Jeff's Journal - February 2006

 

 EXALTING CHRIST'S MARVELOUS WORK IN THE HOSTETTER'S MISSION MINISTRY IN GHANA       

 

 "And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. .. many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase" (Dan.12:3-4b)

 

Southeastern Tour of the USA  (February 22nd - April 11th)

    Sherrie and I jetted out of Kumasi and headed across the "Big Pond"  - the Atlantic Ocean - for a long-overdue and extraordinary tour of Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, and Washington, DC.  We were shown so much kindness and generosity by so many, that I fear mentioning names lest we leave some out, but I will do my best, and please forgive us if I fail to mention someone. 

 

February 22nd - 25th - Hagerstown, Maryland. The Malinowski's, Don and Helen, met us at the Washington Airport, Don having taken the day off from work.  Much appreciated was their warm, comfortable bed in their own bedroom, especially since our plane was delayed leaving Accra until 4:00 a.m and we had to be re-routed through Detroit instead of a straight connection to Washington from Amsterdam.  That same evening, I taught a lesson in their house church, although jet-lag made me only semi-coherent.  On the following Friday evening, I presented a multi-media presentation at the youth center across the street from the Malinowskis.  As white folks, the Malinowskis are the token white minority in this rundown, downtown neighborhood of Hagerstown. Our desire was to help bring in some truth-seekers through this program. A number of the local children came out for the program, as well as a man, Andy, who has learned all the intricacies of milking the federal and state relief organizations and agencies for all that they're worth! He knew more "legalize" than a lawyer.  Pray for him, since he has come to both of my presentations and been friendly to both the Malinowskis and myself.  We are considering getting him to Ghana someday to open his eyes to Christ's glory in His church.  We also appreciated the supportive visit by several saints from Everett, Pennsylvania, and their financial gifts  to help cover our trip's expenses.

February 25th, Washington, DC.  On a cold and blustery day, our wonderful forwarding agents and fellow workers in the gospel ministry led us on a tour of the capital of this powerful nation.  It was a great treat, ascending the 550 foot tall Washington Monument, seeing the White House up close, and viewing so many exhibits in the Smithsonian museums.  Of course, I thought of our great God, Jesus Christ, and His eternal heavenly Kingdom which now includes  us, His church here on earth, of the greater glory that this government of God enjoys, in contrast to the temporary splendor of man. I also prayed that God will keep us in relative peace and freedom so that the gospel can continue to spread worldwide.

February 26th - Richmond, Virginia.  Our first Lord's Day in America, we spent the entire day with the United Christian Church, in Richmond, Virginia.  They have two preaching times, which I did, plus a combined class in-between during which I showed a PowerPoint presentation of our work.   After being treated for a fine lunch, we returned that evening for an extended meeting at which I then showed the DVD of our work. (Which was to be the first of about 30 times.)  The response was awesome.  They even paid for us to stay in a "posh" American motel.  (By the way, American hotels and motels are the best in the world for service plus affordability.  You definitely get more for your dollar.)

February 27th - 28th - Norfolk, Virginia.  We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary!  This was our old stomping grounds - where we used to court while eager young students at Roanoke Bible College, borrowing one of our parents' cars (I had none) to go to the mall and catch a movie and so forth.  Plus we often came here while on furlough's in Elizabeth City - '85, '89, '92 and '95.  It was truly a great blessing to share the day together in such beauty in our homecountry, and we are very thankful for God's putting us together as one and using us as a team to serve Him all these years.  What a brave, true and lovely wife he gave me!

March 1 - 3 - Sunrise Church of Christ. Kill Devil Hills/Nags Head, North Carolina.  What beauty, this place of dunes and Atlantic swells , the grand bridge over the Oregon Inlet, and Hatteras Island with its famous lighthouse built in 1870. (Which is over 200 feet tall, and fairly recently was actually moved inland several hundred yards to save it from the encroaching waves!!)  With frigid winter temperatures, a nice change for us, there were no crowds to fight through, just empty, and beautiful beaches and time for Sherrie and I to walk, talk and visit her brother and family and the other saints there at the Sunrise Church of Christ.  I also showed the presentation of our work for the third time. By the way, many think that Africa is a place of wild animals in abundance, but so is Eastern North Carolina.  We heard, from Sherrie's brother Greg, about a 14 ft. alligator caught near Mann's Harbor.  Plus there are road signs warning of "Red Wolf","Bear", and "Deer Crossings" all along the road from the beach to her parents house.  I also saw a beaver and deer, and wild ducks near her parent's house.

March 5th - South Mills Church of Christ, (a.m) & Philippi Church of Christ,( p.m), North Carolina.  Ron Stuart preaches here, and he delivered a great message on this day, so I got to take a break.  I did present our work to the combined adult Sunday School class.  A car recently ran over an alligator that had strayed out of the Dismal Swamp Canal - surveyed and built by George Washington - near here.  This church was started whilst I was a young student at Roanoke Bible College, and has supported us for over 23 years now.  It is near the North Carolina - Virginia border.

