Jeff's Journal

                                                          (August - September, 2006)

     There are no international borders in this War of Wars for Christ against the world forces of this darkness & spiritual forces of wickness (Eph.6:12) - for either side in this conflict.  Logistically, the theater of operations covers every nation.  For instance, Ghanaians now live in many faraway cities such as Missoula and Bozeman, Montana, where we recently met Josephine and Gabriel, respecitively.  I also was part of a short Bible study with a Liberian in Spokane, Washington while on our autumn tour of America.  Or consider how we met my daughter Rebecca and her husband Binoy and our grandchildren, Anastasia and Isaiah in Montana, after they'd crossed the Pacific Ocean, after leaving India, Cambodia and Malaysia and coming through Arizona.  It is a small, small world after all. Light confronts darkness through my clan, as the Word is preached, and evangelism and missions is emphasized by my family in Ghana, India and America.  We are determined to fulfill the Great Commission in our generation and pray "Maranantha, mission fufilled. Evacuation now requested, King Jesus."

Autumn America Tour 2006 Highlights:

     Sherrie and I want to thank all of you who were so helpful in this trip of reporting, preaching and sharing our faith and victory through Christ in Ghana. We were able to visit many churches and individuals that support this work and update them on our ministry in Ghana, which is certainly needful for every missionary.  Also to meet Melissa Wegner, who has now come to work in Ghana as a volunteer, plus sow more seeds for other to follow, God willing. Highlights:

- Arrival on Wednesday, July 26. Arrival in Washington, D.C.

- Our ever-helpful brother and forwarding agent, Don Malinowski, picks us at the airport. 

- Thursday, we finance a 2004 Impala and start our tour, leaving Maryland, on Friday.  First stop?

Ohio & Michigan!

- In this state, I preached and show Ghana video every day in 6 different congregations all over the State from Sunday - Thursday.

- Now we head north into Michigan, to attend the last day of the Northmen & Northwomen.  ( I think you can guess which one Sherrie and I each attended.)

- Afterwards, we were enjoying great fellowship with Mike and Terrie Steere,

- After speaking at Mike Steere's house church on Lord's Day,(a.m), then we go south to share with the folks at Bellevue,( p.m.)

- Visit Bob Mallet's house for the first time.

- We then go to International Aid (a clearing house for tax writeoffs for Amyway) to buy over $3000 of needed items for only $300.

- There I feel very sick for several days with bad side affects from malaria medication, jet lag, and a cold, plus fatigue from all the traveling. God heals that, and we never miss an appointment.

On to Indiana! 

-  Able to go see (with Sherrie driving as I recuperated) Laura Swift in Lake Forest, Chicago.  Meet Melissa for the first time. 

-  Here we spend bittersweet time with Chuck and Dee Martin, who had just lost their 20 year old grandson in a tragic motorcycle accident. 

-  Get reacquainted with Valierie and Nathanael Stevenson, who spent two years with us in Ghana. 

-  Share with the Fagans in Connersville before this.

-  Stay with Nicole and Keith and Corbin Wood and their new adopted baby, Brency, who is wonderful, plus visit IDES headquarters in Kempton was profitable.

-  Revisit Sherrie's old youth minister, Richard and Buffy Clark in Carmel, Indiana, who graciously took us to the airport and subsequently brought our car to the curb when we returned three weeks later! 

Out West - Montana & Washington State!

 Three weeks would fly by while Sherrie and I traveled over 3000 miles.  The family camp there was, as usual, excellent this year.  The theme was "The Red Letters of Jesus." Here in Bozeman is where we also met the Thomases.  (We get to do grandpa and grandma things - yeah!!)  Also, so many Bible studies, personal conversations on spiritual topics, and also some doctor's visits for my dizziness and Sherrie's knees - which really helped - in between the fellowship and rich spiritual times.    What superb hospitality, and interesting conversations!  We are so grateful for the opportunities to visit all the congregations and have so many brothers and sisters in Christ.  Special thanks go to the Hirsches for giving us Judy's car the entire time out West, in which we drove nearly 3000 miles!  (Plus we rode over a 1000 miles more with others, especially Jay, with whom we traveled that much in only two Sunday's together.)  We also appreciate Lonna's hospitality, Dess and Mark - and the awesome Billings saints, plus Jeff & Sherry McGraw, Mike Hartman, Gerry Hilyer and all others who took us in before that.  I ended up speaking to over 350 at the camp, plus in 7 different congregations out here and attend one beautiful wedding. 

Back East Again - Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida ...and back to Ghana

  Perhaps some of you are thinking, how interesting and fun, to travel and see so many beautiful states.  Well, in some ways, yes, but it is not really that easy.  We are going at warp speed by now.  After the Clarks bring our car to the Indianapolis airport, Sherrie and I speed rapidly for an evening meeting with the saints at Matt Fagan's house (in Indiana) on time at 5:00, Saturday.  I preach there the next morning, then head down south to meet our son-in-law's older brother Kwaku Osebreah in Lexington, Kentucky.  From there we head to North Carolina, meet our Thomases at the Raleigh airport at 10:00 p.m, and then after reloading all our stuff into their smaller rental car, head up together in our Impala to see my brother Lance and Dad and Mom in the North Carolina mountains.  After a very short visit, we head over to eastern North Carolina to see Sherrie's folks, preach in Sherrie's home congregation Wednesday, and at then speak three times at RBC on Thursday, then speed up to the Washington, Dulles airport to spend the night there. (Friday, Sept.15th.) 

