Last evening, Ron came home!  It was a long two weeks.  We were fortunate that while Ron and Steve were there, they were in good health.

But more than that, they were hoping for 40 to be able to attend the conference.  Instead, sixty-two church leaders were there…not all are officially ordained yet, and they are in a variety of levels of ministry: evangelists, church planters, pastors and other church leaders from a couple of different denominations.

Steve led them in teaching Romans, a great book for solid theological teaching for sure!  After lunch each day, Ron led a session on I Peter.  A book written to people who were suffering, that tells how to live the Christian life.

Ron enjoyed meeting not only the people involved…even though he can’t speak French or their local language.

He loved their times of worship: singing hymns with their beautiful harmonizing and joyful clapping.

He also enjoyed their times of prayer that were were just after lunch and just before his session.  The prayer leader would give a topic and everyone in the room would quietly pray aloud on that topic.  For Ron, this is not something in his tradition, but he enjoyed it just the same.

Think about it.  You are in a group of people who don’t all have a common heart language.  They can pray aloud in their language on the topic.  Then move on to other topics.  The times of prayer were 30-45 minutes.  No one sat passively by.  Everyone prayed.

There was no opportunity to critique someone else’s prayer because it was too this or didn’t have enough that.  No one was bothered because someone went on too long.  Everyone was too busy praying.  There might be something there!

Ron was gifted with a few batik shirts.  Some are rather bright, but one is a plaid batik…very cool:)  He bought me some batik fabric.  I was thinking a few small pieces.  He bought them in the market.  I have enough for a LONG time:)  I’ll figure out some interesting things to do with them quilt-wise.  It will be fun!

For fun on the side, he was able meet family members of a Togo couple he married here in TX about 12 or 13 years ago (Nathaniel and Cherita).  They reminisced over photos.  He enjoyed meeting her family.

For now, I’m glad to have Ron home, in good health and having enjoyed his trip to Africa.  Much about the trip reminded him of our years in Jamaica…just more primitive and hotter.  Thanks for all your prayers.  Keep praying for the Church in Togo.  Ron will write more later.

We slept until 11:30 this morning and had a brunch of quiche.  We’re taking it slow today.  We have family coming to visit later this week and are getting ready for that visit as well!