COMING  FROM THE STEAMY RAIN FOREST AND AFRICAN CITY OF KUMASI, GHANA, WEST AFRICA….

          Jeff's Journal

 August/September 2008

24,000 MILES: FROM ACCRA – DUBAI - COCHIN – BOMBAY – PARIS – NEW JERSEY –WASHINGTON, DC – CHARLOTTE – WASHINGTON – ATLANTA – SEATTLE – MONTANA – SEATTLE – JUENEAU, ALASKA – SEATTLE – WASHINGTON, DC. – RICHMOND – ROPER, N.C – HARRISONBURG, VA. TO ROPER., N.C - WASHINGTON – NEW YORK – ACCRA!!!

“MANY WILL GO BACK AND FORTH, AND KNOWLEDGE WILL INCREASE.”  (DANIEL 12:4)

When Jesus told us to “go into all the world and make disciples”, He meant what He said.  It amazes me to see how the Lord has opened doors for us that no man can close to proclaim His pardon through Christ to all men.  Since July 18^th, our gypsy life has taken us to all the abovementioned places safely.  One flight alone, from Bombay to New Jersey, meant 22 hours on the same plane, Air India, with all but four of those actually in the air going over 500 miles per hour.  It is God who makes us ride on the wings of an “eagle”, spiritually, and even physically, in a manner of speaking. We also rented three different cars, and probably drove over 3000 miles.

It is good to be home, having arrived September 30^th, on Tuesday morning at the Accra airport, (Kotaka), after “only” a 10 hour straight flight from JFK through the night.  We came to meet all here in good health and fine spirits, except for Gloria’s health, as she had a 106 degree fever and was admitted to the local clinic.  Despite severe jet lag and travel weariness, we got right back in the ministry saddle and went out there to encourage her and take her firstborn, Eshton, home for care through the night.  I also preached Wednesday night, although cut short by a tropical rainstorm.  Sherrie has done much shopping, bookwork, unpacking, organizing and so forth.  Back to work, no more lollygagging around!  But I must admit to having been being pretty lazy about getting the first mornings.  It was good to have a dedicated, hardworking team here to carry the morning load for awhile.  It was also fun to coach the weight lifting program with Jeremiah, and play basketball with the family and some staff again on Friday.  God truly is good…all the time, as Steve Haggerty, elder from Stoneybrook Church of Christ always says.

 

SHERRIES’S KNEES NEWS

Well, after much careful analysis and consultation with her doctor, of Pitt Memorial Hospital, in Greenville, N.C., Sherrie decided to forego any surgery for now.  She has been fitted with two customized knee braces and taught therapeutic exercises by an expert.  Her doctor assured her that not only delaying  would be fine but even recommended it if possible, as she was “too young” for normally having knee replacements. (Its “nice being” too young for something). She was also informed that there would be no further damage to her knees by waiting. (It’s already been done.) We don’t know how this will all work out yet, but we are doing all possible to alleviate the causes of her pains, and I fully support her difficult decision.  If it becomes necessary to have the partial replacements done, the doctor assured Sherrie that she just needs to call and he’ll immediately schedule her for an operation.  Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of you for your prayers and concern about this matter.  As I’ve said before, my wife is a warrior, and amazes me with her toughness and faith to serve Jesus no matter what.

SHIPPING CONTAINER UPDATE

Since Sherrie decided to return, we will not be taking one now.  As a matter of fact, unless you pack and ship a container before personally embarking overseas, it will not be duty free as “unaccompanied personal baggage” and thus attract high import taxes.  But the good news is that we have an individual who has offered to help us next year, Lord willing, to pay for the cost of shipping!!  So we will definitely be planning on bringing a big one back, not only for us, for all the teams that work with our mission.  You can send stuff for storage to Travis Taylor (t2_ecu@yahoo.com) in Greenville, North Carolina. Or you can call Connie Gibbs: 252-341-1468, also at Greenville. This place located only about 40 minutes away from Rocky Mount, N.C, which is located on I-95.  Christ’s Church will be the drop-off point for anything going to Ghana.  We need furniture, food, medicine, paper, used clothes, canned food and so forth. We printed a list in the last “Jeff’s Journal”, July ’08.  My wife asks to please package, box and label with an inventory any items, if possible.

