Ozments in Tamale

First Baptism for converts from Wayamba

2009-10-12T03:32:00.000-07:00

After services Sunday October 11 we took Adam Issah and Sanatu Napadoo to the Seed Ministry Compound to be baptized. It was a wonderful experience for all of us. Hopefully these are the first of many in the future. We hardly recognized Sanatu without all the traditional coverings. The group picture shows Peggy, Sanatu, Adam,Pastor Baako, Pastor Daniel and myself. Pray for these two and all those God will touch at Wayamba.

The Renovation Work Complete

2009-09-27T04:48:00.000-07:00

This week we saw the completion of the renovation work at the seminary library completed. These pictures show how nice everything is now. Peggy and Sue are shown cataloguing and cleaning the books before we reopened it.The renovation work and the books that have been purchased for the library are the result of the generosity and mission spirit of the members of Pinedale Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL.

Renovation of the Library at the Seminary

2009-09-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks we have been having renovation work done at the library of the Northern Ghana Baptist Theological Seminary where I Peggy and I have been working for almost three years. The first picture was taken after the old wooden door was removed and the opening enlarged to take the new glass door. This also gives a good shot of the ceiling which was installed last week. Before there was no ceiling and the rafters and metal roof were visible. The next picture shows the holes in the walls where the old windows have been removed. The third picture shows two of the three new sliding glass windows that have installed. The last picture shows the new door being installed. The young man doing the masonry work and plastering in the pictures is a Muslim and he is now painting the walls and putting a finish coat of paint on the ceiling. Pray that he will be influenced by his exposure to believers. All of this work is made possible by the generous members of Pineview Baptist Church who also gave the funds three years ago to purchase most of the books in the library. Their gifts were processed through the Cooperative Program of the SBC. Peggy and I along with the staff and student body wish to express our thanks to everyone who had a part and we pray that God will richly bless you from the depths of His matchless grace.

Opposition at Wayamba

2009-09-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Peggy, Sue Jaynes, Baako and I went to Wayamba at the regular time today after not having services last Sunday because of heavy rain. John was there to open the classroom for us but he also had some disturbing news. Last week the leaders at the mosque in Wayamba had a special meeting and told all the parents they should not permit their children to go to church anymore. This affected the attendance at Adam's bible club Sat. and it was evident in our attendance today. There were only 12 children rather than the thirty or so we normally have. We did have three adults from the village. The elder who has professed Christ, the grandmother who is a believer and Adam who is a new convert himself. Sue led the children in some new songs and John led them in some Ghanaian songs. I told the story of Joseph, and Baako preached. When we first came to Wayamba there was no open opposition to what we were doing now we have seen acts of opposition for the last three weeks. This tells us that the devil and the Muslims are concerned about what God is doing. All we can do is be faithful and keep going back with the gospel. The rest is up to God. It is His battle not ours. Please pray that the new believers will not become discouraged. We are talking about having baptism for those who are ready on October 11, hopefully at the Seed Ministry Baptistery. Keep us in your prayers.

Sept. 6, 2009 at Wayamba

2009-09-09T03:24:00.000-07:00

The bottom picture is of Adam and his new bike. Adam is one of our early converts at Wayamba and he is being discipled and trained to start and lead a Bible club, by the Seed Ministry. He needed a bike to travel from the village to the Seed Ministry so we used money given by the children in VBS at New Harmony Baptist church near Savanah, TN to get him one. A teenaged girl was being trained with him. Call her "S." When her father found out she had become a believer he punished her and told her she was not to attend church anymore. She is also being shunned by family and friends. They are all Muslim. She came to me and apologized and asked forgiveness for not coming to church. I told her she had done nothing wrong. She is still a child under her father's authority. She must obey him but no one can undo the change that took place in her heart when she accepted Christ. When she is an adult she can worship God as He leads her. For some, the cost of being a Christian is difficult. Pray for "S" and pray that God will change her father's heart. The top picture is of Peggy sharing the story of Zacchaeus.

T4T class at the Seed Ministry in Tamale

2009-08-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

This past week I was privileged to teach T4T to 22 young men and boys from villages around Tamale. Each morning Monday through Wednesday I taught them stories from the Bible from 9:00 am until about 12:00 pm. In the evenings they were taught F.A.I.T.H. To start the first session I helped them write their own story about their salvation. Then I taught them God's Story through stories from the Bible. After each story there was a question and answer session about the story. Then we arranged the chairs in a circle and I had them one by one tell as much or all of the story as they could. John Haruna served me well as translator. Once the circle was completed we would go back around doing the same thing in the opposite direction. By the time we had completed this process they all knew the story well, and we had all laughed until our sides ached as they ribbed each other for their mistakes. I used what I call "Creation to Christianity" as the panorama story. Some of the other stories they learned were; "The Story of Jesus," "Jesus and Nicodemus," "Jesus and the Demonic Man," "The Story of the Good Samaritan," and "Philip and the Man from Africa." Wednesday night the students were divided into two groups. Each group spent the next four days in a village. One of those villages was Wayamba. There was a leader with each group and they went through the villages using the F.A.I.T.H. evangelism method along with storying to tell people about Jesus and how to become a believer. One of the young men who participated was Adam who lives in Wayamba and was one of our first converts. He is now sharing Jesus with others. Pastor Daniel Haruna and his son John worked with the group at Wayamba. They slept in the school at the village at night on mats on the concrete floor. It is a blessing to see young people so loving, dedicated and fearless as these. The group at Wayamba will worship with us this Sunday in the village. I hope that God will move in the hearts of young people around the world to adopt the caring attitude of these guys. Maybe this will inspire someone out there to go and do the same.

Birthday for the Triplets

2009-08-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Thursday August 27, 2009 marked the first birthday of the triplets at Anfanni's Children's home. We had a little party and presented each of the three sisters with a baby doll. There was also birthday cake. The pictures show the volunteer staff along with Emelia, the manager of the facility which was started by her aunt, and all 9 of the children that are being cared for there at this time. The white lady in the center is Kay Raybe from B.C in Canada. She has just returned from 3 weeks in a hospital in Accra. She will be going home in September. The other white lady is Vera, a volunteer from somewhere in Europe. Peggy and I get a turn holding some of God's precious little ones. Its one of the fringe benefits of being here.

