Our Town Takoradi/Sekondi

 

 

 

 

Our Pets

 Our pets: Femur, Ringo, Taffy and one new Turtle we haven't named yet!

Taffy

Femur

Ringo

Lights Out!

It has been an interesting week to say the least. We have had lights on during the day and then off at night or vise versa. We also had a birthday this week. Matthew turned 13 on Friday, August 31. With the lights going off and on and you don't know when, it's just lights out! I went ahead and baked anything needed for Matthews birthday the night before. The washing machine has been running at all hours of the night. I got a lot of it done to....hang outside to dry and of course it rained all day. ha ha

Matthew 13 yrs.

Labor Day! Wow was that today? Well needless to say we labored. We did school and cleaned the house as usual. I didn't even realize it was a holiday. We don't get all the commercialized items reminding us of the holiday, so I must say we miss a lot of them. I hope you enjoyed the ending of summer. September is my favorite time of year. I do miss the changing of the leaves and drinking apple cider, hay rides and pumpkins. The only fall leaves we get is when we cut down the banana leaves and trim the flowers.

playing in the banana leaves

Ministries in Ghana

Currently I am teaching a teen girls Sunday school class. We have 4 girls who come faithfully, but as you can see in the picture there are more that don't come on time for Sunday school. We try and do a ladies fellowship once every three months. We used to do them every month, but as our schedule gets full we have to cut something back. Ladies visitation used to be Tuesday morning. Some things have changed that, the only day open is Saturday afternoons now. We have had to delay, due to the ordination preparations and our trip to Kumasi.. Getting back on track. (I hope) ha ha ha 

I used to teach the children's Sunday School and Jr. Church. I really miss it. When we went on furlough we turned it over to the nationals. So I have not gone back to teaching. My daughter, Naomi is helping and teaching a little bit. Our son Matthew is also going to begin helping with children's church. We are in the process of starting a Bible study in a new area, so eventually we will leave the church plant we are currently at. So sad, but, we won't be to terribly far away, just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Teens

Naomi teaching S.S.

S.S.

Naomi singing, and me, attempting to get a sound out of that stick with the holes in it.

Visitation

Teen Class

Pringles Club to 1.50 GH Club

My kids are doing much better on their reading. They all got Pringles this last time. When Mack went to pay for our over priced Pringles, he changed his mind, and now it is down to a candy bar or a small ice cream. The kids are not to excited, they loved their chips.

We started school once again. In Ghana it makes it hard to start school, because all the kids have off the month of August. They start school the beginning of September. So all the kids want to play with our kids.

It has rained all this week. I thought we would get a little bit of a break. I get all the clothes on the line and then, it begins to sprinkle. I have left them up if it is just sprinkling because it usually stops. Our driveway is full of grass growing in between the bricks. We haven't had a chance to get to it, and if it continues to rain, their is no point. I just hope we don't have to mow it. ha ha ha.

Our Yard/Play Ground

I thought you would like some pictures of our yard:

When We Never Have to Say Good-bye!

We have been in Kumasi for 6 weeks, helping a fellow missionary as they had to fly home. Sunday is our last Sunday. Just as you are beginning it is time to say good-bye. I told the kids in Sunday School, next week is our last Sunday, but I may surprise you and come back sometime. I hope to find all of you still here. I also said, if I don't see you again, I will look for you in heaven. We have enjoyed our time here in Kumasi, BUT, we are also anxious to get home. We miss all the people at our church, there are boys and girls there also.

I think we have all come to realize we love being in Takoradi. It is not as big and busy as Kumasi. There is still a lot of work to be done were we are. I am thankful for God allowing us this opportunity to minister in a different area.

dried cameleon

boys made a bottle cap shooter

playing hop scotch

A Little About Me

I have been a missionary on the field of Ghana, West Africa for 8 years. I have been in the ministry with my husband for 16 years. My husband was Assistant Pastor at our home church before coming to Africa.I have 4 children; Naomi 14, Matthew Jr. 12, Joseph 10, and Nehemiah 5.

Naomi, Jackie, Mack, Matthew,
Nehemiah and Jospeh

The Family with our  two national pastors; Prince and Koasi

Matthwew, Naomi,
Nehemiah and Jospeh

I was saved when I was 9 years old and made sure of my salvation when I was 18. I met my husband when I was 19, he came to our church to be the Assistant Pastor. We got married a year later in 1996. We bought a house and continued serving the Lord in our home church. In 1999, during our missions conference we surrendered to Ghana, West Africa. We sold our house and spent 3 years on deputation We arrived on the field in November of 2003. I had 3 children when we arrived.in Ghana. Once we got to our house in Africa I sat down and cried and cried and cried. I think I cried for the first week we where here. I thought what in the world am I doing? Three small children and in a strange country. Did I say I cried? After I got over the initial shock, I decided I can't sit here and cry for the next few years. I began to make my house a home. We arrived on the field with only our suitcases. Praise the Lord the landlord of the house we where renting left his couch and dinning table. We borrowed some beds from another missionary until we could get some. We began slowly to adjust and make due with what we had. The Lord moved us to another place in Ghana 6 months later. This time we had beds, but no couch or dinning table. However we didn't have to wait long. Our home church sent our container and after 9 months of being in the country we had some of our familiar belongings once again. I had my fourth baby on our first furlough back home. I am thankful for God allowing me to serve Him.  

