Denni, Tonn and Tonn's wife

We have a few specific prayer needs this week. First, thank you for interceding for Denni and his recent trial (Denni is pictured on the left). The Lord has brought him through everything and he is strong in his faith! During the ordeal he didn't see how God could triumph, but today he kept saying over and over "God is so powerful! God is so powerful!"

Second, please pray for Tonn (also pictured on the left with his wife). He and his wife are new Christians and they are struggling in their marriage and in their faith. Tonn is an alcoholic and even though he has put on Christ in baptism, he hasn't been able to let go of his drinking. This afternoon, Denni and I visited with both of them and made an accountability structure with Tonn and laid some some strick guidelines about his drinking. Denni is going to visit him everyday to pray with him and keep him accountable. I encouraged him to make it his goal each day to make it through the day without drinking. Daily victories will lead to weekly victories which will lead to monthly victories, etc. Pray that the Lord will give him strength and help him find freedom. He and his wife both said that if Tonn could stop his drinking their marriage would improve. Pray for me too, that the Lord would give me wisdom and insight to help Tonn win this battle. I would love any suggestions that any of you who have helped alcoholics before may have!

Also, please continue to pray for Kossi, a church leader in Didokpo. Last week I told you how his wife got drunk and passed out on Christmas day. When new year's day came around, she did the same thing. The other leaders and their wives had planned to confront her on Saturday about the previous episode, but when they arrived at their home she had already left. Kossi had confronted her about something else that she had done. In response, she "blew her top", hurled insults at him and left. Kossi is very discouraged. Pray that the Lord of all Creation, the God who raised Jesus from the dead, will use His mighty power to resurrection Kossi's marriage. Pray that the Lord will give Kossi strength to love her unconditionally. Pray also that the Lord would give me wisdom to share with Kossi to help him save his marriage!

We pray that God has given you a Happy New Year. We can hardly believe that 2005 has gone and 2006 is already underway. We look forward to a good by crazy 2006. We are presently nailing down airline tickets, looking into shipping options, and making plans for all of the churches we need to visit in coming months. These last months in Togo are going to fly by even faster than 2005 seemed to.

Leadership training is going well. Two groups just have a few more weeks of lessons left. Two others still have quite a bit to do. Jeff hopes to get the teaching part over with so that he can spend more time in prayer and final preparation for the time that these leaders will not have direct missionary leadership. Our teammates will continue to be available, but the amount of time with missionaries will drop considerably. Pray for the churches to take hold of their responsibilities. Pray for Jeff to entrust the work to the Spirit and the men that God will work through to accomplish His purposes.

Rebecca has cut her first tooth and has kept us awake for the last few nights to celebrate. Josiah is back in the full swing of school, and Ellianna keeps disappearing into the home of the teachers next door and of Veve (her friend across the street). Today we found her at school (next door). She was in a chair and looking studious. What are we going to do when we get to the States?

Jeff had a good case of malaria this week, but everyone else seems pretty well despite the lack of sleep. Keep praying for our upcoming transitions and the transition of the whole team and the Togolese Christians.

What a great week we have had getting to see Jessie and Tyler from Niger. We had so many memories flood back for us about Jessie's time with us as the first official teacher for our school. On the negative side of things, Louise has spent the week trying to recover from a case of malaria. Please pray for her full recovery as our house cannot function without her, AT ALL!! The boys sadly ended their break this week with school on Tuesday. They have quickly gotten back into the groove although I think they wanted a few more days of play only.

Marty has been back to a pretty normal week of studies after the holidays. The churches in Tabligbo, Afakomi Kope, Ahepe, Topeglo, Togbonou Kope, Amouzouglita Kope, and Hompou are all in need of daily prayers as they are in deep need of renewal and spiritual focus of Jesus being their Lord and King as well as the purposefulness associated with work in his Kingdom.

Please pray for a man named Michelle who has begun to attend the Afakomi church. This could finally be a potential leader for that leaderless church or it could be just someone else wanting to dabble in faith.

Marty is thankful that the elders in Vogan are stepping into their roles of leadership as well as the deacons to their roles of service. Please pray for Hammer that he will be patient and gentle with the new leaders and treat them as coworkers and that they will respect his great wisdom and experience.

