August Conference
Just over a month ago, our family arrived back home in Ghana after a two-month furlough. We were immediately immersed in preparations for our church’s 11th Annual Pastors’ and Workers’ Conference, which was held August 15-18. We thank the Lord that the conference was a huge success, with over 500 registered delegates. Our family helped to host Dr. Mark Bosje, the director of our mission board, as well as Pastor Dean Noonan and Bro. Matt Kielas of Faith Baptist Church, Milwaukee, and Pastor and Mrs. Laura Stauffacher of Berean Baptist Church, Galesville, Wisconsin. (Laura is Maria’s sister!) These visitors were a great blessing to our family, our church, and our conference. Maria also taught in the ladies’ conference.
Furlough
Of the many blessings during our furlough, please allow me to share just one: I served in the Bus Ministry at the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, from 1995-2009. During that time I was a worker, captain, and driver in Aurora, Illinois (which was over an hour away!). When Pastor David Hemphill of Valley Baptist Church in Oswego, Illinois, invited our family to present our work at his church, I was thrilled because his church is just south of Aurora. A few weeks in advance, I created a Facebook event for the meeting and sent invites to all our former bus riders I could find on Facebook. About a dozen replied that they would attend, but that Sunday we were blessed to see at least 44 former bus riders and family members! How wonderful it was to see these people we have loved for years. I led two of the visiting young men to the Lord, and Maria won a lady to Christ that day.
Churches and friends and family were so good to us while we were in the States! We are honored to be their missionaries to Ghana. An added blessing is that two of the churches we visited have agreed to take our family on for support.
Fields Already to Harvest
Just after arriving back in Ghana, we had to take a taxi; Maria asked the driver about his family. He told us of the recent death of his two-month-old child. Maria and I shared the Gospel with him, and he was happily saved. In the grocery store the other day, three ladies walked up to Maria and asked her about salvation. She led two of them—Rebecca and Mabel—to Christ! Then last week Benjamin came to my office selling wallpaper. I took the opportunity to share the Gospel with him. He was visibly moved to find the truth about salvation.
Prayer Requests
Pray for these new converts. Also, pray that God blesses our Sunday school class with many visitors and our Bible college with new students in September. Pray that God allows us to make an eternal difference in their lives.
Thank you for believing in us!
Michael, Maria, John, Joy, Faith, and Ben