New Web Page

Dear Friends,

I want to announce that I have a new website which can be found at http://widener2ghana.org

I will be posting all of my future blogs on that web page.  Thank you so much for reading our news and praying for us.  May God richly bless you is my prayer.

Bro. Johnny Widener

God is so good!

The Lord has been so good to us!  He certainly gives us more blessings than we deserve.  When we came home for furlough, our needs list was very long!  Sometimes you wonder how everything is going to work out.  But God never fails to provide for those who patiently wait upon Him, (Ps. 37:7).  One of the things that we have learned living in Africa is to wait patiently upon our God.  Everything in Africa moves at a casual pace which is good in some ways.  However, it can be very frustrating to Americans.

I was finally able to get my new hearing aids after a long wait.  Now, I have to patiently adjust to the new sounds of these highly advanced digital aids.  In the long run I believe they will help me to hear better, though my hearing continues to grow worse over time.  If I lose any more hearing, the next step will be to have a cochlear implant because I am almost beyond the use of hearing aids.  But I praise the Lord for His grace and the burden that He has put in my heart for the deaf to hear the Gospel through sign language.

Hannah, our 11 year old, has received her first pair of hearing aids.  She had hearing loss before we went to Africa, but not enough to require aids.  But now they are needed and she can hear much better with them.  Becky got some new molds, but is waiting to get new aids when we get some more funds raised.  The audiologists cleaned up her old ones and adjusted them to have more power.

Next week Rachael, Hannah and myself will be going to the optometrist for eyeglasses.  All three of us need reading glasses.  I am getting where I cannot read the fine print.  Soon, we hope to get all of the children caught up with their dental work, and then Mom & Dad will need to go before we get back to Africa.  

The work in Cape Coast continues to move forward.  We are happy to hear good reports concerning the services and visitors continue to come.  The church had the meeting for the member involved in marital problems and all went well.  The member confessed his sin to the church and repented.  All the church members forgave him and received him with love.  But do continue to pray for this brother and his wife to put it all behind and for their marriage to be strengthened.  I will be needing to counsel them when we get back to Ghana.

Again, we thank you for your prayers for our ministry in Ghana.  May the Lord bless you all for your faithfulness.

Bro. Johnny Widener

Building Project is Moving Forward!

I received word from Bro. Emmanuel that they have finally received the land documents from the Lands Commission and are now working on the building permit. We have been working on this for almost one year. There are two other offices where our land documents must be filed and they are on that now. They have begun having sand and stones brought to the property in preparation for the foundation. The church's funds are almost exhausted now. Pray for God to provide the funds for the work to continue. Emmanuel is searching around for laborers to come and do the excavation for the foundation. In Africa we do not have the privilege of using back hoes. Everything is done manually. We give praise to the Lord for this progress that is being made in our absence from the field.

Bro. Emmanuel Ewur is the national in charge of our work in Cape Coast while we are on furlough. He has been a faithful servant working with us since we started the work in June 2006. He is not paid by the church or by us, but is doing the work out of his love for Christ. He graduated from the University of Cape Coast and is completing his first year as an English teacher at one the schools in Cape Coast. Pray for Emmanuel as he carries the heavy responsibility of the church, that God would strengthen and guide him.

The church is doing good in attendance, averaging in the 90's on Sunday mornings and in the upper 20's in the evening services. Visitors have been coming regularly to the services. Pray for the church as they go out every Saturday for evangelism.

There is one man in the church that is having some marital problems that has called for church discipline to be exercised. I am having to work through this problem by letters and through Bro. Emmanuel. They will be having a church meeting concerning this problem next week. Fortunately, the member has expressed his desire to repent before the church and get things right. For this we praise the Lord. But the church needs prayer as they work through this difficult problem.

We thank all of you who read our reports and pray faithfully for us. May the Lord bless you is my prayer.

Bro. Widener

Preparing for the Road

We are finally settling down into our furlough ministry. All the kids are in a Christian school and I have been booking appointments and preparing for the road. I have booked some new churches to share our ministry in view of support and prayer. I will even be preaching in a deaf church, which I am excited about. Pray that we can raise our support level to continue our ministry in Ghana.

