Sent to Togo...

My first stop will be Togo...

My primary role closely reflects the priorities of our CLC foreign mission program. Namely, the training and on-going encouragement of pastors and students to be faithful preachers and teachers of God's saving word. 

In Togo and Ghana, I am picking up where Missionary Matt Ude left off from the work that he picked up where Missionary David Koenig left off. We continue to water the seed that the Lord has used others to plant as we rely on His grace for the growth!

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7 

In addition to visiting and preaching at the six congregations of the "Mission Evangelique Lutherienne de Confession du Togo" or the CLC-Togo, a couple of exciting events have been scheduled to take place in Togo while I'm there. 

Pastor Kossi has been working with five men since 2011 to train them to serve as pastors of the preaching stations/congregations that he has started outside of Lome. These men will complete their training and be ordained as Lutheran pastors in a special worship service while I am there. I will have the honor and privilege of preaching the sermon and presenting them with their ordination certificates while Pastor Kossi will preside over the rite of ordination. What a special time and opportunity to be on hand and participate in this big step that the Pastor Kossi and Missionary Ude have been working toward for these past several years. It has been four years since I have visited Togo and worked these men. I am eager to meet them again and begin this new phase of work. Praise the Lord for providing five more men to preach and proclaim the truth of His word in Togo. 

Pastor Kossi has also been working hard to establish a full-time Bible Training School so that more men may be properly trained for the Gospel ministry. A few years back he left his full-time employment as a school master and teacher in a public elementary school to pursue this work full-time. In the past year or so he has secured everything that is necessary to register the school with the government. He is planning an official dedication service while I am there. Local and national government officials have been invited and will be on hand for the dedication of this new school. The CLC has recently provided financial assistance to register the school. Once this has been completed, Pastor Kossi will be able to continue to train future pastors without government interference or any other churches or school causing him problems. This has been a long time coming and it will be exciting to see this plan come to fruition. 

For more information about our work in Togo, go to: www.lutheranmissions.org/nation/togo/