     The next morning we fly down to Tampa, Florida, where I speak for five times in two different cities on Sunda.  On Monday we fly back to Dulles airport to start our trip to Ghana.  (And getting all the "stuff" for our family and staff and ourselves was a logistics nightmare which would take too long to explain here. ) We finally arrive back in Ghana on Tuesday night, Sept.19th. Arriving in Accra with us, or shortly thereafter were Melissa Wegner, from Chicago, and Rhys and Sharon Thomas, from Fayette, Missouri, for their second visit, plus Brent Sears, also of Missouri, who was coming to work with our mission for this school year.

Armed Robbers' Warm "Welcome"

  After a long trip by our old Ford van from Accra, we settle in for much needed sleep. 

    "BANG! BANG! BANG! .... BANG! BANG! BANG!..... BANG!..................BANG!" 

   "Jeff, get up! Get your gun! Hurry! Get up! Get your gun!  They're shooting outside!!", urges Sherrie.  I am befuddled and totally disoriented, after basically going days with little sleep.  

  "What!?? This is America", I answer, not even knowing what continent I'm on.

Praise God that our faithful brother Gordon is wide awake, alert and enthusiastic about protecting his Hostetters and their visitors, at his own personal risk. Also, Sheba who first started the whole thing by barking at one armed robber who was peering over the front wall through the hedge.  His foolish shot at her on our porch (besides our bedroom), alerted Gordon to his whereabouts.  Gordon then holds his ground and fearlessly and heroically shoots it out with THREE armed men, and driving them all away. By the time I had gathered my wits and armed myself, it was basically all over. Praise God! Nobody hurt, nothing stolen. 

     Pray for us brothers.  This is our third armed attack in 5 years.  None have been successful whatsoever.  I am hiring a professional security service in addition to Gordon, to add some more security to our situation.  God is able to protect us and we trust Him to keep His anointed from harm.  We've also have thieves come and steal our basketballs and bicycles a week before this.  We were able to catch them, but the police let the culprit go the next day, mysteriously?!  The commissioner of police here in Kumasi has given them 10 days to produce him, or he's threatened to sack all of them.  Obviously, we live in a corrupt and wicked place - in the darkness.  But we can shine more brightly by faith!

Preaching Emphasis and Men's Seminar: "The Spiritual Revolution and Rightly Dividing the Word of God."

   Despite having no running water, and the power going off for 12 hours out of every 48, and the temporary "thrill" of the attack, we went ahead and had our planned meeting the next week.  Rhys Thomas spoke on lesson preparation, the Holy Spirit, Christian love,  Sacrifice and other great topics.  I also preached and spoke several times. It was the first time that nearly all of the attendees paid their own transport costs.

Melissa Gets Immersed Into Christ!

   Miss Wegner decided to obey the gospel after about attending about 20 hours of intense Bible lectures and studies and questioning me about the purpose of water baptism for more personal study.  She is a college graduate, and very competent and confident young lady.  We praise God for the faith that she has demonstrated in this act, and trust that she will now walk in the Holy Spirit and bear much fruit to the praise and glory of the name of Christ.  I will write more about her and Brent, our new volunteers, in a later report.  This one is already long enough!

A Beacon in the Darkness: Conning, Scamming Ladies and Fake Preachers and Cancer 

   Being light, we are confronted by incessant needs, generated by the foolishness of people living in sin and ignorant of the true life that Christ offers.  For example, one lady came to me lying about her situation, saying she was without food for four days, and that Lord Jesus had sent her right to me to get some money with which to buy fish for trade.  When I offered to send Caleb to help her buy the fish, and promised more help for her orphans if he could verify her story, but also to take her to the police if her story was a scam, she fled.  You should have heard her use the Lord's name in vain as she flattered me and so forth.  Sad. 

   Also, one of our students, Richard, who was recently immersed, has a younger brother who is dying of cancer in the brain. His parents, who are supposed to know the truth, took him to a faith healer's Spiritual Healing Prayer Camp instead of the doctors.  Spending all they had, they only brought him to us too late.  The only oncologist for Kumasi and all the nation north of here (!!!) said this is usually the case, as people think cancer is caused by demons and witches. Sad. Please pray as chemotherapy is given to Buckman (10) to alleviate the tumor and for alleviation of his pain as well.

  I also had a lady try to get 10 months leaving salary from me because we are working on changing the school at Atia to a ACE school.  Even though I hadn't hired her or that she had any qualifications to be a teacher.  She brought her uncle, as is the custom here, to plead/threaten me to do so.  He was reasonable.

  Finally, we had to take Sheba, our heroic guard dog, to the vet for an ingrown toilnail.  He operated with any light, except for a little coming through the window, since the electricity was off.  She is doing well. 

Final Notes

- We are starting up three new schools this year, immediately, as the Lord provides the funds. These schools are at Atia, 17 miles south of here; Paakyi No.2, 18 miles on the road going towards Cape Coast, and in Brong Ahafo, in the jungles where we worked in the 1990s.  We have the children, the volunteer teachers through BCA and American helpers, the locations and the know-how.  We also have about 70 children who desparately need help getting startup curriculum, as well as building offices for them and feeding some.  Pray as I work towards this goal. Through these schools we are building the strong, lasting foundation for future lasting growth of the Lord's Church, making strong individual disciples who can be preachers, elders, deacons, teachers and leaders from within this nation, breaking the unending cycle of co-dependency that stinks to high heaven, between foreign intervention and Africa.  Help us if you can, we pray.

-  Pray for us to stay mobile.  Our 1996 van is rapidly aging on these rough African roads, and is the only vehicle we have.  Most of you have at least two for your households, and with good reason.  We do need to do something soon about this.

Love and peace to all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Jeff & Sherrie Hostetter