October was a sobering month for us. We were reminded of the urgency and importance of our mission here.
• On October 7, my convert and friend, Dennis Amponsah, went to be with the Lord. I won him to Christ back in March 2018. The next month, a work accident left him paralyzed. He suffered greatly for over four years. Dennis was a good man who kept a good attitude; he did not allow his situation to cause him to become bitter with God. However, I am very thankful that Dennis is now free from pain and walking with His Saviour. His wife Safia works for our church; and their children, Prosper, Johnson, and Gifty, attend our Christian school. Pray for God to sustain them. Pastor Philip Gafatsi, one of our national pastors, will be preaching the funeral, which will be held in a different region. Please pray for souls to be saved.
• The next day, on October 8, I preached the funeral of our former church member, Emmanuel Opoku. He was 68. Mr. Opoku came for the first time in September 2013 after having been invited by his friend and our class member, Jacob Williams. We thank God that Mr. Opoku heard the Gospel and trusted Christ at that time. He was baptized and joined our church the same month. My converts, Peter Akwasi-Frimpong and Patrice Asante, accompanied me. When I preached, there were about 200 in attendance, and they listened very well. At the end, about 12-15 responded with uplifted hands that they were deciding to trust Christ alone as their Saviour. Several of Mr. Opoku’s family attended our church the next day; his daughter Abigail was one of those who attended. She lives fairly close to our church and has visited our services several times. I am praying that she would start attending our church faithfully.
• I preached a second funeral on the 20th. This was the funeral of Nana Kwame Afriyie. He died unexpectedly at the age of 57. We thank God that he knew Jesus as His Saviour. He left behind his wife Mary, a faithful member of our class, and three children, Francis (12), Gifty (6), and Benjamin (3). Mary says the kids just adored their father. Please pray for them. Brother Peter and Brother Patrice were a great help with this funeral as well. There were about 100 or so in attendance, but there were several distractions while I was preaching. Still, I could pick out a couple dozen individuals in the crowd who were listening intently. When I gave the invitation, about 12 indicated that they knew they were wrong to trust their goodness and were deciding to trust Christ alone for salvation. One lady who was listening well, Yaa Asantewaa (pictured below), came up to me afterwards and thanked me for the message. When I questioned her, it was apparent to me that she had indeed understood salvation. Praise the Lord! Please pray for this lady.
I look forward to seeing Dennis, Emmanuel, and Nana Kwame again in Heaven one day; you will get to meet them too! Thank you for your investment in the work here in Ghana. Please pray for God to comfort the families of these men and that their lost family members would be saved.
Your servants and His,
Mike, Maria, John, Joy, Faith, & Ben
Missionary Mike Sarver with new convert Yaa Asantewaa