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Togo is a small country in West Africa with a population of around four million, but with more than 30 different languages spoken. It has one of the largest groups of unreached animists in the whole of Africa. At its core, animism is the belief in a spiritual realm where the souls of humans, plants and animals all continue to live after the earthly bodies die. Worshipping idols and the souls of long-dead ancestors is common.
Sena and Jane Ounate-Lare, currently on the staff of Eglise de Belleville in Paris, are preparing to go to Dapaong, in the north of Togo, as Crosslinks mission partners. Their vision is to provide a church-planting ministry for outreach and discipleship among students and workers in the town. They will be working with a Togolese church,
(Ministère International de Jésus), who have about 40 established churches in the Savane (northern) region of the country.
Dapaong itself has a population of about 30,000 people, a large proportion of whom are animist. There is an active Muslim influence in the area, particularly in commercial circles, which has strong financial backing from outside countries. Around 30% of the population of the town are Catholic and only 5% Protestant.
Sena is Togolese and Jane is English, and they have both completed a course in biblical and cross-cultural studies at All Nations Christian College. Jane has also been learning French in preparation for their work West Africa.
They have visited Dapaong twice in the last thee years, and have felt affirmed by God's call to serve him there. During their visits they were able to establish contact with leaders of other churches in the area as well as meeting with mission workers there.
Sena and Jane have one son, Joshua, and they are expecting their second child this summer. They are looking forward to beginning their ministry in Togo and to being involved in what God is doing in the country.
If you would like to know more about Sena and Jane and how you can support them, contact Crosslinks.
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August 2003 index
