October 2017

We are happy to report that, as you read this, our airplane is floating on a ship somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. It is scheduled to arrive here in port later in November. The paperwork is gathered and we are ready for it to go through customs on this side of the sea. Please pray that it has a safe passage and that it is smoothly released from port upon arrival. We are thrilled to be given the opportunity to finally put this ministry bird back to use taking the story of life to people in Togo. What adventures God will allow us to go on! We can only imagine.

National unrest. Our internet has been spotty lately. There have been demonstrations, some of which have become dangerous for those involved. The national leadership has cut the internet from time to time to keep communication to a minimum during these times. We have also been careful about travel within the country on the appointed dates. So far, people have been respectful of us and our teammates for which we are thankful. Please pray for our host country, that God will reign and the people’s hearts on both sides will be moved to honor God. For more info, see this link.

I, Stephanie, had a pretty busy summer. I schooled the girls through the summer in order to prepare them for the new teacher, Aunt Marilyn, who has arrived to teach the kids at the missionary children's school. Both girls love their school and are enjoying having a fresh perspective on school and learning. I have also been helping with our guest house. It’s my job to make room assignments for people coming and going. Many of our guests are medical staff who come to serve at Hôpital Baptiste Biblique. I always enjoy meeting new people. God has given so many people such wonderful stories to tell. It’s a privilege and an honor to hear the stories and meet people whom God uses to tell his Story around the world.

Ryan is busy, as usual, with well, you name it. He’s a hard worker and it’s hard to get him to sit still sometimes. He and our teammate lead a Bible study on Fridays with the aviation team and some others who have requested to attend at the hangar. They have been teaching basic biblical doctrine, and Ryan has been enjoying quizzing and stretching these guys minds as they learn more about our magnificent God and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

His work with the Toussi village has diminished a little bit as Pasteur Ali and Yawovi have taken full leadership on the project. They have constructed a temporary building and have begun services on Sunday mornings. We will attend when we are able to give our support, but these two men and the team they have assembled will do a fine work.

We continue to work, also, with the Gnamssa family. At this point, we are struggling. We are bringing them to church with us on Sundays, but most of the services are in French and Ewe, and the family hardly understands Ewe. Please pray with us that permissions will be given for the sermons to be preached in Kabiye, or that a Kabiye church will be permitted to be planted in this area so that people can learn God’s Word in their own language. We need wisdom for this situation. Please pray that God would give us guidance as to what we ought to do.

Our work with the Gnamssas has also given me an interest in literacy ministries as very few of the family members can read, much less read God's Word. As of right now, I

No event is complete without a big Togolese meal.
In this case, it's rice with peanut sauce. YUM!

am still unclear as to how much I will be able to commit myself to this ministry. Again, please pray for us that each day we would have wisdom as to exactly what God would like us to do for each particular day.

May our God bless you as you seek to grow in your knowledge of Him and follow him each day in the big as well as the little things. Thank you for your prayers and support for the work in which we participate.

Ryan, Stephanie, Leslie, AnnMarie, & Christian

PS. Ryan here: Power fluctuation at our house have been the cause of a deal of frustration as we attempt to live, work, and function here in Togo. Our power spikes and drops frequently putting a great deal of stress on our voltage regulators, battery backups, and the equipment plugged into them. We've already had to replace several of our powered items in the amount of time that we have lived here, and its costs are beginning to add up. We've mentally wrestled over our options for quite some time, as all of them are quite expensive. Recently, a whole house generator/battery backup system has been offered to us for $20,000. This kit includes all of the associated pieces for home installation with an automatic transfer switch and attaching hardware. While we recognize that this is a large amount of money, we thought we would let you know of the need, wait, and see how the Lord works. If contributing to this project interests you, you may go to www.abwe.org/give and give to The Buczak O&P fund with the account number, 0134443-002.