Remember

In 6^th grade Social Studies class I did a project on Togo. I remember picking out the country from the world map because it was made up of two words. “To” and “go”- how cool was that! However, I do not recall any other information I shared with my teacher, Mr. Samuelson, in order to get the grade. In the six months being in Togo, I have learned so much more about the country. I can share with you the history or statistics of Togo, but I rather share the stories of the people I came to serve and will remember for a lifetime.

One of the weekend holidays, I took advantage of visiting my little friend, Afi. A group of us packed in a taxi to take the 3-hour car ride north to Atakpame. The better part of day, we spent around this village with her pictures asking, “Where is Afi?” “Have you seen her?”.

The day before, my translator friend and I spoke to a family member, planning the trip to visit Afi and her mother Ama. We waited for hours at a paper supply store, but only grandmothers, cousins, and neighbors appeared to thank us for helping her. They did not know she received the life-saving surgery on the Africa Mercy a month before. Our taxi driver, even reversed down a one-way street in order to get us to her house, but Afi was not there. After a guinea a late lunch of guinea fowl and a walk through the market, we headed home to Lome’ defeated.

On the taxi drive back, guided by a lightening storm and a starlit sky, we received a phone call from Afi’s father. They were in Lome’ at a bus station! What a joyous reunion in a gas station parking lot it was after searching for Afi for 12 hours! We showered her with love and toys, and gave loaves of bread to her grateful parents that we had carried all day. It was the typical “TIA” (This is Africa) day, but how thankful I am that I saw Afi again. I will remember Afi, not only because of her amazing story of how she received surgery, but the day I was able to see her healed and so happy!