tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85155020577690726612023-11-16T11:49:24.293+00:00Grace to Ghana & Cote d'Ivoire - 2010News and prayer requests for the mission to Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa, February 18 - March 12,
sponsored by Grace For Today / New York CityDennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-78007171536718073332010-03-18T14:00:00.002+00:002010-03-18T14:12:02.322+00:00Last Post from Cote d’Ivoire[I wrote this post while we were still in Africa, but we were traveling, and I was unable to find an internet connection to get it posted on the blog.]<br /><br />I thank everyone who was praying for us on our trip to Ivory Coast. We could see God’s direction and help throughout our few days of ministry there.<br /><br />We went there to plant the seeds of the message of grace that the Lord gave to the Apostle Paul. As far as we know, there is no one preaching it in these countries, other than in Ghana.<br /><br />We entered Ivory Coast with some apprehension – we had never met the host pastor, his church is a charismatic congregation, costs would be much higher than in Ghana, and, until very recently, there was a civil war going on in Ivory Coast. The US State Department warns American travelers to travel no further than 35 miles from Abidjan to avoid being in areas where the rebels are operating and could be a danger to Americans. <br /><br />As it turned out, we had no problems while we were in Abidjan. Pastor Georges and his church were wonderful hosts. We ate in the pastor’s home a number of times, and he even had a driver pick us up at the border from Ghana, and then bring us back to Accra at the end of our trip. The pastor could not have been a more gracious host, even though we differ on a number of important doctrines.<br /><br />While we were in Cote d’Ivoire...<br /><ul><li>We held a two-day pastor’s conference that focused on the message that the Lord entrusted to the Apostle Paul. 40+ pastors attended both days. There was a good, positive response from many of them, and there was some disagreement from others – other than Catholicism in Ivory Coast (a former French colony) – most churches are charismatic/pentecostal.</li><li>We had two evening meetings in Pastor Georges’ church. One was for the leadership of the church - about 75 people attended; and one for the entire church - well over a hundred believers attended. In both sessions I focused on an aspect of the message of grace.</li><li>I was interviewed by a crew from the French West African TV network. I had about 15 minute to explain what grace is, and why we had come to Africa to preach it. The interview was broadcast at 10PM on Wednesday evening to all the French speaking countries in West Africa –nine nations.</li><li>I was a guest on 2 hour-long radio broadcasts in Abidjan. What a blessing to be allowed in both the TV interview and the radio broadcasts to speak freely about why we had come to preach this old message that is new to so many Christians.<br /></li></ul>We thank the Lord for every opportunity – all answers to prayer. There was action non-stop on our trip to Ivory Coast, but I felt that I gave it the best I could, and now am praying that these seeds will grow in the hearts of the people and especially the heart of the pastors in Ivory Coast. Please pray with me for Ivory Coast, Ghana and all of West Africa.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-71955291935375215362010-03-11T04:50:00.001+00:002010-03-11T18:45:46.164+00:00Elder Leon Gilchrist honored at the church in Abidjan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MHWRNM34tqHoY8BX53Pm2hFXjWml4Ikeqge228ISiWfqYjfUUBAc48osRcNccByBT-Ny-9ot9_ZuVGakpatqhqztvc2zRbYHxrekpwKXvVDSk9E7c9DU6Q_3Prq_1920vDwGUy1Nzg/s1600-h/leon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MHWRNM34tqHoY8BX53Pm2hFXjWml4Ikeqge228ISiWfqYjfUUBAc48osRcNccByBT-Ny-9ot9_ZuVGakpatqhqztvc2zRbYHxrekpwKXvVDSk9E7c9DU6Q_3Prq_1920vDwGUy1Nzg/s400/leon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447446359585904290" border="0" /></a>Pastor Georges had a surprise for Leon at the Wednesday evening church service tonight in Abidjan. Leon was officially entered into Ivorian society; as the pastor said, "He is now an Ivorian." I'm not sure if Pastor Peter (from Ghana) approved, but everyone else did!<br /><br />They dressed Leon in a gold colored robe in the style of African elders, and they put on him a pair of sandals, a ring, an elephant necklace (elephants being the national symbol of Ivory Coast), and a crown. Everyone enjoyed seeing Leon dressed in his new Ivorian identity.<br /><br />In a much more serious note, Pastor Georges asked Leon's forgiveness for the fact that generations ago, his ancestors were sold into slavery by their fellow Africans. Pastor Georges likened Leon's return to Africa, and his presence in the church in Abidjan, to Joseph's brothers meeting Joseph years after they had sold him into slavery. How painful and embarrassing it must have been for them to meet up with their brother again. And it is painful to many Africans today when the descendants of those who were sold into slavery return from America to visit Africa and to trace their roots. At the beginning of our trip, we saw a plaque of repentance at the old British Slave Castle in Cape Coast in Ghana, where the chiefs of Ghana expressed sorrow for their part in the slave trade.