Answers to Prayers

It is amazing to see God working in new convert's lives. Many times I feel that new converts seem to have more faith then people that are many years older in the Lord. I think that it has something to do with child like faith.

Here are two interesting and exciting answers to pray that we have heard about this week.

First Bismark-
Bismark trusted Christ about two weeks ago, and we have been praying for his wife Matilda. After going to his house last week, Bismark informed me that they had been having some minor problems in their marriage. Basically, though Bismark does have a job, he is not paid very well, and many times they can only make ends meet. Matilda loves her husband, but has been told her whole life by family, friends, and even the many Charismatic churches that she has attended, that it is wrong to be poor. That being poor is a curse from God. Because of this believe, she has struggled with being poor. She seemed to always be complaining about them not having enough money.

Well, when Bismark told us this, he was very sad. He loves his wife, but he did not know what to do. After some time of marriage counseling and talking, we all decided to pray. We prayed for Matilda to get saved. Next we prayed that their marriage would be strengthened, and that she would learn to be content. Right before we left on that Wednesday, we told Bismark to trust God, and that we would be praying.

That night Matilda came home, and apologized for making things difficult. But, that is not all. That Friday, during the very time that Andrew and I where praying for Matilda, she meet the Nigerian pastor that I blogged about this last week. But, here is an amazing part. The one book that the pastor gave her, besides some tracts, was entitled, 'What does God say about Earthly Riches and Earthy Poverty?' The book is great. I have since read it for myself. It is almost all scripture, and the best part is that it is written by an African and is written to Africans.

So lets fast forward to yesterday, Wednesday. We visited Bismark and Matilda. Right away when we walked in the room, we noticed a difference. The room was clean(spotless) and the spirit was very warm. After we all greeted each other. Matilda and Bismark, began to tell us the story. Basically, Matilda said that after see received the book on Friday, she brought it home. Her and Bismark read it together and talked about it. Matilda said that she was so happy. Her whole life she thought that she was cursed because she was not rich. She thought that live was about money, but the book had taught her that money is not the goal. Money could not make her happy. She knew now that she could be content. It was very exciting. After talking for some time, they invited us to eat with them. So, as Matilda went out to get the plates and food ready, Bismark made this comment. "Pastor, God answered our prayer. We prayed about this, and He really answered us!" It was great to see his joy, and greater still to see his faith grow.

Second Dora-
After visiting Bismark, though it was late, we decided to she Dora. Her sister's husband had died, and we have not been able to see her in a few weeks. After visiting with and encouraging her, she told us this story that encouraged us.

The day that she went to the hospital to she her younger sister, this was the day that her husband died, another disturbing thing happened. While she went to give her sister a hug to comfort her, her sister's purse came up missing. After they talked, her sister asked her to give her, her purse back. Dora, then told he that she did not have her purse and did not understand. The sister told her that when she hugged her, someone took her purse. She had thought that it was Dora, and had not said anything. Dora told her that she had not touched her purse. Dora's sister said that she believed her, but she had a big problem now. The purse was missing. It contained about 150 Ghana Cedis (a lot of money for someone here), and her phone. They looked and looked for it, but could not find it. They called the phone but it was switched off.

After leaving the hospital, Dora began to pray. She knew that she had not taken the purse, and that her sister had believed her. But, she felt that there was still a dark cloud over her testimony So, she decided to start praying. She prayed that the person that had really stolen it would confess.

Well, about a week and half passed. Then her sister called. She said that she had gotten the purse back. The money had been spent and the phone sold. But the person that had stolen it, said he would pay her back. Here is the story her sister told.

She said that her dead husband's best friend had called. He was in the waiting room when Dora came. When he saw them crying and hugging, he used the opportunity to take the ladies purse. After spending all the money, his troubled started. He called the sister. He was yelling over the phone, "Are you doing ju-ju on me???? (This is African black magic)" To this she said no! Then he asked, "Is Dora, doing ju-ju on me?" To this, she said, "You, know that Dora is a Christian!" Then the guys says, "Someone is using some kind of power on me, tell them to stop it, I stole the purse, I stole the purse, just tell them to stop it!" And with those words, Dora’s prayers had been answered, and her testimony cleared!

