Le Pont — A Bridge to Africa

Our Blog

Read all the amazing work we are able to do because of your support!

Holy Ground in Nouwouzon Cope

January Field Report

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In the summer of last year, a generous family stepped forward to purchase a Living Water Well for the village of Nouwouzon Cope a place with no church,

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A $100 Loan Changed everything

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Yesterday, in three villages in Togo, women were singing, dancing, and celebrating. These weren’t just any women. They are part of the Prisca Peace Project—women who were once waiting… just like 150 others are now.

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Two More Villages Will Receive Clean Water!

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This kind of transformation is only possible because people like you have said “yes” to being part of something bigger. Whether you’ve given recently or in the past, your heart has helped lay the foundation for all of this.

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A March to Remember

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Three years ago, I returned to Togo for the first time since childhood, and I knew—I had to be part of what Le Pont is doing. When my mom got sick, my dad stepped away from daily operations to care for her, and I stepped in as Executive Director. Now, after her passing, I get to

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2024 Impact Report

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At Le Pont International, we believe that every act of generosity has the power to transform lives. But what measurable impact are we making?

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My October journey in Togo

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I have just returned from a month in Togo. To some it might have seemed like a journey of grief, others viewed it as a work trip, and still others as a time to remember Sherry. For me, it was the only thing that truly made sense.

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An update from Rex

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I was greeted by our entire LPI team this morning at 9 AM. When I entered the meeting room, I was met with warm handshakes and hugs. It was personal and moving.

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June Updates!

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I have just returned from Togo, West Africa and witnessed first-hand, the transforming power of your gifts and prayers.

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Water is Life!

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I have just returned from Togo, West Africa and witnessed first-hand, the transforming power of your gifts and prayers.

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Good News from The Bridge!

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Rebekah shares, “Just stating that the well has been completed and people now have access to clean water doesn’t fully convey the transformation occurring in each location. The true living water, Jesus Christ, is having a profound impact on each village.”

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Two New Living Water Wells!

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With your help, we’ve constructed two additional Living Water Wells in Dapaong, Togo, bringing our total to 13 wells in the past two years. These wells have paved the way for 130 baptisms and five more are forthcoming, largely from Muslim background believers responding to the Good News of Jesus.

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Activity on the bridge – New child sponsors!

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Le Pont International (The Bridge) has been a busy place. New students have been sponsored thanks to our partnership with Greenwood Baptist. They prepared a short video about Le Pont International that played at all three morning worship services and provided a sign-up table in the foyer these past two Sundays.

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Look, I am making everything new!

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Look, I am making everything new! “And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!…To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” Rev. 21:5a, 6b NLT This year through your generous gifts, we were able to complete 11 Living Water Wells, enroll 25 women in our Prisca Peace Project, sponsor 180 children in 7 schools, and train 60 pastors and churches on village transformation. In 2024, we purpose to join God in His work of making everything new in Sub-Saharan Africa, with this fourfold focus. Educate the child by sponsoring 160 new children The cost of sponsoring a child is $30 a month Empower the community by building 10 new Water Wells and strengthening the 10 existing community transformation projects in West Africa. The cost of a Living Water Well is $10,000.00 Empower the community by enrolling 50 new women in our Prisca Peace Project. Each start-up loan is between $100 and $150 Equip the church by training 100 new pastors and churches in the Gospel of Shalom village transformation. The cost of training a pastor is $100. Your giving goes a long way. Donate Today

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Giving Tuesday is tomorrow!

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Your gifts are making things new! “And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.” (Rev. 21:5-6 NLT) Thank you for giving. You are changing lives, transforming communities, and giving hope to children. Your gifts go a long way This year through your generosity… 9 Children sponsored in 7 schools opening the door to a new future. 2 Living Water Wells were completed bringing new peace to these villages 45 were trained with a new vision for their church and community. 3 women were given hope for their businesses & families through Prisca Peace Project We ask you to prayerfully consider the ministry of Le Pont International on Giving Tuesday and during this special end-of-year season of giving. Donate Today

