick up Brian and I.  What a blessing to see those faces when we got to the baggage claim!  All 3 of us 'goers' feel priveleged to have been a part of this mission trip. 

Even though the going is over, the partnership continues as now, with the help of our gifted designers and media folks, we create the brochure to recruit African students to come to the Center (these brochures will be in French and need to get to Glenn Fluegge by August 8); a 3 minute DVD promoting the Center to American churches to recruit partner congregations for the Center; a brochure to accompany the DVD that promotes the Center to American churches.  Our goal is to get 20 new partner USA congregations for the Center for Lutheran Theological Studies in Togo. 

We will also send the DVD and brochures to congregations already financially and prayerfully supporting the Center.  Please keep reading the blog as we will also share some final summary entries in the next few days!  Again, we love you and praise God for our senders!

Monday Morning - Homeward Bound

On The Way Home - The Road Ahead

June 16th Brian – Paris Charles DeGaule airport We just finished the first leg of our journey home, and we are in Paris for a few hours.

Graduation Saturday was another great African event. It was neat since we got to know the students somewhat, and we got to meet some of their families. It was a 3 hour service in French, (the last hour was tough) and a meal afterward of rice and goat. The goat was good, but I am looking forward to a quarter pounder. We were honored to sit at the head table, actually, there was only a few tables, people just ate in the pews.

I have had some interesting food in Africa for sure. The goat, as I mentioned, Guinea fowl (pentade), Coca fruit, and rabbit. The rabbit was…err…very fresh, as was any chicken we had. A lot of dishes are just eaten with fingers, as messy as the meal is, that’s the way they do it. When in Dapaong…

Church in Dapaong was a blast. This is the regular church for Pastor and the students who live or stay nearby. The drums, again, were just awesome. After the service, Matthew spent some time with a short lesson to the kids. We had the parachute and the kids had a great time. I am not sure how they could have had more fun, having their picture taken and then seeing it, parachute games, or having candy. Bill got literally mobbed passing out candy.

Pastor Glenn gave us a ride to Ouagadougou yesterday. The road from Dapaong to Ouaga is a crazy one. It is the 1st national route, or Route 1! You think our Route 1 is hectic? First of all, there is not a speed limit, so traveling at 170 KMH (105 MPH) is common. That’s the least of the weird things you see on this road. There are a lot of Toyota vans, that seat 12 or so, traveling on this road, with stuff for 12 people on the roof. The stack can be quite high, 7 feet or more on top, that is strange to see, but whoever doesn’t fit inside, rides on the roof with the stuff, or stands on the rear bumper, and that is just nuts!.

We drove by a bad semi accident, it seemed recent, since we traveled the road 2 weeks ago anyway, but its hard to tell past that. I saw 1 ambluance in Ouaga, other than that, no emergency vehicles at all. Unfortunately, a guy on a moped hit Pastors new truck in the back, as we were slowing down. The man was alright, but the truck has some little damage. Pastor was a fine example of grace as he checked on the man, shrugged his shoulders and off we went. No insurance of course, and there are not any body shops, so its fair to say that the damage is permanent.

Mission accomplished! Pastor Glenn said the he was “encouraged” by our visit. Just the ability to talk to someone from the same culture was good medicine. Don’t stop reading the blog, more to come when we get back!

June 16 - Monday Morning - Paris Update

June 16 - 9:00 AM (Paris)

we are safe in paris and hope to board within 30 minutes for jfk
thank you all for your prayers and being wonderful senders
we love you all
matthew

June 15 Missions Moment

Dr Dongo Receives an OSLC Shirt

June 15 Missions Moment

*There is a photo with the team and the entire Fluegee family—including Eliana.  We thank God so much that He used us to bring them love and encouragement.

June 15 Missions Moment

*There are some kids ministry photos

June 15 Missions Moment

*There is a photo of the students practicing with the evangecubes we gave them

June 15 Missions Moment

*There are some photos from graduation with all the students and faculty and one of Pastor Glenn and Dr. Dongo dancing. Fred Reinhardt speaking to the graduates.

