Akwaaba! We thank God that we have arrived safely back in Ghana! We have been here a little over a week and are getting settled in once again. After being in Ghana for nearly six years, our furlough started on October 3, 2022, and concluded on January 12, 2023. Furlough is definitely a misleading word—this was no vacation, just a different type of work! We were in the States for 15 short weeks, with 37 meetings in between, 9 of which were new churches. To say it was a whirlwind would be an understatement. We are thankful for the opportunity we had to visit with family, friends, and many of you. We are delighted to be home again and look forward to what God will do this term.
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (II Corinthians 12:9) I am ecstatic to report that in our absence, God’s church did not fall apart! Was it challenging to return to America for the first time and leave a young church in the hands of baby Christians? Absolutely! Did we feel foolish for worrying after witnessing how God had worked? Absolutely! In reality, it was never in our hands or theirs, but God’s! Our first Sunday back, we had 62 in attendance, with 3 visitors under-standing the Gospel and placing their faith in Christ for salvation.
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (II Timothy 2:2) It was such an encouragement to get reports from the men and women of our church, each of the 15 weeks of our absence, that Deaf people in Ghana had trusted Christ as their Saviour. Glory to God!
While on furlough, we shared four short- and long-term goals that I want to share here as well. Please pray with us as we endeavor to (1) start a training center for Deaf ladies to learn a trade, (2) purchase the centrally located property where our church is currently located, (3) purchase undeveloped property about 30 to 45 minutes from our church in order to start a school for the Deaf, and (4) start a second church at the same location of the school, enabling us to reach Deaf who are not able to come because of the distance. Another update will be coming soon to explain all of these prayer requests, but as for now, please pray with us. Please view our furlough video, “Hall Family Furlough Update 2022,” on YouTube.
Your co-laborers for Christ,
Rocky, Melanie, Rocky II, Malachi, Tyler, and Marissa Hall
