The call was unexpected. The village chief of Fanidehoue wanted to meet with Esther Aglago.
Esther, a national director for ABWE’s Beautiful Feet ministries, had worked with her team in the chief’s village and surrounding areas to provide healthcare and education, eventually establishing five gospel-centered pregnancy ministries in this underserved region of Togo, Africa.
Good news was pouring in, but a call like this could also mean problems.
When Esther met with the chief, however, her fears were quickly eased. As he began to speak, joy burst across his face.
“Thank you for saving my people!” he exclaimed.
Since Beautiful Feet expanded its ministry into Togo in 2021, the staff has trained volunteers to serve at strategically located pregnancy ministries. As a result, maternal deaths have declined, babies’ lives are being saved, and mothers are learning about health, hygiene, and biblical teachings that encourage spiritual wellness.
The chief shared that it wasn’t just women being transformed by the ministry: when mothers and children were cared for, husbands were happier and families were thriving.
A Bigger Ministry Dream
Years earlier, the chief of Fanidehoue had found a Bible tract, called the number on the back, and given his life to Christ. Now, he hoped to expand the ministry in his village beyond mothers and children, saying that he longed to see his village come to know Jesus as Savior as he had.
Before Esther left her meeting with him, the chief told her that he was working on a gift for Beautiful Feet. Esther had heard similar promises from others before—ones that rarely came to fruition—so she didn’t think much of it.
A few weeks later, when she and her team returned to the village to serve with the pregnancy ministries, the chief asked them to follow him. As they walked, he stopped and revealed his gift: the land they stood on. It was being donated to Beautiful Feet to build a permanent pregnancy center and to plant a church.
More Village Impact
Since that gift of land was given, the Lord has continued to grow the ministry in Fanidehoue.
Esther’s father, an ABWE ministry partner serving with Live Global, helped the village drill a well and construct the new church building. Togolese nationals David and Abla Badabadi—who received theological training through another ABWE ministry—were commissioned to shepherd the congregation.
The church has already seen 16 baptisms, including several of the masons hired to help build it.
“They came to build a place of worship,” Esther writes, “and were saved in the process.”
Another woman was re-baptized after realizing her first baptism had taken place before she had genuine faith.
In the four years since Beautiful Feet began its work in this prefecture of Togo, the pregnancy ministry has flourished. The region now has 15 active ministries meeting the needs of women and families, improving outcomes for babies, and ultimately growing God’s church.
