To Everything There is a Season

For everything there is a season and a time for everything under Heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

For going on eight years, I have lived among the Dagaaba people of Lawra in the Upper West Region of Ghana. I have worked in the surrounding villages and even call one of them, Kalsagri, my “home village.” People have invited me into their homes and into their lives. They have become family to me.

So, it is with mixed emotions that I am writing to say that September 21, 2018, I will be leaving Ghana and moving into a new chapter of life. I will have a six month long final Home Assignment. During this time I will visit my partnering churches, connect with the TMS Global Office and debrief. I will also look forward to starting over again and “nesting” in my new to me place of residence.

These past years have been amazing. God has allowed me to be His hands and feet and voice in so many places. I have seen “my boys” grow up and become teachers and nurses while the younger ones have learned to read and write. I have seen churches grow, thrive and stand on their own two feet. I have seen leaders rise up out of congregations and take their place in their church. I have seen people, young and old, profess faith in Jesus Christ for the first time. I have seen young guys get excited about reading the words of Jesus for the first time in their own language! Oh, my! It has been an amazing time here.

But, my work is done here. Ghanaians can do and should be doing what I am doing now. It is time to return to the US. It is time to reunite with blood family, and be reunited with friends, and be in the land of good medical care. And, it is time for me to enjoy my days and years of retirement.

I want to thank you for your support during my time in Ghana. Many of you have supported me even before I moved here. Please, please continue to pray for me. Pray for a healthy “Good Bye.” I want to finish well. Pray for a smooth transition. Pray, too, for the people here, who will stay as I leave. I have been a part of them for years and they, too, will feel the pain of separation.

If you support me financially, please continue to do so through my time of Home Assignment – March 2019. I will be “on the road” a lot of that time. And, if the weather doesn’t allow it (Erie, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas tend to get a LOT of snow), I will continue with visiting supporting churches after the spring thaw.

It has been a privilege to be your representative in Lawra, Ghana. God bless you!

Love,

Sue

A Time for Transition

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every activity under heaven."  

Ecclesiastes 3:1

It is a time of transition for me here in Lawra. I am not going anywhere. I am not changing the focus of my ministry. But, people who have become close to me, people whom I have grown to love are leaving Lawra or maybe even Ghana, and going else where. The picture above is the Very Rev. Ernest K. Baiden at his Farewell Service. He has been my pastor, my boss, my colleague, but, most importantly, my friend. He and his wife, Bertha, are moving to Tamale where he has been posted. I will see him a few times a year, but, it won't be the same. I am looking forward to getting to know the new pastor better and to welcome him and his family to the Lawra area.

Then, there is Leela, from the UK. She left Lawra on Sunday, and will return to London later this week. We have become good friends during her time in Lawra. I hope to visit her and Sarah (who goes and comes from England) sometime next year. Also, very close colleagues of mine, who live in Bolga, left Sunday. I will see them at a conference, but, they will not return to Ghana until the beginning of March. A Peace Corps friend is leaving Lawra in three weeks, going to America, then, returning to Ghana to work in Accra. Other colleagues of mine are leaving in December and will return six months later. Oh, and I am sure there are more...

Saying "good bye" isn't always easy. I have lived in Lawra before all of these people were here. I have lived in Ghana before I became close to these people. So, what do I do now? I believe that the Lord will use this time to draw me closer to Him, to strengthen our relationship.I don't know what God has in mind. But, what I do know, is that he won't leave me to be alone. He will bring others along side of me, both Ghanaians and expats. I will be keeping my eyes and ears open to where He leads!