The Emerson's Journeys in Africa

Tumladu Kifalu

2009-12-06T10:18:00.005-06:00

"Tumladu Kifalu" is the name given by the guys to our newest participant in Saturday communal work days, which basically means, "The New Guy". His real name is Prinam, which means something like "success", and he is showing a lot of good potential for discipleship. Trimming the branches back on the big front yard tree

I've known him here and there from just being around the neighborhood, but the other day he came to my house to ask for help. He had lost two of his school books, and he said that his dad was going to beat him if he found out that they were gone. I'm strongly for being honest with your parents, but I am also strongly against domestic violence against children, something that is widespread in Kabiye families. The books only cost about 8 bucks total, and it was a pretty easy decision for me. Mixing up the compost pit (which is looking dark and rich by the way!)
After asking the other guys on the work team what they thought about him, they all agreed that he should come and work with us to pay off the cost of the books. This Saturday was Prinam's first run with the work team, and he showed himself to be a hard and committed worker. He was quiet and obviously wary of his place in this particular circle of men, but he held his own and even responded to some questions about God that were posed.

Prinam is the shorter of the two yellow shirts, the other is Akla, my adopted son. Please pray for him and our interactions in the weeks to come. May his heart and ours be open to God's leading.

Wednesday in Lassa Tchou

2009-12-03T09:55:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I went out to the village. It was a mostly normal visit, much like dozens of others I've done previously. What made it just a little bit different, and better, were the many things I learned. Following are some great things happening in Lassa Tchou, according to the people themselves. So often we ask them what is wrong in their village, but this time we asked them what was going right, an insightful question by Monsieur Michel, the Community Development specialist.

- They said that marriage relationships were getting better. They have received teaching in previous months on the subject of marriage, and they have been sharing these things with their neighbors with positive results. Whole families are eating together on a regular basis; men, women & children, a rarity in Kabiye culture, where the men usually eat separate from their families.

- The Kabiye love to laugh. As we were discussing families yesterday, I gave them the old analogy of "The man is the head of the family, but the woman is the neck, and the neck turns the head". They about fell out of their chairs, and two guys had to leave the building to hack up some Harmattan dust.

- The 3 women at the meeting all said that the women/wives of their village are being treated better, often given a voice and respect by their husbands.

- They said that they are doing better disciplining their children. A young father even repeated to me, "My children learn more from what I do than what I say." I had taught this same concept at a Kabiye marriage retreat back in August, and this man was not in attendance at that meeting, which shows me that information is filtering out from core groups.

- They said that here are several large compost pits in their village, implemented after they were taught about composting in a development lesson. I have recently fallen in love with the dark, rich, and all natural fertilizer known as compost, a better long term alternative than chemical fertilizer. I plan to visit again next week to see how these pits are coming.

- They said that they are having Bible studies with their neighbors. This is obviously the most important teaching they have received, the story of love, redemption, sacrifice and everlasting life with God. I thank the Father that his Son is being proclaimed in big ways and small, through avenues both direct and indirect, in the village of Lassa Tchou.

Alibi 1 Introductions - Wiyao & Yawa Nnama

2009-12-02T07:08:00.003-06:00

This is the first in a series of posts that will introduce you to the new Body of believers in Alibi 1. Today I want to introduce you to Wiyao Nnama. Wiyao (wee-a-ow) is the Kabiye word for chief, and Nnama means respect or obedience. Wiyao is married to Yawa, and together they have 6 children. He works mainly as a farmer, but when the opportunity arises, he is also trained to work as a mason. Wiyao is a fun, energetic and outgoing man. I enjoy his company, and our personalities mesh well together. Yesterday I spent about 30 minutes talking and getting to know him one on one, and I believe that God will use him for great things. I have seen how his fellow villagers like and respect him, and that will hopefully be a key to open the door for the gospel to be shared within Wiyao's sphere of influence. In the picture below you can see the joy of brotherhood that he shares with his friends.
Wiyao is also quite a dancer. Follow this link to see his great moves: (Wiyao's moves)
Please pray for Wiyao and his family as he leads them on a new journey in life, one that is now taking place within God's Kingdom. I hope that one day you can come and meet him, give him a hug, and let him know that you love him and have been praying for him!