June 15 Missions Moment

*There are some interview photos where we gathered student photos, testimonies, professor testimonies, etc…all that will be used for the promo DVD and brochure

June 15 Missions Moment

*There are some ‘men at work’ photos—that are pretty self explanatory as to what we are doing 

MJune 15 Missions Moment

Thank you so much for all your prayers.  This truly has been an awesome trip.  Brian and Bill have been great blessings.  God has used them both in tremendous ways.  Attached are photos and below is a summary of what they are.  Use as many as you want.  Edit as needed!

Missions Moment on Sunday, June 15
*There is a photo of the 7 students who completed the 1 year program—they received a diploma today and then are invited to attend 2 more years of training in order to become pastors

June 15 Missions Moment

Thank you, OSLC family, for being awesome senders!  God has amazed us throughout this trip as to what He is doing here in French-speaking Africa and how a small congregation in Topsfield, MA can be a part of that.  Please continue to pray for us as we worship tomorrow here in Dapaong, do some children’s ministry at the church and then drive 5 hours to Ouagadougou and then fly over 18 hours or so to get home on Monday afternoon.  We are so honored to have represented Jesus and you during this trip!  We love you!

matthew praying for Togo man

Lunch Meeting and Planning

Bill and Brian in African garb with tailor

Matthew and Tanpo--Togolese pastor in training and graduate of part one of training



praising God with music during graduation

This was a two part ceremony. The first part was a church service with four hymns, an OT and NT reading along with the Gospel and the longggggggggggg sermon. Like the service in Nano village last week, the offering was the most joyful time of the service with many people getting up to do the butt dance. Even Pastor Glenn and Dr. Dongo got up and joined in.  It was a lot of fun even though one of our team members (who will remain unnamed) dropped the offering with the left-hand – a cultural no-no.
 
After the church service, there were several speeches from the attending dignitaries, and all of the students were awarded their diplomas.  The wives that attended also went up front and shook hands with the faculty and offered some small tokens of affection to their husbands.  Apparently, this is the first time that the wives and husbands have shown any public affection at this ceremony. Even holding hands is considered taboo.  So this was perhaps a brave step forward in showing that Christian households can be affectionate and loving in a public way. Glenn and Ron were really surprised by it.

Graduation Day

pastors praying before graduation ceremony begins



pastor in training and his son on graduation day

Bill – 7pm on Saturday, June 14
 
The graduation ceremony today was in a building on campus that held a few hundred people, with no air conditioning. The local church members were told that the service would start by 8am.  It was really scheduled to start at 9am, but it takes people so long to show up for events like this that it was necessary to tell them 8am. Evenso, the service eventually started around 9:30am with student pictures starting around 7:30am and final chairs being set up as people walked in. 

Dinner With Ron Mudge and Glenn Fluegge

The 3 amigos, Pastor Ron Mudge and Pastor Glenn Fluegge

Last night, we went to dinner with Pastor Glenn and Pastor Ron. Pastor Ron is working on his dissertation for his PHD based on Ezekiel 36. He gave us a description of his study on the verses he focused on, and we read through them before dinner. We were happy to relax for a few hours last night. We did quite a bit of work around Pastors Glenn’s house and his office at the Center.
 
We repaired some doors, painted basketball courts and more. We were able to get ourselves around with the truck to the hardware store (I call it ‘Hut Depot’) and a few other errands. It can be very confusing! There are no street signs, and every dirt road looks like the rest.
 
We had time before dinner to take a little ride to a monastery in a village called Daulwalk. We walked out to the edge of a bluff, and the view is amazing! Bill and I sat on the edge and watched a few children move a herd right below us. They yelled hello and waved, and we did the same.
 
