The work I do here in the Upper West Region of Ghana is important. But, if I look for results that can be seen and measured, I may be discouraged and tempted to take the next flight to the United States. The progress that can be seen is small and slow. Only God can see what is happening in the hearts of men and women, boys and girls. I work as a church "Caretaker" or Lay Pastor. My church, in the village of Kunyukuo, is small. It has an average attendance of 11 adults and 13 children. Most are illiterate. And, if they are able to read, they are very shy and unsure of themselves. My prayer for this church is that one day it would have local leadership. The young man in the above picture is one of those leaders. He has taken the Part I exam to be an accredited local preacher within Methodist Church Ghana. He hopes to attend school in the future, either for teaching or nursing. His heart's desire is to be a pastor, but there is no money for the training. Plus, it takes time.
The young woman's name is Ernestina. Ernestina has attended the Kunyukuo church even before I started there in January 2016. She has just recently volunteered to read the Psalm for the day in the service. Since there is no Old Testament in her heart language of Dagaare, the Psalm is read in English, the national language. She did an excellent job reading. And, Matthias translated it into Dagaare so everyone could understand. It took a year and a half for this to happen! But, it did happen. Baby steps. Please pray for Ernestina, Matthias, and all of those worshiping in Kunyukuo, that the Lord would touch their hearts and they would have the desire to know Him and serve Him.