Storying with the Chief

2009-08-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

The first of this week Pastor Daniel of Zagyuri Baptist Church suggested that I attend the Friday meeting of the Chief and elders at Wayamba, because we needed to ask a favor. Next week I will be teaching a group of young men storying using Training for Trainers. The training sessions will take place at the Seed Ministry operated by Bob and Bonnie Parker. The young men are being trained by the Seed Ministry as part of their Children's Bible Club ministry which is reaching over 6,000 kids in over 160 villages in Northern Ghana. There will be about 20 in the training sessions and half of them will go to Wayamba to practice what I teach them in the village. The other half will go to another village. We needed to get permission from the chief and elders for them to spend Wed through Sat. night in the village school. Attending the meeting would also offer us an opportunity to share a Bible story with the chief and elders, all who are Muslim. This morning after a short rain delay we went to the meeting at the chief's palace. This gave me the opportunity to dress in my smock and cap that was presented to me when I was made an honorary elder of the village last week. We were granted permission to have the trainees stay at the school and I told the chief and the elders the story of Jesus and Nicodemus. Daniel suggested I use this story because most of these men are older and have said that they were too old to become followers of Jesus. I wish you could have been there. The Chief was siting on his throne of animal skins on an elevated platform and the elders were all seated around on the floor. While I storied, they shelled corn which had just been harvested, and was piled all around the interior of the building.I told them that Nicodemus was not a young man but older like them and that he became a follower of Jesus even though he at first had doubts and fears just like them. They expressed appreciation for the story and I look forward to telling them other stories in the future. They told me that they liked the fact that followers of Jesus love their fellow man and they said they were glad that I showed them that love, and that they wished me to know that they considered me their brother. God is at work in Wayamba. Pray that the harvest of souls will be as blessed as their harvest of corn.

Sunday Afternoon at Zagyuri Baptist Church

2009-08-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon I had scheduled a Storying class for those who would come at Zagyuri Baptist Church where pastor Daniel is the leader. He had invited me and I agreed, but Sunday afternoon I did not want to go. I just was not into it. Maybe I was tired. Maybe I was lazy. Maybe I just did not feel like it. I had a bad attitude. The missionary needed a missionary. In my defense I went even though I did not want to. When I got there there was no one but the pastor. We waited 15 or 20 min. and still no one. I said God I'll give youe 5 more min. and if no one shows I'm outa here. I need a nap. In the next few min. 3 womwn and one young man came in. We started. God took over and I got excited. Five more women came along with their small children. It was maybe the best teaching on storying I've been a part of. I told the story, Daniel translated. Then he told the story with out a hitch, and then the young man, Zakaria told the story to perfection. I turned to the ladies and said, "ok ladies your turn." They did a group thing each one told as much as they could remem,ber then the opthers would help them. They all promised to be back next week and I promised God I'll have a better attitude. Here is the story they learned
Creation to the Church:
In the beginning there was only God. God spoke and created the world and everything in it. The last thing He created was man and woman. God loved them greatly. He supplied everything they needed in a garden, and visited them there. One day they disobeyed God and broke their fellowship with Him, so He banned them from the garden. The man and woman had children and their children had children, and their children had children, filling the world with people, but they also disobeyed. God stilled loved man so He chose one named Abraham and told him that He would give him a son and make Himself a people from his descendants. God promised to bless the whole world through Abraham’s descendents. Abraham was old and had no children, but he believed God. Because Abraham believed God, God counted Abraham righteous. God gave Abraham a son, as promised. Abraham’s son had children and his children had many children and God made them His people. They also disobeyed God. God sent messengers to tell His people how to be right with Him. One of these was a man named Isaiah. Isaiah brought a message from God about a promised savior. He said, “We have all gone against God, but God will send a Savior who will take our sins on Himself. He will be whipped, beaten and will die for our sins, but God will give Him life again, and because of Him we can have a right relationship with God.” From that day on, God’s people waited for the promised Savior to come. God remembered His promise and sent Jesus, His very own Son, to be the Savior. Jesus proved to men that He was that Savior by His message of love and repentance, and by performing miracles such as healing the sick. Not every one recognized who Jesus was, but many followed Him and He taught those who did. He told them if they followed Him they would have eternal life. He said, “Those who believed in me are in my hand, and no one could take them away from me, and He said, “I and the Father are the same. When He said that, it made those who did not follow Him angry, and they plotted to kill Him. Just like the prophet Isaiah said, they beat Jesus and whipped Him and killed Him, and just like he said, Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus proved that He had come back from the dead by showing Himself to His followers for forty days. He told them that soon He would leave them, but He would send God’s Spirit to empower them to tell people about Him. Jesus told them to go into all the world, telling people about Him, and teaching them to obey everything He told them. Those who believed were baptized to show that they had obeyed God and were following Him. Later, Jesus went up into heaven. As His followers watched Him, two angels said, “Jesus has gone but one day He will return the same way He left.” From that time the followers of Jesus have waited for His return and have told others about Him. Those who believe in Jesus are baptized, showing that they have obeyed God and are following Him by faith in Jesus Christ. That is what believers do, they tell others about Jesus, and those who believe are baptized showing their faith in Jesus. Believers also come together to worship God, to learn about Jesus and to take care of one another’s needs. I am a follower of Jesus and I tell people about Him. I hope you will think of these things and also become a follower of Jesus.

Sunday morning at Wayamba

2009-08-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we were encouraged to see not only repeat attenders but to also see some that came because we invited them Saturday. The two young men next to the door in the second picture and the older lady siting in the middle of the group in the last picture all came as a result of the visits Daniel and I made on Saturday. The two younger ladies behind the older lady are repeats from last week as are all of the older children. John has his hands full with so many in the younger children group so Peggy and Lansah gave him some help. After telling the Creation to the Church story I had several very good questions like, "what is the church," "how is a Christian able to obey God," and "what did the man and woman do that caused God to ban them from the garden?" it is an encouragement to see thy interest and thirst for knowledge on the faces of those who are willing to come from their Muslim surroundings and attend a meeting led by those who follow Jesus. Keep us and the people of Wayamba in your prayers.

The making of an Elder at Wayamba

2009-08-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

We were summoned to go and meet with the chief of Wayamba on Thursday, August 6, 2009. When we arrived at the chief's palace we were informed that the chief wished to make me one of his elders in appreciation for the gift of water we had brought to the village school. It is a great honor and I was presented with a smock and matching cap to designate me as one of the elders. I have been given the name "Zosimli Naa" which means " Good Friend of the Chief." There is a great feeling of family between us and the people of Wayamba, and they have extended to us the place of kinship. We visited the chief's two wives. The lady on the left is the senior wife of the Chief. The second lady is the junior wife. This will open more opportunities for us to share Jesus with the people, and our words will have more influence with them now that we have the support of the chief and the elders. We praise God for all that He is doing and will do.