Today is our last full day, so tonight we will spend a few hours in ‘evening fellowship’ on the roof with Pastor Glenn and Ron. Tomorrow we will go the local church, and head to Ouaga to do a little shopping, and then to the airport. See you a few days!
 

June 14 Graduation

women preparing celebration meal at Center for after graduation

June 14, 2008 Brian  8:30 a.m.
 
Good morning. I am writing from the campus at CLET. Today is graduation! We have taken many photos of student and faculty, and the ceremony should begin shortly. They have a picturesque cross in the center of the campus that has been the focus for these pictures. People are all busy with last minute preparations. Just around the corner several women prepare a celebration lunch for the graduation that will take place shortly. We have noticed that the campus is at least 1 goat less than yesterday. Apparently, that’s lunch…bon-appetit! The women are preparing some large pots over open fires with what looks like corn pot. The corn pot will be made into balls, and the idea is to pinch off a piece and dip in the peanut sauce.

June 14 Last Full Day

Antoine, one of pastors in training, reading his Bible before graduation



Antoine from Congo Brazzaville receiving diploma


Saturday, June 14  10:30 p.m.  Matthew
We love you all and continue to thank God for our senders!  Today was an amazing day witnessing God's faithfulness to the students and faculty as we celebrated graduation with them.  I got to sing 'To God be the glory' with Dr. Dongo at the graduation ceremony--he in his native language from the Democratic Republic of Congo and me in English.  Awesome!  We were able to visit with Fred Reinhardt and Ron Mudge tonight, our OSLC missionary past and present.  We are honored to encourage both of them.  Ron is here to teach an intensive seminar on the Greek language and Fred came for the CLET graduation. Tonight we've been sorting photos, checking brochure outlines, making sure we've got all we need to come home with to complete our projects here.  God willing, we will worship in Dapaong tomorrow and then drive 5 hours to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso where we depart for Paris at 8:15 p.m.  We'll try to blog from Ouaga or Paris, but if not we'll send a note when we get back into JFK before arriving into Boston on Monday at 3 p.m.  Keep praying and know that you are prayed for and loved! 

June 12 - Matthew

June 12 - Brian

June 12 - A Chronicle of Daily Life

June 12th, Brian
What's out there? Last night, I was able to speak with the owner of the house, Bouk. His English is a lot better than my French. He is in Dapaong for a funeral that had events lasting several days, and he is staying for business. He is an entrepreneur, with some real estate, a tree farm and other ventures. A very nice man, not yet a believer. That fact was a little awkward for us, as he was grieving the loss of his Muslim friend. What words of comfort can we offer? His perspective of life in Africa, though, brought an appreciation of several ‘luxuries’ to me.
 
9:30pm I tried to enjoy a Flag bier, and forget that I ate too much at the restaurant while I plugged in all the camera batteries. The ceilings fans were on, but it’s a tick hot. I will get my AC tuned on so it will cool off and be a somewhat decent temperature for nite-nite time in an hour or so. Bouk micro waved some leftovers, and got a cold drink. That is what spawned an enlightenment. He was drinking filtered water! I thought Africans where more or less immune to any water borne disease, such as typhoid. But first, let me set the scene…
 
The house we are staying in is a 4 bedroom, 2 story (plus the roof deck). It is the nicest house we have seen since landing in Africa, other than possibly the local Governor’s house close by. We have a cook, and a guard. I have a nice private room, with AC and a comfy bed. I have a private bath since Bill and Matthew sleep upstairs ( I snore). The house is situated on the highest hill surrounded for miles (20 in each direction) by flat plains. We have running water, something Bouk reminded me that very few in the area have. I have not enjoyed hot water yet, which really opens your eyes wide and makes you gasp when stepping into a shower, even in hot Africa. Most drink and use water from rivers, the same that animals use. Illness is frequent. Clearly, Bouk is a wealthy man here.
 
