There is great satisfaction in seeing an idea go from a prompting of the Holy Spirit to its fulfillment. Thanks to the generosity and soft hearts of many Christians in the US and Togo, 50,000 pounds of rice and corn (worth $7,000) was distributed to over 300 families in the Mandouri region of northern Togo this past Monday, Jan. 28th! This aid given in the name of Jesus was in response to the heavy flooding that devastated northern Togo during the month of August, 2007. In the Mandouri region, over 80% of all crops were destroyed. Mandouri is in the heart of the homeland of the Togolese Gourmantche people, on of the least-reached people groups in Togo. This act of mercy in the name of Jesus and of churches of Christ has helped to pave the way for missionaries who will target the Gourmantche in the near future.
We began our journey to Mandouri on Sunday when 12 Kabiye Christians, serving as representatives of the Kabiye Churches of Christ, loaded up into two trucks with Matt, Aidan, and Brett Emerson to make the 5-hour drive to Mandouri. The Kabiye Christians brought with them about 500 pounds of corn and yams that had been given by the churches. Matt had already made several trips to Dapaong and Mandouri to facilitate the purchase and transport of the rice and corn, so all was ready for us when we arrived.
The distribution began on Monday morning in the yard of a primary school with an official welcome and blessing from the governor of Kpendjal state, of which Mandouri is the principal town. A representative from the Kabiye Christians was then given an opportunity to address the crowd, sharing with them that the food was being given because of Jesus and to express his love. Working together with local community leaders before the distribution, 50 widows, the poorest of the poor in Mandouri, were put on a list to be given a sack of rice and corn. None of these widows are Christians (yet!). The gratitude in their faces was very precious. The corn and rice they received should feed them for at least two months, long enough to help them through the most difficult part of the dry season. After these widows, about 150 families from the churches in and around Mandouri were given rice. We then opened several remaining sacks of rice and distributed them to another 100 families who had come to watch, so that no one was turned away empty-handed.
The distribution went forward in a peaceful and orderly manner (an amazing thing in itself--food distributions have been sometimes know to degrade into chaos). The community was very appreciative of the help, and were especially moved by the sacrifice of the Kabiye Christians who gave even out of their own poverty. The journey was a time of encouragement and bonding for the Kabiye Christians who went, and they returned to their churches with a deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God and what it means to support those in need.
Thank you to all who gave to make this intervention possible, especially to Healing Hands International, whose $5,000 donation made this blessing something truly significant.
