God is still good, the Gospel still works, and Jesus still saves! On March 15, after our last service before the social-gathering restrictions were put in place due to the Coronavirus, I was able to share the Gospel with 3 first-time visitors, and all 3 put their faith in Christ alone for salvation. The following week, Ghana announced a “stay at home” lockdown for a duration of three weeks. Praise the Lord, we had a small window of time from the announcement on March 27 to the actual start date of the lockdown on March 30. It was during this window that 6 men of our church gathered together to discuss a plan on how to help our church members. It was determined that we would pack up 30 bags of provisions to deliver. Upon delivery, we gave a short devotion, since churches were still mandated to be closed. Watching our Deaf men’s maturity, concern, and commitment as they stepped up into this leadership role was both exciting and encouraging.
During this time, we were able to connect with our church members via WhatsApp. I recorded 5-minute video devotionals often and shared them with our members. Honestly, this was a bit frustrating, as this was our only mode of communication. The majority of them did not have the money to purchase data to watch these videos. A positive from this was the fact that some of our members shared these videos with other Deaf individuals all over Ghana, and they received positive feedback. God was able to use this to reach people I have never met. Glory to God!
I was glad when the “stay at home” restrictions were lifted. Even though we still could not have church services, I was able to go out visiting with the men of the church. Praise God! Three more Deaf accepted Christ as their personal Saviour during this time!
In May, I received word from our mission board director, Bro. Bosje, that First Baptist Church of Hammond had given a donation to the Ghana Team to help Ghanaians during this pandemic. Pastor Speer made sure that a sizable portion was given to help the Deaf. With this donation and the faithful giving from our supporting churches, the men of the church and I were able to plan a massive food drive. We didn’t want to make this only about their physical needs but about their spiritual need as well. We could not hold regular services, but with adhering to social-distancing and hygiene protocols, we gave a clear, 15-minute Gospel presentation. After watching the presentation, each person received a 5-kilo bag of rice, a bag of beans, and a liter of oil. We originally planned for 200, but we soon learned that we had drastically underestimated. We sent for 50 more bags of rice and 50 more liters of oil; but that, too, quickly ran out. I asked the Deaf whom I personally knew to wait, and later in the week, I would deliver to their homes. In total, we had 319 Deaf people watch the Gospel presentation and receive provisions! Most of these Deaf individuals did not come from our city of Kumasi. The majority of these Deaf traveled from afar. I might never have met them, and they would still be without the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ had it not been for this pandemic. Isn’t it amazing how God can use unfavorable circumstances for the sake of the Gospel?! Please see https://www.fbmi.org/missionary/hall for a video update.
Your co-laborers for Christ,
Rocky, Melanie, Rocky, Malachi, Tyler, and Marissa Hall