Just 200 yards away, is the local television station. I am not sure who watches it, other than a few wealthy people, or some bars. It is guarded with military personnel. Communication is a first target in war. Driving by a young man, or men with semi-automatic rifles casually slung over their neck, will make you sit up straight, smile and hide the camera. We have been warned by Pastor Glenn, and Matthew, no pictures!
 
All around us, as Bouk reminded me, are mud huts. The cloak of darkness hides reality when Bill, Matthew and I, sit and talk on the roof while gazing over Dapaong. A few lights make it look like Anytown, USA. He reminded me that out there, under the star filled sky, there are no kitchens, no running water, never mind hot. No electricity, or anything that goes with it. Coffee makers, microwaves, refrigerators, lights, shavers, can openers, TV, computers, fans, AC. That means no ice cream, cold beer, stored food, leftovers, light, cool relief, internet. There is little privacy and plenty of dirt.
 
There are many buildings here without roofs on them. Pastor Glenn told me that anyone who has money will not put it in the bank, as they are unstable and/or may be taken over during war, and saving it or having any extra, means that you would have to take care of  any family member who needs it. And families here are large. Kids take care of parents when older, that’s retirement. So the more kids you have, the better likelihood of a comfortable ‘retirement’.
 
He noted that the people scurrying around the market can deceive one who does not take a deeper look. The woman have lovely colorful clothing, as do the children. The women are busy carrying things, always with their head somehow. Huge bundles of branches, trays of fruit marketed so that they are as appealing as possible, just anything. Where are they going? They seem happy, at least to me. Everyone waves at the white people, so maybe that’s unrepresentative. Come to think of it, I don’t hear laughter, or see them hugging, but there are quite friendly to us. They don’t seem to be complaining, or arguing. What good would that do, if you don’t get the wood home, you don’t cook! It is the time square of Dapaong, in some regards. It’s very busy. Horns toot from mopeds and an infrequent car. Trucks wiz by. There is a lot of commerce happening here! It almost alive, and like NY, you can’t help but wonder, …did that woman close a big deal today? Did she sell X amount of beans? How about that cloth stand over there, good sales today? Did they beat their quota? I wonder if the shop owner we saw again today will be blessed by our purchases, and say “Honey, lets go out to dinner tonight.”
 
 But tonight, when the smiles and waves are gone, the stands and stores closed, they will be sleeping on the ground in a mud hut with a straw roof.
 
Living in this house in this area isn’t all that great. My cell phone doesn’t work, I can only call home every 2 days or so until we leave, I forgot my favorite shirt and shampoo (I know, what does he need that for) I bought for the trip. The beer is not as good as Budweiser, the shower is cold, the running water has to be filtered, the refrigerator doesn’t work that great, the roads are very bumpy in a car and the electricity goes out on a daily basis.
 
Wow, am I blessed.

June 12 - Pastor Souk and His Daughter and 4 Sons

June 12 - Matthew, Ron, Bill , Brian, Glenn

Pastor Ron Mudge arrived today in Ouagadougoo and got to Dapaong at 6 p.m.  It is so good to spend time with him again!  It seems right to have him in Togo since he and his wonderful family--wife Lisa and children Jonah, Isaiah, Ella and Aaron were our wonderful hosts in 2005 and the missionary family OSLC supported for nearly 3 years.  Brian, Bill, Glenn and Ron are over fellowshipping on our roof and that's where I'm heading after getting the blog out to you.  WE LOVE YOU ALL! 

June 12 - Planning the DVD

Thursday, June 12  9:42 p.m.  Matthew:  We are so thankful for all of your prayers.  Today was a great Thursday!  We were able to complete more projects this morning--this time at the Center.  Bill also got the basketball court outline on the tennis court all ready for me to paint--and then the rain came --so we'll have to try again tomorrow.  We spent the afternoon working on the brochure for the USA churches and the USA DVD outline.  We just returned from a wonderful evening meal and time of fellowship with the professors of the Center and their families.  We were able to encourage them and thank them for all they are doing to train pastors in French-speaking West Africa.  They send their love and prayers back to all of you--our wonderful senders!  Dr. Dongo said 'you must have a very special church and special friends'  and we agree! 

