Serving in Togo!

WE ARE GOING BACK!!

It has been too long, but we are SO excited to head back to West Africa at the end of this year!

We have been gifted the opportunity to once again serve at the Village of Light school in Kpalimé, Togo. The Village of Light is a mission-led school for blind students. They offer an academic education emphasizing God and His Word. The environment provides a safe and accessible respite for those with visual impairments.

Check out the ABWE page (Village of Light ), which includes a little more about the school, including some photos and a video! If you are interested in seeing a quick campus tour, missionary Hannah Strayer has a video she did this summer as well (Village of Light Campus).

This trip consists of building on and expanding the girl's dormitory. There is a short window to build, as the students will be home for their holiday break. The girl's dormitory has had continual work done on it. The need for new mattresses has been great, while also needing new beds to be built for the students. Living in a climate with tons of termites, there has been a surplus of damage to buildings that took priority. We praise the Lord that these needs have been met! As with any set of projects, new obstacles and conditions surface. With the growing amount of female students, the need for more space has been on the radar. The conversation for an expanded dorm has been on the missionaries' minds, and God has set that plan in motion.

From the latest Village of Light / Moore Newletter: Moore Updates

"The rooms are full, now is the time! We have too many girls (a GOOD problem) squeezed into three rooms. We could have three additional rooms to spread them out, however, those rooms are being used for the dorm parents and their 4 children plus a young lady that helps their family. They are squeezed in pretty tight, as well. There is a solution. One that has been on our mind for the last 2 to 3 years. We need to add onto the girl's dorm! This would be a little apartment (more private quarters) for the dorm parents, Fofo and Christine, and their kids. Yet, easily accessible for the dorm girls."

This project would allow for more ladies to come to learn and grow without the possibility of turning anyone away! As the Moore's mentioned in their newsletter, the desire to make sure every student has a spot at the school is essential. This 20x30 expansion would be a huge blessing to this school, and we are grateful to be part of the team working on this.

There is also an opportunity for Brianna to help on the hospitality side of this trip. There will be needs for serving and preparing meals, which can be daunting with multiple teams coming to build and work on this project. Brianna enjoys being able to help in this capacity, so it is another way she looks forward to helping as much as possible.

We will need a few things to prepare for our trip to Togo. Financially, we are looking to raise our support for our travel expenses, which would cover our airfare and visa expenses. We want to ask those that feel financially inclined to pray about possibly giving towards our time serving in Togo. This is a fantastic opportunity to use our skills and fill needs in a place heavy on our hearts. These funds could also help us bring some new solar-powered flashlights to the security guards and some visual-impairments goodies for the students!

As we seek to find those to partner with us financially on this trip, we want to ask for your prayers first and foremost. The blessing this school has been to the community is astounding. The Word of God's impact has been transforming these students' lives, which we pray with filter back to these students' home villages. We ask you to pray for this school year, as the students are learning and growing on campus now. The love of God is seen and overflowing on this campus, and we pray for them each to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for taking the time to read and pray with us. We are beyond grateful for you and your prayers.

-Austin and Brianna

From our last trip serving in 2018/2019