Another Alibi Baptism Video

2009-11-16T02:36:00.002-06:00

This one from my friend Matt, who attended the baptisms with me. Enjoy God's greatness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKbqh6eZi2Q

Alibi Baptisms

2009-11-01T01:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday there were 34 baptisms in the village of Alibi! I know that many people have been praying for this evangelism effort, and our prayers have been answered. The number baptized included 10 married couples, which is a huge praise! We are leaving to go to the beach for a few days here in about an hour, but I wanted to quickly share the news and post some pictures (you can see even more pics on my Facebook page). I will tell more of the story later, with video. Praise God with us today! Headed down to the river, singing and dancing all the way! The chief of the village and his wife were baptized! These 4 friends were so full of joy after being baptized, laughing, dancing and slapping each other on the back :) The entire group of 34, plus their children. First communion. We praise God as His Kingdom expands among the Kabiye!

Here's a short video!

Hearing & Doing - Making Disciples

2009-10-14T09:46:00.001-05:00

Matthew 28:16-20 - "Then the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'"

A response I have to this scripture is to climb a mountain this weekend and worship Jesus as the 11 disciples did when they first saw Him after the resurrection. He is my Lord, my Teacher, my Savior, and He is worthy of my praise. My life and work will flow out of my love for Him.

I will also respond to Jesus' teachings in these verses by daily studying the Gospels to find exactly what He meant by, "everything that I have commanded you." I want to know the commands of Jesus. I might even make a list! I also was given a good book by a friend: What Jesus Demands of the World by John Piper. I'm looking forward to digging into it!

Specific commands that Jesus gives to the 11 disciples/Apostles in this passage:

- "Go and make disciples of all nations."
- "Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
- "Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you."

I've been struggling lately with making the link between Jesus' clear commands to his 11 closest original disciples (the other one Jesus chose betrayed His very life), and those also being the direct commands to us today. If you have any thoughts or input about making this link, please post your comments here or send me a message on Skype/Twitter/FB/MySpace/my Yahoo email address, my Gmail email address, my other Gmail email address, my really old Hotmail email address, or just send some old fashioned snail mail to:

Brett Emerson
B.P. 802
Kara, Togo, West Africa

That should cover it. Grace & Peace!

Hearing & Doing - Shema Living

2009-10-05T02:16:00.002-05:00

Our team is currently engaged in a season of seeking God's direction for our work. Much of what we are studying together stresses obedience to God and His commands, many of which were given through Jesus. What is obedience, exactly? From reading The Shema in Deuteronomy 6, my friend Matt came up with a great definition: Obedience is hearing and doing. I plan to blog some bits and pieces of our studies together, focusing on specific scriptures (hearing) as well as my response to that scripture in my daily life (doing). Today I'll start with Deuteronomy 6:3-9.

"Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

In response to this scripture, I will lead my family daily in reading God's Word. I will also search the accounts of Jesus' life to better understand how I can obey my Lord.

May we all not just hear God's Word but obey it as well!

Grilled Sweet Corn and Male Bonding

2009-09-15T08:28:00.005-05:00

Some guys bond over beers, some over football, some over video games, the outdoors, etc. Here in our place we bond over grilled sweet corn...From left, Patrick, Eric, Akla (I hope that's a not a gang sign), and Horou. A small portion of our harvest of sweet corn, the seeds of which came from a small feed store near Montgomery, Alabama. The guys trying to prove who is the most manly among them by flipping the sweet corn on the grill with their bare hands....for me, I prefer my grilling tongs :) Eric, our day worker. A devoted Catholic with a mean corn eating face! Patrick, student at University of Kara and the best car detailer in the prefecture! Akla, my adopted son, rabbit guy, dog walker and high school student. Horou, a hard working, do everything kinda guy. This year he is beginning university! Jolie, our adorable little German Shepherd puppy. Our dogs love corn, a fact which is most easy to see when we clean up their poop in the yard :)

I thank God for the young Kabiye men in my life, these and so many others. May our relationships continue to glorify God and further His Kingdom!