Zagyuri Baptist Church

2009-08-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

If you have been keeping track of our blog you know that Pastor Daniel Haruna and his son John of Zagyuri Baptist Church , pictured here, have been and continue to be instrumental in our work in the nearby village of Wayamba. Daniel was the one who made us aware of Wayamba in the beginning, who got us an audience with the chief, and has been faithful to go with me anytime I need him. He goes there on his own sometimes making visits in the village. He led his church to become the sponsoring or mother church for the work there. He and John worked all day one day loading block, sand and cement into our truck so I could haul the materials to the sight of the water project. Without his assistance and dedication we would not have been able to accomplish what has been done. John who is 22 works with the children of Wayamba in a Bible study every Sunday morning and he gets there early and opens up the school building for us. Recently Peggy and I attended church at Zagyuri and I preached there. This church was started by Daniel over ten years ago and he is the only pastor they have had. Notice in the picture of the front of the church, there is a speaker mounted on the wall above the door. This is used to broadcast Christian music and scripture readings in the local language every morning at 5:00. That is about the time the Muslim Mosque are broadcasting their call to pray to Allah. If you look closely at the pictures you can see structural cracks in the walls of the church building. This building is constructed of mud. Mud balls are formed from the ground and are stacked to form the walls then additional mud is packed into the voids to make a solid wall. When this dries it is covered with plaster and whitewashed. The mud has a high clay content so it gets quite hard, but it's load bearing capabilities are not the best. This building needs major repairs or it will soon become unsafe to occupy. Daniel and his small congregation want to renovate their building by replacing the walls with locally made concrete blocks which are much stronger. After the water project at Wayamba was completed we had some concrete blocks and funds left over so we checked with those who contributed and got permission to turn these resources over to Zagyuri Baptist Church to get them started on their rebuilding program. They still are a long way from having all that is necessary, but on behalf of Pastor Daniel and the members of his church, we want to thank all those who made this beginning possible.

2009-08-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

About 10:15 there were 9 or 10 boys in the 11 to 12 year old range so we began with them. Lansah was my translator and he did a very good job. I told them about the Bible and we sang the B-I-B-L-E song. Then I told them the story of Jesus about half the way through three young ladies arrived and joined us. After I finished the story I asked everyone to lower their heads and close their eyes and I asked all those who believed Jesus was the Son of God to raise their hands. Six responded with raised hands. Then we sang some songs led by John who had joined us. After this three men came. The oldest of them told us two weeks ago that I believed in Jesus as God's Son. The next eldest was working with some others behind the school making cement blocks. I have talked with him several times in my trips through the village and I know I have storied with him at least once. The youngest man I don't recall seeing before. After they arrived I asked the children questions from the story of Jesus. They did very well especially the young lady in the pale blue blouse and white head wrap. Then I told the story of Philip and the Man from Ethiopia. I made sure to point out that this was the first known black believer and that it happened 2,000 years ago. After we finished this I prayed for them and we dismissed. It was an encouraging morning for all of us. God is at work.

Sunday Aug. 2, 2008 at Wayamba

2009-08-02T05:04:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to Wayamba as has become our practice. John Haruna was there to work with the younger children and these pictures show his class as he told them the story od David and the Giant, and taught them songs. Then when he had finished with them and had given them small candies he came across the school yard to join us. The children follow him where ever he goes. John is pastor Daniel's oldest son and is being trained by the seed Ministry of Bob and Bonnie Parker.

A Day to Remember at Wayamba

2009-07-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

When we arrived at the village about thirty minutes before starting time the older children were setting up chairs, tables and desk from the classrooms. There were few people there yet but as you can see the crowd grew. Priscilla the head mistress and those on the program sat at a row of tables at the front. There were about 70 adults, family and friends of the children as well as representatives of the chief and his council of elders. Several made speeches, I told them that God had sent us to bring them water and shared the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. I told them that physical water was not our main purpose. We came bringing Jesus who gives water that rises up in those who believe "as a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." After all the speech making and sermonizing the children sang a song, which says it all, "I want to thank you Jesus."

A Day to remember in Wayamba

2009-07-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

The first picture is of the officers of the sixth grade class who will go on in the fall to Jr. High. Today was also the last day of school. They will be on vacation for the month of August. The next picture is of the new officers who a being congratulated by those they replace. The next two pictures are from the awards portion of the program where outstanding students were given prizes for their scholastic achievements. Each of the top students were given backpack book bags. Others who earned recognition were given writing tablets and pencils. Children in the states might not get excited about these gifts but the children of Wayamba cherished them. These gifts were furnished by the vol. team from Rockwall First Baptist Church, Rockwall, Texas, lead by Chery Read.

A day to remember in Wayamba

2009-07-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

These pictures show the spokesman for the chief and me cutting the ribbon to officially open the water system which now furnishes clean drinking water for the school children. Then the spigot is opened and the water flows. There is a picture of me giving the chief's representative a drink. I pretended to drink but I did not really because while the water is perfectly safe for the locals, I must drink filtered water only. The last picture is of some of the ladies from the village getting a sample drink after the ceremony was over. Living in the states you can not imagine what today meant to everyone in the village. We were told that the chief, who is Muslim, is encouraging his people to support the Christians because no one else has done anything for the people. We are careful to give full credit to God for the work that has been done. To God be the glory, great things He hath done. Thanks go also to IHH, Bob and Cynthia Brightwell, Rev. Robert Gillchrest, and the deacons from his church for their contributions.
If I left anyone out forgive me.

The Water Project completed at Wayamba

2009-07-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

The work on the water project is finally complete. Actually it was completed much faster than I anticipated, praise God through whom all blessing flow, and now through His blessing, the water flows. The spigot is only partially open because I did not want to waste water just show that it is coming from the tank. I had one of the teachers take my picture because Peggy says that I never appear because I am the camera man. But I think you see me often enough. The children are the youngest group at the school. They are the real winners in all of this. Thursday we will have a dedication ceremony for the water system and it will be a chance for us to give credit and thanks for the love of Jesus which is behind it all. Pray that the people will be drawn as the woman at the well was drawn to the giver of the water of life.

New Names Written Down

2009-07-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 19, 2009 was a first for me. It was the first time 100% of my congregation professes belief in Jesus Christ. The day started slow. Peggy stayed home because she needed to keep off of her infected toe. (Pray for the infection to clear up). When Lansah, Joseph and myself arrived at the village school Pastor Daniel's son John was there and had the classrooms open. There were a few children there and Pastor Immanuel who teaches with me at the Seminary was also there. We waited until 10:15 and no adults came though theMuslim children continued to arrive and join John in the other building. I told the rest we need to pray, so we sat on the porch and prayed. I prayed that God would encourage us and show us that we were right in what we were doing in Jesus name. We waited. I had brought an English translation of the Bible and a Dagbani New Testament for a young man who had asked for them last week. His name is Abukari. He was not there and a passer by said he was working somewhere. Abukari is a carpenter. Now it is 10:45 and still no adults. I told the rest if no one comes in another 15 min. we will go looking for people to share with in the village. Then a man came by going toward the village on a motorcycle. I hailed him and he stopped. We began to talk through Joseph and Lansah. He said his name is Yakubu and he is a farmer and a butcher. He is Muslim, but he said that he liked the Christian way. I told him that he could become a Christian and he said that he had been a Muslim for a long time and that all his friends and family are Muslim. We told him that we were waiting for some people from the village to come so I could tell them about Jesus, but that so far only children had come. This Muslim man then did a strange thing thing. He said, " don't be discouraged. As long as the children come continue to tell them, and work with them." I thanked him and said we would. Then I felt led to do something. I offered the Dagbani New Testament to Yakubu. He said, "I cannot read, but I have four children who are grown and they all read. They will read it to me." I gave it to him on his promise that he would get them to read it to him. He then left for his home in the village. We returned to the porch. Now it is 11:15. The children are still coming but no adults. Then one elderly man arrives on foot. He was with us last Sunday and said he thought he was too old to become a Christian. I had told him that no one was too old and told him about Nicodemus. After he sat down with me I told him the story of Jesus from birth to resurrection and ascension. When I finished I said, "Do you believe what I have told you is the truth?" He said, "I believe what you have said is the truth." To be sure I asked again, "Do you believe that Jesus is God's Son and that He died for you sin, and do you put your trust in Him? He said "I do." I told him how glad I was that he had become a believer and a child in God's family. I told him that we were now brothers in Jesus Christ. Almost at that exact moment another of the elders from the village arrived. His name is Haruna. He also was there last Sunday and rthe Sunday before. I then went through the story of Jesus again and asked him the same questions I had asked Iddrisu and Hharuna also stated that he believed in Jesus Christ. We rejoiced together in the wonderful saving grace of God. Tomorrow Pastor Daniel and I will do follow up with these two men. Pray for them and also pray for the young carpenter Abukari and for the farmer/butcher Yakubu, and pray for John and all the children he is working with. Pray that we will get the water project completed this week as a testimony to God's faithfulness.