Isn’t God wonderful! Dora told me that whole story with a great big smile. I have to admit it helped me, and encouraged me. I think that we can learn a lot from national Christians. Like my grandfather told me once. He said that if I remembered anything at all that he told me, he wanted me to remember this saying, "You can learn something, from everybody!"

Old Mc Kwame had a farm…

Ok, that is how I sing the song here in Ghana. This week Carey is studying farms in her home school curriculum, and we had the chance to see a real local farm. Every Tuesday afternoon we go visiting as a family. Sometimes we visit Bible study members that lives far away, but lately we have just started handing out tracts near our main Bible study.

Tuesday before we handed out gospel literature, we had the opportunity to see a local farm. Across the main road from the housing community that our main Bible Study is in, there is a large area of land that the chief still owns. The property is about 50 acres of undeveloped land. That might not sound very big, but here in the city of Kumasi, that is huge! The chief allows farmers to rent the land.

The main farm is about 15 to 18 acres. They grow lettuce, spring onions, cabbage, and a little field corn. We had a great opportunity. They let us walk all around the farm and watch all the worker working. We were able to give them all tracts and even talk to the owner.

It was a good opportunity for my wife and me to teach about different farming techniques. In the United States, all the plants are planted in rows or beds. Here everything is planted in raised bed of fertile dirt. This help to keep down the erosion during heavy rains.

The girls really enjoyed it. It was amazing to watch the workers work, even though the sun was really HOT!





Hope the reader notices the farmers earphones and Ipod! Yep, that is modern Africa for you!

Little Steps

(NOTE- THERE IS IS A NEW BLOG THAT I POSTED CALLED--NO MORE RAMADAN. (BECAUSE OF THE DATE THAT I STARTED IT, IT IS A FEW POSTS BACK, JUST CLICK ON THE NAME ON THE BLOG TITLES)

Matilda is a 25 year old women that has been attending our Bible studies. She was raised as a Traditional Religious follower, and is related to Dora. She has attended our Sunday Morning Salvation Bibles and is very close to understanding salvation. I wrote about her husband a few blogs ago, he has trusted Christ, and we are hoping that she will soon join him.

The hardest things with Matilda has been that she has attended many Charismatic churches, which has hindered her progress. But, despite this she has been faithfully attending with her husband. It has been amazing along the way to she her taking baby steps.

Sunday was a great day! We where able to see alot of baby steps at one time, and it encouraged us. After our first hour of study time, Matilda gave my wife a booklet, and some papers that looked like tracts. At first my wife just thought that they where Pentecostal books that some many people here hand out, but she was surprised. Matilda works at a transportation station. She sellers cokes and energy drinks off a buck on her head, to help her family with money. The station is very busy, and the work bring in pretty good money. Well, on Saturday, she saw a man handing out booklets and he when he came to where she was selling, he asked her what church she went to. She told him that she was a Baptist. After hearing her answer, he told her that he was a Baptist also. He gave her a booklet, and some tracts. When she showed the booklet to Patty on Sunday, Patty read the back. And not only was the national man a Baptist, he had been lead to Christ and trained by a Fundamental Missionary in Nigeria (he was a Nigeria on a trip to Ghana). It was a great testimony to her, and it helped to encourage her to take more steps to faith in Christ.

The other amazing thing that we have seen in her life, even before her salvation, has been a teachable spirit. A few weeks ago we finished teaching about tongues speaking. As we finished our study on 1 Corinthians 14, we showed that God forbids women to speak in tongues. In the passage it also talks about women asking questions in the church. The passage says that if a women is married and she has a question, she should ask her husband, and learn at home. After hearing this, Matilda, has started doing something very strange for a modern Ghanaian women. She has decided to submit to the teaching, and to her husband. Sunday when she had a question, she asked her husband first, and when he did not know the answer, she let him ask the church in her place. It was just so amazing to see. We had not pounded on this point, we had just made it in passing, in the weeks before. But, it was amazing to see her sensitive nature to the teaching. They are trying their best to learn. The encourage thing was that the question was about John chapter 3. They had been reading it together, Bismark had tried to explain it to Matilda, but she had not understood. She thought that it meant that she needed to be born again in the womb physically. She was confused. So we had a great opportunity to witness again about the gospel. It was great to see Bismark, nodding the whole time with understanding.

