ElusiveTangent – Jonathan & Bethany Edwards

Note: The declared value of the package means nothing so for customs/duties you can declare $0. If you want to send something specific, ask first and we can tell you if there is a better way to get it to us. Anything spillable or meltable should be placed in separate sealed bags.

Edwards
BP10
Mango, Togo

Things to send

• Notes and cards – We love hearing from you.  Hopefully we can send something back.
• Ziploc bags (1qt & 1 gallon) – You can also use them to put other things in for organization and to keep them dry.
• Saran Wrap, Aluminum Foil, baking/parchment paper
• Spices/seasonings/Flavorings, – Basil, Chili powder, Black pepper, cinnamon, cream of tartar, cumin, thyme, paprika, cilantro, ground cloves, bay leaves, parsley, oregano, curry powder,  vegetable bouillon,  packets of chili and taco seasoning, parmesan cheese, Extracts (maple, vanilla, etc), unflavored gelatin, drink mixes (lemonade, energy drinks)
• Dried goods – Black beans, Red beans, dehydrated fruits, almonds
• Chocolate and candy – Sweet treats are always nice.  Keep in mind that these will melt in the heat here and will get smashed, tumbled, and probably wet on their journey so be sure to package it accordingly. Semi-sweet chocolate chips or unsweetened bars for baking, M&Ms, sour patch kids, hot tamales, lemonheads, and jolly ranchers are a favorite.
• Pepperoni for pizza – Impossible to find here.
• USPS Forever Stamps – These are great for sending letters to people.  We send the letters back with returning missionaries who can then simply slip the envelope into the mailbox.
• Oreo Cookies and Nutter Butters – Because we love milk and cookies.  Our neighbor has the fresh milk but getting the cookies to go with it is harder.
• Womens’ Multivitamin – Strangely hard to find and expensive when you do find them.
• Contact lens solution, conditioner, shampoos, deodorant, womens’ razors
• Party supplies/decor – food coloring and other cake decorating supplies, candles, sprinkles, holiday specific napkins and/or disposable plates.

Things not to send
(or that might need special coordination)

• Quickly perishable items (ie. fruits, cookies, bread, ice cream) – Packages can take 3 weeks to 6 months to reach us.  They wouldn’t be good when they arrive. But seriously, if you can figure out how to keep ice cream frozen, send us some.
• Anything with significant value or importance – things regularly go missing from packages.
• Breakable items (unless packaged extremely well, ask yourself will this survive a drop from an airplane)
• Hard currency and checks – Hard currency is almost certain to grow legs and checks cannot be easily cashed here.
• Liquids (Unless specifically requested above.)
• Items with flags or red clothing unless specifically requested. (Exception for decoration items such as for the July 4^th Independence Day holiday)
• Semi-realistic looking toy weapons
• Anything with a snowman.  Some have associated them with fetishism and demon worship.
• Anything with Santa Claus.  We’re promoting the true meaning of Christmas.

Printable Version

Hospital of Hope (foreground), the city of Mango, background, and the flooded Oti river (left)                                 Credit: Judy Bowen

We’ve been on the field for ten months now and one thing continues to grasp the strings of our hearts.  That so many people believe in Christ’s calling us to the peoples of Togo and are willing to sacrifice consistently for that cause.  We could not be here without the churches and families who faithfully partner with us. And we want to say a huge thank you!  Thank you from us and thank you from those whom we reach every day because of your partnerships. Only eternity will tell the impact that your efforts have and continue to make.  We know that it is as much a sacrifice for those sending as those who are sent.  We are all part of the same body and joyfully share in the same sacrifice.

In less than seven weeks, with God’s blessing, we will be in Togo.  Plans have been made and tickets bought. And there is so much that needs to happen before then and start then. Our truck needs to ship still.  We have arranged for it to be taken to port but it won’t be available in Togo until at least a month after we get there.  We will need to find (or build) a house, get furnishings, move in – all while adjusting to a new culture, in a freshly learned language, far from the familiar.  It’s exciting. It’s scary. It’s intimidating. It’s what we’ve been preparing for.  In many ways it’s like anticipation of an inevitable battle. You acknowledge the fear as a reminder that you are merely human and then take courage affirming that the Word has proclaimed, “‘My grace is sufficient for you for My power is made perfect in [our] weakness.’ Therefore [we] will boast all the more gladly in [our] weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on [us].”

