Dear Friend,
Recently I received a letter from a high school student at one of our supporting churches. I was asked about religious persecution in Ghana. I thought my answer to this student would be a good starting point for our prayer letter this month.
Our family has experienced no persecution in the five years we have been here in Ghana. Ghana enjoys freedom of religion. We are very welcome here, and there is a great open door for us to minister here. However, some of our converts do suffer extreme negative pressure from their own families and sometimes at their workplaces due to their newfound faith in Christ.
Jennifer: When Jennifer started attending our church, she helped our nextdoor neighbor with cooking and cleaning. Jennifer was a faithful member of our Sunday school class for over a year. However, the family she was working for moved, and Jennifer had to find another job. Jennifer started working for a seamstress. Her coworkers went to a different church. They started ridiculing Jennifer for our church’s (and the Bible’s) teaching that once you are saved, you are always saved. Due to their taunting, Jennifer stopped attending our church. I hope you will pray for Jennifer; I know God can continue to work in her heart.
Francisca: During the time Jennifer attended our church, she brought her friend Francisca to church. Francisca worked for and lived with a Muslim family. Still Francisca came to our church faithfully for several months and was even baptized. However, the Muslim family did not want Francisca to attend our church. They wanted Francisca to convert to Islam. Due to their pressure, Francisca stopped coming to our church and avoided my wife’s calls.
Our Sunday school class kept praying for Francisca. For her birthday we all signed a birthday card for her. My wife delivered the card to her, along with a gift; Francisca’s heart was touched. On that day Francisca made the decision to follow Christ! Soon Francisca quit that job and moved to the Northern Region. While she was in the Northern Region, Francisca called my wife several times saying that she was saving her money so she could move back to Kumasi—and she did! Francisca is now living in Adankwame, and she came back to church this month! Praise the Lord!
Other News: My convert Charles came to church this past Sunday and was baptized. Joel, Joseph, and Bempah are new students at our Bible college. College student Samuel was in a serious traffic accident; pray for his recovery.
Please pray for these I have mentioned. Thank you again for your support for our family!
Mike, Maria, John, Joy, and Faith