June 11 Fellowship Time

We took some photos of a few of the students that were not interviewed. Another note; Africans do not get in lines. So there was a little confusion making notes as to what order and who the pictures where of.
 
We then took Francois and his cute little daughter out to dinner to La complimade. (the encampment). Valerie was kind enough go and help translate. We learned a lot about him. He had some markings on his neck, for example, that Bill asked about. He explained that at 8 years old, he was taken for 40 days (yes, 40 days) in to the bush, where he was taught a secret language, dances and received tribal markings. He wants to learn more about farming, and has concerns about his crops. He wishes to have prayers for his family health, his family relations, and his jobs. His jobs give him some social status. Also, he is Catholic, so he has abandoned any other tribal/animist beliefs.
 
Pastor Glenn & Pastor Mudge will here on Thursday afternoon, so we will get a few more projects done before then.
 
Good night Felicia and Monica! I am very glad I talked to for a minute tonight! I wish it could be longer, but our phone cards are about a $1 per min, and only have 15 min on them. I love you!
 

June 11 Fellowship, Jokes, and Evangi-Cube

June 11th Brian Today, we finished a few things on the Fluegge ‘to-do ‘ list. We fixed a few screens, replaced a light assembly, and cleaned the truck. These little chores are some things that they really needed done, and have not had time.
 
Mid-day, when its hottest, we did some work inside such as reviewing the interviews, picture logging etc. It about 90 or so, and dry. So I guess we are cooler than Boston. That’s a little weird, since we are in Africa.
 
At 5:00, we met all the students at the center. We have met all of them, but as I blogged before, culture says formal presentations must be made. So each student introduced himself, and the OSLC ‘Twas Amis’ each said a few words. We had a devotional by Matthew, and then handed out some of the gifts we brought. Nice leather journals, pens, evangi-cubes (which tell the Christian story in the form of something like a Rubiks cube) and enjoyed a bucket of Chockba. I wish we spoke French. These guys were having a blast telling jokes and stories. I told one and Valerie translated, then they would tell one. Its hard to tell a cross cultural joke, some of the language just does not allow the humor.
 

June 11 Dinner With Francois and Alice

Dinner with Francois –  Valerie was gracious enough to come to dinner with us tonight and be our translator again so we could actually have some semblance of a real conversation with Francois.  Francois is our cook and helper at the home where we are staying.   We invited his whole family, but only his youngest child could come.  She is Alice (say Aleece), she is four years old and is in kindergarten.  She speaks Moba, and is only just learning French now.  It costs about $10 a year to send her to the local Catholic school. She is very cute and quiet as are most of the children here when their parents or other adults are around.
 
Francois lives in town during the week to work for Mr. Bouk (where we are staying) and the Fluegges, and goes home to the village on the weekends. He met Mr. Bouk and his wife through the local Catholic church and it was Mrs. Bouk who taught him to cook.  He enjoys cooking, but is ready to be done with it.  He would prefer to go back to school and learn modern agricultural techniques, but the loss of income during school and the cost of school itself prevents him from doing that right now. 

June 11 Faculty and Students

June 11, 2008 9pm – Bill:  Bon (well), we don’t understand French, but that didn’t stop us from having a good time with the faculty and students. Everyone introduced themselves, again, and exchanged greetings and words of encouragement. We gave all the students an evangecube, a journal, some pens, a bar of Ivory soap, and some Christian literature in French. Then, they opened up the chockpa bucket and Dr. Dongo and Rev. Souk started telling jokes. 
 
Rev. Souk comes across as a quiet man, but he and Dr. Dongo really had everybody in stitches. They spoke too long for us to get a verbatim translation from Valerie, but the jokes mostly revolved around language barriers getting in the way of communication.
 
