“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17) We just finished the very arid season of Harmattan. This is where the Sahara Desert wind blows down and coats West Africa with dust. It is a time when a person can guzzle down a liter of water and still feel parched. This is much like the spiritual situation for the Deaf here in Ghana. Even though they attend church services faithfully, they go throughout their lives athirst. They believe that if they just quit sinning, do enough good works, and be faithful to church, they can have a home in Heaven. We praise God for the team of church members that go out regularly, telling these precious souls to “come” and learn of the good news of salvation! We also give thanks to God for the five who came forward in January and February, stirring the baptistery waters yet again.
These past few months, we have had an unusual number of weddings and funerals within the Deaf community. Deaf culture is extremely collective. Deaf people actively seek ways to come together, as they are easily able to communicate with each other. These events are perfect opportunities to share the Gospel. While we still may be outsiders because we are Americans, our church members are very much a part of this close-knit community. Enthusiastically and faithfully, they have taken the Gospel to their longtime friends, whom they may not see every day. We thank God for the many souls who have trusted Christ in this outreach.
A growing, but good, concern has struck the hearts of several of our members, as well as our own children. This burden has been for their hearing family members and friends to know Christ as their Saviour. It has prompted many of them to take action. For instance, our children asked our good friend, Bro. DaCoster Asubonteng, and some of the young men from Fundamental Baptist Church International to go with them in sharing the Gospel with their neighborhood football (soccer) buddies. We praise God for three of their friends trusting Christ as their Savior. At the request of Johnson Owusu, one of our Deaf members, Bro. DaCoster and his crew were able to share the Gospel with Johnson’s father, family members, and neighbors. Upon hearing the good news with Johnson’s family, Ali Rashid, one of our staff man, asked Bro. DaCoster to witness to his family. Several family members and friends trusted Christ. Then, at a follow-up visit with Ali’s family, Bro. Mike Sarver and Bro. David Addo from FBCI were able to answer many questions posed by his family. Praise God, at the end of the visit, those who were still trusting in their good works repented and put their faith in Christ alone!
The year 2021 had many blessings for our church and family. As a result of your partnering with us, we had a total of 70 Deaf souls come to know Christ for the year. We look forward to what God is going to do in 2022 here in Ghana. We are praying for you all to have a fruitful and blessed year.
Your co-laborers for Christ,
Rocky, Melanie, Rocky II, Malachi, Tyler, and Marissa Hall
Bro. Mike Sarver and Bro. David Addo from Fundamental Baptist Church International witnessed to a number of Bro. Ali Rashid’s family, who is one of our staff men.