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
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
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
Monday, July 21, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, June 30, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, June 2, 2008
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.
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