Togo Mission
By Willian Ryan @ 9:19 AM :: 4301 Views :: 8 Pages
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St. Gabriel’s Telephone Booth

It was a great day when we were able to bring to Atchanvé the first telephone in the history of the village. Cell phones just can’t get a reliable connection here, but very fortunately the Togolese phone company recently installed an antenna for its wireless phones in a town about 20 kilometers away, which now provides coverage for this area.

So I purchased two wireless telephones – one, which has an internet connection, for the mission, and another for a “cabine telephonique” for the villagers. I have been amazed at the demand that there has been for the phone here. We are very remote, but the village is large, and a lot of people have family members who have moved to Lomé, the capital, to other towns in Togo, or even to nearby countries. I recall the happy look on an old man’s face on Christmas day when he was able to speak with two of his children who are currently in Burkina Faso, the country to the north of Togo.

Searching the internet, I found out that the patron saint of the telephone is St. Gabriel the Archangel. (Of course. Who else?). So we have named the phone booth “Cabine Téléphonique Saint Gabriel” and have placed it under his patronage.

A young artist from the village uses chalk to design a sign for the new phone booth.