One of our goals on furlough is to gather materials to help in our ministry in Ghana. We are in need of hymn books, Bible Institute materials, and children's teaching aids. After being in Africa for three years, I am amazed at the number of resources available here in America. Pray for the Lord to supply the funds needed to gather the resouces that we can use in Ghana.

We are still in the process of getting hearing aids for Hannah, Becky, and myself. There is a new hearing aid on the market that is water-resistant, which would be wonderful for a tropical climate like Ghana. That is the one that has been recommended by our audiologist, but the cost is very high ($5,386 for a pair). We are seeking the Lord for direction and His provision.

My hearing tests came back with discouraging results. I barely have any hearing left at all and was told that I am almost beyond the benefits of hearing aids. The audiologists told me that I needed to be considering a cochclear implant in the near future. At least I am thankful that God has allowed me to have some hearing and the ability to read lips well. All of these things are in the hands of our loving Father who works all things according to His glorious purpose. It has caused me to focus more upon the deaf world that is largely unreached with the Gospel.

I will be teaching some sign language classes at Spring Valley Baptist Church in Ft. Worth when I am not on the road. We have some people interested in learning so we can reach out to the deaf in the metroplex. There are a good number of deaf people in the area and a couple of deaf clubs. Pray with us that we can reach souls while we are on furlough.

The work in Cape Coast is moving on well. Some of the men are having some rocks and sand delievered to the property to prepare for the work on the foundation. It is encouraging to see them moving forward with the project in our absence. Pray for them that God would give them wisdom and to continue being faithful to the Lord. Also, pray for the visitors that have been coming and that souls would be saved.

Furlough News

Tears of Joy

The tears were hard to hold back at the joyful reunion with our families & sending church. We have certainly enjoyed this past month of fellowshipping with our church and visiting with our family members. The food has been wonderful– Texas Bar-BQ, Mexican Food, Country Fried Steak and fast food. Many times we do not realize how precious something is until we have been without it.

Doctors Appointments

We have also been busy with doctor & dentist appointments. Several of the kids had cavities filled and Rachael is needing a root canal done. Hannah has lost some more hearing and is now needing some hearing aids. Becky and myself are needing some new ear molds and hearing aids. The tropical weather got the best of my good aids and I am wearing one back-up aid until I can get some new ones ordered. Please pray that the Lord will provide the funds for these pressing needs.
The doctor found some skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma) on my face under my left eye. I had surgery to remove it on my birthday, August 1st. All went well and I will go for a check-up in four months. There was no charge for the diagnosis or the surgery– Praise the Lord! Pray for the open wound to heal quickly, so we can get a new picture made for our prayer cards.

Reporting to our Sending Church

We kicked off our missions month at Spring Valley Baptist Church by showing our video presentation of the work in Cape Coast. There was hardly a dry eye in the service as our sponsoring church saw the faces of souls saved and heard some of their testimonies. My wife and I cried the most as we have greatly missed the people to whom God has called us to minister.

The Mission in Cape Coast

The mission church in Cape Coast is doing very well in our absence. We are keeping in regular communication with the brethren there. The members have remained faithful and they continue to have visitors in the services. Be in special prayer for Sister Araba’s husband who has started coming to church and the Lord is working in his heart. He is in his upper 50’s and needs to be saved. The deaf class had 29 in attendance on a recent Sunday. Continue to pray for God to build them up in the faith.

Pray as we work on booking meetings with new churches and report to our supporting churches. If you would like for us to report on our work or share our ministry with your church, please contact us as soon as possible. My personal cell # is (682) 560-0872, or you can email me at: jwidener@fastmail.fm

Texas B-BQ, Family & Friends

We arrived safe in Fort Worth, Texas on July 3rd. What a joyous reunion to meet our parents, nephews, and church members at the airport. The first several days were spent visiting with family & friends, and eating some good Texas B-BQ. Our first Sunday was spent in our home church- Spring Valley Baptist Church- and what a blessing to see every0ne again! We enjoying hearing our pastor preach a great message and on Sunday evening the church had a fellowship for us.

The month of July is being spent with our families and taking a little R&R. In August, the kids will start school at Lakeland Baptist Academy in Fort Worth, while I will be traveling for meetings. We have been real busy trying to fill dental & doctor appointments in the midst of visiting all of our relatives.