Travel in Togo

2009-09-14T11:39:00.002-05:00

Ever wonder why life here is so crazy? You can read about a recent travel day that I had in Togo here, well explained by my friend and colleague, Jesse Shanks. Thanks Jesse for taking the time to write the story and share the pics!

It's Harvest Day!

2009-09-05T17:51:00.005-05:00

We harvested our sweet corn (seeds brought from America) a few weeks ago. The whole family got involved as did many of our neighbors. The man in the hat is our day guardian.

As we pulled the ears off the stalks, we threw them into trunks...

when we were finished, we had five full trunks!

After everyone had left, Daddy let Caden have a little of his own fun in a sand pile out front....and I was wondering why he came in with sand in his hair. ;)
We blanched quite a bit of the corn for ourselves and gave away even more. It was so fun to hand out plastic bags full of ears of corn. If you haven't shared any food with your neighbors lately, I encourage you to do so...you will both be blessed.

Something You Should Know

2009-09-01T14:55:00.002-05:00

Eight years ago I married this handsome man  (Brett....not the monkey!)And I love him for reasons too many to list. He's still my best friend!   Read HERE about how we celebrated and how Brett pulled off a huge surprise for me :)

My God-Moment Yesterday

2009-08-13T08:58:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was one of those days where God seemed to put everything in place so His word could be shared. Immaculee came by to say thank you for some things I had helped her with recently. Often when she stops by it is just as I'm preparing lunch or dinner for my family and I'm not able to talk long...though she could talk for hours! I admit that a lot of my time with her has felt like wasted time to me. I wasn't sure why God had put this woman in my life...I'm still not sure, but He did give me a God-moment yesterday. We had been chatting for a few minutes about what was going on in our lives right now, all the while keeping an eye on Corban who was trying to play in the dog food. At some point, Caden decided to join us outside so now my attention was stretched between 3 people. Immaculee was telling me about a new family (a mother and three children) who were now renting her spare room. She was quite excited to have housemates again because she gets so lonely living by herself. The mother did not have the money to pay the usual three months rent in advance to secure the rental. Immaculee said she knew what it was like to be poor and felt sorry for her. She decided to help the woman out and let her stay and simply pay the monthly rent when she had money. I told her that she reminded me of a story in the Bible called The Good Samaritain. She had never heard it. About that time, Akla (the rabbit guy) showed up with a friend. The children followed him to the rabbits to play. I trust my children with Akla and knew he would let them play but not let them get hurt. This allowed me to turn my full attention back to Immaculee. I told her the short story and then decided to take it a step further. I went and got a French Bible and my English Bible. (If you don't know, Immaculee speaks French and English very well but is always wanting to improve her English so she can communicate with her daughter in America.) She read Luke 10:25-37 out loud in French and then I read it in English. She loved the story. And I loved the moment. As we were ending our discussion, Akla was leaving and the mosquitoes where coming out forcing us to end for the day. I have no doubt there will be many conversations in the future that will feel like wasted time between Immaculee and myself...but when God blesses me with moments like this one, it feels like it's worth it. As she was leaving, she asked me when I was going to give her a Bible. I told her, "For now, you can come and read mine". I hope she asks the next time she comes for a visit.

See Ya Soon "Miss" Ethel

2009-08-04T10:51:00.006-05:00

I heard a missionary say once that there are no goodbyes, only see-you-soons. But if you really knew it was your last time to see them would you be able to not say goodbye? Is it really goodbye? If we will one day see them again and their memories are forever with us then isn't it just another "see ya soon"?