<br /><br />After these things, I preached in the evening service. I took three stories in the New Testament -- the story of the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15, the parable of the fruitless fig tree in Luke 13, and the story of Eutychus who fell asleep in church in Acts 20 -- and wove these three passages together to tell the story of Israel's rejection and the revelation of the grace of God for us today. We had a good time of Bible study.<div id=":79" class="ii gt"><div style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><div> </div> <div> </div><br /><div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> </span></div> </div>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-5510333891404433432010-03-09T23:50:00.000+00:002010-03-10T01:07:03.543+00:00Ministry begins in Cote d'IvoireWe are excited today to begin the grace ministry in this French speaking, West African country. We have received the warmest possible welcome from Pastor Georges and his church family here in Abidjan. And we had a busy day:<br /><br />6:30AM - Pastor Georges picked me up to drive to the radio station for his daily, one hour live radio broadcast.<br /><br />7:00 to 8:00 - I spoke for about a 1/2 hour on the live FM broadcast, giving my testimony of being saved out of Catholicism (Ivory Coast is a Catholic country) and of finding the message of grace.<br /><br />10:00 to noon - Pastors' Conference at the church -- I spoke on the mystery revealed to the Apostle Paul<br /><br />Lunch at noon with about 15 pastors.<br /><br />After lunch -- the French West African TV network sent a 5 person crew to interview me. The piece will be aired on Wednesday evening to all the French speaking countries in West Africa -- Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinnea, etc.<br /><br />8:00 PM - Training seminar in the grace message for the leadership of the church here, about 60, mostly young, leaders were in attendance. I spoke on grace principles in the Letter to the Colossians.<br /><br />10:00PM - Supper at Pastor Georges home and to the hotel for a night of rest.<br /><br />Please pray for the meetings tomorrow, starting with the 7AM radio broadcast, then the second session of the pastors' conference. The conference theme is 1 Cor 2:7-8. Leon will be speaking tomorrow evening to the entire church.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-72127856432086637812010-03-09T01:50:00.000+00:002010-03-09T04:30:02.414+00:00Safe Arrival in Ivory CoastWe woke up early on Monday, 3:00AM, to start our trip to Ivory Coast. Leon, Pastor Peter, and I were on the inter-city bus by 3:45, and ready to go, when I realized that we didn't have our video camcorder with us. We made a quick call to the people who drove us to the bus, and discovered that we had left the camera in their car. They sped back to the station while we held our breath that the bus wouldn't leave. All ended well - we retrieved the camera and left for the trip from Kumasi to Cape Coast, and then west to Takoradi, about a 4 hour trip. At Takoradi, we transferred to a smaller bus for the trip to Elubo, where we cross the border.<br /><br />The border crossing is as grungy a place as you'll ever find. Trucks, buses, cars, people waiting in chaotic lines to go through the customs and immigration process. People selling food and water and belts and perfume (from display racks balanced on their heads) and offering to change your money into strange currencies, and government immigration officials in their smart uniforms giving orders in the chaos, all in sweltering heat and humidity.<br /><br />I have been dreading entering Ivory Coast -- we had a hard time even getting our visa back in NYC, and later in Accra. Now we waited to go through it all again - they don't make you feel at all welcome.<br /><br />Surprisingly though, the process of leaving Ghana was far more difficult than entering Ivory Coast. Pastor Georges had sent his driver to meet us at the border. Once we exited Ghana, he picked us up and chauffeured us through the Ivory Coast entry station, which amounted to one young soldier who came over the car, looked through the window, looked at our passports and simply said, "Welcome." That was it; no forms to fill out, no stamping of our passports; we were in. Then the driver took off on the 2 hour drive to Abidjan.<br /><br />Abidjan is a modern, French-speaking city, built on a river and on the Atlantic, with wide streets and tall buildings in the downtown area. You would think you were in NYC or Chicago.<br /><br />We arrived at Pastor Georges' church and had a good time of fellowship with him, getting acquainted in his office. His secretary served us water and crackers, grapes and sliced oranges and yogurt. Then we drove to the hotel and on to Pastor Georges' home for an elegant dinner of fish with vegetables over rice and beef vegetable soup. We met his family - his wife Georgelle and two sons and two daughters, ranging in age from 3 to 19 years old.