Please pray for her. My wife and I are hoping to get to speak with her about accepting Christ on Tuesday.

Move Over Papa John's!

Patty and I try to take a date about once a month. This is a really nice blessing, that the Lord has given us, since the other missionary family has come to join us. This past Friday night, we had to change our plans a little bite, since our friends where sick. So we had a family date!

We decided to got to Nick's Pizza. We discovered this amazing place though a China lady that Patty meet and had a chance to witness to. Right before she left to go back to England, where she lives, she told Patty about a really good pizza place in Kumasi. Well, that little nugget of expartiot truth, was stored away, and finally about two years latter we got an opportunity to look around for it. And voila! We found Nick's!


Nick's was started by an Egyptian guy about ten years ago. It is based in Accra, and has a branch here in Kumasi. It is great! It is like real New York pizza. The guy has really trained his people well. The kids loved watching them flip the dough, and make it all by hand.


The pizza are made in about ten minutes. All the ingredients are fresh! They have alot of different flavors and styles. The strangest is their sea-food pizza, that includes octopus. But, our favorite is the good old pepperoni pizza. It run about 13 Ghana cedis, which is about 10 US Dollars.

After they make the pizza they put it on a paddle and place it into a real brick oven. After about 5 minutes its cooked, bubbling hot, and ready to eat!


Look at that pizza. I'm getting hungry just looking at it!

We had a great time. The kids loved the pizza. It was great to get to walk through some of the old communities in a different part of town. It was one of those really great times as a family. We are consistently amazed at what God allows us to do here. It is nice to live in a place that small things like pizza, are seen as a blessing.


So if you are ever in Kumasi. Stop on by Nick's Pizza. It is the best pizza in town!

No more Ramadan!!!

Monday marked the first Ramadan that Inusah has not taken part. Last year Inusah decided that he would become a Christian and reject Islam after the fast. So, this year marked the first time that he has eaten during the days of this month-long event.

Pastor Andrew and I decided that we would visit Inusah and celebrate his new liberty in Christ on Monday. See, here when the Muslims break their fast, it is cause for great celebration. They will cook food, many times killing goats and rams. They feast, and here in Ghana anyone that visits the house will be fed.

We knew that Inusah’s family would not allow him to take part of the celebration since he was a convert to Christianity, nor would he want to take part since it was a part of his former religion. Though he is happy in his new found faith, we thought that it might be a hard day for him, since there were so many past memories about this day. So we decided to help make it a good day, one of celebration about his liberty in Christ.

Monday was planned to be a day to celebrate Inusah’s freedom from Islam. When we arrived on Monday afternoon, Inusah was not ready yet, so we waited in his room as he prepared. This is when something funny happened.

See, the practice here is to give food to anyone that arrives. So they heaped a plate full of white rice and stew for us. They wanted Andrew and me to eat. What to do? They wanted us to eat, yes, but they also wanted to remind Inusah that they had shunned him. They would not offer him food, and they made sure that they served us food in front of him. He did not ask and had not planned on being there long enough to be served.

As Inusah’s younger sister left the room, Andrew and I looked at each other. “What should we do?” So we asked Insuah. He said that he needed to get ready, but that we could eat some. We told him that we would eat a little, as not to offend the family, but just enough, and we were still going out with him to eat. That seemed to settle everything.

So we prayed over the food. (This is a real I Corinthians chapter 8 experience. That is the passage that talks about eating things that are offered to gods. A missionary gets to really experience the Bible in some ways that a pastor in his home culture does not). After asking God to bless it and dedicating it to him, we ate. It was really good food, but we ate just enough not to offend and then left. (Pray for Inusah’s sister, we are trying to get her an Arabic Bible and trying to witness to her).

