The Good “Neighbor”
By Gwenda L. Trapp
Sika Yawo was raised in the village of Sika-Kondji, near the Togo/Benin border. Sika was not a Christian when he left home. He had placed all his confidence in his father an employee of the state and a traveling journalist. Christians had preached to him, but he ignored them. In August of 1988, his dad passed away. In his despair, Jesus met him. Sika surrendered his life to Christ, was completely changed, and had renewed hope. Sika went to Bible school and eventually became the National Director for Source of Light (SLM) Ministries in Togo.
In 2008, as Sika Yawo and his SLM team were ministering to remote villages on the Togo/Benin border, they witnessed a particular need. Many children had been left orphaned due to problems with AIDs, cholera, poverty, and the inability to access good medical help. In every village, they were met with appeals for help from the villagers who had taken on the care of the children.
They were especially burdened for the orphaned children of Sika-Kondji, where Sika had grown up. The SLM Togo team began helping the families who were caring for the children by providing school supplies, rice, and clothing for the children as they were able. About half of the village of Sika-Kondji was evangelized; the rest of the villagers were idol worshippers. Pastor Sika’s team visited the orphans regularly, and on these visits, they realized that the orphans were being treated more like servants than family members. For many of the impoverished children, whose lives were shadowed by superstition and gloom, the visits from the SLM staff were their only ray of sunshine.
The SLM team wanted to do more to help the children. They desired to care for them in an environment where they could learn how to love and serve God. The idea for an orphanage for these children was born; it was called “The Joseph Project.” It was implemented in stages. Land was cleared, and corn and peanuts were planted in 2009. Their intent was to train the orphans in skills that would help them be able to support themselves. They had a good corn harvest, but the night before the peanuts were to be harvested, the Mono River flooded and destroyed their first peanut crop. Crops and homes of many of the villagers, and even some lives, were lost. However, the corn that had been harvested was a tremendous blessing to the orphans and their host families. They continued the gardening project and in time began growing cassava, beans, vegetables, and peppers.
Gradually, buildings were erected. Initially, they served orphans from 10 different villages. As many as 22 children lived in the orphanage at one time. Currently, they have 16. The children range in age from seven to 17. Recently, a set of twins was abandoned in the village; they are 19 months old. Though the orphanage cannot care for children that age, they are assisting with their care and trying to find parents in the village who will adopt them. Because of the work of the SLM Togo team, and other Christians who contributed to the humanitarian effort, many unevangelized people in these villages developed an eagerness to hear the Gospel. The orphanage began using the Source of Light Bible lessons with the children in their care. A pastor does devotions with the children. Bethania Biblical Baptist Church was established at the orphanage. The church ministers to the orphans and about 50 villagers.
Some of the older orphans expressed a desire to do apprenticeships rather than proceed with formal education. The Joseph Project has worked hard to find the resources to make this possible. They currently have children studying welding, sewing, and hairdressing. Besides treating the orphans for the ever-present malaria, stomachaches, headaches, infections, and wounds, some of the children came to them with major health issues that require ongoing treatment. Five of the orphans have AIDs and must be followed up on monthly. So, even though they have the garden, there are needs for school supplies, uniforms, school fees, and these medical needs. They are constantly challenged to provide nutrition-rich foods to prevent malnutrition. Sika shares that the children have food that will fill them up, but it does not provide the nutritional values that the children really need. Additional monthly support is needed to meet these needs.
The Joseph Project could house up to 40 children, but the financial resources to adequately provide for them prohibits them from taking in any more children.
People who are known as “good neighbors,” like Source of Light’s missionary, Sika Yawo, and his wife Lucie, are often sought out in times of crisis. Recently, a young girl sought refuge with Sika’s family when she discovered that her family was planning to sell her into sex trafficking and ship her abroad. They had already destroyed her identity and falsified her documents. Sika and Lucie found themselves in a very sensitive situation as they tried to help, get her some urgently needed medical help, and restore her identity. She was torn between her family and the terrible situation in which she found herself. Her family, of course, was not happy that their plot was foiled, and retaliated with threats of bodily harm to Sika. It has been a stressful season for this missionary couple.
Sika has gained respect in his home village of Sika-Kondji. When the former chief passed away, the village elders wanted Sika to become the new chief. He did not feel that this was God’s leading, so he refused. Sika, burdened for the lost people of Togo, tenaciously goes to villages that are hostile to the Gospel, where other pastors have been driven away. Sika desires that these villagers will come to know Christ and be brought out of darkness into the light.
