Greetings Dearest Brothers and Sisters!

We are now in the last month of your summer and here in Ghana the close of the rainy season. Unfortunately, here in the Volta Region the rainfall has been scarce. Thus, much of the farm crops have suffered. It’s funny how we never thought much about things like rainfall and water supply until coming to an area of the world where such issues are truly a matter of life and death.

 Those of you who follow our blog may remember that we recently met Gladys, the grown daughter of a former Trokosi. The first time we met her, she sat alone, isolated and completely bent over, staring at her feet, apparently the victim of severe depression. Gladys did not look at us or acknowledge us when we spoke. Her family reports that she spends her days like this, just bent over in silence. At our first meeting, we simply prayed over her, asking God to heal her and to fill her with His abundant joy. During subsequent visits with Gladys, we read scripture to her and prayed over her. At those visits there was some response. She still did not speak, but tears rolled down her cheeks and her lips moved as if she wanted to speak. Today we took her to a prayer meeting. While she kept her face covered and did not receive deliverance today, the fact that she went to the service was a big step. We will continue to minister to Gladys. Please pray God will soon release her from her bondage.

Most of you have probably heard that the president of Ghana died in July. He was very popular in our region so there was much fanfare. There were many parades and many people wore black and red for weeks: black for mourning and red for danger.

 Some of you may remember that one of the former Trokosi, Dorcus, lost her son in June. The funeral was postponed twice so it fell on August 10th, the same day as President Mill’s funeral (bodies are often kept refrigerated for months or even years). There was much less pomp for Dorcas’s son’s funeral, but it was still very involved. Funerals are big business in Ghana. Funerals are typically held on the weekends. Friday nights begin the ceremonies with drinking and revelry. The actual funeral is held all day Saturday. It is an extravagant affair with even the poorest families expected to provide live entertainment and a meal for all of their guests. Funerals here are not just attended by family and friends, but everyone in the community. You can imagine the burden this places on families.

You have all been such a blessing to us as you have prayed for us and supported us financially. You are truly an integral part of our ministry. As such, we want to let you know of a need we have seen among the Trokosi women we serve. Most of these women, about 50 of them, are illiterate. Because they are illiterate, they have no access to God’s Word. Every day you and I take our Bibles for granted. What if we could not read our Bible? How could we grow? How could we learn about our wonderful Savior? There is no greater gift we can give anyone than God’s Word. Audio Bibles in the form of solar powered players downloaded with the New Testament in their own language (Ewe) would give them access to God’s Word anytime they want to hear it. It costs $50 for each audio Bible, so it would cost approximately $2500 to provide them all with audio Bibles. $2,500 is a small amount, indeed a small price to pay to give them free access to God’s Word, but it would put quite a strain on our small missionary budget. If any of you feel led to partner with us in providing God’s Word to these women who cannot read, please let us know.

Prayer Requests

Ø  Greater boldness and diligence in evangelism

Ø  Salvation of shrine priests

Ø  Salvation and discipleship of former Trokosi women

Ø  Liberation of more Trokosi women

Ø  Health & safety of all ECM workers & missionaries

Ø  Spiritual growth of all the Forkkios

Ø  Healing for Gladys, mentally and spiritually

Ø  Audio Bibles for former Trokosi