Togo Travel Recap
The Backstory
Eight years ago, my sister came to my house after returning from a recent mission trip to Togo in West Africa. She was coming to process the trip and talk through a kingdom-dream that was forming in her heart. While in Togo, she was captivated by two missionaries: Francis + Benedict, and their work. And she was also wowed by the wax print fabric all the women were wearing.
That night we sat on my couch and sketched out the beginning plan for Francis + Benedict, a business that would empower and bring stability to seamstresses in Togo while also connecting women in America with a global mission. Since then, thousands and thousands of skirts have been sold, families in Togo have had their needs met through food, education, and transportation… and they’re only getting started.
I’ve wanted to join my sister on one of her trips to Togo, but the time was never quite right – until… this summer.
Day One – Sunday
This trip was filled with a handful of tiny (and not so tiny) miracles, but the first was that we got to spend an entire day in the Newark airport with my sister and brother-in-law. While spending 12+ hours in an airport restaurant isn’t most people’s dream day – the long layover gave us a chance to settle into travel mode, process + plan the week ahead, and enjoy each other’s company.
When Nick, my sister, my brother-in-law Josh and I are together… I don’t know; something magic happens. Our version of humor is all similar. We’re all able to go with the flow in ways I can’t quite describe – and I think the four of us are just really comfortable being who God made us when we’re together. That said, by the end of our day in Newark, my abs hurt from laughing and my heart was so expectant for the trip.
I did have a tiny hiccup (minor panic attack) boarding our overnight flight (which I wrote about here), but after that – it was pretty smooth sailing.
Day Two – Monday
We landed in Togo around noon the next day, tired – but excited. Francis met us at the airport, and it was so good to see him. Katie hadn’t been to Togo since before the pandemic, so it was a sweet reunion for them both. We took a minute to check into our hotel, wash our faces, change into some clean clothes, and then we were off to the Francis + Benedict building.
In the last two years, while Katie + Josh have been helping lead the business remotely from America, one huge shift has been that they’ve bought a building. They call it a shop, but it’s much more than that. Eventually, when it’s finished, it will be an incredible hub for missions and missionaries in Togo.
We spent some time greeting all the seamstresses, meeting their kids and any new kids born since Katie was last there. After that, we worked on the business agenda for the week, toured every nook and cranny of the building, and then finally went back to the hotel to get some dinner and crash for the night.
Day Three – Tuesday
We woke up early on Tuesday and headed straight to the market, where we’d camp out for the next six hours picking fabric for upcoming Francis + Benedict projects. We also did some zoom-call-personal-shopping for donors and influencers who’ve supported F + B in the last year.
I was overwhelmed with sisterly pride to see how incredibly good my sister is at her job and how the market vendors are so grateful for the business F + B has brought them. Of course, I’d imagined and visualized these things before: but it’s the kind of stuff you just can’t comprehend till you put your eyes on it.
As a coach, it kept hitting me in my gut repeatedly: I was so grateful to have sat on that couch with her eight years ago and to have said, “Go for it.” Because she did, it’s genuinely changing the lives of so many people in unfathomable ways.
It was also fun to work alongside her, picking out fabrics, imagining new pieces, and forecasting what would be fashionable and profitable in the coming year. I love, love, love getting to put my business hat on for a kingdom cause.
That afternoon we returned to the shop to put together some new items. Nick and Josh worked on plans for the building, and then we all returned to the hotel for another late dinner and an early night of deep sleep.
Day Four – Wednesday
On our final day in Togo, we left the hotel early to head to a nearby village, where we would meet up with some church planters and pastors spreading the gospel with all they’ve got.
Again, spending time worshipping in the village is something I’d pictured – but my imagination just couldn’t touch the reality of how it felt to be there.
As we walked up, the church was already worshipping and dancing, and I thought, “YES. THIS IS HOW I WANT TO DO CHURCH.”
After a few minutes, they asked Nick and me to share a short message with Pastor Francis interpreting for us. First, Nick shared a little from Ephesians 2, and then I talked about how the apostle Paul would always start his letters recalling how he remembered the churches fondly and how their faith encouraged him, and I told them the same was true for us.
Our favorite part of the village service is when we told them we close every service at Bright City reciting Matthew 5, so we’d like to declare it over them as well. After we did, the pastor, Joseph, said he’d like to start using that same benediction over their church.
Speaking of Joseph, Bright City had sent us with funds to begin supporting his ministry, and I can’t tell you how thankful I am that we get to partner with him and his wife, Kafui, moving forward.
Before we left, the locals in the village presented us with a gift of corn and peppers – such displays of hospitality and generosity were displayed in that moment. I left the village feeling so called up in my worship, welcoming, and generosity. I’ll be thinking about that visit for a long time to come.
Leaving the village, we went back to the Francis + Benedict shop to finish up all the new projects, pack up our bags, and spend some final time with the seamstresses. The gals cooked up the corn the village had gifted us with; as we ate it, the mood was so celebratory. I’ll let Katie share all the details of the new items they designed and the samples made, but there was a lot of dancing and rejoicing from the team!
When it was time, we took a ton of final pictures with the seamstresses, did a lot of trading “I love yous” and “Au Revoir” and headed back to the hotel for dinner, a moment to pack, and then it was time for our 3 am flight out of Togo.
This would be our second out of three 24-hour-mostly-awake-travel-day, but we were leaving Africa with so much gratitude for what we’d seen and hope for what was ahead.
Two more flights and we were off to meet our family in London!