Dear Praying Friends,

Greetings from the Ruckman family. Thank-you for your continued interest in, “willingness to communicate” to, and fervent prayers for our family. Recently, I was overwhelmed as we opened forty-six letters from Sunday School kids to our family expressing their love and prayers for us. In Ghana, we would say “Medasi-pa” (Thank-you).

Praises:

We continue moving forward on the deputation trail and are thankful to report that we are at 71% of our needed support. Since the turn of the New Year, we have presented our ministry in twenty-two churches and had thirteen churches take us on for monthly support. The Lord has increased the Burkina Faso Church Building Fund to $9,200 out of the $15,000 we are raising. We also had one church give $2,700 toward the Togo Pastor’s Conference in May. Additionally, a man in that same church just purchased an E350 van with only 108,000 miles for our ministry. Praise the Lord! We will use that vehicle for both hauling our gospel tent this summer as well as establishing our first bus route for a church plant in Sioux Falls. Psalm 68:19 says “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.”

Prayers:

We appreciate your prayers on behalf of our family and ministry. As many of you know, my Granny passed into the Presence of her sweet Lord in December. I was honored to preach her funeral. I am thankful for the hope that we will see her again one day.
We desire your continued prayers as we prepare to finish full time deputation in May and move to Sioux Falls in June. We will be taking one week “off the road” in March to look for a house. We need God’s clear direction on a house to call home and a building/storefront to start a church in. We excitedly anticipate watching God answer these prayers. Would you continue to pray with us for the following requests as well?

• The remaining 29% of our support to be raised.
• Togo Pastor’s Conference/Ghana Missions Trip from May 15th – 31st. We want to see national pastors challenged to “advance” to cause of Christ and His Church throughout West Africa.
• International Baptist Church Plant in Sioux Falls this Summer.
• West Africa Baptist Institute (Online) in Takoradi, Ghana.

In John 14:2b-3, Jesus said “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Two thousand years ago, Jesus left His disciples as He ascended back to Heaven. But He left them with the promise that He would come again. A poet once said, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”. As we continue to wait for His coming, let us not fall in love with the world as the evil servant who said in his heart “my lord delayeth his coming”. Rather, let us allow our love and devotion for the Lord to grow in intensity and fervency so that when He appears, “we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him”. Let us be longing for, looking to, and loving His appearing!

Your Missionaries to West Africans,
The James Ruckman Family