Shalom, dear friends of ACTS!
This time I would like to share a light-hearted event with you during our busy schedule: One night with the Grand Chief.
In Togo, the Chieftain is a leader of the people. The position is held lifelong and passed down through the generations, sothe Chief, especially the Grand-Chief, and his family are highly influential and are held in high regard by the people and the government.
Why then would the Grand Chief invite us to dine with him? How did the friendship between ACTS and the Grand Chief blossom?
River Of Life first entered Togo in the year 2000. Initially, much of the ministry activities were focused on spreading the gospel and church planting, therefore there were not as many opportunities to interact with local government organizations or leaders. However, in 2015, the founding of ACTS enabled the ministry to connect with people and businesses from different fields and industries to understand the needs of the Togolese community.
In March 2018, we planned to hold the first free medical clinic as part of our short term mission trip. As the date approached, we realized we would not be able to hold the free clinics due to government regulations. In response, Francois, the principal of ACTS went to the Grand Chief and suggested partnering together to hold seminars promoting public health and wellness.Topics would cover educating the community about cardiovascular disease prevention, proper oral hygiene, and prevention of malaria, a disease that has plagued Africa for many years. The Grand Chief eagerly approved of the seminar and asked the 21 chiefs in his district and workplace leaders from various industries to attend. There were about a hundred attendees. Since the attendees were required to go by superiors and not by their own volition, and there were strong personalities from various backgrounds, there was a very unfriendly, tense atmosphere. However, this changed after we presented appreciative gift sets of toothbrushes and toothpastes at the end of the seminar. We sincerely made it clear that our mission was to respond to God’s invitation to help improve the livelihood of the Togolese people. After they understood the heart of what we were doing, the tension in the air was replaced with cheerful expressions and smiles. . The successful seminar was our first formal meeting with the Grand Chief. Being a minister himself, he also saw the important role that ministry would play in helping the Togolese communities build a better future. Before the end of our mission trip, he invited us to a banquet at his palace. The doors to a great friendship had been opened!
During the mission trip in August 2018, we were invited to a banquet at the Grand Chief’s palace again, and a National Cultural event organized by him. At the event, the Grand Chief personally led us through a crowd of over 5000 people and introduced us to over 100 leaders from different tribes. We are really thankful that the Grand Chief trusts us greatly and enthusiastically connects us with local authorities and leaders.
This year, the Grand Chief was one of the keynote speakers of the grand opening ceremony of River Of Life Clinic. After the event, the Grand Chief and the Governor of the Greater Lome area presented ACTS with a two-acre plot of land dedicated for medical purposes.
On the night of February 21 the Grand Chief invited the mission team to dine with the local government officials and leaders of Togo. We enjoyed specially prepared musical and dance performances along with a feast of exquisite African cuisine. After dinner, we had a relaxed conversation with the officials and leaders that helped us gain a better mutual understanding of each other. Later on, everyone danced together to the vibrant melody of Africa. What a harmonious and joyful sight with music and laughter filling the air under a moonlit sky. The evening concluded with the presentation of a gift to the Grand Chief and a blessing from Pastor Liu. A truly joyful and memorable night!
Through the many events we see how God has brought ACTS and the Grand Chief together to help the ACTS ministry expand and develop to meet the needs of the people of Togo. Praise the Lord for His guidance and greatly surpassing our expectations. We are inspired to continue partnering with the Lord and witness His great and mighty works!
I look forward to sharing more exciting events and chapters of our mission trips with you!
Pastor James and ACTS Team
You must be logged in to post a comment.