   That evening, we went to the nearby (from Roper) Philippi church, which had over 135 people present for the Sunday evening assembly!  We had a great time with this faithful country church tucked away from it all near Cressville, N.C.  Country folks are so friendly.  This was the fifth presentation about our work.

March 6th - 7th - Roper, N.C.  R&R time with Sherrie's parents and grandma.  Peace and quite, long walks in cold weather, ahh - just what the doctor ordered for two overstressed and malaria-ridden missionaries.  We were impressed by the daily care that Jim and Phyllis give to her invalid mother, who has lost her power for speech for many years.  Gladly we helped "baby-sit" for them several times while they visited doctors due to Jim's severe circulation difficulties in his left leg caused by diabetes. (The right one has been amputated.)  Our compassion led us to wish that we could live next door and be more help.  Leaving dear family members for the sake of the gospel is not easy!

( I must speed this report up, because there is so much more to come.)

March 8th - Community Christian Church, Richlands, N.C.  Two hours south of Roper, near the huge Marine base at Camp Lejuene in Jacksonville, is another longtime faithful church, where  James Warren preaches.  Although a mid-week assembly, there were about 50 people present to attentively listen to my sixth presentation.  We arrived home after 11:00 p.m, tired but grateful to be home safe.

March 12th - Jarvisburg Church of Christ,N.C (a.m ) & West Park Church of Christ, Virginia (p.m).  

Next we headed back towards the beach about 10 miles down the road to visit Dennis and Debbie Crehan, who serve at the Jarvisburg  church.  I am excited!  They are starting a Christian school there.  This is a result of Dennis's life-changing visit here two years, at which he was tremendously impressed by the results of BCA.  They also have a weight lifting ministry, with actually sponsoring powerlifting competitions in their huge multi-purpose building.,which has full-sized indoor basketball court.  I was also excited because Dennis introduced memory work for the adults, which many are doing every week!  All in all,  it was all very encouraging morning, at which I preached about our great victory in Christ.  Pray for Dennis as he considers another visit to Ghana, perhaps also their daughter, Olivia.

    Getting lost in the huge metropolis of Norfolk/Suffolk/Chesapeake has become something of a tradition, but we finally found the building of West Park.  A special evening had been called by Keith Lewis, the preacher there, for us to meet and report on our work.  Another great meeting! (No.9)

March 14-15 - Corolla, NC.  Our close friends, the Suttons and Woods invited us to join their yearly vacation time at the beach, in a beautiful summer house offered freely by a sister in Christ.  It was great fellowship with many, many spiritual conversations taking place.  Both Phil and Keith have visited Ghana, and strongly support our efforts there. 

March 17-18 - Gospel Rally at Roanoke Bible College, Elizabeth City, N.C.  The most enjoyable thing about this preaching rally was seeing so many friends and supporters all in one place.  I was able to speak of our work for about six minutes, to about 350 or more people.  We also learned a great new song of praise - "How Great Is Our God".  So, so true.

March 19th - Stoneybrook Church of Christ, Wilson, N.C. We spent the entire day and a night here, due to the incredible hospitality of Mike and Lori Tetterton.  (Mike is an elder at Stoneybrook and a member of the board of trustees of Roanoke Bible College.)  I delivered my 10th presentation, and preached hard on our total victory in Christ. Very good response.  That evening, at a small group meeting that Mike led in a home, one high school teacher said to me: "We need you HERE!  We need you to help our youth like you are doing in Ghana!"  I suggested that they start a Christian school someday soon.

March 20th - Travel to Boone and Banner Elk, N.C.  Starting out with difficulties in getting our rental car changed, due to a faulty bumper, at Raleigh, N.C., the day ended in a winter wonderland throwing snowballs with my nephew and niece, Savannah and Luke Hostetter, and their daddy, my younger brother Lance, who preaches the Word at the church at Foscoe, N.C, near Boone. (His wife is Jennifer, a sweet, dedicated mom and preachers wife.)  Then on to Banner Elk where my parents now live.  My dad also preaches every Lord's Day as an interim preacher for a mountain church of Christ.  Just think:  On any given Lord's Day, my dad, brother, son, two son's-in-law and myself are all preaching God's Holy Word in Africa, India and America!  How I praise our Lord and God for such an incredible legacy and privilege.  May it only expand and continue until we can say Maranantha as the King appears in the blue sky.

March 23 - 26th - Fayette, Missouri.  Leaving the majestic snow covered mountains and days of wonderful fellowship with my family, especially including edifying spiritual conversations with Lance, we pressed on over the Tennessee mountains to far-off Missouri. Arriving there, we spent three great days with Sharon and Rhys Thomas.  Nightly, I showed our Ghana presentation and also preached on the Lord's day, twice, as they met for both the morning and evening assemblies combined, from 9:30 a.m until 3:00 p.m, with a fellowship meal in-between.   We really valued the time spent with these saints, and the opportunity to see our daughter-in-law's foster parents.  Rhys preaches while running his own lab, and Sharon works in the private health care industry.  Both of them really love us, Ghana, and are very supportive, which is a true blessing.  (They came to Ghana for Brittney's wedding.)  Rhys truly believes that what is happening in Ghana borders on the miraculous.  It is a humbling thought.  Jetting out of there, we started our journey for Harrisonburg, Virginia, that same Lord's Day. 

