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