After Insuah was ready, we headed off to Campus for a time of fellowship. We went to one of the dorms and ate some really good local food, jollof rice. We tried to get Inusah to buy a ton, but he settled for a large normal portion. After some eating and chatting, I asked each person, ”What was the best thing to happen in your life this past year?” We started with Andrew and worked around the table. This was Inusah’s answer, “The best thing that has happened to me this year is becoming born again. As a follower of Christ, I can have peace!”


Well, that just made the whole day better. After about two hours we all headed back home. Please continue to pray for Inusah, his family, and others that he is seeking to witness to. Also pray for the Lord to give him specific direction in regards to his future.

How we go on Visitation in Africa

Visitation-
Here we have come to follow more the Lancaster Baptist Church, idea of visitation. As a person can see from the pictures, there are always tons of people around their homes. Given the social climate of Ghana, no one will turn a person away that wants to talk about the Bible, even if they are totally uninterested. Given these facts, our visitation program is done in the following manner:

1. We hand out tracts to as many people as we can. (In taxis, tro-tros, and at town).


2. We visit from door to door, room to room, and person to person. We try to give each person that we see or meet a piece of gospel literature. Then we invite them to our Bible studies. (We focus on the location that is closest to their current location).

3. After the person attends the group Bible studies, we gain information about their home and community. Then if possible try to start the first Bible studies with them, during our main Bible study time.


4. After they attend our Bible studies, someone will bake a loaf of bread (this is part of the cultural make-up) and we will bring it to the home thanking the person for attending. And will set up a weekly time to start personal Bible studies with the person and his family if possible.

5. After about 5-6 weeks of Study, either one of two things will happen. The person will see the difference of our gospel from that of their church, religion, or cult and start to run away because of conviction, or they will be very open and ready to receive Christ. (These Bible studies are mostly based on 5 story in the Old Testament, and they culminate with Christ on the cross, and His fulfillment of each story, i.e. Abraham and Isaac, Passover, Brazen Serpent, so on).


6. By this time we have developed a new but strong relationship with this convert, and we step right into the discipleship role. We followed the normal steps of baptism, Bible reading, and church attendance. Once a person becomes baptized, and is attending weekly, we try to connect them to the people attending in their area, and allow the group to help continue their growth.


This is not the only way, but is the way that we have found to be very effective for our ministry here in the culture of Ghana. The Bible Study method does extend the time that it takes to give the gospel to people, but we have found that it greatly aids the growth of the new converts. Currently about 40% of our total converts get baptized, and 80% of the people that attend group Bible studies, will get baptized.

This past week has been great. Sunday night Bismark, one of the men that attends our weekly Bibles trusted Christ as his Savior. Pray for his wife that she will trust Christ also. Also Dennis trusted Christ as his Savior during the week at a personal in home Bible study. Pray for Dennis, we wants to marry the women that he has fathered a child with, and also wants her to attend services.

African Rainstorms

How does one find the words to describe an African rainstorm?

I guess one most start with the word- African. One thing that all Africans know, is that this continent (it is not a country by the way, no matter what Paris Hilton thinks) is a land where nature always deals in absolutes. From the Sahara Dessert, with it scorching hot sun, to the dense rain forest of Congo; Africa is all or nothing! Flooding or draught, heat or cold, war or peace.

I think that this extreme nature, is what is so appealing. In this modern world of homogenised, chemical infused, plastic covered life, people are drawn to this mystic land of raw, undiluted, intensity. The blessing and curse of Africa is this intangible gift, INTENSITY! If I could brand the nature of Africa with a quote it would be from the Bible, Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might...".

So, when the reader hears the words "African Rainstorm", please do not imagine the little sprinkles of the outside world, he must think of an AFRICAN Rainstorm.