March 27 - 29th - Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Arriving at Phil and Paula Sutton's home at Harrisonburg, Virginia, the site of many Civil War battles between Stonewall Jackson vs. no less than three Federal armies, in the scenic Shenandoah Valley, I met with the elders and showed them a video of our work in Ghana. (Presentation No.12)  This went very well, and answered any questions they might have entertained about our ministry.   I also went with Phil to do seven 25-30 minute presentations about Ghana to 3rd-4th graders in a local elementary school.  Virginia has a program that allows non-denominational teaching of the Bible to volunteer students off campus.  What a great opportunity so sow God's unadulterated seed into tender hearts!

March 21-29 - Christ's Church at Lancaster, Ohio.  Jim and Pam Derry, who started this new church here, were our gracious hosts.  Here in their lovely home we had many lively and very enjoyable discussions with this strong-minded, evangelistic couple.  I spoke to the saints here - presenting our work for the 13th time to a church gathering (not including "private showings").  Then next morning I spoke to the children in their new Christian school, a real treat.

Then Sherrie and I spent the rest of the day hiking in Hocking State Park, with Indian caves, hardwood forests and waterfalls - a real "Narnia" or "Lord of the Rings" landscape.  During this entire tour, we often stopped and hiked an hour to get much needed daily exercise, in cool, refreshing air. America is a very beautiful country indeed.  I also stopped and lifted weights in various places, always bargaining for lower rates, as I also did for any hotels - with nearly 100% success.  This is the African way - or Indian way - as learned by a very shrewd negotiator, Binoy Thomas.

March 31 - April 1 - "Standing For Truth Rally", Portsmouth, Ohio.  Heading down south to the Ohio-Kentucky border, we attended, for the first time, this preaching rally.  It was great to see so many old, true friends there, such as Mike and Terry Steere, David and Teresa Fagan, Jay Wilson, Matt Hartford, Luke Edgar, Al Rankin, and so many others.  Jim Spinatti sure doesn't pull any punches in preaching in a very vigorous way the truth!  Once more we met up with the Wood's and Phil Sutton, and Mike Martin.  Steve Doty, Mike Steere, Matt Hartford, David Fagan, Spinatti and two other men gave us great preaching.

April 2 - Bonnie Bray Church of Christ, Richmond, Virginia & Christ's Church at Hagerstown, Maryland.  Once more I presented our work and preached on Christ's incredible victory in our lives.  Great meetings - and we really appreciate the huge, unexpected offering that more than made up for some interesting technical difficulties that rendered my DVD presentation null & void.  Getting to Hagerstown through I-95 traffic in and around Washington, D.C, was a bit difficult, and we were glad to be back where it all started in February, at the home of Don and Helen Malinowski.

April 3 - Hagerstown Civic Center.  Once more I did, what we thought, was my last presentation.  Not to be.

April 4th - Failed departure to Ghana.  Back to Richmond, Va. and then Washington, D.C.  In a bizarre turn of events, super efficient and organized Sherrie couldn't locate her passport before we left for the airport!  This necessitated emergency procedures, including booking an early appointment in Washington, DC (downtown) to get an expedited new passport.  Before that though, we needed to get down to Richmond to get Sherrie's birth certificate issued on the spot.  I will not go over the stress and strain of driving down I-70 and I-95 and back up, but needless to say, we were not having much fun that day.  We did get to see some more of Washington and the Smithsonian, though.

April 9th - Last presentation at Christ's Church in Hagerstown, and Departure (For real) for Ghana.  Well, by God's grace and some fast  driving without incident, we got Sherrie's new passport, and after the morning assembly, headed down to the Dulles International Airport, where we'd landed six weeks earlier, and safely flew home.

 

HOME, SWEET HOME! 

  We brought seven suitcases with us, and it looked like Christmas morning in our home!  What joy, despite jet lag and intense heat, (especially as contrasted to the cool spring temperatures in the USA ) to be home.  Thank you for all of your many prayers.  

   I must say, that overall, I am concerned about where America is headed.  I pray that the Lord's congregations will be bold and urgent in their preaching the gospel now, while we still have the freedom to do so.  I also pray that my brethren will realize that the more we sacrifice, the more we will be blessed  with all of the true spiritual blessings that will ensure our victory in Christ Jesus.

  I thank God so much for each congregation and each disciple that is staying faithful in the humanistic soup of "self-ism" so evident in the most powerful and proud nation on earth.  May the Church rise up and call this world to repentance before it is too late!  Thanks again for your love and support. 

  I also thank God for my co-worker and fellow-laborer, Sherrie, who really teamed up with me on this tour.  We drove nearly 6000 miles together in two rented cars.  That averages about 1000 per month, but most of them were in the final two weeks covering 10 states.  What a great trooper she is, and what a good example she provides me with her constant faith and excellent attitude.  May all of you still unmarried be as blessed in your choice of a helpmate in Christ's vineyard!

 

LOVE AND PEACE IN CHRIST,

 

Jeff Hostetter