The mission church in Cape Coast is doing well as people continue to visit our services. The men have been working on getting the paperwork all finished with the Land commission. There were some minor corrections that had to be made and it will soon be completed. They are also working on the process of getting a building permit for our church project. Please continue to pray for our mission church to be faithful and continue the work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Preparing for Furlough

The past few weeks have been busy as we are making preparations for our furlough. It has been more stressful than expected as we are trying to get everything in order before we go. Cleaning, and preparing the house to be closed up, and packing our things to take with us has turned out to be a big chore. But even more difficult is saying our goodbyes to our beloved church members and co-workers in the ministry here at Spring Valley Baptist Church.

Sunday, June 29th was our last Sunday here before leaving this Wednesday. We had a few visitors in our morning and evening services. There were also some tearful eyes in the evening services as we bid our goodbyes. We are thankful to the Lord for the work that He has given us here in Cape Coast and the many wonderful people in our church.

We stand in awe as we look back over the past two years in Cape Coast and consider all the mighty works that God has done for us. A mission church has been started, along with a Bible Institute aimed at training faithful men. The church now has 23 baptized members and a regular Sunday morning attendance of 86. God has provided the church with two plots of land as a donation. This past week we received the church building plans from the architect. Some of the men will be taking the plans to Town and Planning Commission to apply for a building permit. We pray that all goes well and the Lord provides for the church to build. The building plan is divided into three stages that will allow the church to time to grow into the building and raise the money.

Please pray for the church leaders who will be carrying on the work while we are gone. There will no doubt be testing in store for them and they will need the grace of God to sustain them. We are confident that it is God who "worketh in us both to will and do of his good pleasure."

Our children are really excited about seeing their grandparents, cousins and friends. What a blessed reunion it will be to see our church family and our family members. My next blog will be written from the U.S.A. and we will keep you posted on the family as well as the work in Cape Coast. May God bless you all for your prayers.

Trials on the Mission Field

In this blog I want to share some of the recent trials that we have experienced in Africa.

Americans take for granted many of the common conveniences in life like running water, and electricity. Living in a developing country can be frustrating at times. Last year, in Ghana we were on power sharing because the Akosombo dam, which supplies the country with electricity, was at record low levels. For more than six months we experienced light on for 12 hours and light off for 12hours every other day. Sometimes they would not follow the schedule and we would have lights off for longer periods. Once we were without power for more than 36 hours. It makes it difficult when the children are doing their school on dvd's. Eventually we were able to get us a generator which is necessary on the mission field.

The last three weeks we have been without running water. The government has put in new gutters down the road from our house and then they begin grating the dirt road to match the gutters. In the process they destroyed all the water lines in the area which are buried only about 6-8 inches under the ground. Water was left flowing out of broken pipes for many days, flooding the road. Even after many complaints by area residents, the workers took there time doing the work.

This created a challenge for us as we only had a small water storage tank. Our landlord brought us another tank holding 1500 gallons. This was a blessing but it was not hooked up to our house, so we had to carry water in the house by buckets. With a large family of seven, this became quite a chore every day. In the evening we would have to fill all of the toliets, and bring in water for baths. Since we had no water in the house, all the laundry had to be done by hand in buckets and hung out to dry. Though this got old after a few days it gave us a new perspective on modern day conveniences. You never really know how much a blessing something is until you don't have it.

We have also had our trials with our vehicle being repaired in Africa. Last month one of our ball joints on the van broke right out of the socket! This is not surprising when you consider the bumpy roads we have to travel on to go somewhere. We have a repairman in Accra that searched for the parts to repair our Dodge 15 passenger van. There are no Dodge dealerships in Ghana, though there are an increasing number of Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet 15 passenger vans being imported into Ghana. Because it is hard to insure them in America they are being sold and shipped around the world to be used as passenger vans. Luckily, he found three ball joints which he replaced and the fourth was broken and had to be welded together the African way. Here they just weld old parts together and make them work! Now, we have another problem - our water pump leaks. After searching we found one but the price was very high- $250, and in America it sells for about $90. It can be frustrating trying to find the right mechanic and the right parts to repair your car. Even after some experience at it, we still seem to end up with a bush job on the mechanic work. One of the men in our church joked that we now have an African car! It creaks along as we hope things will hold together.

