The Ministry of Jesus Togo

Gregg and Jayne Yarian 2017 W. Old Liberty Rd. Westminster, MD 21157 410-635-2708 theyarians@yahoo.com

August 2012

The Ministry of Jesus c/o Oakbrook Church 1700 Reston Pkwy. Reston, VA 20194 703-437-4900

Dear Friends and supporters, We thank God and we thank you for the amazing privilege of being able to move back to Togo. We leave on August 20.

Seminars On September 3 we start our annual seminar for High School students. This year we will be studying the historical books of the Bible. Then Gregg will be flying to Zambia to teach church history for a week before we start our seminar for university students on The Doctrine of Sin on September 24. A New Generation and A New Home In 1995, we went to Togo to train village pastors; now, we are returning to Togo to train the generation of their children to lead churches in towns and cities. The young leaders coming up through MIJ are vital to the future success of the church. Most of these leaders have benefited from the village schools started by The Ministry of Jesus and from being part of the Church since their childhood. Although few of these youth will return to live in their villages, they will be in a position to have a profound impact on the future of the village churches. As we return to Togo, we will no longer be living in Dapaong. Our residence will be in the Student Center in Kara where we will develop a training program for the university students from all MIJ churches.

Nakpergou and Nagbandjoa in front of the Kara church

Communication
We want very much to stay in touch with you while we are in Togo. If you arent sure that we have your current email address, please send us an email at our address above. If you are on Facebook, please like The MinistryofJesusTogo on Facebook. We will be using Skype to communicate from Togo. If you use Skype please look up gregg and jayne yarian
Yes, our family has grown up. Angela, Jayne, Daniel, JoAnna, Gregg and Rebekah at Daniel and JoAnnas wedding on July 21.

From Village to City

One of the most important demographic and sociological factors affecting life in Africa today is the great migration of the young from villages to towns and cities. Many African cities are doubling in size every ten years. In Togo, almost all of the educated youth will leave the village. The scarcity of farmland is one of the driving forces behind this exodus. One of the challenges facing the African Church is reaching this great migration.
One of the greatest joys of the wedding was having Daniels best friend from Togo, Fousseni, with us.

Finance
We estimate that our return to Togo will lead to $500 per month in additional ministry expenses. In the first six months of 2012 we have taken in approximately $500 per month less than we will need to meet our budget for the year. Please prayerfully consider whether the Lord would use you to help supply this need.

African cities have their own culture and are made up of many subcultures. It is a challenge for the churches to reach these different groups. The town and city churches started by our partner church, Ministre International de Jsus, have mostly reached the people who are recent immigrants and who are like the people in the villages where MIJ started. One of our goals is to help the Kara church become a university church that reaches the educated of the multi-ethnic African Urban Culture. We believe that reaching this group will help give the church the leadership, financial stability and vigor that is needed to continue the work of reaching the unevangelized villages

Prayer
Pray for Pastor Nagbandjoas health. Nagbandjoa has had digestive issues for years and was recently hospitalized for two weeks. Now Claire, his wife, is hospitalized with a urinary problem. Since they moved to Kara they have had one problem after another and we believe that this is a matter of serious spiritual warfare. Pray Jaynes health. Jayne had serious health issues the last few years we lived in Togo and our ability to remain there requires that she be able to stay healthy.

Successful Students
We just received word from Pastor Nakpergou that 23 students from MIJ churches passed their BAC II (High School) exam. This is a very difficult exam which is usually passed by only a small percentage of students. We praise God for these amazing results!

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Psalm 145: 4, 13 Thank you for your part in helping us to disciple another generation to display Gods glory!

Jayne and Claire making fou fou. Nagbandjoa and Claire have been under great spiritual attack since they moved to Kara.

In the joyful service of the King, Gregg and Jayne Yarian