Togo News
Over the last week, the military-appointed president of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe, resigned from office.  His appointment as president following the death of his father had met opposition both within Togo and from the international community.  He plans to run for president in elections to be held on April 24.  In the past, elections in Togo have been a time of great political tension and security concerns.  The political climate seems to be changing.  Pray that free, fair, and peaceful elections can be held.


We want to start by letting you know that some of our email has not been getting out to people and that we have not been receiving some messages sent to us. We are not sure of the cause, but if you suspect that we have not received recent mail, or if you have been waiting on a response from us, please send us a note and ask for us to send you a confirmation. If you don't receive confirmation from us please re-send it to a temporary address: holland_togo@yahoo.com. Hopefully we can have this resolved soon.

This week has seen Ellianna graduate to a "big-girl-bed." Nights and morning naps are a breeze. The afternoon naptime is just too full of excitement to stay in a bed that be crawled out of. Brenda is still doing well in pregnancy. She tested positive for malaria, but the doctor kept her on her normal preventative with the expectation that she would soon get past it.

Still going strong, Brenda is about half way finished training literacy workers. Working with people who have often never been to school, she has found that systematic processes of teaching are difficult for many to grasp. She realizes that some type of follow-up may be necessary to make sure the people are grasping the concepts of teaching the course so the students progress in their learning in an organized manner. Jeff was home sick much of the week with a light case of malaria and stomach problems probably caused by a parasite. Pray for his recovery as the men prepare to go to the annual Watchi Men's Conference from Wednesday to Saturday out in the village of Sedome. Josiah is still enjoying school, but is ready for spring break to come soon. He is a great helper with Ellianna and is going to be a wonderful big brother for our next addition as well.

We want to thank those who wrote desiring to help with the aid for the churches experiencing a famine. If you responded, but did not receive word from us, please send another letter requesting confirmation or send us a letter to our temporary address as shown above. Those needing help are going to be very thankful for the generosity. We'll give more details in our next e-news.


We had a good and safe trip to Dallas and then on to San Angelo, Texas this week. As our plane was landing in Dallas Stephen asked me, "What do they speak in Texas?" "They speak 'Texan'," I replied:) The boys are having a great time with family and cousins and of course with lots of fun food and some new toys.

Please pray for the men's conference next week. Around 100 men from the Watchi churches will gather together for several days of worship, prayer, fellowship and teaching. The conference is being hosted by two churches that I work with in the northern region of Watchi land. Pray that God will bless them as they prepare to host so many visitors. Also, pray that the Lord will use the conference to bless all who come as well as be a great testimony to the Sedome village of the power and love of God.


The Koonce family is splitting up. Oh no, don't be scared it is just for a couple of weeks as Louise left for Brazil on Thursday night. She will be back in about two weeks. Marty and the boys should be okay physically as mom left us a freezer full of food, but without the balance mom brings could be a bit wacked out on the emotional side of things.

We had a great cluster worship in Togbonou Kope on Sunday where eleven committed themselves to Christ. The training is going well in Atitogon and in Tabligbo. The second Vogan group is finally, finally going to begin and as we've asked God it could include several of the original leaders. Afakomi Kope is beginning their new chapter in being a church. This should include their long awaited commitment to Bible studies, prayer times and their leaders being trained.

Pray for Amouzouglita Kope as they evangelized with thirty in their village on Monday with a good response. The Hompou church also is reviving although after its strongest Christian's death last fall, it has dwindled down to seven adults. Thank you for your prayers of past. Please pray for these things along with our family as we are separated.


We enjoyed a nice weekend away in Accra, Ghana, while the Koonces were gracious enough to keep the boys for a couple of nights. We enjoyed nice restaurants, worship in English, and air conditioning. Before leaving Ghana, Anthony was able to meet with Martin Brooks, whom he had not seen since leaving college over twenty years ago. A former missionary to Mozambique, Martin now works with Team Expansion of Louisville, KY, and is developing plans to train African missionaries to reach hard areas such as north Africa.

We were happy to return home to our boys, who didn't seem any worse for our absence. Jeremy is missing his fellow first-grader, Stephen, and is finding it a little harder to focus in school. One of his funnier moments this week was when he spelled the word "I'm" as "Imcatastrophe." Jonathan misses Matthew in preschool, but is doing great with Trevor and Mr. Jeremy.

Anthony was able to produce three more Train & Multiply booklets this week. He looks forward to working with the national leaders at next week's men's conference to develop plans to put the program fully in the hands of local churches.

While in Ghana, we were told that Maureen and the boys' tickets to Singapore are now confirmed, but the airline web site still shows one flight as waitlisted. Pray that this confusion clears up and they are able to enjoy some time in Singapore in July. Anthony plans to visit the States for a course at that time.


We went to Tabligbo church again this Sunday. It was the second time we had been there in Feburary. We always enjoy going there because of the familiar faces that we see almost everyday. We enjoyed a fun night with the Koonces on Monday. The adults celebrated Louise and Marty's birthdays. We are very thankful for their great cooking.

Josh has continues to work on his Mark study for the Watchi. He is having Foligan translate it for him so that he can start sharing part of the study during his village visits. This week he shared it with the Tabligbo elders and with the Nyunemae leaders. Jeff was sick, so he was able to go out to the village all by himself and teach his lesson as well as sing and pray with them. Josh was very excited that he was able to do this on his own.

Kyleen has gotten really excited about a coffee table that we are having made. Originally, we were going to have a carpenter in Lome, who does iron work as well, make it for us, but Josh and Marty are going to make the table themselves. Josh is really looking forward learning from Marty, who is a good carpenter. Kyleen has been feeling a lot better. She got rid of the amoebe she had. Saturday is activity day at the school. This Saturday they are going to be doing Icky Gooey Slimy Chemistry, which the boys are very excited about. Please continue to pray for us and the nation of Togo.


Jeremy and I have had a great week. We accompanied the Koonces on Sunday to their cluster worship. This was the first for both of us to attend. We enjoyed meeting with a larger group and experiencing the upbeat singing and enthusiasm of the service.

The last few weeks seem to have been full of birthdays. From Brenda to Christine, Tanner to Taylor, Louise to Marty (whose is coming up this week!) Jeremy and I have really enjoyed all of the birthday parties and celebration for each. Monday night, the Koonces had a dinner party with beef kabobs!!! It was a wonderful meal with great fellowship.

Jeremy and I have also been blessed with the opportunity to keep Tucker, Taylor, Tanner, and Trevor for the night, while Marty takes Louise to the airport in Lome for her trip to Brazil. We are thoroughly enjoying being (stand-in) mommy and daddy (especially for such a well behaved bunch!)

Click images to enlarge

School Thanksgiving Play

Teachers Needed for Tabligbo MK School!
They're waiting for you!  The Watchi team is looking for teachers for the children on the team for the 2005-2006 school year.  If you or someone you know would be willing to dedicate a semester or more to serving our team in this way, please contact us. For more information, check out the MK School section of the Watchi Harvest web site (click here)

Preschool class