Ditch for water pipe at Wayamba

2009-07-16T04:42:00.000-07:00

Went back to Wayamba today and the water is connected

These pictures were taken July 16, 2009 and they show the participation of the men from the village digging the ditch for the Water Authority to lay the water pipe. Several of the older men pictured are elders of the village. Priscilla, the head mistress of the school is shown observing the work. Everyone is very excited and happy that the work is progressing. This is all due to the participation of you who contributed to this project. We say thank you, from the children who will drink the clean water. Matthew 10:42, "Whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is known to be my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly be rewarded." While I was taking these pictures some of the children were singing, "The B -I- B- L- E, that's the book for me."

Sunday July 12, after the team went home

2009-07-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a day of disappointment and fulfillment. Saturday Pastor Daniel went to Wayamba to share Jesus and invite people to come for our service Sunday morning. He would not join us because he had to preach at his church. I stayed home and prepared a message for them. I prayed for the kind of turnout we had the previous Sunday. I think I really believed it would happen, but when Peggy and I along with Joseph and Lansah arrived at about 10:00 there was no one around. Then about 20 min. later 2 small children came, and then several more and then more. We sat on the porch and sang a couple of songs as more children arrived. I could not deny I was disappointed, but I said, "If God sent us children we will take what He sent and have church. Before it was all over there were four men and 9 women who joined us and there were so many children we had to send them with John, Pastor Daniel's son to the other building. There were at least 100 in his group. We kept the older children and teenagers with us so we numbered about thirty. I storied using Nicodemus and his visit to Jesus at night. Joseph who is just recovering from Malaria translated for me.When I finished some of the men asked questions. One of them said that he might be too old to become a Christian. I told him that Nicodemus was an old man when he became a believer, and God did not care how old we are. Another told me to not expect them to become Christians right away. When I asked if anyone wanted to become a believer no one responded but one young man wanted to know if I could get him a Bible and I told him I would see what could be done. Some times we get to see God work fast. Sometimes we get to see Him work slowly, but always He works on time. We will be patient. We won't try to force things or people. It is better if we wait upon the Lord. We will keep going back as long as we are here and we are needed, and we will be satisfied with what God does. Keep us in your prayers.

Wednesday the last day for the team at Wayamba

2009-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday after we storied in the village we helped the children put on a program for the family and friends that were able to attend. The puppets did their thing and the children sang. The school staff were presented gifts from the team. Earlier in the week the team presented the school with much needed supplies. The program was a well recieved success and a fitting end to the combined efforts of all envolved. Thanks go to Cheryl, all the team members, those supporting them in their churches back home, and our Ghanaian assistants. Most of all we say thank you Lord for allowing us to be used by you to share love and the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Tuesday at Wayamba

2009-07-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Tuesday we followed the same schedule, storying in the village in the morning and Bible School at the village school in the afternoon. Two of the pictures catch the children at lunch, which is prepared by some of the school staff in a small kitchen that stands alone between the two class room buildings. The Headmistress uses a shady place under a tree to set up her desk and office.
The last picture is Judith and a very special translator named Lansah. Mr. Lansah is our driver, handyman, advisor, yardman, bodyguard, and close friend. He goes with us just about wherever we go, and we could not have stayed here without his help and understanding. He loves the Lord and he has shown us many times that he loves us. With out a doubt we love he and his family too. There is also a picture of the group I storied with Tuesday morning, almost in the shade of the village Mosque.

Monday Bible School at Wayamba

2009-07-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Monday through Wednesday afternoon we held Bible School for the children at the school. These pictures were taken Monday. The first one shows our daughter and Eunice her translator doing music. She got to be first because she is our daughter. T second picture shows the children being assembled. The next is the team with Priscilla, the Headmistress and a staff member. The third is of Feonia and Beverly doing puppets, the fourth is Chris and Colton helping with soccer for recreation. I think if you click on the pictures they get larger. The school staff were very helpful and our thanks go out to them. A number of them are believers and you can tell they have an influence on the children.
The team members did an excellent job and we can't say enough about their compassion, sweet spirit, dedication and flexibility.

Monday at Wayamba

2009-07-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

These three pictures show people Pastor Daniel and I storied with. Pastor Daniel is the one with the white shirt and the Arkansas Razorback cap. There were five other teams storying and for details about their experiences check out ghanamissions09.blogspot.com. That is the blogspot for Cheryl's team. I used the stories of Philip and the Ethiopian and Jesus and Zaccheaus. At 11:00 we went to the village school for Bible school with the children.

More from First Sunday at Wayamba

2009-07-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

As we started the service people continued to join us. After the singing and dancing the ladies on the team went with Pastor Daniel's son John taking the children aside for their own time together, kind of a Children's Church if you will. Then I told several stories from the Bible to the adults, then Chris Read storied and finally Pastor Mohammed from Shalom Baptist Church storied. Pastor Daniel translated for Chris and I. Again God blessed us by not letting the rain come until we were leaving. It was a great start to a great week at Wayamba.

Sunday July 5, First worship service at Wayamba

2009-07-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

When we arrived at the school at Wayamba Sunday morning Pastor Daniel from the sponsoring church at Zagyuri had the classroom open for us to use, but God blessed us with so many people we had to move things outside. The men you see in the first picture are mostly elders in the village. It was a big encouragement to have them there though I think they had been sent by the chief to check us out. As 10:00 approached the crowd grew. Pastor Daniel sent for most of his church to join us because the Wayamba people were new to our ways of worship. Everyone helped move benches from the classroom to the school yard and we sang, and prayed and told Bible stories. We did not issue an altar call because it did not seem the right time yet. Several who tried to count the people reported that there were about 130 children and 80 or so adults. What and encouraging blessing for all of us.

