BY: Ann Shackelford

               For many years we have participated in Samaritan Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.  We encouraged each person to include a personal letter or note in their box.

               In 2009 our shoeboxes went to Lome’, Togo in Africa.  Even though the person that received one of my boxes discarded the note I placed in my box,  God, later placed the note into the hands of Attiogbey Elisee, a 19 year old boy raised in an orphanage for 10 years. 

               Attiogbey kept the letter and in 2015, five years later, Attiogbey had taught himself to speak and write English (his people speak French).  I have included in this message a picture of my hand written note along with the letter I received from Attiogbey November 2015.  We now text one another and this past summer (July 16 – 30, 2019) I paid a visit to Lome’, Togo along with my granddaughter, Crystal Shackelford.  We had two blessed weeks to meet Attiogbey for the first time along with his mother, best friend Emanuel and the vicinity of Lome’. 

               I will continue to update our mission trip each month. ~ Ann Shackelford