Though there are many frustrations for an American missionary on the mission field, it is worth it all when we consider the souls that are saved and the lives that are changed by the Word of God. When we surrendered to be missionaries, we agreed to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to get the job done!

Deaf Sunday School Class

This is a picture of our deaf Sunday School Class. The deaf man in the black suit is the teacher. His name is Remy Kayang and has been training under our ministry for two years. We average around 15 to 25 deaf on Sunday Mornings. Two of the deaf men have completed one year of institute studies. Our goal is to train faithful men to go and teach others.

This past Sunday Remy went to the deaf school to preach at 7:30 AM and finished in time to come to church for his Sunday School class. We are happy that he is willing and desires to go to the deaf school to preach. It was his idea to go there on Sunday mornings. For that we are happy. Now, we will be ministering the Word of God to the deaf students on Friday's and Sunday's, as well as an occasional Saturday to visit the students one on one.

Pray for our deaf group that the Holy Spirit will give them understanding and help them to become established in the faith.

Bible Institute

This week we are finishing up final exams for the second semester of our Bible Institute. Classes offered this semester include Bible Doctrine 2- (the Doctrine of Christ & the Holy Spirit), the Epistle of Romans, New Testament Survey, and Practical Christian Living. We are thankful for the faithfulness of our students and pray that they would continue to be students of the Word.

All of our students are looking forward to the semester break. With six hours of classes every week in addition to our regular weekly services and various ongoing mininstries during the week has kept everyone busy. We plan to redeem the time wisely, however, and work on our building project and devote more time to evangelism in the area. We plan to organize some evangelistic services in the villages surrounding our area. There are over 150,000 people living in the Cape Coast area.

Pray that we will receive our land documents soon, so we can begin the work on our foundation. We have over 1400 cement blocks waiting to go in the foundation. Our building plans are still in the works as we consider what the Lord would have us to do. It is an exciting time for our members and we are thankful for the Lord's blessings.

Building Blocks

This past week the masons have made over 800 building blocks for our foundation. Here in Ghana most all of the buildings are made of cement blocks with metal roofs. Our goal is to make 1500 blocks to lay the foundation of our church. We are planning a two-story building that will serve the various ministries of our church. There will be a sanctuary, classrooms for Sunday School and our Bible Institute, offices, and a dormitory for our Bible Students.

We have been meeting in a school for two years now. The school has no lights, electricity, fans, or screens on the windows. This is no problem in Africa for our morning services on Sunday, but can sometimes be a problem in the evening services and for our Institute classes. The rechargeable lamps sometimes will burn out during the services leaving us in the dark. Mosquitos are always a nuisance and at times we can hear them singing "Nothing but the Blood." (just kidding).

However, we are grateful that the Lord has provided us a place to meet these past two years, rent-free. Also, we are excited that He has given us two plots of land to build our own building. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide through His people and give us wisdom for the building project.

Cape Coast School for the Deaf

This is the last service at the school for the deaf before they take a short holiday break. School is different here from the U.S. They go to school year round with about 4 breaks during the year. Junior high school is called junior secondary school 1-3 (JSS1-3), and Senior high school is senior secondary school 1-3 (SSS 1-2). The jss3 students just finished taking their nation-wide exams to see if they passed to sss1. The school for the deaf in Cape Coast only goes to jss3, so we bid our goodbye's to the students that are going home in other regions. Some of the students who live in Cape Coast area are coming to our church on Sunday's.

Two Sunday's this month we transported all of the JSS3 student (19 in all) to our services during the two weeks they were taking exams. Since all the other students had vacated, they did not have services at the school. The Headmistress gave us permission to bring them to our services. We had 36 deaf people in those services. Now, they have finished their exams and have gone home. This past Sunday we had 16 deaf along with 64 hearing people. In two weeks the schools will open back up and we will continue our chapel ministry at the deaf school.

Also this month we had a deaf visitor at one of our Wednesday night services who is from Sweden. She is in Ghana for 6 months to help at the deaf school in Mampong. One of our deaf ladies brought her to church when she was visiting in Cape Coast. What a blessing to preach the Gospel to a Swedish deaf girl.

