Teach Women, Reach Africa
Women in Togo face many challenges. They are expected to rise early and clean the house: sweeping, cooking, doing the dishes, etc. They bathe the children and get them ready for school. Afterwards, they head to the field to work and/or to the market to sell their goods. They come home and must cook, clean, and get the kids ready for bed. By the end of the day they are exhausted and it seems there is no time for anything else. On top of this, many women in Togo may not have gone far in school and so they do not know how to read. These are just some of the reasons women find it incredibly hard to read their Bibles and spend time studying the Scriptures. Abra herself did not realize the importance of reading and studying the Bible for herself until she began to study under ABWE missionary, Beky Poteat.
At age 15, Abra had gone to church at the encouragement of her school principal. The lesson that Sunday was on Nebuchadnezzar. Abra heard how God took care of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Growing up in an idol worshiping family, Abra says that she knew God could not take care of her because she did not know Him. As the pastor continued to talk about God’s care for these men, Abra knew she needed to know God. That same day, Abra made a decision to give her life to God.
Timidity and a lack of confidence marked Abra in her early ministry. Apprehensively, she began teaching children as her pastor urged her to get involved in teaching. The lessons she taught helped her learn more about God as well. Abra’s ministry paused for a time after she married and began to have children. However, she soon started back up in children’s and even began to teach small groups of women in her church at the encouragement of Beky. Even after studying discovering that teaching was her spiritual gift, Abra still feared large crowds and felt uncertain of her abilities. Beky and several other women encouraged Abra to take a large step of faith and teach a regional conference for pastor’s wives. Still feeling insecure, she refused telling Beky she would translate and help in any other way she was able but could not teach on her own. Continued encouragement from Beky and the other women gave Abra the confidence she needed to teach at the conference. This was the inroad to Abra’s ministry to laywomen and pastor’s wives.
Now, Abra leads courses teaching pastor’s wives. She has led them in courses on Bible Study Methods, Old Testament, and New Testament. Continuing to use her teaching gifts, Abra is currently leading a group of pastor’s wives in a course on how to conduct themselves well and to have a fruitful marriage and ministry. With other church women, Abra has taught courses on forgiveness as well as teaching them about various women in the Bible taking care to show which women are exemplary and which are cautionary.
The multiplication of disciple making disciples is the foremost goal in Abra’s ministry. She states, “The goal is that they will teach others who will teach others to teach others”. In propagating the Word of God diligently and intentionally, Abra hopes that it will spread far beyond her village and those that neighbor. “My dream is that the Word of God will go where I cannot!”
Send the Word of God where you and Abra cannot go.
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Reach women, Reach Africa.
** If you are interested in more information on how you can be involved in this ministry, you can contact Beky Poteat for more information: rpoteat@abwe.cc