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Answered Prayers

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Exciting News of Answered Prayer “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Jesus in Matthew 17:20 The weekend of August 26-27 was a hard one. We received word that Sherry’s cancer had reappeared and I got a letter from the IRS saying that Le Pont International’s tax-exempt status had been revoked. Her health and our ministry seemed to be in jeopardy. But we have witnessed the power of a mountain-moving God. The first mountain moved was the IRS. We had failed to complete some necessary annual forms for our 501c3 charity. We completed the forms and filed them on September 14th along with a request for an “expedited review”. How long would it take this huge bureaucracy to respond? I shuddered at the thought. Three weeks later, that’s warp speed by the way, we received the good news that our Tax-Exempt status has been reinstated with no interruption of deductibility and that all gifts to Le Pont International made in 2023 are tax-deductible. The second mountain moved was Sherry’s health. She said to me today, “Rex, I’m getting stronger every day”. God is answering our prayers. The side effects thus far are both minimal and manageable. We know there are mountains before us but it appears the giant mountain of fear and doubt has been cast into the sea. I believe that in three months Sherry will be a new woman. Please continue to pray for both Sherry’s health and our ministry through Le Pont Int. Thank you for the fellowship of your prayers and gifts – a sweet-smelling sacrifice pleasing to God and deeply encouraging to us. In his grip of grace, Rex Learn more about what we do & how to partner

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First Day of Treatment

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My first treatment began yesterday at 1 pm It started with a stop at the lab for blood work followed by a very long consultation about what this treatment would involve. Rex was by my side every step of the way. Then we went to the infusion room that is set up with a large number of vinyl reclining chairs with an apparatus standing by each chair that holds the IVBags. Since it was 3:00 PM, it was not full and they allowed Rex to take a chair beside me, which was NOT a happy place for him to be, but I sure was happy to have him by my side. The infusion was followed by 2 injections of something the nurse apologized for having to administer, explaining that the med was as thick as syrup and would take longer than usual to exit the syringe. Another trip to the lab where they found that I had a UTI infection and that a prescription for antibiotics had been called into our pharmacy. Rex had been faithfully and conscientiously carrying around a good number of papers explaining everything, as well as the 3-week supply of meds, neatly packaged with a full explanation on dosage. They asked us to make another trip to the lab for further testing of the UTI, and finally, we returned home after 4 hours. I am certain this is a very confusing report. But one thing was not confusing. We had unusual grace for every step we took through that TX Cancer Center yesterday. When we got in our car, we marveled at how well everything went on this dreaded day of beginning treatment again. Then we paused pondering what the day would have been like for a person who did not have the prayer support and encouraging messages that we had received. I will have to add that by the time we got home, I was feeling some pretty severe pain in my legs, no doubt from the infusion of Zometa for the bones, but I ended up getting a good night’s sleep and definitely not as much pain today. I am so thankful to the Lord and for the prayers of His precious people. Sherry 11 Water Wells. 180 Kids sponsored. Learn about our mission.

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Please pray for Sherry!

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Please pray for Sherry! Many of our Le Pont International family know that my wife, Sherry, was recently diagnosed with Metastatic Breast Cancer. We were shocked by the news. Sherry has experienced weight loss and debilitating fatigue over the past few months. Blood tests showed low iron but further tests and scans revealed the root cause. Two weeks ago, we met with her oncologist, Dr. Robyn Young. Our son, John, and his wife Anne met with us. Sarah, Billy, Rebekah, and Nick were also able to join us by phone as Dr. Young gave us the diagnosis and a plan for treatment. We had questions. She had answers. The treatment starts tomorrow at 1:15 CST. She will have a monthly non-chemo infusion of Zometa to strengthen her bones and lower calcium levels in her blood. She will also have a monthly injection of a drug called Faslodex. Then she will take three tablets a day of Kisqali, to block estrogen receptors and stop the cancer cells from growing. I give these details so you will pray specifically against side effects and for the success of this hormone treatment. We believe God has given man, created in His image, authority to exercise dominion here on earth. The drug given to Sherry back in 2012 was called Herceptin. She responded well to this treatment and a daily pill called Anastrozole, which she took for 10 years. Please pray for Dr. Robyn Young and her team at the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders. Pray for their success and others like them who fight tirelessly against this disease. Pray that Sherry responds well to the treatment with minimal & manageable side effects. Pray for Shalom in our home – a peace that is above and beyond the rational mind’s ability to grasp. This Shalom includes wholeness, well-being, and healing in Jesus’ name. Finally, brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s pray for one another, that we will seize this season and share with others the hope we have in Christ. We love you and are extremely grateful for your prayers. In his grip of grace, Rex and Sherry