Team Two from First Baptist Church Rockwall Texas

2009-07-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the great team we have had working with us for the past week in Wayamba. Left to right they are Beverly, Feona, Peggy and myself, Judith our daughter, Cheryl Read (Team Leader) and Chris her husband and Colton their youngest son. After they arrived in Tamale on Saturday July the fourth. They went to visit the children at Anfanni's Children's home and present them with gifts from the states. That evening they went with us to show "The Hope" a movie about the story of the Bible. It was in the people's heart language, Dagbanli. There were over three hundred who watched the movie that night. The big screen and projector were set up right outside the chief's Mosque. We waited until the chief and the elders finished praying in the mosque, then they joined us to see the movie. It rained right up till time for the show then it stopped until we were through. When the movie was over the people applauded. After the movie everyone was invited to come to the village school the next morning to worship with us. Check the next post for more.

Teaching staff at Wyamba village school

2009-07-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

The top picture is of Veronica and Priscilla. Priscilla on the right is the headmistress of the school and Veronica is the headteacher of the kindergarten. The school children range in ages from 4 to 15. The other two pictures show the other teachers and their assistants. Some of the staff are Christian, some are Muslim, but so far all are eager to help us help the children. We have permission to hold worship services in a class room. Be in prayer that our efforts this weekend will be under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit as we begin our evangelistic efforts to reach this village for Christ.

Clean drinking water for the children at the school in Wyamba

2009-07-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since we posted to our blog, but we have not been idle. After a week away at our team conference we have returned to Tamale where for the last three weeks we have been busy laying the ground work for our Church planting efforts in the village of Wyamba about 6 miles north. Our most important project in this ground breaking is to win the trust and love of the people. We discovered that the children were drinking unfiltered water from a pond because there is no well or other source of clean water, so we have been hauling about 150 gal. of water from our house to the school every week. In these pictures Mr. Lansah our assistant/ driver and house help is delivering a load of water which is carried by truck in 30 gal. plastic garbage can(clean of course). The older boys are eager to help as you can see. This is a temporary measure. We are going through the school staff and the school's PTA and the village council to petition the water company to connect the school to a water line that runs about 100 yards from the school buildings. When our next volunteer team comes they will help with this project. The village people will contribute the labor needed to dig the ditch to run the water pipe in. We hope to secure a Polly tank for the school for water storage once the pipe is installed. Then the school will have clean water on demand. Clean water for the children will mean fewer health problems. When our volunteer team arrives July 3, 2009 we will begin evangelism and VBS in the village and hold the first Christian worship service ever in Wyamba. We will use oral Bible storying as the main evangelistic method.

Video from Wyamba

2009-05-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Visit with the chief

2009-05-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

There is a certain protocol that must be followed in gaining entrance to a village. First you must find someone known in the village who will approach an elder and request an audience with the chief. In this case we used Pastor Daniel who had once lived in the village. He approached the elder who was also the linguist for the chief. The linguist speaks to and for the chief since it would not be acceptable for us to speak directly to him. The elder set up the meeting, and on the appointed day we went to the house of the elder and gave him what is called "Kola" which is actually money. In this case the amount was about $5. In former times this gift would have been in the form of Kola nuts which have a great deal of caffeine and are chewed by the men for the buzz it gives them. The elder/linguist then took us to the chief's lodge or greeting house where we were granted an interview with the chief and all the rest of the elders. When we entered the presence of the chief we bowed and clapped for him. The linguist explained the nature of our visit, gave our names and passed the Kola to the chief. The elders clapped for us and we were then questioned by the chief through the linguist as to our purpose. Having satisfied himself about our intent he granted us permission.

Wyamba, Village of the Dagomba people

2009-05-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

This begins what we hope will be the chronicles of the planting of a church in the village of Wyamba. As far as we know there are no believers in this village of several thousand.
We made our first visit on May 19, 2009 to greet the chief and ask his permission to enter the village and tell people about Jesus. This is a Muslim village, with some African Taraitional Religionist also. The chief questioned us about why we wanted to do it and I told him that the most high God had told us to go everywhere and tell people about Jesus. He asked if we would help his people in other ways and I told him that we are taught to love and help everyone whenever we can and that we would do whatever we could do to help his people. He welcomed us to his village. Without his permission we could not do what God sent us to do. Thank you for praying for this first step. Keep praying and watch for future postings as God does a work in Wyamba.

Grinding mill at Kushibu

2009-05-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

This is the long awaited grinding mill at Kushibu. This will save the women hours of transporting their produce to another village to have it ground. This should also provide much needed income for the village. This is not the harvest season so it is not getting a lot of use now but that will change after the new crops come in.

Worship with Pastor Stephen Napari at Shalom in Tarikpaa

2009-05-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday we went to worship with Pastor Stephen at Shalom. I asked to be excused from preaching because I told them we just came to join their worship not lead it. this is an encouragement to the local pastor. I was interested in strengthening our relationship here. Pastor Stephen is a good preacher, pastor/teacher and worship leader, who has a real heart for God. These pictures show the praise service and the children's choir.
Pastor Mohammed has matured as one who keeps things from getting bogged down, and he is a good preacher and inturpreter.

How is this for a Wednesday night service

2009-05-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

After Tommy and I got pictures of the new roof on the church, (see previous post) we went by Bakko's village to deliver a set of African mad e drums to his people for his church. Bakko is another student pastor and he preaches at about 6 or 7 villages when he can get to them. Each one is about 5 or 6 miles from the others and he uses a borrowed bicycle to travel on. Bakko is a farmer/hunter to support he and his family. The churches up here in the bush don't pay a salary, maybe some corn or rice, or yams. We are taking resumes if you are interested. Then we went to Nanjgoaa, a Konkomba villiage where Tommy preaches on a fairly regular basis. It was Wensday night. There were only about 8 or so people at the compound made up of mud huts with grass roofs. It was dark with only the moon and stars providing light., because this village is beyond the power lines. Those present started beating on a drum and singing. In just a short time there were over 60 gathered. After about an hour the singing and dancing tapered off and I preached for 15 min. using the story of Zacchaeus. After the message I asked those who wanted to pray to become Christians to pray as I prayed. With the aid of an interpreter about 20 of them prayed with me. That beats most Wendesday night services I remember back home. God is good all the time.

New roof on Fire's church

2009-05-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

A young man named Fire is one of our students. His real name is Mahami Haruna but he is called "Fire." I can't write it correctly because some of the Mampruli alphabet is not on my keyboard. The name "fire" means "who have I robbed?" It may have to do with the fact that Fire was born with Cerebral Palsy. Anyway some time back a storm took the "local" or grass roof off the little church. When Our son Chris was here he took picyures of it and when his church saw them they decided to put a new roof on it. The roof is now in place and the holes in the walls have been patched. Soon the walls will be plastered and it will be good as new thanks to New Harmony Baptist Church in Savanah, TN.

