“Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” (Psalm‬ ‭66‬:‭16‬)‬‬‬‬

Thirty years ago this month, I surrendered to preach, and I have to thank the Lord for His faithfulness all these years. In March 1995, I was finishing up my master’s degree at Virginia Tech, and some folks from my church, Gateway Baptist Church in Blacksburg, Virginia, invited me to go with them to Pastors’ School at the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. My former roommate at Virginia Tech, Ted Speer, was already there at First Baptist. He had surrendered his life to the Lord, and he had enrolled at Hyles-Anderson College the year before.

On the Wednesday night of Pastors’ School, Dr. Jack Hyles preached, “God Requireth That Which Is Past.” God was working on my heart, and I surrendered to serve Him with my life. The next night, they took my picture in Curtis Hutson’s chair. That fall, I also enrolled at Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, Indiana. I was at Hyles-Anderson for 14 years, first as a student and then on staff. That is where I met my precious wife Maria! And now we have been serving in Ghana for 16 years! It has been a great 30 years! Providentially, my team leader and pastor is that same Ted Speer. I owe so much to the people of First Baptist and Hyles-Anderson for their investment in my life! I owe so much to many Christian leaders and believers across America for their example and encouragement. God has done so much for my soul!

At least 10 years ago, I met a man named Michael as I was out soul winning. He repaired shoes for a living. I tried to share the Gospel with him, but he never gave me his attention. I invited him to church many times; he would always promise, but I think he only came one time. Then Michael moved his business to a different location, so for the next 10 years or so, I only saw him on occasion.

Then within the last 5-6 months, his place of business got bulldozed due to new road construction in the area, so he was without work. In desperation, Michael came to our church office on a weekday, found me, and asked for help. This time, he agreed to take time to listen to the Gospel, and Brother Francis (whom I wrote about in our prayer letter in August 2024) won him to Christ. Michael’s wife Georgina and several other family members have now trusted Christ. Michael and Georgina were recently baptized, and both are coming to our services faithfully. They even attended our Couples’ Banquet recently! I thank the Lord for His mercy upon Michael and for leading him to our church.

Please pray for our Sunday school class, Bible college, and upcoming furlough May-July. Thank you!

Mike, Maria, Joy, Faith, and Ben Sarver

Michael and Georgina