Larae Hoff Prayer Letter: I’m in Ghana!

“Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.” (Psalm 146:1) I can’t help but praise the Lord! His timing is perfect, and only He knows why delays happen. Still, I am thankful. My plan was not what God wanted, but I am thankful for the waiting. Thank you for praying with me during that waiting time.

On December 1, I visited my last church while on deputation in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was a great time of fellowship. I am thankful to have met everyone in each of the churches that I either spoke at or just got to meet and pray with you. It was a blessing to hear so many testimonies and words of encouragement.

My visa had not come in time, so I had to delay my flight to Ghana; instead, it came the day after the scheduled flight. Because of this, instead of leaving on December 9, I left Bangor, Maine, on December 30. During the waiting time, I was blessed to be part of all of the Christmas festivities at my home church. I am thankful for the extra time to spend with them and with my parents and relatives. I was also privileged to help with three Good News Clubs and their Christmas parties. It was wonderful to see many children come and hear the Christmas Story. I did fly out December 30, and it was a breeze.

A prayer request I asked was for people to pray that all nine of my suitcases would make it to Ghana. They did and came faster (seven went on the bus) than we thought. What a blessing! Thank you so much! I am still praying about how my storage stuff can come to Ghana. It is currently at my parents’ house. Please pray that my parents and I have wisdom about how to get it here to Ghana.

Just like in America, the schools in Ghana were not yet open when I came, so I was able to take the time to unpack and get settled in before school reopened on January 14. It’s been so much fun to learn the teachers’ names and to try to remember all of the students. My role is a bit different than I thought it would be. I am an administrator/assistant, so please pray with me that I will have wisdom on how to help the teachers and the patience in guiding them also.

Please pray for the longer-term visa process. It is in process now as I write this letter. I got my ID card, which is a step toward it. Please pray that this process goes well!

The first Saturday I arrived, the ladies and I got to share the Gospel with some children. On the 25th, we visited them and went over with them what we had talked about the last time. It was a joy to see the children’s faces when they understood what it meant to be a “child of God.” One of the ladies invited those children, as well as new children we met, to a Bible Club the next Saturday. Praise the Lord, 3 of the children who heard the Gospel came to the Bible Club, and we had 9 other children come also. We will continue doing the Bible Club for 5 more weeks and may change the days. Please pray for these children to have understanding. Another blessing, during Junior Church on February 2, I saw a familiar face—Johanna. She came on Saturday to our Bible Club; she said that she had started coming to the church two weeks prior with her grandmother!

I am thankful for everyone who has been praying! Your prayers are much appreciated and felt! I will be starting Twi language class soon. It will be a help in many areas. Thank you for being a blessing.