Welch Update #9 - 09.09.25
Seven Months in Togo
Teary eyed saying farewell to Grandpa & Grandma Toupin after their 6 week visit to Togo
Family and Friends,
We miss you deeply, but write to say we are doing well.
Seven months have flown by in the blink of an eye—at times it feels like we just arrived in Togo, and at other moments it feels like we’ve been here forever. Time is funny that way. I remember when I started residency, my chief resident told me, “the days are long, but the years are short.” That same mantra rings true here as well. The days can feel long, but somehow the months keep flying by.
Happenings
It’s only been three months since our last update, but those three months have been full. Outside of our day-to-day life and work, we celebrated all four of our birthdays, and my (Alyssa’s) parents came to visit for six weeks! What an incredible blessing and encouragement it was to have them here. It was special to share our life with them—not just at home but also in the hospital. Some highlights included celebrating Eden’s 4th birthday and Gil’s 2nd, playing endless rounds of pickleball (the girls may or may not have dominated…), and even getting the chance to operate alongside BOTH my mom and dad (the last time I operated with my dad was as a medical student!). Their absence is already deeply felt and we look forward to when we will get to see family again.
Celebrating Gil’s 2nd Birthday
Celebrating Eden’s 4th Birthday
Grandpa & Grandma brought bikes from the US !
Eden’s birthday dress made by our house-help Mawupemon (left) and nanny Antoinette (right)
Operating with my dad
AND mom
Lord, Help
July was especially busy for me (Alyssa) as one of our surgeons was gone most of the month, and I was the sole long-term surgeon working full time (so grateful for our short-term visitors!). While I feel more settled in the hospital, there are still many cases that leave me whispering, “Lord, help me.”
One such case was a woman named Abra. She came in with Ludwig’s angina (a severe infection of the jaw and neck from an untreated tooth infection). Unfortunately, this problem is not too uncommon here due to lack of access to dental care. For Abra, the infection was so advanced that she struggled to breathe, and as we were trying to do the surgery we could not get an airway forcing me to perform an emergency cricothyroidectomy to open her airway through her neck (and through the infection!).
To add context: the only place we have ventilators here (machines to breath for someone) is in the operating rooms. If someone cannot breathe on their own, they don’t survive—there simply isn’t the capacity for higher-level critical care. For Abra, survival depended entirely on being able to breathe through the tube I placed in her neck in addition to fighting this severe infection. I remember uttering to myself as we left the OR,“Lord, if this lady lives, it will only be by Your hand.”
When I walked into the hospital the next morning, not only was she alive—she was sitting up in bed, fully alert. I looked at her sister, whom I had told the night before that she would likely not survive the night, and all I could say was, “Grâce à Dieu” — Thanks be to God. There was no other explanation. Weeks later, I saw Abra in clinic completely healed, and I had the joy of telling her that just as God saved her physical life, He longs to save her eternally as well. Amidst the constant suffering here, stories like hers remind me that there truly is a God who sees, who cares, and who is in control—even when we don’t understand.
Abra while in the hospital
Seeing Abra in clinic several weeks later, almost completely healed
Pauline came to visit between chemotherapy treatments (see praises/prayer requests below).
The In-Between
As for Joe, he has continued to faithfully serve in many behind-the-scenes roles within the finance department and administration of both the hospital and the mission compound. His work may not always make for dramatic stories, but it is foundational to keeping the hospital running smoothly—whether that’s helping improve financial systems, troubleshooting logistical challenges, or supporting the missionary staff.
One of his greatest joys, however, has been investing in people outside the office. Saturday morning soccer with the neighborhood kids remains a highlight of his week. And most recently, he began teaching a personal finance class for the teenage missionary kids. It has been meaningful for him to share practical wisdom about stewardship, budgeting, and generosity with the next generation, and it’s given him a fun new way to build relationships here. He continues to approach every opportunity—whether small or large—with a servant’s heart, and I am so thankful for the ways God is using him here.
Devotions at Saturday morning soccer
Joe teaching personal finance to the missionary teens
1 John 3:1–2
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are… Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared.”
Beautiful waterfall in Togo about a 45 min drive and 1.5 hour hike from us (we’re the little dots at the bottom)
I would be lying if I said these past seven months have been easy. While there has been beauty scattered throughout, they have also been incredibly hard. Both Joe and I have wrestled with a heavy undercurrent of anxiety, the source of which is difficult to pinpoint—likely because it is so multi-layered.
About a week after my parents left, my dad’s old roommate from medical school, Wayne Moore, and his wife Debbie came to HBB as part of ABWE member care. Wayne was in my parents’ wedding, and my dad in his. He’s a semi-retired general surgeon who later went to seminary. Getting to operate with him was a huge highlight for me—especially since the last time I saw him in person was years ago at the Global Health Mission Conference in Kentucky, when I was still a medical student. I had just decided to pursue general surgery, and he gave me a piece of advice I’ve never forgotten: “Learn to tie better with your left hand than your right. That way you won’t always have to put your instrument down.”