<br /><br />I have been fearful of this part of our mission trip to West Africa, but once we crossed the bridge over the river border into Cote d'Ivoire, the first day turned out to be a delightful experience. We planned the next few days of ministry with Pastor Georges, and then returned to our hotel, completely exhausted and ready for a good night of sleep.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz09PvDqY_mrjxBeVyoUBH2aDFg_RWubdYbAB7XBwjpRt1ghkSVKN_0P1PahO3kokUoGmlxO-puCg0CO5lWVN068BqzXiPK1eRoji2ML8O4zIRujwxRPtTy7vj2TkAa2BeGCmlc9B0Ug/s1600-h/pastor-georges-geogelle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz09PvDqY_mrjxBeVyoUBH2aDFg_RWubdYbAB7XBwjpRt1ghkSVKN_0P1PahO3kokUoGmlxO-puCg0CO5lWVN068BqzXiPK1eRoji2ML8O4zIRujwxRPtTy7vj2TkAa2BeGCmlc9B0Ug/s400/pastor-georges-geogelle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446484237645152754" border="0" /></a>Pastor Georges and his wife, Georgelle and their youngest son in their home in Abidjan.<br /><br />Scenes from the window of the bus as we crossed Ghana:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybq2jGkc0ynhM5kp5GlLZh4aG9WXK4KljU7WuqHZ4MD3Aq79jMux6rN_aQaCgjjpWNCZIx-_SVtUcELsm8TiHMqXL_1yLL1dp4U6ojXtnbrJjeygVTl0HYR7vSg3JNQBjUP0BN86PoQ/s1600-h/homes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybq2jGkc0ynhM5kp5GlLZh4aG9WXK4KljU7WuqHZ4MD3Aq79jMux6rN_aQaCgjjpWNCZIx-_SVtUcELsm8TiHMqXL_1yLL1dp4U6ojXtnbrJjeygVTl0HYR7vSg3JNQBjUP0BN86PoQ/s400/homes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446485340355114354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHGZqUOHEHiIkP3X6bqzQzfv8o3lKv9olpGWBZvyFWtinCwL7tPheiWTd0mFsWWQzaMGC_cwXf8NDdr55occDY13I-pfNZIOl4DIAJEdrlI13mqHXR8yfyhjrjJUQC0vpGf5ZiQnBTg/s1600-h/women.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 363px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHGZqUOHEHiIkP3X6bqzQzfv8o3lKv9olpGWBZvyFWtinCwL7tPheiWTd0mFsWWQzaMGC_cwXf8NDdr55occDY13I-pfNZIOl4DIAJEdrlI13mqHXR8yfyhjrjJUQC0vpGf5ZiQnBTg/s400/women.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446480542867744818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIdePKI27PfOI5dv9B_TCdgEsC3au5PRQZux2VhWGV7YcriFG9Mre_X_S6h7VcO5ab7TAiKm0uDX1nuWiNCJvpUjfhQCo9-oDayVwxXq-ncZhc1UxGt7x972kJSjbKuV3kJLaRz9C6w/s1600-h/river.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAIdePKI27PfOI5dv9B_TCdgEsC3au5PRQZux2VhWGV7YcriFG9Mre_X_S6h7VcO5ab7TAiKm0uDX1nuWiNCJvpUjfhQCo9-oDayVwxXq-ncZhc1UxGt7x972kJSjbKuV3kJLaRz9C6w/s400/river.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446485457524609026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXyJIVf3OlJj8uIWqJi8vKV49lK5gMNPJn2o2emaKklsEhIrzdsilwY71dlOm9Xy4GrLzieKK5jl0BAzuWWABTjWbhOL6JF9bP6sjjYQCOMYB8aFFHNlfFLwa7xtQNSjVxg12RgKnQg/s1600-h/women2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 315px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXyJIVf3OlJj8uIWqJi8vKV49lK5gMNPJn2o2emaKklsEhIrzdsilwY71dlOm9Xy4GrLzieKK5jl0BAzuWWABTjWbhOL6JF9bP6sjjYQCOMYB8aFFHNlfFLwa7xtQNSjVxg12RgKnQg/s400/women2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446485001715189586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqbj8Fe95TcUWQX0YQk0QX9yyWrGO4Mw1K_H_VFKOuyS8l5DT4JkCAHUtV8s3IilrKljYGXD28RjjQoWe34nahyphenhyphenj4vfoo5NsPQ5UfAdO6mNDXijw_rj7N-Ytb5mwQZJuyQg87qMUk1A/s1600-h/atlantic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqbj8Fe95TcUWQX0YQk0QX9yyWrGO4Mw1K_H_VFKOuyS8l5DT4JkCAHUtV8s3IilrKljYGXD28RjjQoWe34nahyphenhyphenj4vfoo5NsPQ5UfAdO6mNDXijw_rj7N-Ytb5mwQZJuyQg87qMUk1A/s400/atlantic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446485227770536946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> </span></span>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-5648555158517108622010-03-07T23:00:00.000+00:002010-03-08T05:09:11.652+00:00Our Farewell Service in GhanaCan it be that more than two weeks have gone by since we landed in Ghana? We've been in 9 different grace churches - we've had a pastors' conference, 4 radio broadcasts, 15 services. Sometimes it feels like we've been here for weeks, and sometimes it feels like we've just arrived. And today we had to say goodbye with sadness to our brethren in Ghana.<br /><br />Last night we had an open air meeting in New Tafo, a section of Kumasi. It was my turn to preach and I preached the gospel from Romans 1 - "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." The audience was unusually attentive and I had about a half hour to carefully explain God's way of salvation. There were many people, both in the audience and standing on the street in front of the meeting place. I heard that several people, as many as a dozen, registered their interest with some of the church people. They will be followed up soon by the visitation teams. We pray that each will be saved.<br /><br />We had the farewell service this morning in the new church in New Tafo, pastored by Pastor Richard who is Pastor Peter's son. The building was full; the music and singing were especially enthusiastic. