“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
(Ephesians 6:10-12)
Round One
In our last report, we were giving thanks and praising God for what He was doing in His church. Then, what felt like out of nowhere—a hook, a jab, and an upper-cut from the Devil. First my backpack, containing my Bible and glasses, was stolen from my vehicle. Just a couple of days later, my truck broke down. What we thought should have been an easy fix was not. After spending over $1,000 on everything that was breaking and switching mechanics, we got to the root of all the problems, which cannot be fixed. It has done its damage, and we need a new engine. In the midst of me going back and forth with the mechanic, our son Tyler fell 12 feet from a tree and landed on his head on the pavement, splitting his head open. Praise God, all that was needed was stitches, and there were no other complications. This is just few examples; we were getting hit from every direction. Quite honestly, only by the grace of God were we on our feet, very much winded, but on our feet.
Ding-Ding-Ding! Round Two
At the end of May, we celebrated two of our members, Ali and Elizabeth, getting married. We were thrilled for this couple, as they have sought to honor God in every aspect of their relationship. While they got married in Elizabeth’s father’s church, the couple insisted that I preach a sermon of salvation during their ceremony. Several Deaf put their faith in Christ that day! The Monday after their wedding, we were out of town when we received a call that one of our newer members, Dorcas, who was eight months pregnant, had unexpectedly passed away. We know she is in Heaven, but this was a blow right in the gut.
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness . . . .” (II Corinthians 12:9)
Ding-Ding-Ding! Round Three
Dorcas’s funeral arrangements were proving to be difficult. Mary, the grandmother of the baby that passed with Dorcas, came to visit our church seeking help. We called Bro. DaCoster from Fundamental Baptist Church International to come and witness to Grandma Mary. She most gladly put her faith in Christ alone for salvation and immediately wanted to be baptized. At the same time, my wife and Elizabeth were able to share the Gospel with a Deaf woman, Ama. Thankfully, Ama got it settled that day. Two new names were written down in Heaven! A month later, several men from the church and I attended the funeral for Dorcas and the baby. Many heard the Gospel, and many trusted Christ that day. In fact, in the month of July, we saw 25 Deaf receive Christ as their Saviour. God packs a mighty punch!!!
Reflecting on these moments, we are awfully grateful for those around the globe going to God on behalf of our needs, our safety, and the Deaf here in Ghana. Please pray for our work here. With one of our training centers already open and the second to be open soon, we will be going full force at the beginning of September. Our next phase is starting a school, also in September. This will be small and located on our church property to start. Please pray for wisdom and guidance, as we are still searching for a property for the school. Lastly, please pray for the provision for our vehicle. We need to replace the engine, and it is expensive; but as of right now, the mechanic cannot even find one.
. . . but God!
Your co-laborers for Christ,
Rocky, Melanie, Rocky II, Malachi, Tyler, and Marissa Hall
-
- Bro. DaCoster, from Fundamental Baptist Church International, came to witness to Grandma Mary.
-
- Melanie and Elizabeth were able to share the Gospel with a Deaf woman by the name of Ama, and she got saved!
-
- Ali and Elizabeth, two of our Deaf members, got married in May!
-
- Grandma Mary got baptized.