More of Easter Sunday with the Parkers and the Courtneys

2009-04-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

These photos show the new church which was built with a great deal of help from the Parkers. Then there is the fellowship time when everyone greets each other, followed by a time of special; prayer for two very old men and a sick child. If it uploaded there should also be a video of the choir singing a special song before A.L. preached.

Sunday April 5 with Tommy Harrison and Courtneys at Village of Dwni

2009-04-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday we went to Dwni a Konkomba village South East of Nalerigu. It is a very poor village. Even the school is substandard for the area. It has only a floor and a roof. Tommy Harrison preaches there on a regular basis to a small group, mostly women and children with two or three men. One of the men is quite old and nearly blind. when we arrived there were only 4 or 5 children there at the school where they worship. we went to a compound to invite others to come. Outside the compound there was a fetish with a cat's head on it. The lady witch doctor put it there. She was in the compound we visited, but was without a top. Tommy asked her to get dressed and come hear us preach from God's word. She did and you can see her dancing in the green dress and a white head wrap. Tommy asked her if she ate the rest of the cat and she just laughed. After a while a crowd gathered and when the singing and dancing ended A.L. and I shared Bible stories through a translator who helps Tommy at several churches. It was a good experience and the witch doctor seemed to enjoy the service. Maybe Doctor Jesus will cure her of the sickness called sin.

Roof for the roofless

2009-04-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Sat. we went to a building materials/hardeware store in Nalerigu and picked up the tin (Called zinc here) for the roof on Haruna's church. Then we delivered it to the members at the compound where Haruna lives when he is in the village. They put it in his room so when he goes to the village this weekend he will have to move it or sleep on the roof in his room! I could not resist the sign in the hardeware store. A wonderful example of Ghanaian humor.

Open air Church at Jowani

2009-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we visited the village of Jowani, South East of Nalerigu. One of my seminary students is the pastor of a small Baptist church there. The building is made from mud and it had a grass roof on it, but weather damaged the roof and it had to be removed. Now thanks to the goodness of the people of New Harmony Baptist Church outside Savannah, TN, where our son Chris is pastor, the missing roof will be replaced with a metal one. A good friend of ours in Nalerigu will help insure the work gets done, and when it is completed we will go back to photograph the finished job.

Video from Nyerizgu

2009-04-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Raising funds to raise a roof at Nyerizgu village Baptist church

2009-04-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday March 29, 2009 Joseph, Peggy, A.L. and Myra Courtney and I went to Nyerizgu, a small village West of Tamale, for a joint service of 6 sister churches to raise money to roof and plaster a building for the mission church there. This new work is the result of the out reach of Kasulyili Baptist Church. Nyerizgu is several miles away from Kasulyili. The building is made of mud. It will have a metal roof over a wooden frame, and the inside and outside will be plastered to waterproof it. The services were delayed about 45 min because of a much needed rain. The dry season is coming to an end, praise God. We took cover under a huge wild mango tree where they have been holding services. The rain was so heavy for a little while most of the men went to the chief's hut. I joined them and storyed about Noah and the Ark! When the rains stopped we held the services around the Mango tree which was still dripping. About 180 GH cedees was raised for the project. Several builders who were attending pledged to do the labor for free.

More from Zoggu and Jegun

2009-03-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

The young girl setting alone in one picture and with a friend in another had the sweetest smile and every time I looked at her she lit up the room with it. At the close of the service Ayuba asked me to pray for her because she has eplipsey. My family has a history of this condition so I felt even more drawn to her.

Storying in Zoggu and Jegun

2009-03-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday Lansah, Joseph, and I met Ayuba in the village of Zoggu north of Tamale. Ayuba took us to Jegun, a village where he started to work last month. There we met with a group of about 25 villagers under a large tree. We sang and praised God and then I storied using the story of the man who had two sons (Prodigal Son). We then returned to Zoggu to worship with about thirty people who had gathered in a school classroom. I storied with them using the Creation to Church story (Panorama story) and again the man with two sons. There was a young Peace Corp nurse in this group. She is from Austin Texas and is working to help lower the infant and child mortality rate. Ayuba has two other villages where he has started works and we hope to go to them soon and visit at Zoggu and Jegun again also. Ayuba graduated from our seminary last year and it gives me great joy to see God working through him.

Sunday March 1, 2009 at God's Will Baptist Church in the Kalpohanie Village on the East side of Tamale

2009-03-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

God's Will Baptist Church was begun in 2000. Rev. John Napadow and others from the old Baptist Pastors Training Center were involved. They first met in a school near the site of the present Church building. In 2003 the building was built with the help and participation of Bob and Bonnie Parker and the Seed Ministry of Tamale. Pastor Alex was a student from Bolga Tanga in the north. He was called soon after the church was formed to be their pastor. The church has a school building adjacent to it separated by a courtyard. The school building serves as a nursery day school during the week and Sunday school classrooms for the children on Sunday. There are also Sunday School classes which meet on the school veranda and in the courtyard as seen in the pictures. The men standing between our green Toyota pickup and the taxiecab are Mr. Lansah our driver and general assistant and David the night watchman at our compound. David was our contact person at the church and it was his idea for us to go there. He had requested us to come for some time, so I told him to get his pastor to invite us and we would. He arranged it and the door was opened for us to minister. I preached a message using two of the Bible stories from S-T4T and asked the question, "What shall I do with Jesus."

more pictures from God's Will Baptist Church, Kalpohanie

2009-03-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

When the service began there were only a hand full of worshippers in the sanctuary, but soon many more came in from Sunday School and others came in as they arrived. Everyone gets involved in the worship. They are unrestrained in their worship and praise and would probably be put to sleep by our worship in the states. We noticed that during the preaching there were two of the men who moved among the worshippers with long switches to make sure that everyone was paying attention.

More from the service at God's Will Baptist Church

2009-03-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

These pictures show the celebration and praise of the people at God's Will. The third picture is of pastor Alex who is their pastor. He is a product of the Baptist Pastor's Training Center that is now the Northern Ghana Baptist Theological Seminary. The last picture is of Mr. Lansah who was called upon to say a few words of introduction for Peggy and me.

More from the shopping trip

2009-02-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

The food items like formula and cereal are dried so these cases will go a long way when it is prepared. Thank you Sarah and God bless you.

Buying food for Anfanni Children's Home

2009-02-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Today we received money from a lady in Texas to buy food for the children at Anfanni. We don't solicit money, but this lady had seen some of pictures of the children and she sent the money by someone who was traveling through Ghana. We don't even know the lady's full name, just Sarah. I took the money and exchanged it for local currency at a rate of 1.3 for 1 which made the fund grow. We went to the children's home and took Emelia grocery shopping because she said they were almost out of food. She has places where she can buy in bulk and save money. Never has the middle man gotten such a blessing. Peggy had a blast helping Emelia, and it was all for the children. Didn't I hear somewhere that "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world?" God knows the exchange rate too for if it had not been 1.3 to 1 we would not have had enough money.

