“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20) I was teaching this particular verse to our young men, whom I have had the opportunity to disciple, when the Holy Spirit really convicted me as well.
While God has been blessing us with new visitors and having several salvations every week, baptism has been an obstacle here with the Deaf, mainly because of so much false doctrine that is taught, specifically about baptism. For instance, if a person has not totally repented of every known (to man) sin in his life, then he would not be worthy of baptism. Honestly, I felt like I was failing in this area of the Great Commission. I took a whole month earlier this year to teach on baptism. Since no one would budge, I thought they did not understand. In a conversation with our sending-church pastor, Kenny Baldwin, he encouraged me to keep it simple. So then in class, I illustrated two paths: the first path was that of obedience bringing us closer to God and receiving His blessings, and the second path was that of turning away from God in disobedience and forfeiting His blessings. Then I simply asked, “Do you want to obey God in baptism?” It’s amazing what God will do when we get out of the way. His Word taught them, and the Holy Ghost convicted them. To the glory of God, 16 Deaf, who previously put their faith in Christ, not only wanted to identify with Him, but also wanted to obey Him regardless of the ridicule and comments that followed. “. . . and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
With the school break came a lot of visitors. As you can imagine, Sundays have been extra busy. I thank God for the young men who have stepped up and taken on more responsibilities in the church. One Sunday, in particular, I knew I needed to witness to two men who are always working when I visit them. Kelvin and Amos, the young men I mentioned earlier who have been faithful to discipleship classes, stepped up and were able to share the Gospel with them. Praise God! Both of these men placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation.
In August, we had the privilege to host Dr. Siemer and Dr. Lapina from First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana, while they were here with Fundamental Baptist Church International for their Pastors’ and Workers’ Conference. Dr. Siemer is the field service director (he really does so much more) of our mission board, FBMI. Over dinner we had the opportunity to discuss our ministry and goals. He agreed with us that the greatest need of our Deaf here in Ghana, apart from salvation, is an education. We discussed both short- and long-term goals. He looked at us very frankly and said, “You need help.” He promised to pray that God would lead and direct the right people to come alongside us and face this enormous task. “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” is not optional. We ask that you join us in prayer for God’s wisdom and guidance in this area and that He would send the right people.
God has been extremely good to us, and we know it’s a direct result of being lifted up in prayer by God’s people. Thank you—and please do not stop. Please pray for my wife, as she is still adjusting after her surgery. Also, please continue to pray for the health of our family, that the work be not hindered.
Your co-laborers for Christ,
The Hall Family