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiBLHvrdr4hurgA5vXwgeDcOihsVcgKbO3xegKcS3UAEdCYqUlpKzry7nsd1sY6KpA-f6bQaXtuVAqqg1VmhuLWcxYmTMaxyO6h8s8PvugCD1SkyQ3bqZnHQV5g49Vuoqgv5vr2LvJw/s1600-h/congregation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiBLHvrdr4hurgA5vXwgeDcOihsVcgKbO3xegKcS3UAEdCYqUlpKzry7nsd1sY6KpA-f6bQaXtuVAqqg1VmhuLWcxYmTMaxyO6h8s8PvugCD1SkyQ3bqZnHQV5g49Vuoqgv5vr2LvJw/s400/congregation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446122700399562642" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqeDjZuZ-ZhLNkIVdik8-BDYrKaRIKnIxr34kNVNEbf5jtBUhLxgjONQKggrlY8fjuS4xWFDQzu7mxXG5yzt8k1b71NGaPzRvNKxeI8DJ7TJ9xpDFVmOaqgT4TM_Om0HMk40V-a9Tug/s1600-h/congregation2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqeDjZuZ-ZhLNkIVdik8-BDYrKaRIKnIxr34kNVNEbf5jtBUhLxgjONQKggrlY8fjuS4xWFDQzu7mxXG5yzt8k1b71NGaPzRvNKxeI8DJ7TJ9xpDFVmOaqgT4TM_Om0HMk40V-a9Tug/s400/congregation2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446122765252340194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeS5oNBJ3QRD8jrBszV2u8MZRC0pzsH3U7wmimWkIKhE9zDuVoPto9mV0a6ePS8c9IgIR7GYgIToMhFbY1jR2A220vT_sFwsr-C2RgK4hh7aoapvr6bNx1YsdZwgBQjjQbUl6KUR1-w/s1600-h/band.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 310px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCeS5oNBJ3QRD8jrBszV2u8MZRC0pzsH3U7wmimWkIKhE9zDuVoPto9mV0a6ePS8c9IgIR7GYgIToMhFbY1jR2A220vT_sFwsr-C2RgK4hh7aoapvr6bNx1YsdZwgBQjjQbUl6KUR1-w/s400/band.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446123511010937714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LeOpqD9Avtomx1_v74Or_YQB6dYyGwbDZdsa2uj0TMjJb2rKxF7aa72XLsMW6xOmjch60p79uNoHP9pG1kvAs3BGEIMLgONERGucQL26krxthxQYd-SpnLFr7Lr491FRmux_3bYlBw/s1600-h/youngwomensingers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_LeOpqD9Avtomx1_v74Or_YQB6dYyGwbDZdsa2uj0TMjJb2rKxF7aa72XLsMW6xOmjch60p79uNoHP9pG1kvAs3BGEIMLgONERGucQL26krxthxQYd-SpnLFr7Lr491FRmux_3bYlBw/s400/youngwomensingers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446123434519126754" border="0" /></a><br />I preached on Paul's strategy for spreading the gospel as found in his letter to the Colossians. Isn't it interesting that in Acts 19, we read twice that all those in Asia heard the word of the Lord, and yet Paul writes to Colosse, a town in Asia, a few years later that many of the Asians had never seen his face -- Col 2:1!<br /><br />Paul's earlier missionary journeys meant going from town to town; Paul himself preaching in each town as in Acts 13-14 in Galatia. Somewhere along the line, Paul realized that there were too many towns, and that he would not have enough time to reach all the towns of the world. And so, in Asia he adopted his new strategy. He stayed in Ephesus for three years, and trained ministers, men and women, evangelists and pastor-teachers and sent them throughout Asia -- to Colosse, Hierapolis, Laodicea, Miletus, Troas, etc., and in 3 years "all in Asia heard the word of the Lord."<br /><br />Pastor Peter is applying the same principle in Ghana, and we are applying it in New York City.<br /><br />We had a blessed time in the service.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnN2zEbk5QyiOjKtg3gnT-pTaSzubER_71uQEgiJtcHmLJ1ZZ_pQ6ZtAoM11R2keH6Kp49XNt31EyDlcD2X9XSaHzLYKzpIyajnD7OFdaPEKJo2dPEw6YXeDvLjUlGKz83OX2On66Hyg/s1600-h/leon-peter-den.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnN2zEbk5QyiOjKtg3gnT-pTaSzubER_71uQEgiJtcHmLJ1ZZ_pQ6ZtAoM11R2keH6Kp49XNt31EyDlcD2X9XSaHzLYKzpIyajnD7OFdaPEKJo2dPEw6YXeDvLjUlGKz83OX2On66Hyg/s400/leon-peter-den.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446122975673637250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQ7NxMdZ7ZiSvh9AtFmZAbawDzzhpaYKDJyMqh4j5zngOof6GE0mi2XTIZZojTM9xelsJgQtXvTpu0Hrkd5TiubTx0Y5CoVoIyQFE6q4uTtEuYF8I8-5FXXIo2K1QVfAG6acu79vWcQ/s1600-h/leon&richard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQ7NxMdZ7ZiSvh9AtFmZAbawDzzhpaYKDJyMqh4j5zngOof6GE0mi2XTIZZojTM9xelsJgQtXvTpu0Hrkd5TiubTx0Y5CoVoIyQFE6q4uTtEuYF8I8-5FXXIo2K1QVfAG6acu79vWcQ/s400/leon&richard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446123194710981122" border="0" /></a>After the message, we received gifts from the grace believers -- Leon and I each received a large -about 5' x 9'- piece of hand-woven kente cloth, and we were wrapped in them like chiefs or village elders. Everyone enjoyed the scene and many, many pictures were taken of us and with us in our traditional Ghanaian garb.<br /><br />It was a wonderful ending to our two weeks of ministry in Ghana.<br /><br />Now, we're packed and ready to leave at 3:30 tomorrow morning for Cote d'Ivoire. I'm not sure of how the trip will go and of how the ministry will go there. Please be praying on Monday for a safe and speedy trip to the Ivory Coast, and for the rest of the week: that our meetings may be done well and that we may receive a good hearing for the message of grace.<span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> </span>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-84516440424949262112010-03-06T18:00:00.000+00:002010-03-07T04:29:16.944+00:00An Interesting Bus Ride to Accra, and We Received our Visas for Ivory Coast!On Thursday, Elizabeth and I took the bus on a 280 km. ride from Kumasi down to Accra. We stayed overnight, and she left early on Friday morning on her flight back to JFK. (She arrived home safely on Friday evening.)<br /><br />In Kumasi, we got to the bus station at 5:30AM, bought our tickets and got on the bus. There were about 8 people on the 24 seat bus. So we waited, and waited, and waited. At 6:30 I went back to the ticket office and asked, "What time does the bus for Accra leave?" The answer: "No time."<br /><br />Apparently it doesn't leave until its full.