Final Post!

Below are a few pictures from church on Sunday and then a bunch of pictures from our safari. It's been a phenomenal visit and I have so much to share with you all. I'm looking forward to being home with my family and the cold weather. It's been simply amazing. See everyone

 soon!

More Pictures for you!

I have more pictures for you today, but I won't have any of the reflections or stories I had hoped to provide. Our days are very full here in Togo and I simply don't have the energy to say more than a few comments concerning the pictures below. Details will have to wait until I return. Here you go, my friends, enjoy.

Here are my brothers, Andy and Bryan, with one of

our gracious hosts.

Bryan and me.

This picture is hazy because of the Harmattan.

I'm telling you, it's unbelievable!

Saturday morning bible study with a few of

the villagers.

These boys were making bricks when we arrived.

This is me helping out. The boys laughed at me

and did more work than me. This won't be a surprise to

some of you.

All the bricks they've made in the last few weeks.

Our first morning in Togo my brother informed me

we would be going to an ''omelette bar''. I wasn't too

excited about this, seeing that we are in a third world country.

This is the building that houses the ''omelette bar''!

Turns out, these breakfast sandwiches are unbelievable. We plan to make at

least three total visits. These things are absolute money!

This bush baby is owned by one of Bryan's teammates.

It is appropriately named...wait for it...George W. Bush Baby.

More evidence of the crazy Harmattan. Have I mentioned

how unbelievable it is?

This is the kind of taxi ride you can expect in Togo.

One final note...Sayid is working for Ben! Now that is crazy.

Heat and Harmattan

This is how hot it is here. Before going to bed last night I took a cold shower. When I grabbed my towel (which had been sitting on my bed all day) it felt like it just came out of the dryer. It actually made me sweat. 

The "Harmattan" is a dry and dusty West African trade wind that blows dust from the Sahara toward the south. I've heard my brother complain about it before, and now I know why. It creates a very thick haze that decreases visibility to a few hundred yards. You can't see the mountains in the distance or tall buildings in the city. It's so thick you can even stare at the sun for a few seconds without it bothering your eyes. It's pretty remarkable. The obvious downside is that you breathe in equal parts oxygen and dust.

We head for the village for our overnight stay in a few hours. I'll post some pictures and reflections by Saturday afternoon. That will be my last post for a few days as we will head out to the village and then safari until Tuesday evening. I hope to have some great pictures for you by Tuesday afternoon. Until then...peace!

Pictures for you!

Today was pretty low key. We spent the morning with Bryan's teammates as they debriefed about their week and prayed for each other. Tomorrow we head out to another village for our overnight stay. I've decided to just post some pictures for you today. I'll share more later. peace.

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