Thoughts Upon Our Return

June 2022

Dear Friends,

As we send off this letter our family is busy packing up our things and preparing

our house for vacancy. Four years since we left the U.S., the Chmils are returning Stateside for our first furlough. Although we are looking forward to this, it is also a good time to reflect on what we have done since we left you all in 2018. The first part of our term was spent in language school in Albertville, France. Bethany and I learned much by being immersed in the language and culture of France. As many of you are aware, our original timeline of 18 months had to be extended when our son Hudson suffered a 3rd-degree burn over 15-20% of his body. It wasn’t our desire to spend months in the hospital and rehab facilities of France, but we are thankful for the healing the Lord has granted our son. We are pleased to note how he has continued to grow and is active without limitation.

We moved into our home, L’Abri des Savannes (shelter of the Savanna) in the summer of 2020. We quickly settled in and began figuring out how we fit into life here. For our children, that meant attending the missionary school and making new friends. The first year our four oldest attended the MK school while Irene was able to stay home with Bethany. This past year, Karissa aged out of the school and began high school at home. Our children have had two dedicated teachers who work hard to manage classes with children of

multiple grade levels. Our children have made friends both in the missionary team here and amongst some of the Togolese. Karissa has had the most opportunites, attending a Bible study at a trade school for girls and having a one-on-one study with the daughter of one of our hospital chaplains. Our children have thrived in the environment here and will miss much about Togo during the next year.

Bethany may have had the most varied experience. In addition to keeping our home running smoothly, she has worked in the hospital laboratory one day per

week. She has built relationships among the Togolese techs as she works along side them. Each week, Bethany has also been able to attend a time of study and prayer with the hospital chaplains. The relationships that she has built there have also led to a Bible study with one of the female chaplains. Several Sunday mornings Bethany has also had the opportunity to teach a children’s class at Kadjitieri, a village about 45 minutes from here.

This first term, my ministry has been centered around the hospital. Our group, usually consisting of two or three surgeons sees about 6000 outpatients per year and around 2500 inpatients. Our patients primarily come from Togo and the

neighboring countries of Benin, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, although we have seen patients from Nigeria and the Ivory Coast as well. During my time here, I have personally operated on almost 750 patients, many of these with problems that other specialists would have seen in the U.S. I have done over a 100 cesarean sections including three pairs of twins and a set of triplets. The workload has been heavy and at times discouraging as there is a level of sickness here that can be overwhelming. It has been my desire to use the mercy ministry of the hospital to open doors for the Gospel. We are thankful for each patient who has been able to see the love of Christ in our actions and who has listened to the Word of Truth. Even through times of sickness and pain, some of our surgical patients have expressed faith in Jesus. My time outside of the hospital has been limited but I have had some opportunity to teach at a Bible study in Mango on Monday evenings.

For the next year, we hope to have opportunity to see as many of you as possible. If you are part of one of our supporting churches, I will be in touch with your pastors or missionary committees to see when we can visit. After spending the first few weeks with our families we will setting into LaPorte, Indiana, for the fall and early winter, before transitioning to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for the first part of 2023. We are thankful for each of you, for your prayers on our behalf, and for your support of the work here at the Hospital of Hope.

Love in Christ,

The Chmils

Steven and Bethany Chmil ✧ BP 10 Mango, Togo ✧

steven.chmil@outlook.com ✧ www.medicalevangelist.org