Dear Friends,
Psalm 23:6 says “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”. This prayer letter is a testimony to the veracity of that statement. God continues to pour out His goodness and mercy upon our home and ministry. Thank you for your faithful prayers since our last update. God blessed in both the naming ceremony and the funeral service for which we requested prayer. The gospel was clearly preached in both settings. We had upwards of 250 lost souls at the funeral service. A sister of the lady who passed away made a profession of faith, to God be the glory.
Several more adults have gotten saved and followed the Lord in baptism these last two months. God is growing His church. Mt. Calvary Fundamental Baptist now has twenty-seven members. Our attendance at all three services continues to increase with an average of sixty-five Sunday mornings and fifty on Wednesday evenings. One young man who got saved last Fall surrendered to the call to preach a few weeks ago. Angie is teaching him English, and a fellow pastor will begin training him in Bible Doctrine (in the Fante’ dialect) next week.
Construction of a building has begun for the church-plant in Kojokrom. The foundation and floor have been poured and they will pour the pillars this week. We were also able to drill a borehole for our church in Ntankoful. We didn’t reach water until 435 feet, but, praise the Lord, we hit it.
This semester has been our best at the Bible Institute. We have eighteen men and teenage boys and nine ladies and teenage girls. It is a joy to see the classes full every Saturday afternoon as the students come in from a 40-mile radius for the lessons. It is a joy to watch the Word of God transform their beliefs and behavior. We anticipate sending many of these students out to preach Christ and plant churches once their training is complete.
In our last prayer letter, we mentioned that we were looking at a large portion of land. We were praying that the landowners would negotiate with us on a lower price per acre. However, they would not negotiate so the search for land continues. We believe that God has a perfect location for our base of operations and continue to trust His timing. “In HisTime He will answer.”
In family news, we are excited to share that our second granddaughter has made her entrance into the world. Oaklyn Marie Ruckman was born February 28th weighing 5 lbs 15 oz. She is beautiful. Angie and I are looking forward to seeing her in person in May as we will travel to the States for Angie’s last six-month post-cancer checkup. We are blessed beyond measure.
Your Missionaries,
James & Angie Ruckman