Pray for us as our deaf ministry has continued to grow since our camp this last December. We need to see deaf leaders trained to carry the Gospel to the deaf scattered about Ghana.

April Prayer Letter

April 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This month we wish to report on the blessings, the battles, and the burdens of the ministry here in Cape Coast. Without the blessings we would be discouraged; without the battles we would be proud; and without the burdens we would be self-sufficient. The Lord truly knows how to keep us balanced in our ministry.

THE BLESSINGS!

This past month has been filled with preaching opportunities that we trust will one day bring forth fruit that remains. Besides our regular Friday chapel services at the deaf school, we have been going on Saturday’s to have question and answer sessions with the students. They have been asking some really good questions about salvation and practical Christian living.
Recently, I had the opportunity to preach at a deaf lady’s funeral service. It was sad to hear that this young lady died at the age of 29 years old of typhoid fever. The mother did not get an interpreter to find out what was really wrong with her until it was too late. Many of the deaf suffer in Ghana because the parents do not care enough about them to learn sign language and to help them. The families are poor and have many children, so the deaf are pushed aside and the hearing children are encouraged. Many of the deaf who came to the service were touched by the strong Gospel message and desired to ask me questions afterwards.

THE BATTLES!

With these open doors of opportunity to preach the Gospel are many battles with our adversary, the Devil. We had some heavy storms that caused electrical problems in our area. It took us five days to get the power company to come to our house to repair the lines. Because of power surges, we had over $500.00 of damage to small electrical appliances. These battles have thoroughly tested our patience and have caused us to retreat to the everlasting arms.

THE BURDENS!

We are making preparations for a six-month furlough (tentative July 2008 to January 2009) to report on our work, to receive some needed medical and dental work, and to raise some additional support. After three years on the field, prices have increased significantly and the dollar value has decreased. We need your prayers for our Father’s provision of many needs that He already knows about. Please pray about the need for the funds to purchase round-trip tickets, a van to use on furlough, and for our national leaders here to carry on the work in our absence. If God should lead you to help with these needs, please send to our church labeled for Johnny Widener-furlough.

All of our supporting churches who wish to have us report in person or for a special meeting can email us at the address below, or contact our sending church. If you do not support us and would like for us to share our ministry with your church, we would be happy to do so. Please let us know in the next two months so we can schedule your church on our calendar.

Grateful for His Grace,

Bro. Johnny Widener

Funeral for a Deaf Lady

This past Friday I preached a funeral for a deaf lady named Rosemond. She died of typhoid fever at the age of 29 years. It was sad to hear that her mother took her to the hospital 3 times and the doctors gave her medicine without really understanding her condition. The mother failed to get an interpreter to explain the symptoms to the doctor. She was already dead before they found she had typhoid fever.

In Ghana many of the deaf suffer great hardships because their parents do not care enough to learn sign language. Most families are poor and have many children, so the deaf are pushed aside and the hearing children are encouraged. I am thankful for the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the deaf in Ghana and to show them about a Saviour who cares for them.

Early on Sunday morning before our church services, I preached to a group of deaf adults at the association for the deaf. They had come for the funeral and on Sunday had a traditional "thanksgiving" service for the life of the departed. There were about 45 deaf people who heard me preach a strong gospel message from Luke 23:32-43. After the service many of them wanted to ask questions about the message, but we had to leave for our church services.

In the past two years of our work here in Cape Coast, we have had about 60 deaf people who have visited our services. There have been 38 public professions of faith among the deaf in our services, including our camp this last December. We have 3 deaf students in the Bible Institute along with our hearing students. We thank God for giving us this ministry to the deaf who are a neglected and forgotten people. Pray that God will raise up more laborers to sign the Gospel to the deaf.

Open Doors of Opportunity

For the past two months we have been preaching every Saturday in the large village called Moree. On Sunday we had a man who heard us preach in Moree come to visit our services. He promised he would be coming back to visit our church. This is encouraging to see God at work! We also had two college girls who recently moved to Cape Coast visit our services for the second Sunday in a row. Pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of those to whom we have preached the Gospel.

