Dear Family and Friends,
Our preparations for returning to Togo are moving along—as are our four lively wonderful children! So, we’re excited to share this long overdue update with you!
New Sending Church: In our preparations for returning to Togo, we are so thankful for a local sending church! Headwaters Church in Ft Wayne has graciously confirmed that they will walk beside us in this journey. Since we are now geographically far from our former sending church in Tacoma, we needed a church close by to walk with us for fellowship and accountability. Our former one, Temple Baptist (TBC), in Tacoma, Washington had done their best, but the distance was challenging. (In July we traveled by vehicle, 5000 plus miles, to Tacoma where we had the privilege of being with our TBC church family. They were happy for our new sending church and blessed us in so many ways with open arms, love, hugs, and prayers!)
Presentations: We have begun making presentations to churches and it’s been exciting! Currently Fred’s work schedule has included weekends, which has made this difficult –so his work status will change to part time come January, with the goal of opening up our schedule to focus more on returning to the mission field, but also to ensure that we are honoring God in our effort. Lydia will continue working one 24-hour shift a week. With this, and for the year 2023, our focus will be completing our pre-field tasks along with fund raising and a goal of returning to the mission field sometime between the fall of 2023 and the summer of 2024.
Fund Raising: As we are asking God to open the door for us to be able to leave for Togo during the above mentioned dates, we find that the fundraising process is one of the Lord’s challenges to many of us missionaries! Currently we are encouraged to be at nearly 70% of our one-time cost (including promises). With respect to our recurrent monthly goal, however, we are at only 32% (including promises). With Fred’s job changing to part-time in January, we will be losing our family benefits; unfortunately, we will not yet qualify for ABWE health insurance which requires we be at 40% of our monthly goal–so we’ll need to pay our own insurance until we can increase our monthly funded goal. We are asking, thus, if you have made a promise of support would you consider starting that support before the end of this year? If you have not made a promise of support, would you seek God and consider becoming a financial supporter. Our goal is:
| Amount | # of supporters needed | Currently |
| 1000/month | 2 | 2 |
| 500/month | 4 | |
| 250/month | 8 | |
| 100/month | 20 | 7 |
| 75/month | 10 | 1 |
| 50/month | 10 | 2 |
| 25/month | 18 | 8 |
OB Midwife training program: As full-time returning missionaries, we are thrilled with the opportunity to partner with Hôpital Baptiste Biblique (HBB) to reopen their OB program that has been closed for over a year. In working on this, we have completed an analysis (in June 2022) with Tim D, of past challenges and current costs to run a sustainable OB program. The result: it can be done with in-house trained OB providers making a minimum of 600 deliveries a year (a number HBB had reached in previous years). In addition to this, HBB (along with Tim D and ourselves) have reached out to “Midwives for Haiti” regarding their midwife training program (as it is in French and English). Working together we now have the needed written basic resources to begin to create an OB Midwife training program at HBB.
Our goal now is threefold: 1) to start the needed work of putting these documents together for the development of the new OB program; 2) to complete our fund raising, so that we can solidify a return date to Togo and begin the program; 3) to start recruiting OB/Gyn doctors here now to come to Togo to help in the training and teaching in the mid-wife training program. The blessing in all this work on the OB program is knowing that as we work to provide a safe pregnancy and delivery for mom and baby, that will open a door for each family to hear the Good News of the Gospel and have an opportunity to come to know Christ—potentially changing the family’s life forever!
Retirement: We have met with a financial advisor and realize that as physicians in the US we could retire well. Yet, we sense the Lord’s calling us to the overseas mission field. We desire to be responsible with what God has given us, to put forth our best effort, to be wise, and in all this to trust in Him. “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:5)
Noll (our youngest): As you may know, Noll has a malformed mitral heart valve. During his last cardiology visit in June, slight changes were noted and his medication was increased. His follow up echo in December. The doctor’s goal is to get him to his teenage years before he needs surgery; currently the doctor believes he is stable and fine to go to Togo.
Family Update:
Lydia and Fred: We are so thankful for our time here in Ft. Wayne and the opportunities the Lord has given us! Lydia is participating in a weekly women’s Bible study and Fred is meeting weekly with two older Christian brothers focusing on strengthening his faith. Meanwhile, we are a bit challenged by Lydia’s working partner/mentor leaving at end of the year; so, there are questions about how her normal Tuesday 24-hour shift will look in January, as well as some uncertainty with Fred’s reduced job schedule. We know these are opportunities for the Lord to give us increasing trust in His direction!
Noah, age 10, is an ardent fifth grade reader, is the morning school door-holder, and is our “gentle soul” who is beginning to “grow into his own.” We were so excited for him in his 1st year in cross-country as he went from a 15:55 3K time to a 13:42 time by the end of the season! Now comes basketball!
Nathanael, age 7, is starting into some gymnastics mini-competitions, and has enjoyed soccer this fall. In all this he is working on learning grace in losing -not easy! He is looking forward to basketball come winter. Meanwhile, he took on his first-grade teacher’s challenge to become the first student she’s ever had to complete a section of division.
Noemi, age 5, is enjoying Pre-K in the Christian School (where her brothers also are students) while she’s enjoying learning to read and hopes to start into gymnastics and basketball soon. She loves giving hugs and being able to help others -whether at home or school.
Noll, age 3, is known for his constant and contagious smile, his love for his siblings, and his delight in many things. He was especially happy about walking into preschool for the first time by-himself!
Prayers: Are vital to us! We are so grateful for them! Please ask the Lord to:
- give us the ability to trust Him when concerns and the path ahead are not always clear
- open the door (for now the obstacle being fund raising) for us to return to Togo in His timing and in His will
- give Fred, HBB leadership, and Tim D wisdom as they work through the midwife training program for the hospital (developing HBB’s program as well as interaction with Midwives for Haiti)
- be with us -our children (Noah, Nathanael, Noémi, & Noll) and in our marriage -to give us wisdom, grace, strength, perseverance, & peace -as we look at making small and major life changes over the next few weeks, months, and years
Are you interested in hearing about our ministry? We would love to share! Please feel free to contact us and we can discuss this more in-person or via phone or email, and would be more than happy to make a presentation.
Ways to contact us are email: mail@fredandlydia.com or mobile: 260-402-8907.
Thank you again so much for your support and prayers! Please feel free to reach out to us at any time for any thoughts/questions, including how we can be praying for you!
God bless,
Fred, Lydia, Nathanael, Noémi, and Noll
Above are pictures of school fundraiser, at Yosemite Museum, family game fun, the Corn Castle, zoo fun with the Bair’s, Tubing fun, visit with the Merritt’s and visit with Grandma.