Mike Sarver Prayer Letter: Thanking God for 10 Years!

The 10th anniversary of our arrival in Ghana was last month. Let me take a few moments to praise the Lord:

• From 1997 until 2009, I served on staff at Hyles-Anderson College, Crown Point, Indiana. Those were precious years. I learned so much from the ministry of the First Baptist Church of Hammond. I met Maria in 2000, and we married in 2003. John was born in 2005. In 2008, I was asked to oversee the Bible college in Ghana for a semester; I thought it would be just for a few months, but God had other plans.
• In April 2009, when we moved our home to Ghana, Maria was with child. In November 2009, Joy, the first of our children to be born in Ghana, arrived. Faith followed in November 2013, and Ben in April 2015. Ben was almost delivered by C-section; we were scared, but we prayed, and God sent an angel—Dr. Rex Djkoto —who intervened and advised that Maria be allowed to give birth naturally. My kids are constant reminders of God’s goodness and my wife’s faith. Our son John has won over 30 people to Christ.
• From my first Bible college class here in Ghana, 5 students are now pastoring in Ghana, 1 in Liberia, and 1 in Nigeria. I serve on church staff with 2 more; plus another is the wife of a staff man. Another teaches at our Christian school, which my children attend. Three of my former students are looking on from Heaven. Our college has a total of 76 graduates, 23 of whom are pastoring. I love our students and graduates dearly.
• Dr. Ted Speer is my team leader and pastor. We are both from Gateway Baptist Church of Blacksburg, Virginia. Twenty-five years ago, we were roommates at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. In 1994, he left Blacksburg and enrolled at Hyles-Anderson. When I surrendered to preach in 1995, I followed him to Hyles-Anderson, where we were roommates, and I worked on his bus route. We are still serving together!
• We serve with the Speers, the Osgoods, the Halls, and the Christiansens. Our children get to grow up together. Charles Osgood, one of the original missionaries on the team when it came in 2006, is Maria’s brother! While still serving in Indiana, we dreamed of visiting the Osgoods on the field. Here we are!
• Our team and church have started over 40 churches. In a recent month, the average attendance for all of our churches combined was over 3,700. This year, over 20,000 have professed faith in Christ, and over 1,300 have been baptized. Our Common Faith Sunday School Class has been averaging 20 more than last year. In September, we were blessed with 53 visitors. God has endeared our hearts to our class members.
• God has been so faithful to us. In 2014, Joy had a couple of seizures; God precisely provided the $6,000+ cost to get Joy the care she needed. In 2011, God touched the heart of a Christian businessman to build our church a beautiful auditorium, which can seat over 1,700 people. Recently, God’s people in the States gave over $4,000 to help a convert of mine have a needed surgery. (His family still needs help: GoFundMe.com/HelpDennisWalkAgain). Many other stories of God’s provision could be told.
What a marvelous 10 years! We are so blessed to be associated with and involved in the great work that God is doing. And, you—our supporting churches and praying friends—get to be a part of this work as well. To God be the glory for the great things HE HATH DONE! We look forward to what He has planned for the next 10 years!