After the party, we took headshots of all the students again for their student profiles and we all tried to communicate a little more individually with the students.  Some speak better English than others, but a smile goes a long way towards communicating friendship and unity in Christ.
 

June 10 - More Interviews

.


.


Photo of Lare Dabirsoa, from Togo, a pastor in training at the center

We interviewed 6 students today, and heard some really great testimonies of coming to faith. Quite a few of the students found Christianity despite family practices of animism. These Animists use things such as dead birds, little statues and trinkets called fetishes. With all of the pressure to stay true to the cults, these believers broke through. They are a real testament to the work that has been done, and needs to be done. Another cultural difference – Africans do not smile when having a picture take. Head straight, posture, no emotion. We managed to coax a few along into a grin.

Tomorrow, we will work on more projects around the home and center. We will continue working on the DVD and brochure. At 5 p.m. we are hosting a party for the 16 students at the Center. We will have a bucket of Chokba to share, which is a millet cider, like beer, as well as food and fun. We will give them the gifts that we brought for them.

June 10 - Dinner With The Fluegges and Valerie

Photo of Matthew, Samuel, Abigail, and Caleb

Tuesday, June 10, Brian: Water water everywhere…as Bill noted, its hot. Everything here is so hard, including getting water. We drink filtered water. Going to the store is not an option. If one of us forgets to fill the filter bucket, no water. Even brushing your teeth is an effort that must be thought out. Yesterday, I put my toothbrush under running water by mistake and had to thoroughly wash it with filtered.

Last night, we went out to dinner with the Fluegge’s and a woman who has been here for quite a while, Valerie. Valerie translated for us for the interviews today, and is an English teacher. She has taught many missionary kids while she has been here. It’ss so strange that with all the mud huts and poverty, a decent restaurant can be uncovered.

We are on dial up internet, which is OK, but we must intrude on the Fluegge’s to do it. If you remember, dial up is sloooowwwww. Waiting for pictures to upload and web pages to complete is a test of patience. Susan and the kids left for the States for 2 months today, and Pastor Glenn is gone until Thursday, so we can surf the net! We have Susan’s cell phone as well, and bought 2 phone cards to charge it up. Phone cards are as common as chickens.

June 10 - Worship Music

Photo of Bill and Tanpo - a gifted musician and pastor in training.

Worship music – We spoke with two students today who are also musicians. Tempa (pictured) is a singer and he says that singing praise to God is like praising him twice. We also spoke with Remy who is the choir leader at the church we worshipped at on Sunday. Because he was leading the service, a teenage girl filled in for him. If someone wants to join the choir, they must commit to live a Christian lifestyle and stay out of trouble. In Remy’s church, they are all teenagers so this is a challenge!

June 10 -

Photo of Jesse Fluegge with water for the trip to Ouagadougou

.


Photo of Brian and Bill repairing windows on the kids school next to the Fluegges house.

Tuesday, June 10, Bill : Boy, did those screens need fixing. We made some great progress this morning and I came back after the student interviews to finish up. I got swarmed by mosquitoes!

I did get some clarification on Togolese polygamy from Glenn last night. I had previously thought that a Christian who wanted to be a minister would have to separate from his wives, but that is not the case. Instead, the marriages are recognized as valid as they were recognized as part of the civil society. However, a man with more than one wife may join the church, but may not be a minister. And, once a man with one wife becomes a Christian, he is not allowed to have any more.

I missed my family today. When saying goodbye to the Fluegge’s, Jesse, the 3-year old, gave he a stranglehold hug and a kiss on the cheek – just like TJ.

I missed my dog, Baxter, today, too. I dropped some food on the floor and he wasn’t around to eat it.

The Heat – The heat can really sap the life out of you here. I don’t know how anybody can work a full day doing anything. The temperature is between 90-100 on a daily basis, but there is really no escape. Air conditioning is infrequent, and there is none where we are. By the end of the day, it can make thinking and communicating a difficult task.