More from Sunday at Namdu

2009-02-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

Prayer time is a big part of the worship in the village churches. They all pray out loud and at the same time. It took a bit of adjustment for this honky from Alabama, but it is their way and I know that God has no problem hearing all of them and understanding. He knows their hearts. The young man in the white shirt on the left is their worship leader who keeps things moving along. The shorter man standing in the middle in front of the chalk board is Pastor Daniel. The young girl in yellow is leading the singing which was accoppella. There is no electricity, no fans, no lights, just people worshiping God. After the service we presented them with the clothing and left pastor Daniel in charge of distribution. Then we had them gather for a group picture. Pray for these simple people and their needs and pray that their hearts will be on fire to evangelize their family members and friends, and those in the surrounding villages.

Visit to Namdu Village to preach and share the Gospel in Bible story form

2009-02-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

This Sunday Lansah, Joseph and I went to a small village called Namdu. It was my first visit there, but Joseph had been there and thought it might be a place for us to work. The village has four other villages surrounding it a short walk away. The church there meets in a school building because they don't have a meeting place of their own. They have been given land and they have a dream of building a meeting place so that people from their village and the surrounding ones will have a place to worship together. The congregation is small, most don't speak English. Their pastor is named Daniel. We took clothing to them today, because they are poor and some of the people in the village are dressed in little more than rags. We got there for Sunday School which rapidly became an "ask the white preacher what this means session." They had some really good questions and God was good and gave me the answers. Many of their questions fit right in with the message God had given me, Surprise? I shouldn't be. I used the ST4T story Creation to the Church and then tied it together with the story of the trial of Jesus before Pilot, asking the question, that Pilot asked, "What shall I do with Jesus?" There is only one answer that is acceptable. Surrender.

Construction in Duunyin Village

2009-02-09T06:31:00.000-08:00

During the dry season when no farming is done the men work together to build new homes and repair old ones. This group is installing a grass roof on a new building. They have been building these huts the same way for hundreds of years using mud blocks from the local soil and grass from the fields. The block walls are plastered inside and out with a cement made from dried cow dung and mud. I hardens into a water proof surface. These walls will last a long time if the plaster is renewed from time to time. The grass is formed into long matts held together with rope platted from strips of tree bark. These matts are rolled up, positioned on the roof frame and unrolled to cover the roof in layers that are water proof for about 5 years. There is a strong sense of community and family in the villages, and they share the work and what they have with each other.

Village scenes from Duunyin

2009-02-09T06:05:00.000-08:00

This is the home compound of Abraham and his family. Pictured are Abraham, his sister and his daughters and their children. These people live a simple life with very little in the way of material possessions.

Duunyin Village School

2009-02-09T05:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of the students and their classrooms

Duunyin Village Elementary School

2009-02-09T05:28:00.000-08:00

We went with Emelia, from Anfaani Children's Home to Duunyin Village to visit the elementary school there. Duunyin Village was the birth place of the first baby to come to Anfaani. There are 180 students and six teachers in this small school. Duunyin Village is a Dagomba village, and the people are very poor. It is located 12 K South of Tamale. The children and the teachers were excited and pleased to see us. The headmaster is a man named James.

More from Anfaani Children's Home

2009-02-09T04:50:00.000-08:00

Anfaani Children Home in February 09

2009-02-09T04:46:00.000-08:00

Here are the same children that were photographed in November all looking well. In the second picture the little girl pointing is the one who had a sty on her eye last November. The white lady is Kate from British Colombia. She is a volunteer who will be working with the home for 9 months. We enjoy visiting with the babies, and the workers. Sometimes they have small repair jobs that I can do for them.

Makafui has wheels to carry the good news

2009-02-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

This is Makafui Nyatuame a graduate of the Northern Ghana Baptist Theological Seminary. He helped us last spring in planting three new churches. He now pastors 4 churches and was walking to them each Sunday, a total of about 25 miles in all.
Now He can ride his Yamaha and save on the shoe leather. This will also make it possible for him to branch out and begine a work in other villages. Saturday several of us made the trip to Kadjebi to meet him and deliver the bike. The bike is not new, but still has many miles in it, and it was provided by some interested friends.

More babies

2009-02-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

Thye top two pictures are of a little girl who has a sty on her left eye. We will be adding pictures Monday on our next trip you will be able to see a remarkable change in some of the children

More from Anfaani Children's Home

2009-02-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

Here are some more of the children. The home is extremely well maintained, and the babies are healthy and well cared for. Most of the workers are volunteers. Emelia inherited the operation from her late mother who started it all. The home is named after Emelia's mother, who was a retired nurse and died this past year.

Anfaani Children's Home 11-18-08

2009-02-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken of Emelia who operates the children's home and some of the babies who were there in November of 2008. These babies have all lost their mothers. The first pictures of the babies are triplets Josephene, Josylin, and Joyce. Josylin is larger than her sisters. There will be more pictures added. The third childrens picture is Moses who has sence been adopted.

More of Chris' trip

2009-01-31T05:52:00.000-08:00

These picts were taken at the slave castle near Cape Coast and of Chris preaching at Kornonia Baptist Church in Tamale

Pictures of Chris' visit to Africa

2009-01-31T03:31:00.000-08:00

Baptism Video

2008-10-24T02:16:00.000-07:00

Storying in Terikpaa continued

2008-10-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Meshach proves "and a little child shall lead them"
A face that draws us to the villages
Mum Peggy listens carefully
Half of us go outside to practice storying
He loves to tell the story, how about you?
Here are more pictures from storying in Terikpaa

Storying in Terikpaa

2008-10-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

On the road to Terikpaa with my cell phone at the ready
Mohammed Zeblim, seminary student, associate pastor, MC, and interpreter. Terikpaa is his home.
Get excited and tell somebody about Jesus
IU start inside with the story of the demon possessed man
Drink from the water Jesus offered and never thirst again.

Several weeks ago We went to Shalom Baptist in the village of Terikpaa and taught about sixty people how to share the gospel through Bible stories. We used a plan called Storying Trainung 4 Trainers. Our trip was covered by Emily Peters, a writer with the media department of the West Africa Team and William Haun a free lance photographer. There were 5 of our students at the seminary who took part along with Joseph Adbulai, Peggy, and myself. Saturday those who were trained went out in pairs to share the stories with unbelievers in their village. Sunday we came together to story again and those who had shared their story with someone gave their testimonies. Storying is a great method for sharing the gospel especially to those who can not read, or who don't have the Bible in their language

Baptisms in a rain swolen Rice paddy

2008-10-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago we traveled to Terikpaa to witness a Baptism of 24 new converts in a flooded rice paddy near bye. Some of them were from Shalom Baptist Church in Terikpaa and some from Heritage Baptist Church in Kushibu. Rev. Isaac Wuni officiated at the Baptism, because he is ordained by the Ghana Baptist Convention which is required for Baptisms and The Lord's supper. Then we went to Shalom Baptist which meets in a school building while money is being raised to build a house of worship.

