Forkkio News

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him

but also suffer for his sake … (Phil 1:29)

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Dearest Brothers and Sisters,

As we key these words, half of Ghana sits in darkness. The Ghanaian government has been dealing with electricity generating issues since we arrived here a year ago. But now, it seems the issue has reached a crisis level. The power generating entities in Ghana through poor planning and mismanagement of resources have announced a power supply shortfall of approximately 200 megawatts of power which is equivalent to enough energy to power an area the size of half the state of Oregon for a population of approximately 12 million. To compensate, the government has implemented 12 hour blackouts. These blackouts roll throughout the country on a 3-day cycle and everyone is affected.  Those of us who are experiencing these blackouts in the night find ourselves struggling with issues that are dissimilar from those who are being hit in the day. For those in the day, the heat is unbearable, but the heat is the least

of their worries: small businesses are forced to close; employees are sent home without pay. The night blackouts are accompanied by an inability to get around because of the darkness and increased vulnerability to crime. In the town where we live, Sogakope, murders and armed robberies have gone up drastically. Our colleague, Mary Kattah, had just left a roadside bread market when minutes later an armed robbery occurred that resulted in 2 dead and several others wounded. Food spoilage is another consequence of these blackouts. The repeated thawing and refreezing of food makes it spoil very quickly. James just recovered from a bout of food poisoning caused by the power outages. He was so sick! It was at least a week before he could eat properly.

In our February newsletter, we listed the name of Adzo Femeyibor (see photo above) as a “babe in  Christ.” According to her son, Christian (also in the photo), she is approximately 100 years old. She is completely bedridden and has some form of dementia. After speaking with her for a few minutes, we realized that she knew nothing about God or Jesus Christ, so James explained the Gospel to her beginning with the Garden of Eden.  As Adzo listened, she struggled with her bodily aches and pains. At times, it seemed that she may not have been listening, but in the end, she stated that wanted to accept Christ. We were overjoyed as we prayed with her! However, a few days later when a local pastor came to pray with her and discuss baptism, she had forgotten that she accepted Christ! She told the pastor that she couldn’t pray with him because she is a Trokosi. We were so disappointed! We visited her twice more to explain the gospel to her and pray with her. At the last visit, she prayed to accept Christ again, but she is not yet ready to be baptized. We believe that her son, who professes to be a Christian, has been telling her that she can’t really be a Christian until the family idol in her home that links her to the shrine has been handed over to other family members. We are finding this to be a common belief, even among those who say they are Christians. They are afraid to destroy or forsake their idols, believing that their family members will begin dying if the idols are not cared for and worshipped by someone. Initially, when a girl is taken to a shrine to atone for someone’s sin, libations are poured and the girl is given an idol that she is to keep for the rest of her life. For all of their lives they have been told that if anything happens to the idol, their family will die. Please pray that God will transform both

Adzo and her son Christian, and that God would break all the chains of darkness that bind them. 

Thank you again to those of you who donated funds to purchase audio Bibles for some of the former Trokosi women we serve. By God’s grace, ECM eventually agreed to purchase audio Bibles for all the remaining women that we serve in the Sogakope area. These women are illiterate, so this is the only way they can access God’s Word on a regular basis. We have been travelling to many remote villages giving the audio Bibles to the women and teaching them how to use them. The women are so grateful!

Thank you for being a part of our ministry. We appreciate you all!

Love in Christ,

James & Denese

Prayer Requests

· Please continue to pray for the new converts, especially Adzo Femeyibor.

· There are a few women who have heard the gospel, but are postponing a decision.  Please pray that they would accept Christ before it is too late.

· Please pray that God provide audio Bibles for the women in the neighboring area of Aflao.

· Please pray for strength and endurance for us (physical, spiritual and emotional).