Now to the next word... rainstorm. This word is made of two parts, rain and storm, of which I will deal with the former first. As I read from a Polish journalist once, I wish Africa could have been described and recorded in it's own words, for our western words seem to give it such injustice. Words like 'foliage', 'Savannah', and others just do not seems to truly grasp the meaning, or paint the proper pictures. So is the case with the word 'rainstorm'. This elicits the idea of claps of thunder, and rain fall. But the rainstorm here is so much more than that! Picture this...

First the rain drop- here the drop is not even that, it is not a small piece of water that falls from the sky. It is as if the sky is dropping cannon balls of water on earth seeking to pound the ground into submission. One direct hit in this kind of rain storm, and the victim is dripping, three or more and even the person's sock are wet (if he is wearing any). This is African rain, intense, constant, heavy. When rain comes, the sound is deafening. The percussion of sounds removes all sound, but that of the thunder. It is the sound of a million tribal drums, beating off every zinc roof, and concrete slab.

Next the word storm...
The African equation for storm is: wind + lightening/thunder = storm

First wind-
The African rainstorm's wind makes the umbrella thoroughly useless. This wind seemed to be demonic in its creativity. It moves all places at the same time. It is intense at times like a hurricane, bending the palm trees, but then it will stop, seem calm, and then change directions in an instant, and begin to swirl and twist. It does not howl, it blows, with such intensity at times, that a person must wonder if it is trying to take everything along with it. The wind pushes until every last trace of heat is siphoned from the ground, and a slight chill enters the air, the kind that only comes to West Africa after a rainstorm.

Last the lightning and thunder- So much less thunder, then lightening, but the few explosions are so intense that they rattle your bones. They rebound in the ears like the thudding of fireworks on 4th of July. But, overwhelming these sounds, are the lights. hundreds of bolts of heated light! Jagged lines that cut through the sky, and lighten the densely dark sky with a flash of bright light. They do not drop from the sky, they pass in all directions. Side to side, top to bottom, it even bends at times going first to the side, then down, and finally up.

All these put together helps a person to understand just what someone means when they say the words, "African Rainstorm."

Sunday at church we had such a storm. The rain disturbed our attendance, but not God's working. Pastor Andrew was able to witness to a adult man that has been attending the services. We are thrilled to say that Bismark trusted Christ. As Pastor Andrew was able to finish with Bismark, Joe and I, carried all our bench back to their storage place. Needless to say, after just one trip we where drenched. But, it was great, we where laughing the whole time, like two little boys playing in puddles. (We did play a little bit).

What if you had Leukemia?

Death... what would I do if I only had two more years to live? What if instead of living live not knowing when I would die, I was told that I was sure to die in 12 months or 2 years? What would I do? What would I change? Or more importantly how would I live?

The reader might ask: "Why the morbid questions?" No, I have not been told that I have leukemia! (Though I do know a young guy from college that does have leukemia). Last night my wife and I watched a movie together. We try to have a night once our twice a month to just spend time together. Last night we choice to watch a movie.

It was one of those movies, that a person feels glad they watched after it was done. When they are glad that they didn't waste an hour of their existence on earth. The movie made me think, and really made Patty cry. (Yah, it was one of those chick flicks, with a really heart wrenching story line, and sad ending). But, it was a movie that made us sit back and reflect.

The basic story line was about a girl that has leukemia (but that is a surprise twist in the movie, so I will not tell the reader the name. That way if they watch the movie the plot line will not be spoiled. But I will give this hint: we watched the Family Edited Version, which has no language). Here was a girl living her life, knowing she was going to die, and no one else knew. The whole movie gives the viewer little hints, but most people won't catch them. After drying the eyes, we both sat back and thought for a while.

"What if that was me?"

I am not very old, but death does seem to become more real as the years pass. God has a way of reminding a person. It has never hurt me to remember that I am mortal.

God used death to change me in college, when a girl I knew died in a car accident. Since then I have had more reminders. Two years ago while on furlough, it all hit me again. "John, if Jesus does not come, you will die someday!" I have seen the passing of my high school friend, Larry Conrady. The passing of High School heroes, church members, and even the death of my most of my grandparents.

