Kokouvi and Gros

This summer we heard about a child who was blind in a village about an hour and a half away from our school. We went to visit this child and see if they would be interested in coming to our school. That day we met Kokouvi and his brother Gros, who is also blind. Kokouvi is 12 years old and comes from a very poor family. He has never had the opportunity to attend school, due to his disability. When we explained to the family that our school is for people who are blind, they were thrilled. They didn’t know that their children would ever be able to attend school. When their parents arrived to drop them off, they were amazed at Braille and how the students can read with their fingers. Kokouvi has started the Kindergarten and doing very well! He is trying very hard to learn French and Braille. Pray for his studies to go well!

Please pray also for Kokouvi’s salvation. He has not yet accepted Jesus as his Savior. He also has been having terrible nightmares that seem very demonic. He says he wakes up terrified to leave his bed. Spiritual warfare like this is a very present reality here in Togo. Please pray for protection and for him to know the saving power we have in Jesus!

Gros is the 17 year old brother of Kokouvi. Gros is French for “big”, which is ironic because our Gros is pretty small! But he has a big heart! His family is very poor and because of his disability, Gros has had a difficult life. One day I noticed a bald spot on the top of his head. Thinking it might be ring worm, I asked him about it. Gros said that he has always had that spot because the only way he can make money in his village to eat is to carry water for people. Because he does this so frequently, he has developed a bald spot from the pressure of the buckets. When we met with his family in the village and asked if he was interested in coming to school, he immediately changed into his nicest clothes, packed his bag, and said he was ready to go back to the school with us to start right away. His family is too poor to send him with any money for school fees or his food, so they sent us with a chicken and a bag of corn instead! What a beautiful picture to see Gros come from an impoverished family with no opportunities, where he was forced to beg and work a very hard job for very little money, to be able to go to school, have friends with similar struggles, and to have an open door for opportunities and to know our God!