God Answers Prayers

I remember the day like it was yesterday. There I was, holding back tears as I waved goodbye to Jonas, as we pulled away from the Amou Oblo Christian school. My short-term assignment in Togo was coming to an end. I tried to explain to Jonas that I was leaving, but he didn’t understand. My heart was heavy thinking that the next week when he would be looking for me, I wouldn’t be there. I knew the Lord was calling me back to Togo, but I didn’t know if I would see Jonas again. He may move and I might lose contact. I prayed a little prayer as we drove away, “Lord, help me to see Jonas again.” God answered that prayer.

I remember the day that we were reunited well. We both couldn’t stop smiling.

Jonas is no longer the 8-year-old that I waved goodbye to all those years ago. He is now 15 and almost taller than me. Last year, he finished at his elementary school. Since the school for the deaf only goes through the 5 th grade, he decided that he wanted to learn a trade instead of going to a public middle school where there would be little to no accommodations for him. We found a four year sewing apprenticeship program nearby his old school. He has been working at his apprenticeship for a year. He is enjoying it! I was able to visit him this month. His boss sang Jonas’ praises of how he is a good apprentice and a hard worker. It was fun seeing where Jonas works. I am so proud of him. It has been a joy seeing how far he has come!

I was happy that Jonas was able to come to deaf camp. Because camp was smaller, it was nice to be able to have more intentional interactions with everyone who came. One of those moments Jonas signed to me, “I remember that you taught me a Bible verse, John 3:16.” I signed to him, “Yes, I did. Do you remember it?” He nodded, “Yes, most of it.” We reviewed the verse. I found an old video of his class signing the verse. He smiled. My heart was encouraged that 7 years later, I could see some roots taking hold. Since camp was much smaller and Jonas was one of the oldest campers there, he took it upon himself to take more of a leadership role. Some of the younger kids said, “do you remember that song that we did last year at camp?” Jonas said, “yes, I remember it.” He then gets up a leads everyone in the song. It was fun watching Jonas lead. Although camp was different than expected, I am encouraged how it turned out. I don’t know what the future of camp looks like, but I wouldn’t mind it looking something like what it did this year. Please pray for wisdom in how the ministry might develop.

During camp, I showed Jonas a version of the video I had made telling his story. He was moved by it. The video shows how working with Jonas opened the door to visit the school for the deaf in Benin and also in Kpalime. Near the end of the video, someone said, “Stop. Isn’t that Kossi?” I looked at the photo and was surprised. It was. During my short term in 2019, I visited the school for the deaf in Kpalime (the city where I live now). A friend came along with me and took pictures. One of the pictures she took was of 7 year old Kossi. Who is Kossi? He is the older brother of the two boys that I worked with at Awana in 2024. He is the same age as Jonas. The first day of camp, I made a mistake. I had prepared paper bags for each camper with their name on it. The bags were for their crafts. When I presented the bags, I accidently mixed up the two brothers, Komla and Kossi. One of the leaders corrected me about the mix up. When I asked Kossi to spell his name, he couldn’t. He didn’t know his name. This has stuck with me. I met both Jonas and Kossi around the same time. One has grown so much in his language and is finding his way. The other is lost and keeps getting left behind. Kossi and Jonas live in different villages that are far from each other. When I did my short term in Togo, I did not have my own transportation. I relied on others to get to places. I did not have the opportunity to invest in Kossi because of where I lived. However, now, I do. He reminds me of the lost sheep parable. I can’t let him remain lost. I’m exploring some ways to invest in Kossi and his little brother Komla. Will you pray with me about this? God loves Kossi and Komla so much, but they do not know this. I see so much potential in them. I pray that I can help them to learn, grow, and understand how much God loves them and their need for a Savior.

The last few weeks have been good to reset and plan for this next season of ministry. School started on Monday, September 14. Will you please pray for this school year? I am looking forward to what this year holds for the school for the deaf in Tsiko and plugging back into the blind school ministry. Please pray for wisdom as I figure out my schedule and how to best use my time. Thank you for joining me on this journey and praying for these things. I’m excited to see how the Lord will work during this next school year!

God bless,

Liz Ortiz

Prayer Requests:

·       My resident card is still being processed. It has been a frustrating process. Please pray that it will be ready soon.

·       School started on September 14^th! Pray for a good start to the school year.

·       My neighbor, Hannah, will fly to South Africa on September 29th. For those who don’t know, she is changing fields. Please pray for her as she wraps up her time in Togo and for the final details of the transition to South Africa to go well.

·       Pray for wisdom as I figure out my schedule for the school year.

·       Pray for someone(s) to join me in the ministry full time.   

 Praises: 

·       Praise God that Jonas is doing well at his apprenticeship!

·       Praise God that the continuation of my French tutoring lessons is going well!

·       Praise God that the blind students have returned safely to campus.

·       Praise God for a good reset and planning period for me before the start of the school year.

·       Praise God for all my wonderful partners!