A few nights ago, Wayne and Debbie came for dinner, and something Wayne said has been echoing in my mind: “God is far more concerned about your heart and relationship with Him than with what you do.” Too often I get caught up in the doing—striving to measure up—instead of resting in the confidence I already have as a child of God.
1 John 3:1–2 reminds us: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are… Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared.”
Recently, I’ve also been reading The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, and it has stretched my view of God’s holiness in profound ways. The more I’m struck by His greatness and set-apartness, the more astonishing it feels to remember that we are His children. I don’t love my own kids based on what they accomplish—how could I? At ages four and two, they don’t “earn” my love. I love them simply because they are mine, and what I long for most is relationship with them. It brings me joy when they run to me with delight just to be near me.
How much more, then, does our heavenly Father delight in us—not for what we do, but simply because we are His children? He desires relationship with me. That truth convicts me, comforts me, and calls me to rest more deeply in His love.
Spending time with Wayne & Debbie Moore
Praises
- Time with Family – We can’t begin to express how much it meant to have family here with us. The six weeks Grandpa and Grandma Toupin spent in Togo were an incredible gift, encouraging our hearts and giving us sweet memories we will cherish.
- Pauline’s Chemotherapy – Many of you reached out after our last update asking about Pauline. She is a 21-year-old mother of a 5-month-old baby with advanced breast cancer. I (Alyssa) was able to operate, but she still needed chemotherapy and radiation—treatments that are almost never possible here due to cost and distance. By God’s provision, and through the generosity of supporters like you, we arranged for her to travel to the capital for treatment. She has now completed three rounds of chemotherapy. When she visited last week (see picture in newsletter), she was understandably saddened by her hair loss but deeply grateful for the opportunity to receive care she otherwise would not have had. Please continue to keep her in your prayers—the logistics are challenging with her mother caring for her baby while she travels for treatment. We are so thankful to everyone who made this possible. Praise the Lord!
- Joy in the Little Things – We had hoped to surprise the kids with bikes for their birthdays, but finding quality bikes here is nearly impossible. My parents managed to take bikes apart and pack them in their luggage—but the one missing bag when they arrived was, of course, the bikes! In places like Togo, lost luggage almost always means it’s gone for good. Yet after days of calls to the airline and many prayers, the bikes were found! Not only that, but my parents were here to witness Eden transition to a pedal bike for the very first time. What a joy and a reminder that God cares even about the little details of our lives.
- God’s Provision through Short-Termers – We are so thankful for all the short-term volunteers who come to serve here. Not only do they provide practical relief during busy seasons, especially when many families are on furlough, but they also bring encouragement and new energy to both locals and missionaries.
Beautiful overlook from Togo into Ghana
Prayer Request
- Pauline’s Treatment – Pray that Pauline can complete her chemotherapy without major complications, and that God would sustain her through the challenging travel and separation from her baby. Pray also for her healing, encouragement, and continued openness to the hope of the gospel.
- Ministry Opportunities – Joe was recently asked by the pastor at our local Togolese church to share a sermon. We have been attending a newer church plant to provide support and encouragement, and while it is an honor to be asked, it is also a challenge to prepare and deliver the sermon – especially in French. Pray that Joe would have discernment, wisdom, and peace as he allows God to lead him in what and how to share. Pray also for our ongoing efforts to communicate Christ in everyday life, as French remains a challenge for us and building deeper relationships can be difficult across language and cultural barriers.
- Hearts Anchored in Christ – Above all, pray that we would rest in our identity as God’s children rather than striving to “do enough.” Pray that our joy and peace would come from Him, and that we would reflect His love to those around us – in our home, community, and work.
Grateful For Your Prayers
As always, your prayers are a sustaining gift, and we are profoundly grateful and truly humbled for your continued support—both spiritually and financially.
We love hearing from you and would love to know how we can be praying for you specifically as well – please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Thank you for walking this journey with us.
Praying for you all and the needs expressed.
Thank you Linda. Your prayers mean more than you know!
What an absolute joy it is to “witness” from across the world your family making such a huge impact for the Kingdom! Praise God! Peter and I will continue to pray for your family, Pauline, and the upcoming sermon (you’ve got this, Joe!). God will provide. From an excerpt a friend recently shared with me: “The list of my uncertainties is long. But longer still is the list of your provisions. When I am overwhelmed, let your Spirit bring to my remembrance stories of your faithfulness. Let me count the many ways you have met, supported, taught, and delivered me in days gone by. For you have been faithful, O Lord.”
Thank you Liz ! What an encouragement to us to know we are being prayed for – and we are praying for you and Peter and your beautiful family as well. I have read this excerpt several times since you sent it and it is so so good. So much truth and beauty. Thank you for sharing it.