Language Learning Progress

Our most recent language test results show Jonathan was at A2 and Bethany at B1.  Now Jonathan is at B1 and Bethany is just short of B2!  We will have one final test in December to tell where we are and are hoping and planning to continue formal language learning, to a lesser extent, in Mango.

HAM

Radio started out as a casual interest, and grew until one day at a church in New Jersey a couple of guys gave a small transmitter radio to us. These HAMs encouraged Jonathan to pursue the hobby more and Jonathan used the opportunity during a recent visit to the US for a wedding (for Bethany’s sister) to attain his general HAM license.  So if ever you’re on the airwaves, keep your ears open for him. This hobby not only provides a great pastime, but also a great ministry tool in allowing a way to set up high powered wireless networks and can be used as a education and training tool and emergency communication if ever all other forms of communication are unavailable.

The Elephant in the Room

There’s also the elephant in the room.  It’s the one bit of housekeeping that every missionary must talk about and everyone hates to bring up.  At the end of the year, we an estimate being $150.00 per month below the 100% level of partnership. So far, we have been able to mitigate most of the shortfall with a surplus created by a strong US dollar but that is temporary at best and looks to be on the way out already.  This shortfall is mostly made up of growing costs of US-base health insurance (as required by the AHCA).  It might not seem like much, but this normal, slow attrition makes ministry just a little bit less efficient. It is also difficult to make up these differences when we are far removed from the relationships that God uses to fill these needs. Would you please pray for God to raise up several new partners to fill this need?

We continue to pray for you and thank God for your faithfulness in the same.

Serving Him Together,

Jonathan & Bethany

Click here for the printable version.

“You’ll learn how to walk,” our friend Mike said as he helped us find our way in the new city. We were fresh off the train from the Paris airport and fighting off the haze of jet lag and lack of sleep as we walked through a dreary drizzle on our way to our new apartment located at the school where we would soon be learning to speak French. He had no idea how true his words were.

We had just finished a whirlwind holiday of family followed by a dizzying change of plans after our flight was cancelled and another delayed because of bad weather along the entire East coast of the US.  The first day there wasn’t a jet flying to our destination.  Day two, try two, and we were able to make the connection to our flight. Only by the grace of God was it delayed, allowing us to sprint (literally) from one end of the airport to the other to make our connection only minutes before the doors closed… only to find out on the other side that our checked bags weren’t as good as us at sprinting.

Just days before that, we were still unsure how God planned to allow us to get clearance to leave.  Two days before Christmas we were feeling confused and depressed that the funds to receive clearance were still over $20,000 short.  It was the cost of a vehicle.  That was a huge gap. We doubted. Had we been misunderstood God’s leading when we applied for language school, bought plane tickets, and packed everything, that God wanted us to leave in January?

Then we received a message that someone was willing to donate a vehicle. We were overjoyed.  But some details still remained such as how to pay for shipping and tax.  But God… He knew beforehand and had already planned not just for the vehicle but also for these costs.  The amount generously given by so many of our partners covered the estimated cost of these expenses.   The day after Christmas we received our clearance to leave.  We had doubted, but God had already gone before us and prepared all of the details. He waited until the last few moments because He wanted us to learn trust Him… to learn to walk in faith.

Now we are four weeks into learning French and feeling like babies.  It’s a new culture, a new language, a new way of, well, everything.  When you go to the store you don’t know where anything is and you don’t know how to ask for it.  Even simple tasks like mailing a letter become complicated. It’s like having to learn to walk again.

So now as we walk around this new city learning a new language and new skills, we are learning to walk more by faith day by day in the One who has called us to this mission to fulfill this task. And we trust that He will be the one to go before us and work out all of the details for now and for our future and we must learn to trust Him and do our part even when the circumstances seem hopeless and we become discouraged and begin to doubt.

Please pray for us as we continue to learn French effectively so as to be good stewards and ministers of His gospel, that we will stay focused and not become disheartened by the immensity of the task.

Please pray for all of the details of logistics so that when the time comes our vehicle and house container will arrive undamaged, expediently, and not be caught in customs or incur unreasonable costs.

Please pray for our spiritual well-being, that we would continue to grow and fellowship in a place where the church services are in a language we don’t speak well.

Enjoying the view of a distant horizon from atop the steep slopes Devil’s Marble Yard.

