“. . . and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith . . . .” (Hebrews 12:1-2) Running and running and running seems to be the motto for our family and ministry in 2024. God has blessed us with great opportunities to serve the Deaf here in Kumasi with our school and church, plus opportunities outside of Kumasi. The absolute essential element is keeping our eyes on Jesus.
We thank God for our school, Hope Academy for the Deaf. We are still in the midst of securing all of the necessary certificates, and thanks be to God, there have been no hindrances. We had hoped that Hawa, pictured on the right, would become our newest student. When she learned of our school, she would often visit us. She comes from a Muslim family. Previously, she had only attended the government school for the Deaf for a year. Her language is very limited. Upon one of her visits, I asked Ali to share the Gospel with her, and now Jesus is her Saviour. Glory to God! Please pray that Hawa’s mother would allow her to enroll in our school and that nothing would hinder this.
We are praying that our school will be an “arm” of our ministry, reaching out to more Deaf souls here in Ghana. As mentioned in our last letter, we have been looking at several properties that could accommodate our needs. In February, our mission board director, Mark Bosje, along with Dr. Eddie Lapina and a couple other men, came with us to view some properties. We thank God for several churches who have already partnered with us in this incredible opportunity of giving our church plant a permanent property that would also allow us to expand our school. Please pray with us that we can raise our initial goal of $50,000. Should you want to have a part in this incredible opportunity, please send your donations to our FBMI account, #6117, and designate them as “Building Fund.”
In February and March, we had the privilege of hosting Bro. & Mrs. Phil (Anita) Kaatz from Faith Bible Baptist Church in Lapeer, Michigan. Bro. Phil works for Michigan State University Extension in their Agriculture Department. We were blessed that MSU funded the trip and sent the Kaatzes here to teach the Deaf specifically. They stayed for two weeks and educated the Deaf (and hearing) on either how to grow crops for a business or simply to help their families grow their own food. We also reached out to two Deaf schools, wanting to help them incorporate agriculture into their curriculum. This would give the Deaf more opportunities for future work. Please pray as we endeavor to grow this ministry.
Thank you for your prayers and support. Please pray for our school and church, as we will travel about five hours south to Cape Coast. I will be preaching at Spring Valley Baptist Church with Pastor Michael Anafo and at Living Word Baptist Church with Missionary Miguel Triano. They are hosting special services for the Deaf. We will also be taking our students to walk above the canopy of the rain forest and visit a historic former slave castle. We covet your prayers.
Your co-laborers for Christ,
Rocky, Melanie, Rocky II, Malachi, Tyler, and Marissa Hall
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- Hawa, a Deaf girl whom we hope will be able to attend Hope Academy for the Deaf
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- Phil & Anita Katz teaching our Deaf students and families about agriculture