<br /><br />So we waited another hour and at around 7:30, 10 more riders showed up. Eventually we filled up, and around 8AM we were ready to roll.<br /><br />Just before we left, the bus driver turned around, and was saying something in Akan to the passengers, which, of course, I didn't understand. And I noticed he had his eyes closed. Then I looked around and realized that everyone else also had their eyes closed; they were praying for a safe trip! Amen!<br /><br />I thought that was a good sign. Then again, I wondered, is this trip really so dangerous?<br /><br />All went well for the first 2 hours. When suddenly there was a huge racket under the floor of the bus and the smell of burning rubber. One of the back tires blew out.<br /><br />So we all got off the bus on the side of the road and looked at the inside tire of the double back wheels. It was shredded. So I figured that we were not going to get to Accra that day. But no!<br /><br />About 6 of the men who were passengers, along with our driver, rolled up their sleeves, jacked up the bus, got out some wrenches, took off the two back tires, put on the spare tire (which was as bald as the tire that blew out), and in half an hour we were rolling again!<br /><br />The African economy being what it is, we're not surprised that the bus tires are all bald. But the African spirit was impressive as these men, passengers and driver, volunteered without the slightest complaint and got the job done. When the tire was replaced, everyone got back on the bus without the slightest sign of irritation at the delay, and off we went. That's Africa.<br /><br />We arrived in Accra at 2PM, got a taxi and sped through the grid locked traffic in downtown to the Cote d'Ivoire embassy. We arrived just before closing time. Our visas had been granted and were waiting for me. We're on our way to the Ivory Coast on Monday! Thank you, Lord. And thank you, for praying.<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><div> </div> </span><br />These photos show some of the day's excitement:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Xvx-Vl6gzd60p-tstGYqYcD9bsmGqrp17yayQANo5WIr0481SV4UIQPVMKpSSiHvf-HZqIc5Srj84BlzxxFfRP29kCnGkY2O30He1Ka3jRgKo8pf7b4560GfTRXjrmyZ4U5E5sJj1w/s1600-h/bus-flat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Xvx-Vl6gzd60p-tstGYqYcD9bsmGqrp17yayQANo5WIr0481SV4UIQPVMKpSSiHvf-HZqIc5Srj84BlzxxFfRP29kCnGkY2O30He1Ka3jRgKo8pf7b4560GfTRXjrmyZ4U5E5sJj1w/s400/bus-flat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445740914753594658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAje37NVRWSXH2l2TWQv9DdpU5NoosoDN1p81KyBh2qU-ED3wUVrVPvGISnM1XRBjFumSq_4hMDpNJS6LbGmMJqOEsOJ_RAHAcYv5IdrbUhMESWdeE_npjFDh29asISMN6-Ic5vGADg/s1600-h/goats.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAje37NVRWSXH2l2TWQv9DdpU5NoosoDN1p81KyBh2qU-ED3wUVrVPvGISnM1XRBjFumSq_4hMDpNJS6LbGmMJqOEsOJ_RAHAcYv5IdrbUhMESWdeE_npjFDh29asISMN6-Ic5vGADg/s400/goats.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445741430904089378" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tonight we have the second of the open air services in New Tafo, a section on the east side of Kumasi where there's a new grace church. Tomorrow we have our "farewell service" at the church in New Tafo, the end of our ministry in Ghana.<br /><div id=":9h" class="ii gt"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:10pt;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div> <div><br /></div><div> </div> <div> </div></span></span></div> </div>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-43565244894136270932010-03-03T23:14:00.004+00:002010-03-03T23:21:44.012+00:00Prayer RequestsTomorrow, Elizabeth and I will be traveling to Accra. (She is flying back to NYC on Friday morning.) I will be visiting the Ivorian Embassy again to try to secure our visas for the ministry next week. Please continue to pray that the way will be paved for a successful and safe trip into Cote d'Ivoire.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-74882511842615104172010-03-03T22:47:00.008+00:002010-03-03T23:22:35.267+00:00The Cutting Edge of the Grace Bible Churches in GhanaThis evening we drove east about 10 miles from Kumasi into a newly developing area, called Ejisu. We turned off the main highway to Accra, and twisted and turned down a dirt road until we reached a little group of believers waiting for us, seated on plastic lawn chairs in the courtyard of a home on the edge of the forest. This is the beginning of a new grace church: Grace Bible Church - Ejisu.<br /><br />The pastor's name is Kinsley Kwakie (pronounced "Kwa-chee"). We met him in Ahensan, where he was at all the meetings. Formerly a pentecostal pastor, he heard Pastor Peter's radio broadcast and came to understand the message of grace, and has been attending and learning at Grace Bible Church in Ahensan. About three years ago he began to work in the Ejisu area, and today there is a small group of about 10 adults who are regulars at the church service in Ejisu. They follow up on radio listeners from the area and go door to door distributing Bible study lessons to people who want to study the Word.