As people living in a land that is not our own, we are never going to be comfortable with what goes on around us. I am beginning to learn this on a whole new level. Since our arrival in Togo, we have had to distantly say "goodbye" to six people and grieve in our own way. A wise friend recently told me, " Such is the life of a warrior and warrioress on a foreign field of battle. Foxes have holes and birds have nests--but we have no place to lay our heads." This is one aspect of our job that I was not prepared for.

The above picture is the only one I have of my family with Curt and Ethel Pemberton. It was taken on our 2008 furlough when the GracePointe elders and their wives had a dinner/meeting with us. "Miss" Ethel passed away Sunday morning. I have told many people that she was a woman that truly understood the daily blessings that God puts in our lives. I am so thankful that we were able to see her and spend time with her during our recent furlough in March/April. "Miss" Ethel was a woman of energy. A true gift from God...I don't know where else she could have gotten all that energy. She was an encourager, a provider, a servant, a helper, a grandmother to so many, and a lovely southern woman that loved God with all her heart. We will notice she is missing on our next furlough to Montgomery. Thank you "Miss" Ethel for the amazing example you were to me and my family. God has blessed us many times through you.

Please keep the Pemberton family and others at GracePoine as they mourn the loss of Ethel yet rejoice in knowing we'll see her soon.

Summer 2009

2009-07-26T16:19:00.003-05:00

One of our "jobs" as missionaries is to open doors for other to experience our life. We can try our best to describe it to you, but until you step into our world, there is no way to paint an exact picture. Every summer our team hosts a group of college students for two months. This year was no exception. They experienced life daily with us....living, eating, playing, ministering, praying, waiting, frustration, joy, team life, Togolese culture, we didn't hide anything from them. They were a great group to have in our homes and our lives have been impacted by them. Thank you to their friends and families that sent them to us with your blessings. God will continue to use their experiences here to shape their futures and we're thrilled to be able to watch Him work.

Jacob, Matt, Tyler, Josh, Abbie, Chelsea, Allison, and Maleah, thank you for blessing our lives.

Update On Antoinette (and my life)

2009-07-22T16:37:00.000-05:00

Antoinette returned from Tsiko with more waiting ahead. The blood analysis machine at the hospital there was broken so they suggested she return on Aug. 15th. In the meantime, they sent her home with meds to help with pain, depression, and energy. It’s now been two months that she has been sick. I’m getting more frustrated every day.

Picture your life like this....you’ve got a quaint little bakery that is within walking distance of your house. The next closest grocery store (of any kind) requires the use of your car to get there. But you don’t mind, you like your trusty little car. You have your weekly routine of strolling to the bakery twice a week for fresh white bread, banana bread (with the occasional zucchini bread), tortillas and tortilla chips, pie crusts and pizza crusts. You’ve become such good friends with the baker, that she shares other things with you like fresh squeezed lemon juice for lemonade or a delicious ham and cheese quiche. On Tuesdays you make your weekly trip to the grocery store with the occasional stop off at other place for a few staple items. Then imagine that suddenly your bakery closes. You don’t know why and you don’t know if or when it will reopen. Now you have to find a new place to buy your beloved bread items...or you could make them yourself. You don’t mind making these items, you just can’t make them as quickly or abundantly as your baker-friend. You’re watching your life become slowly more difficult. It’s Tuesday, grocery store day. Guess what? your car won’t start so you’ve got to find some other way to get to the store or your family won’t have anything to eat this week. Then, your dishwasher breaks. Are you getting the picture?

Now, obviously, I’ve exaggerated things a bit for you to get a glimpse of my life right now, but it is frustrating. I really don’t mind doing the extra baking, and actually enjoy it, but it’s difficult to do that with 2 toddlers demanding my attention. It’s taking a lot more planning in order for our week to run smoothly. With Antoinette, I could call on her at a moment’s notice to help me with anything....cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, running to the store for me...I just can not do this with anyone else as easily as I can with her.

