Following the Bright Red Van
Phil and Judy Hutton
In September, 2005, we had the opportunity to participate in a short-term mission trip to Togo, West Africa. Our team consisted primarily of medical workers traveling to serve at Hopital Baptiste Biblique. Judy’s role as a registered nurse presented a variety of diversity as a part of this team—through the operating room, delivery area, in patient wards and the clinic. Phil was the only non-medical member of the team with expertise in maintenance and construction. He had opportunity to assist around the hospital in repair of equipment (ventilators) and machinery (hospital washer and dryer), in various building projects, and also in the homes of missionaries.
After nearly two weeks of service in Togo, our team was concluding our ministry by traveling north to Mango to see the new field there that was being considered for ministry expansion. Our Mango crew consisted of a caravan of two vans. The first van was the bright red “Hopital Baptiste Biblique” van, which is seemingly very well-known throughout the country by the Togolese. We were in the second van, a hired blue taxi.
As usual in Togo, during our trip, we came upon a checkpoint stop in the road that was guarded by armed Togolese men called “Gendarmes.” Traffic was backing up in the extreme heat of the day due to the stop. The red hospital van was several vehicles in front of us, but we noted that due to its recognition, the Gendarmes waved them right on through the checkpoint.
As it became our turn to approach the Gendarmes, we weren’t really sure what they would be expecting of us. The Gendarmes proceeded to demand money for us to pass through the checkpoint. The only French-speaking member of our team identified us to the guards as also being part of the Hopital Baptiste Biblique team, which had just passed earlier in the red van. The guards proceeded to accept a smaller contribution than originally demanded because one stated that his relative had just been to the hospital and his life was saved. They allowed us to pass through without further incident.
For the majority of our trip, it seemed that due to the well-known ministry of Hopital Baptiste Biblique, we were always allowed to pass through checkpoints because of the red van. The reputation of the hospital was definitely apparent throughout the country, and the hospital’s life-changing ministry was familiar to many.
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