My Kitchen!

My Kitchen

Pounding Palm Nuts for Soup

Ground Hog and some Beef

Palm Nut Soup

Palm Nuts

Boiling the Plantian and Cassava

Palm Nuts

Pounding the Plaintian and Cassava (FUFU)

Fufu with Ground Hog and Palm Nut Soup

Nehemiah helping with tortillas

Naomi Carving a watermelon

Group on the rope bridge upove the forest

 

Ordination of Prince and Koasi

 

Home Church in Ohio

 

Two Preachers

May 20, 2012, Prince and Koasi were ordained into the ministry. They are two great preachers of God's word. They have had a great teacher/preacher. My husband has spent the last 8 years in teaching and training these two men. God gets all the credit, we are just a tool being used for His glory.

We had our home church, Chippewa Lake Baptist Church, in Medina OH, come for a visit. They were here for the ordination services. They got to work in VBS and they also held some medical clinics were they were able to share the gospel. We did a little sight seeing and had a great time of being together.

It was an encouragement to see the guys reading their Bibles in the morning. My boys look up to them. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Ps 118:8 We need to look toward the Lord, because men will fail you, BUT, it sure is nice when you have some Godly people to help you run the race and encourage you along the way.

It is raining season. We prayed for our well to be filled up while the group was here. We didn't have any problem with that. The rain didn't cause any trouble for the group. They were in a village called Kojo Krom, passing out John & Romans and was going to show a film once it got dark, but it decided to rain instead. So they headed back to the house.

We had 9 from the group plus our 6. It was a blessing having them here at the house for 12 days. Your church family is special. I just happen to have two of them.

Cupcakes Without the Paper

I made cupcakes for Macks birthday back in January and took them to the church to share. Well I noticed everyone eating the paper, ok, chewing on the paper to get off all the cake that gets left on them. I made cupcakes yesterday for the ladies fellowship. Prince met us at the car because he knew we would have food. (laughing) Naomi hands him a cupcake with no paper on it, he says, "yes, these are better, no paper." He then began to tell me a story. Cupcakes where brought to the place where he works and one the men he works with asks him, are these good? Prince says, "If you don't want it, I will take care of it." I guess the other man never ate a cupcake. Once he took a bite he realizes how good they are. He continues to eat and then begins to eat the paper (chew it) trying to get off every bit of cake left on the paper. I started laughing. I never realized. I began to explain what the paper is for, he says yes, but it wastes so much. Then I came to the conclusion if they are going to eat the paper, it doesn't matter if we touch their cupcake while handing it to them. It is a good thing because I ran out of those muffin cups anyway!

Yikes! It's Good To Be Busy!

Where to begin? Our room we meet in for church, needed a fresh coat of paint. It took  a few weeks, how? It's only one room. I am not quite sure, other than they don't know how to paint? We also painted the benches the kids use. Some kids got paint on their clothes, oops, I guess the paint wasn't all the way dry by Sunday. Easter is this Sunday, next Sunday is CBBC's 5 year anniversary. We are putting on a play called "Stay in the Castle" we did this one before, but it's time to pull it out of the archives. We are trying to get together some special music for the ordination services in May, it would help if any of us had any musical talent. Also the Sunday school kids will be doing some verses and songs. We are also having some folks from our home church coming for a visit. We asked our Pastor to come for the ordination in May. So trying to get the house in order, plus the church activities. Oh, boy!

Well Naomi is the only one who got "Pringles" for reading her books. The boys tried, they read 2 books, but didn't quite finish the last one. So we will see who makes it this next time. I told Mack I should get Pringles I read at least 3 books since then.

Mack and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on March 30th. As I was doing my devotions, I usually write down the date and what the Lord showed me out of the chapter of each book I read. I started writing down the date 3/30/96...ha ha no, it's 2012. Mack took me to dinner by myself. We left the kids! That is so strange. We are NEVER without the kids. It was nice, but strange. Naomi will be 14 in May so I think we can start to leave them? It is just a new phase of life we are getting into. Their all growing up so fast.Sniff.