Please pray for Antoinette’s health and my (April) perseverance as we wait for answers.

Pray for Antoinette

2009-07-10T10:51:00.004-05:00

Antoinette, our wonderful house helper, is leaving at 5:00 AM tomorrow morning to go to Tsiko, the Baptist Mission Hospital south of here. After a month or so of illness, her health continues to be a mystery to us and we ask that you join us in praying that the American doctors there can give her (and us!) some answers. Pray for health of safety of her three children that she is leaving at home.

Time for Survey

2009-07-05T02:42:00.002-05:00

It's that time of the year again, time to pack up the trucks and head to Mali to survey the Dogon people. So what's a survey? Good question. A survey is a trip to learn more about the need for missionaries among a largely unreached people group. In addition, we take a look at the logistical aspects of missionary life: what's available, how much it costs, what the government requires of missionaries and so on and so forth. Survey trips have resulted in mission teams locating to many fields all over Africa and the world over the last 20 years. As I write, in fact, there is a team of 10+ students at Harding University who are making plans to live among and minister to the Dogon people, a direct result of survey trips to Dogon land that our team has been undertaking since 2004. This is the 3rd year that I have been involved, and it has been eye opening to say the least.Please pray for our safety. Anything can happen on trips like these, and it usually does, and we are asking God to go before us and make our paths straight, in the West African understanding of straight at least :) Pray also for April and the boys, as they we be without me for 10 days. I praise God for my family and the strength that they have that allows me to make these journeys. May the Kingdom expand as a result of our efforts!

Goodbye Eli

2009-06-07T09:27:00.005-05:00

This morning Asiki came to us saying that one of the twins was in the hospital again. A few hours later, he returned to tell us that Eli had died. We are saddened of this news and are still trying to process it. There are mixed emotions running through us. This is not uncommon here for children to die before they are one yet is there something we could have done? We're thankful Eli was/is not Asiki's only child. As parents ourselves, it is never easy to watch someone lose a child. We are not clear what caused him to die, although, Asiki was saying he had "bad blood" again. It's possible that Eli had a problem that could not be handled here.

Our hearts are morning this loss...but know that Eli is no longer in pain. Pray with us for Asiki, his wife, and Elise (the other twin) as they mourn the loss of Eli. He would have turned one this month.

Pray For The Sick

2009-06-01T06:59:00.003-05:00

We've been back in Kara for about two and a half weeks. During this time, it seems people we love are becoming sick. There are three people specifically we want to ask you to pray for:

Antoinette, our houseworker, has been sick for almost two weeks. In the two years she has worked for us, I think she has missed work because of sickness three times. She went to the doctor who put her of medication for high blood pressure. Her daughter has been helping us at our house and I can tell she is concerned about her mother's health as well. Antoinette lost her husband years ago, if something happens to her, her three children will have no parents.
Erik's wife, I don't know her name, is sick. I don't know anything other than Erik did not work today because he was taking her to the doctor.
Eli and Elise, the twins, have been in the hospital. They were not eating. They are both doing better now, but I ask that you continue to pray for them to gain strength.

Through all of this we ask that you pray for our health and strength as well. Because life here is difficult physically, a simple headache can feel like an illness. We are thankful for each of our prayer warriors and praise God that you are in our lives.

Missing Home

2009-04-15T10:10:00.002-05:00

Veronique's Visit

2009-03-30T14:37:00.005-05:00

If you are a regular reader of our blog, you know about Veronique and her story of how she lost the ability to walk when she was a little girl. Just before we left Togo, she came to our home to share this excitement with us....

