For those of you that might be new subscribers each month we host two days of class for the evangelists and church leaders at the Kulkpeni Church of Christ building. The village of Kulkpeni is about 5 miles from the mission house. Through the support of individuals and congregations we are able to provide a noon meal and transport money for the church leaders who come in from the surrounding villages to study the Bible. Many of these men would not be able to attend the classes without this financial help. Most of the congregations are too poor to be able to send a man to the class. This month’s class was dedicated to instruct the church leaders, treasurers and evangelists how to keep a simple ledger book of the congregation’s finances. The Lord expects us to be good stewards of the weekly contribution. Brother Divine Gmalan from the Kpamang congregation who has studied accounting taught the class. We felt it was important for the treasurers to attend the class so we paid for their transport too. We provided each congregation a ledger book, pencils, eraser, and pencil sharpener to be used for the work. The reaction to the class was very positive. A few congregations have been ruined because no one knew how much money the congregation had and someone ran off with the money. Forty men attended this month’s class. The class would have been larger but some of the men from the Nanumba District, south of Yendi, got a big rain and the market vehicles coming to Yendi could not leave early enough for the men to come to class.
The record for April shows that twenty souls were baptized into Christ and five souls were restored to the Lord’s Church. The evangelists visited twenty village congregations.
During the month we visited the congregations at Jagrido, Wadiig, Bungbali, Sakpei, Kulkpeni, Kpamang and Nakpa. At Nakpa Timothy Niligrini and I helped with a marriage ceremony for one of the young male church members. That was a first time for me to help with a marriage ceremony in Ghana and we have been here since 2001.
We always try to take small gifts when we visit the congregation that will benefit the whole congregation. We like to take church benches, communion cups, bread, juice, pad, pens, and Bibles. Through your financial support we have been able to help the congregations of Nakpachee, Sobotito, and Kulkpeni this month with their church building projects. We also helped Duuni buy a large white board to use as a teaching tool for their Bible classes.
We continued to suffer through the heat this month. On Sunday April 30th the heat index was 125 degrees. The rains are late this year in the Yendi area. We pray the Lord remembers this area with rain so the farming can commence allowing for a shorter lean season. The sooner they plant the sooner they can start eating the new produce.
The Lord continues to bless the work we are endeavoring to do here in the Yendi area. Please keep everyone associated with this work in your prayers.
We will be returning to the states in May. Several congregations have requested that we come and give them a report of the work; we are looking forward to visiting with these congregations and renewing old acquaintances.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support of the work. You don’t know how much we appreciate your willingness to help us fight the good fight for the Lord.
In His service,
Stephen and Kandie Taylor
P.S. Many of you have already heard that we had to return to the states a couple weeks earlier than expected because I (Steve) experienced several hours of memory loss. After the tests were completed the doctor said I did not have a stroke and he could not find anything wrong with me. This was all good news and the doctor gave me the go ahead to return to Ghana. Thank you for all the prayers offered up on my behalf.
