Jeremy and Rae Newlin
Jeremy and I are thankful for our safe evacuation. We are beginning to feel the stress of such a major occurance. We have both been surprised by the effect that a situation such as this can have on us. We know God is in control and have not been under a spirit of fear, however, the situation was scary at times.

We are now dealing with such conflicting emotions. As our time here draws to an end, we find ourselves longing for home and America. We so badly are ready to be back to the familiarness and ease of the states. But at the same time, we know we are going to miss West Africa. Rae has been especially emotional about leaving. Being in Togo has been such an amazing place and has been an unforgetable experience. Leaving will be hard.

We want to allow God to still use us in the last few days that we are here. We don't want to be so ready to return that we miss out on what God may still be trying to show us. Please pray that we will keep our eyes set on Christ and His Kingdom, instead of setting our eyes on America.

Josh and Kyleen Bontrager
We praise the Lord for taking care of us this past week! It has been a stressful week, but the Lord has calmed our fears and nerves. We said our good byes to our workers, friends, and neighbors. It was very difficult for us to say bye to Marrie, our house worker. Kyleen was sad that she had to leave Prince (the Hollands dog) all alone. She really enjoyed helping the Hollands take care of Prince.

We are blessed to have had this great opportunity to work with the Tabligbo team. We will miss the families and children deeply. Please continue to pray for Togo!

We are excited to get back to the States. Josh has really missed being around his family. We both look forward to seeing our siblings earlier than expected. We fly into Memphis on May 2. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support!

Jeff and Brenda Holland
We have had a good start to our furlough in the USA.
Our hearts are back in Togo with all of the political problems. Please keep our team, the churches, and our Togolese friends in your prayers. Please read our teammates' perspectives of the crisis in this Tabligbo Times to better understand what is happening.

Jeff went to ACU this week. He got to speak to a group interested in African missions. He stayed with our dear friends, the McVeys, former missionaries in Ghana. Jeff also looked into possible graduate work for the future. Brenda and the kids stayed with Jeff's parents in Denison. On Wednesday, we all went to Tyler to be with our sponsoring congregation, West Erwin church of Christ.

We just got hooked up on the internet. Please write us by email and we'll arrange for a phone call or visit. We'll be in Tyler for another week and then we'll go up to Searcy, Arkansas, where Brenda is planning to deliver. God's blessings.

Marty and Louise Koonce
Well, here we are in Ghana. And are we ever thankful to be here safely. God was so faithful to bring us out of Togo. We do not know how long it will take for things to be stable enough for us to return, but we hope it will be soon. We plan to at least be here until after the West African Missionary Retreat. We are currently staying at the Baptist Guest House in Accra, but will be moving to The Village of Hope on Monday. We look forward to the chance to fellowship with the Larsons and all the children there.

In the mean time, the kids are going on with school, under the guidance of our traveling teaching team. The Newlins and Bontragers have been real troopers about this whole ordeal. They have each been able to arrange for earlier flights and will be blessed to get back to stable U.S. ground in a few days. Pray for their safety.

More than anything, we ask you to pray for our brothers and sisters that we had to leave behind in Togo. We had no opportunity to say good-bye to those we work with. Marty was able to write a quick 'Pauline' letter to all the churches encouraging them to be strong and faithful in our absence. Who knows, maybe this is a trial run for them in preparation of our team's departure. We have confidence that they will not falter just because we are not there. Pray for their faithfulness and their safety. Pray that God will use the country's turmoil to turn people to him and that his children will be ready to show them to Jesus.

Thank you all for your concern for us and your prayers for our safety.

Anthony and Maureen Parker
Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving and amazement at God's gracious provision for his children. God has worked things out for us here in Ghana. One of our main concerns was a place to stay, and we have hadd more offers than we are able to take advantage of. Our plan at the present is to remain at the Baptist guest house in Accra until the Bontragers fly out Sunday evening. Originally we were told that there would be room for one night only, but now availability has opened up for the four nights that we needed to be here. Isn't God good?! Then, Monday, we plan to move out to the Village of Hope, an church-sponsored orphanage about 45 minutes west of Accra.

Our hearts continue to ache for the Togolese people, but indications at present are that the security situation will permit us to return following the West Arica Missionary Retreat. However, the election results are expected to be certified by the Constitutional Court early next week. If they are, there may well be fresh outbreaks of violence, so we feel it is best to wait here to see what happens.

Here in Accra, Jeremy has finished out his first grade year and has now been promoted to second grade! Jonathan has loved having Trevor as a playmate, though he does miss his toys at home. Anthony has been getting a lot of reading done for the course he plans to take this summer, and has enjoyed the high speed internet connection that has allowed him to catch up on his blogging. Maureen is, as usual, helping us all keep it together.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.