Then this morning at 6:00pm, I was given another reminder. Fred a young man from our Bible studies called me. His sister had just died, she was very sick from a long term disease. He had gotten the chance to give her the gospel, and and seemed to understand. But he called to tell me she had died.

I know that this seems morbid. It is interesting that even though we as Christians think that death is just a closing of the eyes on earth and an opening of them in heaven, we still do not like to talk about it. I wonder why? I think its because though we are saved, we might not live like it!

Here's the whole point of this rambling. Reader, ask yourself this question: "If you only had two years to live, what would you do?"

I thought about this yesterday. Well, I would not change my course. No running off to places around the world, or buying some expensive car. I am happy with what God has given me and called me to do. I don't need a location or course change. But, what about what I do.

What about all the other things that I do on the journey. What books would I want to read? What things would I want to do? How would I start looking at my children, friends, and work? What would holidays and birthday be like?

Would I stair at a screen all day, and flip through the channels because nothing is on, or would I experience the life that God has given me to live? Would I relish the taste of cranberries and turkey at thanksgiving, and enjoy the wrapping paper and busy stores at Christmas? Would I teach that Sunday school class with my whole heart, or try to reach that bus kid?????

How would life be if you only had two years to live?

We all forget that life is short. But there is one thing of many things that I love about being a missionary, and that is that a missionary learns that life is short! When life gets cut up into four year chunks, and a person is transplanted from place to place, it helps them to put it all in focus. He realizes that he might not see that family member again, or get to see snow for a while. So if he is smart he makes a choice to live?

Yes, that is what I want to do each day. Not, change the course of my life, because if I am follow God's will, then I am going the right direction. But if I was to have Leukemia, I would want to really LIVE! Take the gift that is called life, and enjoy every minute of it!

(Note- all the pictures in this blog are taken from a Baptist photographer's website- each is from Ghana- if the reader likes the photos, they can be purchased from his site at http://gallery.williamhaun.com/main.php)

Maniac Mondays!

When I was growing up in Michigan, we had a superstition of sorts. Basically it seemed like everyone got wild at the same time, and some people liked to blame it on a full moon. I can remember frustrated people looking out the window and at the sky and asking, "Was a full moon out last night?" Well, here in Africa they don't put much stock in full moons and the like, they have their own superstitions, but we do seem to have those 'full moon' days here.

The funny thing about Ghana though is it seems to always fall on Monday! Monday is our 'day off''. It is the day that we do all our town shopping, and I buy chop (fast food) so Patty has a night off. We take about 3 to 4 hours to go to all the little shops that we buy from so that we can have our groceries for the week. No Super Walmart here, the best thing to get in mind is China Town in San Fransisco, or the Common in down town Boston.

Some days are wonderful! We enjoy the patchwork of traffic, and the voices of people buy and selling. But other days... it is what I call maniac Mondays! Today was a maniac Monday. On these days it seems like all of Kumasi (about 2 million people) decided to shop at the same time. Picture the Black Friday sales after Thanksgiving times ten, with less personal space!

On these days we wonder if it is the heat, the moon, or just someone kicking up the ant farm, but whatever the cause everything seems chaos! The kids seems to feel the vibration in the air, or maybe it's the tiredness of the parents, and dance to its funky beat. Normally by the end of such days, everyone is ready to be at home.

Once home, the kids run free on our 1/4 of a acre of concrete 'Terra firma', and Mom and Dad sit back and take a deep breath. Hhhhuuuuuuu! The Maniac Monday is past, and there is time for a little relaxation. I guess the blessing of these kinds of Mondays is that they make the calm ones so nice.

So to all those out there having a Maniac Monday, or Full-Moon Friday, or whatever we call it... take a deep breath, count to 3, and pray. Like my grandmother always used to say when I was little, "It will be better before you get married!" And if the reader is married, what are we complaining about? It already is better! Just think, we could have gone through that ALONE!

Here are some African Market pictures to put the reader in the mood!