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Get Water. Make Disciples. 🌍

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Living Water for Two New Villages July 12-23 I was in Togo for the inauguration of two Living Wells in villages with no electricity or clean water. Powered by solar energy, these wells give hope to women and girls who are tasked to fetch water for their families. Girls can now attend school and women can start small businesses through our Prisca Peace Project. Watch these two short videos to see how your gifts are turning dreams into reality in West Africa – Rex Get Water. Make Disciples. I just received a call from a new friend who wanted to know what we do at Le Pont International. After a thumbnail sketch of our work, he said, The Lord spoke to me from Revelation 7:17, “Get water. Make disciples.”. While he was talking I read the passage. “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17 My heart burned as he shared these words with me. Please pray for our African Director, John Laba this weekend. He is in Benin with Pastor Moustafa praying and planning for a Living Wells Project in this Muslim region. Moustafa’s wife is receiving a small loan along with another woman in the church to start businesses in Basilla, Benin through our Prisca Peace Project. The other woman recently became a Christian after Jesus healed her daughter of an incurable disease. Her husband kicked her and the three children out. She fled to Basila where Moustafa and his wife took her in, rented them living quarters, and provided food. We are partnering with Moustafa to help protect, provide, and train this new muslim background follower of Jesus. Learn more about Living Wells™️ for Africa

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Pray for us, please…

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Tuesday morning, July 11 Sherry and I are traveling.She is flying to Santa Barbara, CA to be with our girls and their families.I fly to Togo to be with 60 pastors for a training seminar on “How the church becomes a strategic center for community transformation”. (Hint. It’s about Shalom. See Romans 10:15, Isaiah 52:7, and Ephesians 6:15. I will ask the pastors to “Put on your shoes of Shalom”.)There will be three days. in three locations of teaching, workshops, Q&A sessions, and activation exercises.I will also participate in the dedication of Living Wells™️ #7 and #8 in the north Togo villages of Sekou and Gbadi-N’kougna. I will spend time with our Togo team to pray and plan for the growth of LPI into other West African nations. Please pray for Sherry. She is recovering from a month-long bout with iron deficiency that has left her depleted. Last Sunday she experienced a breakthrough. Sarah and Rebekah and their guys will enjoy her and love on her well.Pray for our travel as the Holy Spirit leads you. Pray for the Togo team’s boldness and wisdom as we travel the length and breadth of the country. There has been unrest on the northern border with Muslim extremists – the very people we long to reach with the Good News. Thank you for caring and sharing that all this might happen.  A significant gift arrived today that wonderfully encouraged me and I know will encourage our board and team in Africa. We return to DFW on July 23rd. My flight arrives one hour before Sherry’s. Our son, John Mawuli, will take us to the airport and pick us up. Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving. In His grip of grace,Rex Learn more about Living Wells™️ for Africa

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Six West African villages will get Living Wells™️ in July, August, & September

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I met last week with the team in Togo about plans for 6 new Living Wells™️ in Togo, Benin, and Cote d’Ivoire (September). They have already begun work with leaders in these villages. I will travel to Togo around July 15th to participate in a training session with pastors and community leaders from each village. Pastors and churches are equipped to use these Living Wells as centers of evangelism, enterprise, and education for the transformation of villages. We had planned for two wells in Burkina Faso but because of Muslim extremist violence at the border, we are putting them on hold for a few months. Pray for peace along the Burkina border with Togo, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire. Please pray for Shalom (peace) in these 6 new Living Wells™️ villages. They are predominately Muslim areas. Pray for our team as they prepare the pastors and village leaders for community transformation which starts with a Living Well of water. Thank you for your generous donations which enables us to bring to 12 the number of villages with Living wells I will keep you updated. In His grip of grace, Rex Learn more about Living Wells™️ for Africa

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Graduation Hope

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We have the same graduation hope for the children of Africa! 90 sponsored children are completing their end-of-year tests, teacher’s reports, and medical reports. We are filled with hope! Sponsor A Child “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 This is our hope for Madeline and for the children of Africa. Sponsor a School

