Happy Thanksgiving from the Ruckman’s. We have settled into our busy schedule here on the mission field and are so grateful to be “abounding in the work of the Lord.” As we approach the holidays, the weather is heating up. The real-feel temperature today is 102 degrees.The actual is only 88 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel much hotter. It will continue to be hot until rainy season begins late April.
Our container arrived on October 25th. We were happy to get everything offloaded and begin distribution of the resources. We are so thankful for the New Testaments, hymnbooks, Sunday School materials, Bible Institute books and schoolbooks for Calvary’s Hope Academy. The Lord also provided an awesome Blackstone Griddle through some birthday and Father’s Day gifts.
Our Fall semester of Bible Institute is going well. We currently have classes from 10 AM – 5 PM every Saturday. For eight years, we have asked the Lord to provide Bible Institute books. A huge “THANK-YOU” to Pastor Wayne Sexton and the Ridgeview Baptist Church for sending us 35 copies of seventeen specific books that we needed. Where God guides, He provides! Outside of the Bible, these books will prove to be the greatest investment into the ministry here. While we thank the Lord for the “fruit of the ministry”, these books coupled with our Bible Institute will yield “fruit that remains” for time and eternity. I have also been writing lessons for eight years to compile a teacher’s manual for the subjects that we teach. Lord-willing, I will print a “Bible Institute in a Book” by the end of this mission-term that we will offer to any Fundamental churches or missionaries that desire to have their own local church Bible Institute. Lord-willing, there will be twelve lessons per semester per course for forty separate courses.
On October 25th, I had the privilege to preach the funeral of a dear young pastor’s wife. I was both honored and humbled to preach the funeral in the open air between the chief’s palace and a bar. There must have been nearly 1,000 souls in attendance. I thank God for the ability to preach in the hot sun through a translator the pure gospel of the grace of God. The next morning, as I preached a special service for this pastor’s church, I began to get dizzy and almost passed out. My wife and some men from the church got me several coconuts to drink (God’s natural hydration in the absence of Gatorade). Praise the Lord,I was able to stand again and preach the Word of God.
November 1st – 18th, we hosted different church groups simultaneously. Brother Joe Consford brought a group and Pastor Chris McCurry brought his wife and a young lady from their church. Brother Consford and his family are currently on deputation to come to Ghana as missionaries in September of next year. Pastor McCurry preached ten times in eight venues over nine days. They were all a great blessing to us. We were also able to engage in village evangelism in three villages during their stay.
We want to thank everyone who continues to fervently pray for Calvary’s Hope Academy. The first term of the school year is going well. We now have two abandoned children along with eleven enrolled students. Angie and I continue to keep the two children in our home until the building is complete and we have a house family. These children will keep us young. 😊 The Lord is continuing toprovide for the construction of Calvary’s Hope Academy. We thank the Lord for every individual and church who have contributed thus far. We are down to $40,560.64 to finish the second floor. The grandtotal to finish the second and third floor complete with a roof is $150,560.64.
Last Sunday, our church welcomed an older Nigerian pastor and his wife into our membership. They will co-labor with us in the gospel until we have purchased a piece of land in the Mpatado/Adientamvillages. We will send them out of our church to plant a new church there. We are praying for the Lord to call and send one of our young men to be a translator for him. We continue to pray for laborers to plant churches in Tumentu, Tarkwa, and Tamale. Additionally, we have been approached by two different saved men about planting churches in their villages far away from any other church-plants. We continue praying for laborers.
Your missionaries to West Africa,
James & Angie Ruckman
