September 2 -- The River is High -- Kara, Togo

At the back of my second floor dormitory room is a porch.  When I open the door and step out into the heat and humidity, I look out across a corn field to see the Kara River.  The river has been running very high.  Yesterday we had downpours of rain in near cloudburst proportions.  So the river this morning appears close to overflowing its banks.  When I step out the other way on to the front porch, I look down to the stone patio below (where Christophe killed the cobra).  This morning much of the stone is covered with a layer of mud silt that was washed from the gardens onto the stone by yesterday's rain storm.  By God's grace my sleeping room is air conditioned.  The restaurant where we are eating our meals is not air conditioned.  Rather it has two sides that are completely open.  Around the room above the tables are good fans that create a breeze across the table during our meals.  We try to eat early in the day before the heat builds up to its oppressive worst.  I did not bring any coffee making equipment with me to Kara so here I must wait until we all drive to breakfast before I get my morning coffee.  Alas . . . . 

We taught a seminar session starting at 3 Wednesday afternoon.  It was very hot then.  The following sessions are all in the mornings starting at nine.  It is cooler then.  During the seminars we have been helping people catch a vision of how to train their disciples to survive in the hostile world of persecution.  Here people are very aware that not very far to the north the islamic jihadists have taken over the city of Tombuctou, Mali.  The terrorists could come here to Togo also at any time.  In every little community along the N-1 (the equivalent of an Interstate Highway in the USA or a major motorway in Europe) the islamists have built a mosque or cultural center with a minaret for calls to "prayer".  These buildings stand out and are the tallest building in virtually every town.  

In our seminars and in the one on one conversations afterward, the river of life is also flowing with a strong current that draws people closer to the King.

His, thus Yours,

 Stuart