This past Saturday we also preached at the Cape Coast School for the Deaf. The Jehovah's Witnesses have been trying to lead the deaf into their false doctrines. However, most of the deaf refuse to listen to the JW's because of God's blessing upon our labors at the Deaf school. I have been preaching at this deaf school for two years now. This last December when we had our camp meeting at the deaf school, we had 30 deaf students profess Jesus Christ as Saviour. Until our campmeeting we did not have any professions of faith at the school. It takes time for the deaf to come to a clear understanding of the Gospel. Now, with many of them saved and grounded in the Gospel they will not listen to false gospels. In the next few weeks we have an opportunity to bring the JSS3 students to our church on Sundays.

This weekend I will have the opportunity to preach at a deaf woman's funeral. I did not know this woman, but some of our deaf church members knew her. There will be many deaf people coming from different regions of Ghana to the funeral. Pray for this wonderous opportunity to share the Gospel with the deaf in Ghana.

Resurrection Sunday

Yesterday we had 110 in our Sunday morning services, including a good number of first time visitors. In the adult Sunday School class, I taught on the subject "Many Infallible Proofs of the Resurrection of Christ," followed by a message in the morning service on "The Resurrection of Jesus Christ-The Foundation of our Faith." Though we did not have any professions of faith, the presence of the Lord Jesus was with us.

In the evening service, our church members observed the Lord's Supper for the first time. It was a very special service as we remembered our Lord's death for us. Our mission church was started in July 2006, however, we did not establish membership until the middle of 2007. With so many false doctrines and different churches, it is necessary to build a solid foundation before admitting members to the church. Currently, we have 23 baptized members which is not including my family.

This past week we had our land re-surveyed by a government surveyor. When the land was being cleared by a bulldozer, three of the landmarks were removed. We are thankful for this providential work of God because we discovered that the first survey was off by twenty feet. Now we have the landmarks in the right place are are preparing to start the foundation work. But first we must get our building plans finished and approved. Pray for God to give us wisdom and to provide for the needs of the building program.

Muslims Coming to Christ

The deaf girl, third from the left, was raised in a Muslim family. She came to our camp in December and at the end of the week she confessed Jesus Christ as her Saviour. After camp was over she happily took her new KJV Bible home. Later when the Deaf school reopened after the holidays, a deaf boy informed me that her parents took the Bible away from her and threw it out of the house. He had gone and picked up the Bible and took it home. We also had another Muslim girl who also trusted Jesus Christ as her Saviour at camp. What a joy to know that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth!

The past few weeks I have been teaching about Muslim evangelism and challenging our church members to develop a love and burden for Muslims to be saved. In the near future we are going to have a Muslim evangelism day in our area. There are more than 6 mosques in our area. Pray that God will open the eyes and hearts of these people that are blinded by a false religion that offers no hope.

Door of No Return

Ghana has about 32 castles or slave-trading forts that were built during the colonial days. The Elmina Castle, about 5 km from the Cape Coast Castle, is the oldest which was built in 1482 by the Portuguese. It started out as a trading post for timber and gold, but later became one of the main slave-trading forts on the Atlantic slave route. This is a picture of "the door of no return," the last stop for captives before they were stripped and branded, then marched to waiting slave ships. The slaves that entered through this door never returned to their homeland as they boarded ships headed to the Americas or the Caribbean.

There are "doors of no return" in the Christian life as well. When we get saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we enter through a "door of no return." Salvation is eternal! When we surrender to serve the Lord Jesus, it should be a "door of no return," (see Luke 9:62). As the hymn goes, "I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back." When we die and leave this old world we will be entering a "door of no return."

Pray for us as we labor to train disciples of Jesus Christ. In our services the past few weeks our attendance has been down in the 60's. But in spite of that we are having new visitors come on a regular basis. The past few Saturday's we have done evangelism work in a village called Moree. It is a short distance from our church and is full of precious souls without a Savior. Pray that eyes would be opened to the truth and that many will enter that "door of no return," (see John 10:9). Pray for our church members and regular visitors that they will surrender their lives to serve the Savior as bondslaves entering the "door of no return."