<br /><br />As you can see from the pictures, Pastor Kwakie was joined by two women in the church and a number of children during our visit; we were there early in the evening and most of the church members had not yet gotten home from work in Kumasi. There also was a carpenter working on the new church building in the background of our pictures.<br /><br />Here, again, we saw the relentless effort that the grace believers in Ghana are making to reach out with the message of grace and plant new churches. After getting acquainted, we prayed together and then said good-bye. Though our visit was brief, I'm really glad that we came to meet these believers and see the beginnings of the work that they are doing.<br /><br />Pray for Pastor Kwakie and the members of this church, that he will be a great leader, that the Lord will bless their efforts in this growing town, and that the neighbors will respond to the gospel of the grace of God.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyFYGxtd3o3I9RzJfatjW_T8NNesnggR9lrwbLdIESjx8ypkv5QcVyZ4Zo7RzQCHUZM0OiFKvxy6zYJBBbF5PtXVZZp9Pz12Y1XKmZN9iPpO5I1t2xNR5SC8BjnLYIYE5ZY03AG8Z0A/s1600-h/church-group-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikyFYGxtd3o3I9RzJfatjW_T8NNesnggR9lrwbLdIESjx8ypkv5QcVyZ4Zo7RzQCHUZM0OiFKvxy6zYJBBbF5PtXVZZp9Pz12Y1XKmZN9iPpO5I1t2xNR5SC8BjnLYIYE5ZY03AG8Z0A/s400/church-group-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444549352126879554" border="0" /></a>Church group in front of the new church building -- from left to right: some children of church members, Boat, 3 women from the church, (Pastor Dennis in the background), Pastor Peter, Pastor Kwakie, and Elder Leon. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /> </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SQx1wHBoHpqLe6PPBr0NvP5vtDLoqV-ovzYuyjka1CbwiTT7Gh4Ak9DGe-sbr5Cbp3GVbzEOhAFrnmPgni56bm78GxD9JXKwEIFGz6HvXzIuxwe7zh_eTs-jTe9_R5ygKjnNwJ8UjA/s1600-h/conversation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SQx1wHBoHpqLe6PPBr0NvP5vtDLoqV-ovzYuyjka1CbwiTT7Gh4Ak9DGe-sbr5Cbp3GVbzEOhAFrnmPgni56bm78GxD9JXKwEIFGz6HvXzIuxwe7zh_eTs-jTe9_R5ygKjnNwJ8UjA/s400/conversation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444546311130197906" border="0" /></a>Left to right: Pastor Kwakie from Ejisu, Pastor Peter from Ahensan, Boat from Ahensan, Pastor Dennis and Elder Leon from New York City discussing the new church here in Ejisu<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /> </span></span>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-5495997094507854642010-03-02T23:54:00.042+00:002010-03-04T15:33:35.495+00:00Tano-DumasiToday we drove about two hours to the Southwest and down a long clay road to the village of Tano-Dumasi, Pastor Peter's hometown. We visited this church two years ago; the church has grown since then, to the point that they have outgrown their church building.<br /><br />Leon and Elizabeth gave their greetings and I preached in the very enthusiastic church service -- the dancing and singing and joy are amazing to see. After the hour and a half service, we all went outside and enjoyed a lunch of fast-food meat pies, cokes and coconuts fresh off the tree. A boy shimmied up the tree, picked the coconuts and threw them down to the men waiting to split them with their machetes.<br /><br />Then we took a walk around the town. There is one main road, going right through the center of town; all the houses are built, somewhat helter-skelter, on each side of the road. The heat was terrific - over one hundred degrees - even the Ghanaians are commenting on how oppressive the heat is. We walked along accompanied by a crowd of children; school was let out early today in honor of our visit. The "Akwaaba" (Ghanaian for "Welcome") that we receive in all these churches is really amazing. They have never been visited by another outside person, and it seems that they feel greatly honored to have visitors from America; we could not be more of a sensation if we were President Obama himself.<br /><br />Everywhere we've gone, we can see that the Grace Bible Churches are growing. Pastor Peter's radio broadcast, which covers nearly the entire country, has been very effective. The believers, in turn, are bringing others; new people are being saved - we met a few; and the message of the grace of God is spreading. There is an emphasis in every grace church to reach out into the next community, into the next village, and everywhere they are planting churches. We are always being introduced to "the pastor from the next grace church," in the next village farther out, who is planting a little church that 2 years from now will invite us to visit, and have a good-sized congregation. Ghana is truly ripe for the gospel of grace, and Pastor Peter has been leading the grace churches to buy up the opportunities.<br /><br />Grace For Today has been helping to pay for the radio broadcast in Ghana for the past few years and I'm glad to see that our investment is paying good returns.<br /><br />Please continue to pray for success in the next two days as we attempt to get our visas to enter Cote d'Ivoire for the ministry next week in Abidjan. I'll be going to the Ivorian embassy in Accra on Thursday. It is difficult. We need your prayers.<br /><br />Also, pray for this weekend's meetings. