In 2016, I traveled to Togo, West Africa for the first time on a mission trip with my local church. I had no idea what to expect, but God radically changed my heart on that trip. It was then that the dream of Renew Global was birthed.

While in Togo, I was burdened with the realities of a developing country.

What I saw is that circumstances really can dictate a person’s hopes and dreams for their life. Over 55% of the population in Togo lives on $1/day and 70% live on less than $2/day. 82% of the rural population lives in poverty. I started asking myself, “What can I do to bring hope to these new friends?”

Full transparency, most of my motives were self focused. What can I do? What can I give? What would I want?

Slowly, God began to change my heart and show me a different perspective. It wasn’t about what I could do for the people of Togo, but rather what does God want to use me for. I had an answer to that question, but no idea how to execute it, so I kept returning any chance I got. 8 years after I went on my first mission trip, I found myself in Togo for the 5th time. During a prayer night, I was given a prophetic word by one of the local missionaries we were working with. He told me that God had showed him something, and then he proceeded to tell me my entire dream that I had had back in 2016. A dream no one knew except me, God, and now him.

After that trip to Togo, I sought vision and direction from the Lord and what you see now is what He revealed to me in the quiet places. It’s a joy to bring this to life and watch God continue to open doors in Togo - and hopefully one day beyond!

This picture was taken in 2016, at the end of my first trip to Togo. My friend, Pastor Sam, and I were talking about the week and I asked him what he thought was the one thing that I could put my energy and efforts towards that would make the biggest difference. He said, “Educate the children.” It was that moment that Renew Global was birthed.