PROCAMATION POINTS FOR CHRIST (In chronological order)

-       Cochin, Kerala, S. India – 47^th  Annual All Asia Forum – Over 100 from six different countries( U.S.A, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Ghana) and three continents in attendance.  Theme:  Overwhelming Conquerors in Christ.  I presented the opening and closing messages.  My son, Jeremiah, did two workshops, very professionally, plus led the music, and digitally recorded all the messages.  Brittney and my wife shared with some ladies at three workshops.  Great time of preaching, fellowship and promoting the spiritual revolution of the gospel of Christ’s glory.  I also spoke at Sabu George’s new congregation that meets in his new house in the Kottayam, and several times in the house church in Binoy’s house.

-       Roper, NC – Jim and Phyliss Broyles 50^th Wedding Anniversary – Sherrie and were able to represent Christ and be part of this important event.  I wore a Christian message t-shirt and led prayers and a song.  Also spent some good time with our niece, Jo Beth, a JBC graduate, who might come to Ghana.

-       Hagerstown, Maryland – Christ’s Church with the Malinowski’s house church in the black neighborhood. Just like in Cochin, Don and Helen, our forwarding agents and good friends, are imitating the model that we are running in Kumasi, Ghana, in starting a new work with Christian educational ministry attached and an emphasis on personal discipleship.  They’re new school has six students, three white and three black.

-       Bozeman, MT. – 35^th Annual Family Camp – Approximately 475 attending from at least 10 states - California, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida - and the theme was “Gems from Genesis.”  I preached the first night on PURPOSE being the necessity to empowering us to glory, using Abraham’s personal example of his willingness to leave his homeland and sacrifice his only son as the sort of character we must also have to fulfill the Great Commission worldwide.  Over 14 other men also did a fantastic job expounding on the theme.

-       Richmond, Virginia. – Bonnie Brae Church of Christ & the United Christian church.  Using a home-made DVD, we presented the work in Ghana and preached, a.m and p.m.  Both took up special offerings and were very encouraging towards us.

-       Harrisonburg, Virginia – 1^st Shenandoah Family Camp – About 100 brethren from about 6 different congregations participated in this meeting.  I spoke about Ghana to a small group, led the Lord’s Supper in a 35 minute “devotion”, which was very well received as the Lord gave me utterance.  Wonderful to visit with Phil and Paula Sutton’s family, Keith and Nicole and Mike Martin’s.  The Harrisonburg church is starting a Christian school, praise God.

-       Elizabeth City, N.C – Roanoke Bible College – The new missions professor, Robert Reese, allowed me to teach two of his mission classes, and I spoke about how we should be like Jesus as missionaries, and “incarnate” ourselves by learning the language of the people to whom we minister.  My nephew, David Broyles is now a student there and was in one of the classes.

-       Jarvisburg, NC – Jarvisburg Church of Christ –  Excellent Wednesday night meal and meeting with the work in Ghana video being featured again.  They have also started a Christian school, after the preacher, Dennis Creedham visited Ghana several years ago.  His daughter Olivia will be the first graduate.

-       Little Jamaica, Long Island, N.Y – Hollis Street Ch. Of Christ – Sherrie and I spent 8 hours in this storefront city church with people, some from Jamaica, Guyana and even Ghana.  I preached and showed video of Ghana.  This was our last stop before flying out the next day to Ghana via Delta Airways, nonstop.

Final Notes:

I do thank God for my wife being able to travel with me, despite her knee pains, and being able to go on a cruise with her to Alaska for one week.  I appreciate our children and volunteers who helped make this happen, to celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary that we had two years ago.  Our God is so kind!  Now we are back to the heat and humidity and reality of a big, ugly city with more work than we can possibly accomplish without God’s generous helping of energy and health.

Coming back has had its share of challenges:  Severe jet lag, one preacher who is running his own personal agenda; and a man I’ve known and treated as another son for many years deciding to marry a non-Christian in my absence; Gloria with typhoid fever, etc.  You know how it is – it’s life.  But we also got back to BCA and Christ’s church here in pretty good order, with some more new faces at the assembly, and great joy to see my family and the inner core of dedicated saints working with us. 

We do pray that you will consider helping us in these trying economic times with an extra gift before Christmas.  As bad as things might be in America, they are worse overseas.  Please plan and consider sending some “Christmas Joy” to Ghana this year.  if you can.  We’d love to buy some gifts and give some extra help to those who need it the most.  Thanks for you faithfulness in supporting this work through all the years.  May the Lord bless you for it in every way.

 

In Christ,
Jeff Hostetter