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we will be at New Tafo, a new grace church in a neighborhood on the east side of Kumasi. This is a real urban church, surrounded by a diverse neighborhood that includes a large number of Muslims. Pray for effective messages in every meeting -- that we may open our mouths boldly as we ought to speak.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhUBNHbd55PDxS94i1xcclh2_iWP_0hqNswHRDO37OTG2IXMCTG0zEFhFGoI3Q6pAlB8y81ZB0XnhV4G0GKxf_uVCV6YmhvUeso2mQBPDGKQujNKsHJd7sYmd-1z31NnBrmjitw32-A/s1600-h/churchservice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhUBNHbd55PDxS94i1xcclh2_iWP_0hqNswHRDO37OTG2IXMCTG0zEFhFGoI3Q6pAlB8y81ZB0XnhV4G0GKxf_uVCV6YmhvUeso2mQBPDGKQujNKsHJd7sYmd-1z31NnBrmjitw32-A/s400/churchservice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444241905739585698" border="0" /></a>Church service in progress. What you can't see in a still photo is that the whole church is in motion: some are dancing, everyone is singing and lifting up holy hands to the Lord, there are two drummers and a keyboardist, the doors and windows are full of the overflow crowd.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNtXnrDr4nk4bY8NvkzIegeNItqEDx7B_kUUelZlnqaSbDj6sKuuAAKXWTUXlHeI7m8Z5k7mAzEidAy51wFpphD4pCkvzrRdPOaX03yDskVmI8eMXYAtBL1Xt_7Mfgrn_HyJMXN6r5Q/s1600-h/elizabeth-preaching.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVNtXnrDr4nk4bY8NvkzIegeNItqEDx7B_kUUelZlnqaSbDj6sKuuAAKXWTUXlHeI7m8Z5k7mAzEidAy51wFpphD4pCkvzrRdPOaX03yDskVmI8eMXYAtBL1Xt_7Mfgrn_HyJMXN6r5Q/s400/elizabeth-preaching.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444245678907993538" border="0" /></a>Elizabeth giving her greetings. In all the churches, we speak and then Pastor Peter does a translation into Akan, the language of the Ashanti people. Not many people speak English in the villages, but in Kumasi, most people can understand English and many can speak it fluently. This is Elizabeth's last address in Ghana; she will be flying back to NYC on Friday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMtNnCiOE9UIMhdZCWcyvcspJ4BXtKjwe2cxbgQjfbBB24RmuJ1UU8r8my36tLXbiDH__gbE3DcdZTPUWxqtVHVSwTxVb9qpvZutDzS1qNkN4Dst4ZuXPZ5y9U4vq3gzs7scEb4OozA/s1600-h/in-front-building.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMtNnCiOE9UIMhdZCWcyvcspJ4BXtKjwe2cxbgQjfbBB24RmuJ1UU8r8my36tLXbiDH__gbE3DcdZTPUWxqtVHVSwTxVb9qpvZutDzS1qNkN4Dst4ZuXPZ5y9U4vq3gzs7scEb4OozA/s400/in-front-building.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444245894031901714" border="0" /></a>Joseph, the church secretary and one of the key leaders (the tallest man in the pic) in front of the building that belongs to Grace Bible Church, on the main road through Tano-Dumasi.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpwXaWhC6V2vFx-9YOzz_AoTvnjkREWT14SnbH8aCNv2gzrpUkJ1n3XUblV-2xgtoyRccScn8cjDCrSByfYtfHcSLxAK1kBJqh3V0rIp7rDu3jXJlfB-sgr1juUFrNaA2W37utTqWrQ/s1600-h/tano-palm-nut-oil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpwXaWhC6V2vFx-9YOzz_AoTvnjkREWT14SnbH8aCNv2gzrpUkJ1n3XUblV-2xgtoyRccScn8cjDCrSByfYtfHcSLxAK1kBJqh3V0rIp7rDu3jXJlfB-sgr1juUFrNaA2W37utTqWrQ/s400/tano-palm-nut-oil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444798436716651586" border="0" /></a>Pastor Peter and Leon standing over a pot of palm nut oil.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mU2N8V_ND_UpEzItpPQtW115jgT7j1Wj2G86NqCCZxa68aE3RcnXrKD12wj3fdJQrh2u5YZ6xEr2jrEFgXXzc9z5yESihHuKuUJsq2znltox2s55tb7swFjk67HSdq1UJSiLch-yPg/s1600-h/joseph-gives-tour-tano.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mU2N8V_ND_UpEzItpPQtW115jgT7j1Wj2G86NqCCZxa68aE3RcnXrKD12wj3fdJQrh2u5YZ6xEr2jrEFgXXzc9z5yESihHuKuUJsq2znltox2s55tb7swFjk67HSdq1UJSiLch-yPg/s400/joseph-gives-tour-tano.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444798540737750866" border="0" /></a>Joseph and Dennis touring the town.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo99ZZln-Gggz13rQO2D9YcI5xbT9bUzj5mNdHOcc0t49FWZOof-RucKjvdrV5WO6NLIAOeMTTBo0_rK4_J6XX08fb5Md8YdgW8tYQCHptOooB4q_pz4wpkw1mVH0oaAfNiaiwHilnA/s1600-h/food-stand.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo99ZZln-Gggz13rQO2D9YcI5xbT9bUzj5mNdHOcc0t49FWZOof-RucKjvdrV5WO6NLIAOeMTTBo0_rK4_J6XX08fb5Md8YdgW8tYQCHptOooB4q_pz4wpkw1mVH0oaAfNiaiwHilnA/s400/food-stand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444246066013449890" border="0" /></a>We passed this food stand along the main road through town. This is a typical scene everywhere in Ghana. There are bananas, peppers, cassava, plantains, dried fish, onions, etc. for sale.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-5834009808956487732010-03-01T01:00:00.001+00:002010-03-01T01:10:10.959+00:00Prayer RequestsTomorrow, Monday, we have a day of rest. For Leon and me, it is the halfway point of our mission trip to West Africa. On Tuesday we have a long drive to the West of Ghana, to a strong church in the village of Tano-Dumasi, Pastor Peter’s hometown on the Tano river.<br /><br />Wednesday and Thursday will be spent taking care of some business – we have to get our visas to enter Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) the following week. So far we have been to the embassy in Accra twice, and it has been difficult to get the paperwork done to get the visa. Pray that we will be successful. We really want to get into Cote d’Ivoire. A large church in Abidjan is interested in learning the message of grace; their pastor has only recently come to see the message of grace in the Bible. They invited us to have a 3-day pastors’ conference and leadership training sessions. We consider this to be an incredible opportunity – this is an open door to a new country! Please pray fervently for the doors to be opened for a fruitful and safe trip into that country.