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Opening 3 New Living Wells 🌍

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The First Village: Adewei Cope The village chief and his family joined with the new church of 40 baptized believers to mobilize the entire village for this Living Well inauguration celebration. We were greeted with a cloud of dust as villagers danced, sang, and shouted out their welcome as we drove into the village. The service was held next to the Well under the shade of a newly expanded wing of a grass-roof church structure lined with simple backless benches. Le Pont is paying the young Loso-speaking pastor and his wife a $90 monthly salary for the first year. They are daily in the village ministering the Word of God and praying for the people. Le Pont is working alongside this pastor to make disciples, sponsor children, plant vegetable gardens, and create jobs with small business loans for women through the Prisca Peace Project. “You have saved our lives” Sakpale is in the heart of a Muslim region. Pastor Daniel, his wife Clementine, and a small group of wholehearted followers of Jesus Christ are faithfully and boldly sharing Christ through the new living water well with their Muslim neighbors. The regional director of water and village hydraulics spoke at the well inauguration ceremony. “This is the new standard of water wells for Togo”, he said, pointing to the new structure. Muslim women told pastor Daniel and the church, “You have saved our lives”. They are now open to the gospel. The Third Village: Tantogo Tantogo is located near Togo’s northern border near Dapaong. The living water well is next to a church that faces threats from Muslim extremists crossing the border from Burkina Faso. Again, the entire population turned out for the inauguration ceremonies. My daughter and I were stopped by the Togolese military and not allowed into the area, but our Togolese team was able to enter and lead the celebration. Muslims are responding! Four of our six Living Wells are in primarily Muslim areas. We are seeing fruit. 40 have placed their faith in Jesus and have been baptized. These four Muslim women, and their children, recently became followers of Jesus. They are preparing for baptism. Persecution has not dampened their newfound faith in Christ. Learn more about Living Wells in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Moustafa’s Story

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“Go quickly and meet your Alpha” As a 10-year-old Muslim, Moustafa started having dreams of a man who walked on water and say to him, “Go quickly and meet your Alpha”. The dreams and visions haunted him well into his late teens. Who is this, Alpha? How can I meet him? He longed for peace from the raging storm of inner confusion and emptiness. He left his home village of Benin, crossed the border into Togo, and got a job working the fields. For the first time in his life, he met a Christian. His name was Yao and quickly became his friend. Yao never spoke to him of Jesus but told Moustafa that he was praying for him. The dreams and visions continued. One night in a dream he discovered that Jesus was the Alpha he had dreamed about since he was 10. But how could this be? He could never believe in Jesus or trust Christians. He was deeply troubled. He sensed from his dreams and his friendship with Yao that perhaps Jesus was the answer to the turmoil in his soul and his search for peace. But it was unthinkable. He had been taught that this was the worst thing that could happen to a Muslim He wrote a suicide note to his friend, Yao, laid it beside his bed, and prepared the acid and cartridges to take his life. “I am tired in this world. I do not want to become a Christian. I will end it all.” At 5 am Yao suddenly awakened, read the note, and went after his friend. He found him preparing the acid and cartridges in a field. He talked to him about Jesus, telling him that He was the Alpha for whom he had been searching. He read to him John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” Moustafa had seen the love of Christ in Jerome Ethridge, an agricultural missionary from Plains, Georgia who left it all to spend 17 years digging 130 water wells, 23 ponds stocked with fish, teaching farming, and irrigation, and demonstrating the love of Christ for the people of Togo West Africa. Moustafa made a firm decision to trust Christ alone for salvation. “Never in my life have I heard a man talk like this” Moustafa’s life was transformed by the love of God revealed in the message of John 3:16. He experienced great joy and deep inner peace for the first time in his life. He was now a man with a mission. He returned to his home in Benin, to share with the 25,000 Muslims in the region of Bassila this Good News. But his father was furious that he would become a Christian. He tried everything to stop him. When threats did not work, he doused him with gas to set him on fire. Moustafa fled. Another time the father took a machete knife to kill him, wounding him in the stomach. When Moustafa’s sister became a Christian, that was the last straw. He had him arrested on trumped-up false charges of sedition and trafficking his sister. He was brought before the Muslim chief of police. “What do you have to say for yourself”? Moustafa answered. “I am ready to die for the truth and not for a lie”. Don’t you know I could have you imprisoned for life?Then in a miraculous turn of events, the police inspector turned to the accusing father and the gathered crowd. “Never in my life have I heard a man talk like this. This boy’s father has tried to have him eliminated through threats, attempts on his life, and now these charges of blasphemy. This young man is free to choose his own religion. Moustafa, you are free to go.” Moustafa has now planted 25 churches in Benin among Muslim background believers. He gathers the leaders of these churches weekly to teach and pray with them. A movement has begun in the midst of fiery persecution. I have talked with Moustafa daily this week. His courage, faith, and perseverance remind me of Jesus during His last week on earth -falsely accused, arrested, beaten, convicted, and sentenced to death on a cross. All for love. Moustafa, along with countless unknown Christ-followers are suffering daily so others may know the love of God in Christ. Moustafa, his wife, Viviane, and five daughters, live in West Africa. They lead a network of 25 churches. Moustafa also uses African music and dance to reach people. Moustafa’s New Moto! Through the generosity of Le Pont International donors, CMA, and Missionary Ventures, Moustafa, along with 9 other pastors & evangelists can now go to hard-to-reach places with the Good News of Christ this Easter. Pray for him as he trains leaders in 25 villages. Pray for Moustafa’s family and their labor of love among Muslim families Pray for new musical instruments and sound equipment used in open-air gospel meetings.

