We were thrilled to have a Passover meal with the Bible Institute students over Easter weekend. A visiting teacher, Steve Stairs, just finished a modular class on Hebrews, so it fit right into what they’d been learning that week.
Andrew went over the meaning of the sacrificed lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. The students participated by reading passages and discussing how it connected to what they learned during the week and how it relates to the Lord's Table.
Andrew has done a lot of travelling while the kids and I have stayed home to homeschool. Next week he will be taking a Togolese partner to the ABWE headquarters in Harrisburg, PA to attend a summit on theological education. When he arrives back in Togo he’ll jump right into team teaching a course on the Church and Missions.
We received some exciting news last month, that will allow us to conduct the teacher seminars we’ve been planning for the summer months. Tyndale House has approved a grant of $18,000 for teacher training and curriculum development! This is the same grant that we received in 2015 that allowed us to develop Kindergarten Bible curriculum. That’s one of the items needing revision.
A couple years ago, Andrew visited the classroom of a new teacher that had been recently hired by one of our schools and who had never had any training with us. All the student books, textbooks, posters, and charts were sitting in boxes on the floor unused. He had never been trained to use any of those materials so the kids never even saw them. That day served as a reminder that curriculum development and teacher training must go hand in hand. Please pray that we’ll have wisdom to be good stewards of the money God’s provided for the schools and that this summer’s efforts will be effective.
Housing is filling up at the Blind center where we live, due to more missionaries arriving. We’re planning to upgrade the small apartment at the Bible Institute this June in order to accommodate BI teachers next year. It’s ramping up to be a busy summer. Good thing we took that vacation in South Africa when we did! Of course, a vacation with kids isn't very restful, but it was a lot of fun. We enjoyed the cooler weather, since it’s hot season in Togo right now. It was interesting to learn about South African culture and worship with some local believers as well.
Thank you for praying for our family. Please pray especially for good health for Andrew while he’s traveling and teaching. We appreciate your faithful partnership with our family!
Much love, Andrew, Mary, Emmanuel, Cyrus, & Alethia
