Here is this month's Bible-a-month Extra. Read on to find out how people are gathering together in Togo to listen to the Bible...
 

March 2018: Togo
People in Togo are using wind-up audio Bibles when they gather together to listen to God's Word. This month your support will help someone hear God's words in their own language.

  Togo
A typical market scene in Togo.


From the beautiful golden beaches along the coast of West Africa, Togo stretches over central mountains and into the northern savanna. It is a long, thin country that lies across six different geographic regions.

Nearly 8 million people live in Togo, making it one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. Many live in rural communities, relying on agriculture for their livelihood, but this life can be hard and about 55% are living below the poverty line. Of these 8 million people only 29% are Christian (20% of the population is Muslim, while a huge 51% base their lives on indigenous beliefs and practices).

The official language in Togo is French, but in total over 40 languages are spoken. The two main languages in the south are Ewe and Mina, while the two main languages in the north are Kabye and Dagomba.

Education is improving, with school enrolment fees eliminated in 2008. More children are now going to school but there is limited classroom space, teachers and materials, and enrolment in secondary education remains low. While education is improving for the children in Togo, there are many older people who have never learnt how to read or write.

Ladies gather together to listen to the Bible on a Proclaimer.

The Bible Society of Togo wants to reach everyone in their country with the Word of God. One way they are doing this is by helping to set up 'Faith Comes by Hearing Groups'.

For people who have never learnt how to read, the best way to engage with Scripture can be by listening to it. This can be done using a device called a Proclaimer - a wind-up audio Bible. The Bible Society of Togo is helping to supply these Proclaimers to people all over the country, and helping people to use them by setting up Listening Groups.

People can gather together to spend time listening to the Bible in their own language. They then have the space to discuss what they've heard and ask the leader questions. Setting up Listening Groups seems like a simple project but it is having such a huge impact on people's lives - and it's growing. 'Faith Comes by Hearing' is now running in eight languages in Togo (Kabye, Bassar, Lama, Konkomba, Yoruba, Moba, Mina and Ewe) and has groups in churches, schools and prisons.
Madam Mawuena holds her written Bible and her audio Bible. Having both of these is helping her to understand God's Word while she learns how to read.

Madam Mawuena has been attending a Bible Listening Group. She tells us how it has helped her:

"My name is Dorcas Mawuena and I am a deacon in the Assemblies of God Church of Kolokopé (Central region, in northern area of Togo). When I go home after listening to the Sunday sermon, I find myself not remembering much of anything because many things are not conveyed correctly by the person interpreting from French into Ewé (my language). I also tend to forget more because of that. When I listen to the Gospel in Ewé, using the Proclaimer, however, I remember so much more easily, and I obey as a result, because it is as if God is speaking to me directly. Since I have received a Bible in Ewé from Bible Society of Togo, I feel like the entire gospel resides in my heart now. After each listening session, I try to read some more and discover even more things through the reading of Scripture in my mother tongue, Ewé. I can only praise God and ask him to abundantly bless the lives and projects of those who gave us the gift of this Proclaimer and Bible in Ewé."

Pray Pray

Please pray for this work...

  • Thank God that last year over 200 new Listening Groups were started. Praise him for the opportunities he has given to the Bible Society of Togo.
  • Pray that even more people would go to the Listening Groups and that their lives would be impacted by the words that they hear.
  • Pray specifically for the Listening Groups held in prisons. Thank God for the permission to do this and pray that God's words of forgiveness would bring light into these dark places.
What will your £5 do? Give

This month your gift of £5 will help someone in Togo hear God's words in their own language.   

Thank you for your contribution as a Bible-a-month partner. If you would like to make an additional donation to this project you can do so online or by text.

Make an online donation now or text BAMC18£5 to 70070

We really appreciate the regular donations given through Bible-a-month. A simple way to give regularly is by setting up a direct debit. If you would be interested in finding out more about this then please get in touch with us using the contact details below.
Bible-a-month Extra

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