Larae Hoff Prayer Letter: My First Christmas and My First Year in Ghana!

Wow! Can you believe it?! A year ago, on New Year’s, I arrived in Kumasi, Ghana, thanks to your numerous prayers and financial support. Thank you so much! It’s so exciting to see what God has done during my first year here.

Did each of you have a wonderful Christmas celebration? I enjoyed my first Christmas in Ghana! Christmastime in America is big. Churches have many parties and celebrations, and individuals do their own celebrations. Here in Ghana, though, they seem to love to celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day also. Our church here in Bohyen, Kumasi, and our daughter churches help to make Christmas important by having a service on Christmas Day.

The Christmas festivities started the week that school ended for the term. I taught Christmas lessons in the preschool chapels that week, played games, and gave out prizes. The preschool teachers and I did a Christmas party that Wednesday. On Thursday, December 18, our first grade to high school students did a Christmas play. The junior high and high schoolers were the actors, and all of the classes sang. The students did a great job of learning their lines and songs! The high schoolers also did the same play for the service in Bohyen on Christmas Day, while the church choir sang the songs.

Miss Rhoda’s Bible Club in Bohyen did a Christmas/End-of-the-Year party and gave prizes to those who had been faithful in coming to the Saturday morning soul-winning meetings, to the church services, and in saying their memory verses. I shared “The Christmas Promise” story with the children at their party. They had more than 45 children come that day!

In Kunsu on December 19 & 20, we did Christmas Party Clubs. The Friday Club, their consistent Bible Club, had 10 new visitors. On Saturday, Pastor Naab chose the new location, which was held at Miss Comfort’s house (church member). We started with 20 children, and by the time we finished teaching “The Christmas Promise” lesson, there were 65 children in attendance! Pastor Naab was so excited and wanted us to host the next rotating Bible Club there. That Sunday in Junior Church and Sunday school, we gave out prizes for those who said verses and were faithful in coming to church and bringing visitors! As Pastor Naab wanted to do something special at the Christmas Day service, we had coloring pages for the younger children, and Cynthia (Pastor Naab’s wife) made a meal for everyone who came. The Saturday after Christmas, we celebrated with their Bible Club workers and teenagers.

In Mamponteng, Bro. Emmanuel and Miss Bridget did a few celebrations with the children’s ministry. Bro. Emmanuel taught the children two Christmas songs; they performed one during the Christmas Day service and the other song on the 28th at their church’s 6th anniversary celebration. At both of those services, Bro. Emmanuel and Miss Bridget recognized those children who had been faithful and said verses. Their church’s children’s ministry workers are doing well. Thank you for continuing to pray for the workers in Mamponteng!

At the Watch Night Service in Bohyen, I witnessed a special answer to prayer! While I was helping to lead the Bible Club we did in Bohyen on March 8, one of the ladies, Jennifer, shared the Gospel with an uncle and grandma of two children who attended our Bible Club. That gentleman, Alex, shared his testimony in the New Year’s Eve service. It was so wonderful to hear how he is inviting others because of Bible Club workers who shared the Gospel with him.

Because of your faithful giving, I was able to help all of these children’s ministries to get prizes. Your financial giving also helped provide meals at the Bohyen Christmas parties and the Kunsu service. Thank you! Your prayers have greatly helped these ministries to grow stronger for the Lord! What a blessing! Thank you for praying for these many children’s ministries! Thank you for praying for the relatives and parents who are being reached by these opportunities!

In Christ,

Larae Hoff