Ozments in East Volta

2008-08-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday at Heritage Baptist in Kushibo

2008-08-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sunday 6 of us decided to go to Heritage Baptist Church in Kushibo north of Tamale. We went unannounced. In the group were Lansah our driver, Joseph our interpreter, Danny and Sue Jaynes, missionary friends and Peggy and me. We were a little late getting there and at first it seemed no one was there but when we peaked in the window we saw about 40 children and 6 adults. They were very glad to see us. They were a little disorganized because Deacon John who preaches for them was not there. He was at Tarikpah for a fundraising for the building there. Maybe some of the others were with him. Anyway I was asked by the young man in charge to preach so I did, and we taught the children the song, "The B I B L E" We had a good time and the children enjoyed us being there. I believe God wanted us to be there so we would see they need our encouragement and help. This will be our focus when we get together with pastor Stephen. Joseph wants to help me. This will be a prime place to show the Hope DVD when we get our equipment. Joseph and I will schedule opportunities to go and do Bible storying.

Rescue the Perishing

2008-07-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

Friends and Family,
For the past week we have hosted and helped a team of volunteer missionaries from Rockwall, Texas. Some of them are members of 1st Baptist Rockwall and others are affiliated with Heritage Christian Academy of the same city. There were 13 of them in all, lead by Mrs. Cheryl Read who is a member of 1st Baptist and an English teacher at Heritage. The team was divided by Mrs. Read into two groups. She lead the first which worked each day in the Village of Kushibo in partnership with the baptist church at Terripah and Kushibo baptist church in the evangelism and children's Bible school. The other group lead by Mrs. Vicky Daniels did evangelism in partnership with Koinonia Baptist Church and the Northern Ghana Baptist Seminary in Tamale each day and also did training for Sunday School teachers. On several nights the whole team participated in crusades in the villages. I assisted wherever I could in the villages and in Tamale and Peggy prepared a hot meal each day for the entire team. The teams mission was a success, their theme was "Rescue the Perishing," and there were many who came to know Christ. I will be adding some pictures to go with this as time allows. Now we must get ready to go to the East Volta Region next week and do Training for Trainers with leaders from sixteen churches.

The top picture is of Joseph Lansah our frien and driver and Pastor Adam, the bottom is of me preaching in English and Pastor Adam translating

2008-04-06T15:18:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken Sunday April 6, 2008 at Yong Baptist Church East of Savelegu north of Tamale

2008-04-06T15:04:00.000-07:00

This was an unexpected visitor to our house yesterday, It is a Genet, a distant relative to the cat family, and it lives in our attic

2008-04-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

There is more than one tail being pulled here

2008-03-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

2008-03-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

Fatima and Rev. Isaac and some of the orphans enjoying Christmas Gifts from Thomasville

2008-03-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

2008-03-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

2008-03-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

2008-03-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

2008-03-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Relaxing at Till's on the beach near Accra

2008-03-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Spiritually Speaking

2007-12-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! I know of no other, two word phrase, that means so much to so many. It has been said many times, many ways. I think the angel Gabriel said it first like this, “Greetings, you who are most highly favored! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you will give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.” Mary said it like this, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, For He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is His name.” Then in the hills outside of Bethlehem an angel and the angelic host said it like this, “ Today in the city of David a savior is born who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” Then the host sang “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will to men.” Through the ages people have said it with gifts. I guess the “Wise Men” with their gold, frankincense and myrrh started that. Others have written songs and poems, that fill our hearts with emotion and express for us more than we can express ourselves. When we think about God’s greatest gift to man, how we say “Merry Christmas” to each other is really not the important thing. It’s how we say “Merry Christmas” to Him. I think the shepherds really got it right. “When they had seen Him they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.” Have you seen Him? Do you know Him? If you know Him spread the word. Let your “Merry Christmas” be the opening phrase to telling someone about Jesus, and I’ll see you in Church, and Merry Christmas from Pat and Peggy Ozment.

Spiritually Speaking

2007-12-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

I am trying to get ready for Christmas in Tamale. It’s coming ready or not, on December 25th. I wonder what will get me ready? Maybe a cold front, diving down from the Sahara Desert, bringing, rain, a sharp drop in the temperature, changing the rain to ice, then snow. That might do it. Or, maybe the 2 television stations in Ghana would start showing movies like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “White Christmas,” “Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Frosty the Snow Man,” “The Grinch Stole Christmas,” or please forgive me, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” That might get me ready. Or maybe I could take a trip to the local “Mall” and watch the shoppers hurrying around amidst, the sound of Christmas music over the P. A. system, and stand next to the Salvation Army bell ringer and his money kettle. Maybe I could find a department store with Santa’s workshop and the long line of bright eyed children waiting to tell Santa what they want for Christmas. Yeah, that might get me ready. Or maybe I’ll sit up all night addressing Christmas Cards and listening to Christmas music on one of those stations that plays nothing else for about two weeks before the big day. Maybe they would play my favorite, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Rain Deer” Being over here makes you miss all of that stuff even though none of it has anything to do with the reason for the season. I would really get ready if someone sent us word that they were flying us to Alabama for Christmas with our family, but I guess I’ll get ready for Christmas the old fashioned way. “Now there were in the same country, shepherds in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night. And low, the angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shown round about them and they were so afraid.” Joseph and Mary, and the shepherds got ready by finding room in their heart for a baby. Get ready, read it with me, and I’ll see you in Church.

Spiritually Speaking

2007-12-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

When we recently returned from Abidjan in the Ivory Coast we discovered that something else had returned. It is called the “Harmatan.” It is a great cloud of dust that moves across most of West Africa like a brown shadow covering everything. At times it blocks out the sun, and it brings with it cooler temperatures and dry air. It stays for 4 months. The air is so dry that we no longer perspire, or at least it does not seem that we do, for any moisture evaporates instantly, and the effect is cooling. While we were away I purchased a beautiful life-sized bust of an African woman as a present for Peggy. The workmanship of this piece was clearly that of a gifted artist. He had created this object of beauty from a solid block of very heavy wood. We both were very happy with it. Three days after we brought it home to Tamale, cracks began to appear in the face of the bust. The dry air of Harmatan was sapping the moisture out of the wood, and causing it to crack. The dry air and the dust. The dust is so thick you can write in it with your finger, like Jesus wrote in the dust of the ground, before the woman found in sin, and her accusers. I made inquiries and was told that I must use oil on the head and face of the bust, to protect it. The world is like the Harmatan. It will dry us up spiritually and cause cracks in our character. It will deposit layer upon layer of the soil of wickedness on us until we are no longer recognizable as God’s children. What can we do? Psalm 104 says that the Lord will give us “drink to make our hearts glad, and oil to make our faces shine.” Turn your face to God and let Him cleanse you and anoint you with the oil of righteousness, let Him cleanse you with the blood of Jesus, and fill your cup till it overflows. Seek the anointing of God and I’ll see you in Church.