Baraka & Melanie Hall2024-08-13T14:34:19-05:00

BARAKA HALL FAMILY

SERVING IN GHANA

ABOUT

Baraka Birthday 10/18
Melanie Birthday 09/12
Baraka & Melanie Wedding Anniversary 07/22
Baraka, Jr. Birthday 12/17
Malachi Birthday 08/25
Tyler Birthday 06/30
Marissa Birthday 01/10

Baraka Hall
I was born hearing in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 3½, I contracted spinal meningitis and from that became Deaf. I lost all communication with my family and felt very isolated. As a result, my behavior, as you can imagine, was horrible. At the age of 11, my friend was talking about church. I wanted to go to this Deaf church to be with my friends. So I gave him my address, which he then gave to his bus captain. That Sunday I was on my way to the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana.

After misbehaving on the bus ride home, a lady worker called me to the front of the bus and shared the Gospel with me. I remember that day receiving hope as I accepted Christ as my Saviour. During camp at the age of 12, I felt God was calling me to preach. I surrendered to His will and went forward. It wasn’t until high school that I really struggled with this decision. You see, I played football all four years. I was an all-star captain at a 6A school. I had many college scholarship offers. The University of Florida, the Gators, came to my school to recruit me. I really wrestled with this decision. A godly man came to me and offered his advice. He said if I went to play for the Gators, I might end up messing up my life; who knows? He continued by saying that if I went to Bible college, I could serve God. That struck me—serving God! I put aside all my scholarships and decided to go to Hyles-Anderson College.

It was my second year at college, during a Missions-Emphasis Week, that God began tugging on my heart to be a missionary. I really didn’t want to leave the comforts that I had here in America. However, I told God I would go. I knew God wanted me to go to Africa, but it wasn’t until we had our annual Pastors’
School when the Ghana Team was launched that God revealed it to me. He struck my heart and said, “That’s where I want you to go.”

On my survey trip to Ghana, He confirmed that calling. I traveled with a veteran international missionary to the Deaf. He told me to pray that God would show us some Deaf, because not always do you get to meet them while traveling. On my two-week survey trip, I met over 700 Deaf people. I met Deaf people every day. God showed me His ministry for me.

Melanie Hall
I started attending church at the age of four as a bus kid. I recall hearing the Gospel multiple times in Sunday school, Junior Church, and Vacation Bible School. Each time it was presented, I raised my hand and prayed to make sure I had a home in Heaven. Finally, in third grade my Sunday school teacher at Community Baptist Church of Andalusia, Illinois, made it clear to me that I could never be good enough to earn salvation and I could never do anything to lose it. I understood that gift was Jesus, and He alone had the power to save me. That day I put my faith in Him, and it has been settled in my heart ever since.

I grew up in a very dysfunctional family. My parents are Deaf and Hard of Hearing and were, at that time, very heavy drug addicts. My sisters and I were left to our own doings and were never disciplined. We were our teachers’ worst nightmares. Oftentimes, after sharing my testimony, people have accused me of being the poster child for “Jesus saves.” However, it was different at church. It was a place of refuge. I remember going to church to feel loved and accepted. I thank God for a youth pastor and his family who invested in me. I started going soul winning at the age of 13. My youth pastor and his family would invite me to their home every weekend so that I would be able to work on the bus route with them. They took time to disciple me and show me what a Christian family looked like. They would bring me into their home to eat and fellowship with the missionary family they were hosting. It was at our missions conference that I surrendered to be a missionary. I laugh now, because I told God, “Anywhere but Africa!”

In high school I had a strong desire to attend our Christian school. However, because of my parents’ addictions, they could not afford food, much less a Christian education. At the age of 15, I moved in with my aunt and got a job cleaning empty apartments and the complexes to pay for school. I am so thankful that God gave me this opportunity. I know, without a doubt, that had I not made this change, I would have never attended Hyles-Anderson College.

Our desire is to work with Fundamental Baptist Church International in Ghana, West Africa, to plant a Deaf church. We want to see Deaf people saved and train them to become soul winners. In addition, we have a strong burden to reach their hearing families for Christ. This will be most effective through the ministries of our Ghana Team. Our vision is to train the Deaf and either send them to plant a Deaf church or to work with regional pastors and establish Deaf Ministries to coincide with ministries of the regional pastors.

Crossroads Baptist Church
5811 Hoffmans Ln
Bailey’s Crossroads, VA 22041
(703)845-0017
ourcrossroads.org

CONTACT

Mailing Address
849 Indiana Street,
Hammond, IN 46320
Email Address
baraka.hall@fbmi.org

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You can financially support our family and ministry by giving here online, or you can mail checks to FBMI, 507 State Street, Hammond, IN 46320, and designate your giving to Missionary #6117.
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LATEST

Baraka and Melanie Hall Prayer Letter: God Is Able!

Baraka and Melanie Hall Prayer Letter: God Is Able!Baraka and Melanie Hall Prayer Letter: God Is Able!“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21) “God is able!” has been our rallying cry these past few months. In our last letter, I explained to you how God had allowed our family to travel to Cape Coast and preach at a Deaf Conference with Pastor Miguel Triano and Pastor Michael Anafo. In that conference, my wife was able to share the Gospel with a Deaf young lady named Rose, and she trusted Christ alone for salvation. Rose is one of the seniors from the only high school for the Deaf who is responsible for scheduling Sunday chapel speakers in their boarding school. Rose messaged me in July, asking me to speak to the Deaf students. The first week of August, I, along with Bro. Ali Rashid (our assistant pastor) and my son Malachi, traveled 5 hours to preach the Gospel to over 400 Deaf students. Almost everyone made a profession of faith, trusting Christ as their Saviour! GOD IS ABLE!

In September, we started the second year for Hope Academy for the Deaf. We are currently enrolling only the Deaf children from our church. We are not ready to promote our school, as we do not have large enough facilities. However, this term, two new Deaf students from local communities found us and enrolled in our school. They are both now attending our church as well. Please pray for this school year. Pray for our students, as they are beginning to learn language; most of them first came to us not even knowing their name. While our desire is to teach them all of the fundamentals—reading, writing, and arithmetic, most importantly, our desire is to teach them about our Saviour, Jesus Christ. GOD IS ABLE!

In our last prayer letter, we shared with you how God has led us to the property we believe to be the permanent home for our church and ministries. In order to purchase this property, we needed to raise $120,000 by November 30, 2024. God has already been at work through His people, and we have received roughly $45,000 and are looking forward to see how God will bring in the remaining $75,000. To give our people an opportunity to participate, our church kicked off an 8-week program in September. This program is meant to encourage our people to give sacrificially for their new church home, to invite new and old visitors to fill the pews (chairs), and to share the Gospel with their Deaf friends who have never “heard” of the hope that they can have in Jesus Christ. For the past 4 weeks, they have given over 5,000 Ghana cedis (this is huge for our church), and we have had 45 Deaf visitors, with 28 trusting Christ as their Saviour. GLORY TO GOD! We are inviting you to pray and partner with us in this truly amazing opportunity to give our church a permanent home.

This investment will have ongoing returns, as the Gospel will be preached to the Deaf in Ghana for years to come. Please view our newest video update on our FBMI web page, https://fbmi.org/missionary/hall, and consider what God would have you to give. GOD IS ABLE!

Your co-laborers for Christ,

Rocky, Melanie, Rocky II, Malachi, Tyler, and Marissa Hall

October 19th, 2024|Tags: , , |

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