Veronique
Uploaded by emersonstogo

Together for Togo Updates

2009-03-25T15:26:00.001-05:00

We now have less than two weeks until the 2009 Together for Togo conference! Much prayer and planning have gone into this conference, with much more to come in the next several days leading up to the big event. We want to update you on three things in this email. First, the deadline to register, second, an update on the registration costs for the conference, and third, the conference schedule.

We would like to ask everyone who plans to attend the conference to please register by this Sunday, March 29th. This is especially important if you will be needing housing during your stay in Montgomery, since we will need the week before the conference to make the final arrangements on where everyone will be housed. If you won't know until the very last moment whether or not you will be attending, registration will be available at the door when you arrive, but housing will not be available for late registrations. Please visit www.togetherfortogo.com and register today!

We would also like to announce an updated pricing schedule for the conference. Registration for the full conference weekend is $65 per adult and $10 per child to cover the cost of food and other expenses. However, if you can only attend a portion of the conference, pricing is as follows: $25 for Friday only (includes dinner), $35 for Saturday only (includes lunch and dinner), and $10 for any single session (Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday evening) if you do not plan to eat with us for any meals. After registering at www.togetherfortogo.com, please make payment out to Grace Pointe Church of Christ, write 'Together for Togo' in the memo line, and mail it to Grace Pointe at 1565 Ray Thorington Rd., Montgomery, AL 36117. All funds will go directly towards the costs of putting on the conference.

We would also like to note that free housing will be provided for all out of town attendees. A big thank you to the members of the Grace Pointe and Vaughn Park churches for graciously offering their homes for the conference weekend.

Finally, we want to give everyone a heads up on the conference schedule. GracePointe will open it's doors on Friday, April 3rd at 4pm to begin the on site registration process, and the evening meal will be served at 6pm. At 7:15pm we will worship together and listen to a keynote speaker. On Saturday, April 4th, we will begin at 9am with worship time, followed by breakout classes and another keynote before lunch is served at 12pm. We will begin again at 2pm with more breakout classes which will continue until dinner is served at 6pm. We will have more worship time and a keynote speaker at 7:15pm before breaking for the evening at 9pm. On Sunday, GracePointe will have two services, at 8:00am and 10:15am, with combined adult classes in between. We look forward to sharing in these special times with everyone!

Please visit www.togetherfortogo.com today to register for the conference. We continue to ask that you be in prayer for the success of the conference and that God would be glorified as we gather to celebrate the advancement of His Kingdom in the tiny country of Togo. God bless you!

Furlough Time

2009-03-08T08:30:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year once again for our family, our time to leave our lives in Togo for several weeks and reconnect with our sponsoring church, our supporters, our family and our friends. Please pray for our time in the States, that it would be productive, restful, and full of God's sustaining grace. Hope to see many of you soon!

Our Team

2009-02-28T11:47:00.003-06:00

Pictured above:
-Reeves Family: David, Becky, Hannah, Elijah, Gabriel, Caleb
-Kennell Family: Mark, Nicole, Maddie, Michal
-Hangen Family: Matt, Grace
-Emerson Family: Brett, April, Caden, Corban
-Miller Family: Matt, Andrea, Abby, Aidan, Asher, AnnaMarie
-Teachers: Bennett, Daniel, Bekah

Not pictured:
-Stoff Family: Andrew, Julia (Albertville, France)
-Head Family: Ryan, Melissa (Memphis, TN)
-Richardson Family: Ryan, Beth, Katie, Jonah, Aaron (Memphis, TN)

Ever Wonder What Life is Really Like Here?

2009-02-27T04:05:00.004-06:00

We've always found it to be very hard to describe our lives and work here among the Kabiye to our loved ones back home in a way that they can truly understand. I think that an outsider's perspective is necessary for this job, and my father, Darrel Emerson, is currently undertaking the task. After their visit to Togo last November, my dad returned home and began blogging about his experiences. For an insightful, honest and enlightening series of posts about our lives here, visit his blog at http://darrelsafricanadventure.blogspot.com

Thanks for sharing your experiences dad!