Click here  for the printable version

This last month could be easily said to be one of doing the leg-work to get everything ready.   We set the goal to reach 85% of our monthly support by the end of August. And we’re happy, relieved to announce that God provided in a big way by propelling us past that goal all the way to 93%!  That’s enough to allow us to go to the next and last training sessions starting at the end of October.  That also means that we’re less than $350/month away from full monthly support.  The goal is in sight. God is amazing! We’re praying that God will bring us to the final goal of 100% before the end of October so that we can focus on setup costs and logistics. We’re proceeding in faith that we will be cleared to leave at the end of the year.

Along with that comes a lot of work.  Perhaps we had  forgotten or perhaps it really is so much more than before but it seems that the to-do list is long and time is short.  Even in that God has provided.  Each of us has started and is nearly half-way with our Story of Hope bible study training. We have applied for our visas to France and were granted interview slots with plenty of time to spare.  Others have had to wait months to get in.  We go to the French consulate in DC on October 10th. … and God be praised, a friend who lives near DC offered to put us up for the night so that we didn’t need to leave at 4:45 in the morning to drive there.  Imagine someone who is not a morning person trying to interview after getting up that early and driving for over six hours in heavy traffic trying have a clear mind to answer important questions.

But God has provided even more… someone gifted us enough to purchase our plane tickets to France!  That means that we now have a departure date – January 4th. The pieces are coming together.  We’re working with another missionary family in our area headed to Togo (Archers) on sharing a sea shipping container. We are starting to look into the different things that need to be shipped.  Some items it is only possible to get in the US or it cost/quality effective to purchase here.  We have created a detailed list which you can see at the bottom including a registry and details about other items that we are seeking.

Prayer Requests

For contacts old and new to be willing to partner with us to be fully support by the end of October and have our setup costs by the end of November.

For God’s provision in working out all of the details required in starting a life overseas.

Support Levels

Here are some ways to help out in tangibly way without donating money. Please let us know about or order before October 27 if you can help with:

• Household items: See our registry on Amazon. We will be purchasing these in the US before we leave. If you would like to purchase one or more of these items and have it sent to us, that will  count toward setup costs and help us reach our goal.   (Note: Some of the small kitchen items are not set in stone and are recommendations.  If you find similar items cheaper then send us a link and we can let you know if that meets the need.)
• Primary transport: We are raising the funds to buy an SUV in Togo or but donation of an actual vehicle would go a long way. We need a suitable SUV reliable and in good condition with automatic transmission of brand Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Honda, Hyundai, or Mitsubishi to handle the rough, dusty roads. It must have A/C. This vehicle will make regular long-haul road trips where getting stranded is not an option; reliability is important and good gas mileage is a plus. (Note: parts, service, and cultural factors limits us to these brands.)
• Alternate transport: Utility 4-wheeler in good working condition with a manual transmission (preferred) sized for an adult. Used primarily for around-town and easier to maneuver through crowded, narrow streets than a full-sized vehicle.

 Get the printable version here.

     Well, it happened just as planned. We were married just after 2:50pm on August 6^th. Thank you all for being there in support of our union whether in person or in spirit and prayer.  We’re settling in to our new abode and discovering our new routines – as much as there is such a thing on this missionary journey.
Bethany was accepted as a missionary to ABWE (officially) just two weeks before. Praise the Lord for these good gifts in the whirlwind that was this past month.

 So now what?  We are starting to build contacts with the churches in our general area of Virginia and North Carolina.  Our hope is to start language school in France in August 2017.  For us to meet that goal we need to be at 50% support by Oct 15^th  and then 100% monthly + 100% setup costs by March 31^st, 2017. This coincides with the training schedule needed for us to get onto the field.  Isn’t it exciting to think that in a year we could be learning French and just a few semesters away from ministering in Togo!  Please pray with us that we would be able to meet these goals and not need to delay ministering to the people of Togo.

From our family to yours,

Jonathan and Bethany Edwards

Why Mango? – Here are over 1.5 million reasons.

Mango has over 1.5 million unreached people coupled with almost nonexistent gospel access and churches served by too few and mostly poorly equipped leaders. Here are the top 5 unreached people groups within 100 miles of Mango.

Unreached defined as evangelical population < 2% and little to no access to gospel. Statistics from joshuaproject.net, 15 Aug 2016