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Celebrate with us the gift of water!

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Last week three Togolese villages celebrated the gift of water. It coincided with World Water Day, March 22nd. Three new churches in Adwei Cope, Sakpale, and Tantoga celebrated with friends and neighbors the arrival of a Living Well in their village. To our Le Pont International friends; Thank you for giving! The best is yet to come!! Learn More View all our Living Wells https://www.abridgetoafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Y2Mate.is-Clean-water-for-three-Villages-in-Africa-_Hdd3ifg4No-480p-1655983416119.mp4 We have provided clean water for 6 West African villages. Our goal for 2023 is 15 more Living Wells in water-stressed villages of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo, West Africa. Each Living Well costs $10,000. Click Here To Give

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It’s World Water Day!

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Le Pont International – your bridge to Africa has just completed three new Living Wells in Togo, West Africa. Today we are celebrating the gift of clean, accessible water in these water-stressed African villages. In the video below women come to fetch water at the new Living Well at the northern tip of Togo in Tantoga, Dapaong. They were so eager for water that they didn’t even wait until the tower and tank were built. Watch Video View all our Living Wells We have provided clean water for 6 West African villages. Our goal for 2023 is 15 more Living Wells in water-stressed villages of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo, West Africa. Each Living Well costs $10,000. Click Here To Give Clean Water on World Water Day

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We have water!👍🏾

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We have water in three new Togolese villages! Friday, March 3rd the village of Adewei Cope, with a population of over 500 received the gift of water! Well drillers tapped into a large aquifer of pure water at 110 meters (360 feet)  Watch Video Last November, we drove 5 miles from this village to baptize 40 people in a muddy stream. Women walked there daily to fetch water for their families. Today these women are celebrating. The team then traveled northward to Sakpale, a village of 800. Women and girls walk 6 miles daily to a river to fetch water.  Waterborne disease is rampant. The team struck water at 214 feet.  Our team is now in Tantoga, a village of 400, at the extreme north of Togo. This is a poverty-stricken area with no wells. Rainwater is collected in puddles. Women walk 6 miles to get water from a river that is dry for several months a year. The conditions are hard to imagine. March 27th all three villages will have fully functioning Living Water Wells.  We have just installed our first solar-powered well in a village without electricity. And most importantly, disciples of Jesus Christ are being made in all three villages.  Your giving goes a long way. Learn how you can give to our Living Wells Projects

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Bandages come off. Espoir can see!

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Report on Espoir Here is the translation of Koboyo’s (hugging Espoir) message: “Espoir was released from the hospital this morning.  By the grace of God, the operation was successful. God has done a miracle and Espoir (hope) regains the sight of his eyes.  Both eyes see now.  He will return to school when healing from the surgery is complete.” There is great rejoicing in Togo. Thank you for praying!  Learn more about sponsoring a child

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