Next week Marty will be meeting with the committee that organizes the big meetings. Pray for him that he will be able to help them become good decision makers and planners.

We ask you to keep our family in your prayers through this next year as it will bring about great transitions for us in Togo. Pray also for the Watchi that the oppression that is palatable here will lift and God's mercies will bless the people here with new hope and joy.
Thank you for your love and prayers. The Koonces

We've had a good, full week in our household. We delayed our usual Monday trip to Lomé because of shops and banks being closed for the New Years' holiday. Instead, Anthony and the boys went fishing. We didn't have much luck with the fish, but we did have some good father-son time and discovered a spot that is as close to a creek running through the Alabama woods as we've seen in West Africa.

The boys were excited to be back to school on Tuesday. In the afternoon, Anthony and Marty met for our usual training session with the Tabligbo elders, who are still struggling with accepting responsibility for shepherding the flock. Please pray for them and the church. On Friday, Marty and Anthony went with one of the elders, Papa Koffi, to visit a new area on the western side of Tabligbo to meet with a group of people interested in planting a new church on that side of town. The group plans to meet for Bible study this Sunday afternoon.

We did make it to Lomé on Wednesday and combined our errands with those of Tyler and Jessica Mallet, who had been visiting our team for a few days. That afternoon, we left the Mallets in Lomé to wait for their 2:00 a.m. bus to return to Niamey, Niger.

Anthony, along with Murphy and Jeff, has been working with a new "library" committee to set up a system to oversee the continual publication and distribution of printed materials for leaders and churches to use. The committee is one attempt to establish what Harding professor Monty Cox calls "structures of continuity," which will help provide unity and focus to the movement after the missionaries' departure.

One danger that missionaries face as they prepare to leave a field of service is "checking out" too early--being physically present but emotionally uninvolved in the work. Our household appliances seem to have gotten word that we are planning to leave, and have decided to "check out" before we do. So far, we've lost two refrigerators, two DVD players, a television, and this week our gas oven decided to check out--a hard-to-replace thermostat mechanism went out, meaning that the oven will not even light up. Oh well, so much for home-baked cookies, cakes, and pizzas! (We've not totally given up and are trying to order the part from the States.)

Back to school and back to the routine. After having a nice 2 week break I didn't know if I was ready to go back to school. When waking up around 5:30 to 6:00 every morning and then being able to sleep in till 8:00 or 9:00 kind of threw my days off. The first day of school....it was actually kind of weird. I sat down in my chair and just sat their for a while. I don't know if this happens to many people...maybe just me, but it was kind of like basketball or any sport at that. When you haven't shot or picked up a ball for a couple of weeks you are a little off when you do pick up that ball.

It might take a shot or two and then you are back in the groove. That was me. I was sitting in my chair and had to get in the teacher mode. It didn't take long, especial when the children started to pour into the school (which is always the best part of the day). They just bring in their glow, the light that gets me started. All this to say.....it feels good to be back in school!!

I miss you all, love you all, and I am so thankful that you are in my life. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and most importantly your love. May your day and year be full of blessings ahead. Love always in Christ......

Well, it’s been a great first week back to school, so thank you already for your prayers for this second semester! It amazes me how efficient the routines have become for the kids, and how much they have already done and learned this year. It is so hard to believe that exactly four months from today it will all be over . . . I try not to think about it, and yet it is coming so quickly.

This week has brought yet another first. Several nights ago the water went out, and then the electricity (usually it’s one or the other, not both). So, get this—I took a washcloth/bucket bath . . . in our kitchen . . . in the dark! Sometimes life here is just hilarious, although often in the moment you’re not always able to see the humor :)

On a more personal note, God has really been revealing my tendency to rely on ‘works’ instead of grace. While I ‘know’ that it is by grace that we are saved, I have still always struggled with the desire to ‘be good enough’ for God. It is really just an issue rooted in pride, and—wow!—is He shedding the light on that. But I am so grateful for God’s gentle correction . . . that He doesn’t let us continue in our mistakes and folly, but goes to great extents to change our hearts. So PRAISE GOD for His love and faithfulness!

Thank you all for your prayers and love; you are a blessing to me daily.