Ground-breaking Service

Today we broke the ground for our church land and dedicated it to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the beginning of a great building project for Spring Valley Baptist Church in Cape Coast, Ghana. Though we are young and small, little is much when God is in it! Truly, with God all things are possible.

I read the Scriptures from Nehemiah 4:4-6, and challenged the church members to have "a mind to work." That God's work is "a great work," which required unity, team-effort, and God's help. I warned them that we will have difficulties and opposition, but we must press forward trusting in Jesus. It is exciting to see a new church undertake to build a building for the glory of God!

Pray for us as we labor to win souls, train disciples and build a church to the glory of God!

Training Timothy's

The major work of a missionary is that of training disciples who in turn will be able to teach and train others, (2 Tim. 2:2). However, making disciples is one of the greatest challenges facing Christians in this Laodicean age. With increased technology and developments all over the world, including Africa, we see a shift in people's ambition and drive in life. Because of the easy access of the internet, TV and movies, more and more people are being drawn after the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It is becoming more and more difficult to find true disciples who will remain committed to the cause of Christ. The thorny ground of the cares and lusts of the world are choking out the Word of God.

But we thank God for His powerful Word and wonderful Grace that calls men and women to forsake all for the love of Christ. Though they be few and far between, little is much when God is in it. We are happy to be training some dedicated men in our Bible Institute for the service of our great King! Please pray for them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

False Teachers

This past Friday the Lord led me to preach on the subject of "False Teachers" at the Deaf School chapel service. When we arrived I was communicating with one of the deaf student leaders and he told me that the Jehovah Witnesses had been coming to the school on Saturday's. Some of the students were beginning to follow their false teachings. I was amazed at how the Lord had directed me to preach on this subject beforehand. It gave me more holy fire to preach in chapel, knowing that the Devil was doing his dirty work.
Please pray for these deaf students to have understanding of the true Gospel of grace and not to be moved by false gospels. We will be going to the school next Saturday to visit with the students and prepare those who are saved to help win the lost before the JW's confuse them with their false doctrine. There is a real need to train and equip deaf leaders to teach others.

February 2008 Prayer Letter

February 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters,


We would like to thank all of you who prayed for our 1st Camp Meeting at the Cape Coast School for the Deaf. In all we had about 58 campers, ages 13 to adult, for the 7-Day Camp. Many others from our church who had to work joined us for the evening preaching services. By all means, the Camp was a great success as we had 27 Deaf and 3 hearing people saved, with 1 rededication to Christ.

BIBLE STUDIES, SPORTS COMPETITIONS, & FIERY PREACHING!

After the morning devotions, dorm duties and breakfast, we divided into four groups for in-depth Bible teaching on the subjects of salvation and eternal security. During the week we covered five lessons with study questions to be completed by the campers. There were 48 who received certificates for completing all of the lessons. We are thankful that God greatly used the lessons to open the eyes of 30 souls to the truth about salvation in Christ.
Following the Bible study and break time, we had our morning preaching service. Then after lunch and the rest period we divided the campers into four teams for the sports competitions: Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Hur. The competition was tough all week through the following events: tug-a-war, water balloon toss, obstacle course, lemon/spoon race, and the relay races. By Friday, Hur won the crown for the sports competition. We wrapped the evenings up with strong evangelistic preaching.
On Friday afternoon we set-up counseling sessions with all those who had received Christ or who desired to be saved. In the last service on Friday evening we had a time of sharing testimonies of salvation and praise to the Lord. What a blessed service! At the end of the service we had 5 more come to trust Christ as Savior. We thank God for His wonderful works and amazing grace!

BAPTISM & BULLDOZING!

Several weeks following our camp we had a baptismal service with 11 obeying Christ in believers baptism. We would have baptized more but the others who were saved went home for the holidays. Most of the deaf students who board at Cape Coast live in other regions of Ghana.
Our church members have cleared our land of bush by manual labor using machetes. That is the African way. This week we have a bulldozer coming to level the property and prepare the road. Soon we will have a ground-breaking service to dedicate the land to the Lord Jesus Christ!
Pray for us as the work is great: establishing a strong church, training preachers, the Bible Institute, the Building project, village evangelism ministry, the deaf school ministry, and our children’s ministry.

Grateful for His Grace,

Bro. Johnny Widener