<br /><br />Next weekend, Leon and I will be ministering in an urban grace church in another part of Kumasi for meetings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We ask for your prayers to be strong in the 95-100 degree heat every day, to be able by God's grace to preach the word clearly, and to be an encouragement to the believers.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-66104348501699059012010-02-28T23:42:00.013+00:002010-03-04T15:55:27.398+00:00A Joyous Day in Prabon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDAORp9i6TKMy7380xhrt27BCHZJfIgYlf67brD6MEZwuLcKx4TgxOuQ04jaMtrqljblCmGL131b0iiSUalnr3VJhkYAH1N2DiERbYpKNgCFZ_hOUppZR8RJQVQNe2GDuqy9hbEjBDw/s1600-h/dancing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDAORp9i6TKMy7380xhrt27BCHZJfIgYlf67brD6MEZwuLcKx4TgxOuQ04jaMtrqljblCmGL131b0iiSUalnr3VJhkYAH1N2DiERbYpKNgCFZ_hOUppZR8RJQVQNe2GDuqy9hbEjBDw/s400/dancing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443458254713090978" border="0" /></a>Today we visited a small, new grace church in the village of Prabon – a 15-minute drive from Kumasi. This was one of the most enjoyable days of our trip. We preached in Prabon two years ago, at evening, open-air meetings. At that time the church didn’t have a building but today we met in their new – really new – building. It is constructed from rough-cut teak 2x4’s – just posts holding up the corrugated steel roof. There are no windows, walls or doors, and the breeze flows through, curtains flying in the wind; so refreshing on a hot day!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pgGgPQesdVpJBMJqnA6N-S74wmDJJWluh7CIHpeQYc-E1ABzTNTVFXD-Yhwnr-W6LHZxIxsSuWi6Jdn7KUc7r9ALqvNHG__lq7vHqUy8fc7kQ_URnxOmOu7FG2IzEpb__c8E0cHgbw/s1600-h/sundayschool.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pgGgPQesdVpJBMJqnA6N-S74wmDJJWluh7CIHpeQYc-E1ABzTNTVFXD-Yhwnr-W6LHZxIxsSuWi6Jdn7KUc7r9ALqvNHG__lq7vHqUy8fc7kQ_URnxOmOu7FG2IzEpb__c8E0cHgbw/s400/sundayschool.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443454435247760930" border="0" /></a>When we arrived, a good-sized group of children were having Sunday school in the shade of a tree. Inside, many grace believers from neighboring churches were gathered and a beautiful service was being conducted with singing and a choir and dancing. At Pastor Peter’s request, Elizabeth spoke to the congregation with Pastor Peter translating. He was dressed in a long, white, African tunic today – special for this Sunday. Elizabeth spoke so well, and Pastor Peter really seems to enjoy translating for her; they work well together. Leon preached the morning message, and it was also very well done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfxP3deAdRRuIPa7i4MOm8-FMebF_E1tRemuTXqqtcflbn-sYGsRE1FJKZ5z4gDS1xG-xPkqf7uTz9_UfRhhaY-B-00l2__R8ZjEB9gzr6oDEBP2B2zT7er1CTjXcm6bUt79vmNHbdQ/s1600-h/prabon-leon-preaching2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfxP3deAdRRuIPa7i4MOm8-FMebF_E1tRemuTXqqtcflbn-sYGsRE1FJKZ5z4gDS1xG-xPkqf7uTz9_UfRhhaY-B-00l2__R8ZjEB9gzr6oDEBP2B2zT7er1CTjXcm6bUt79vmNHbdQ/s400/prabon-leon-preaching2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444806855278973154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7DfxQ-iit3rY_pWQcGt9u__nXmk7eLVoSzA35EmwkR1VggdH12Dp4eljwVM7798IN-2TFtmpvPxlCZlhaRCSOznutzWesESGeutKnpjGirkKPIVu4DUPStDntYpuYchirFsT1Bd8ew/s1600-h/leon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7DfxQ-iit3rY_pWQcGt9u__nXmk7eLVoSzA35EmwkR1VggdH12Dp4eljwVM7798IN-2TFtmpvPxlCZlhaRCSOznutzWesESGeutKnpjGirkKPIVu4DUPStDntYpuYchirFsT1Bd8ew/s400/leon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443462114020166498" border="0" /></a>The church gave Elizabeth a going away gift of a large piece of kente cloth. Hand-woven in a yellow, orange, black and red geometric design, it is a beautiful piece of fabric. A woman in the church is going to sew a dress for her; it will be ready before she leaves on Thursday. The women in all the churches have loved Elizabeth, and all of the children want to shake her hand. Everyone wants her email address.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkS8muaVT-G-a0BRMnsaYt7eSgCjO4uXNI4pfsI99XOLYWMSDAIUtBItzTK05uj-woe9rXuvL9iklM2-Ym-fYVpc32MIrcxse5udbnJIkcC4rUhVAzUbOnKxCo-N3Z6u-xyfRmxokSg/s1600-h/elizabeth.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkS8muaVT-G-a0BRMnsaYt7eSgCjO4uXNI4pfsI99XOLYWMSDAIUtBItzTK05uj-woe9rXuvL9iklM2-Ym-fYVpc32MIrcxse5udbnJIkcC4rUhVAzUbOnKxCo-N3Z6u-xyfRmxokSg/s400/elizabeth.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443462412660421538" border="0" /></a>The saints here, in all of these grace churches, are so appreciative of our visit. For twenty-five years they were standing for the message of grace, without ever knowing or meeting another grace believer or preacher. Our visits have encouraged them, confirmed the message that Pastor Peter has been preaching for these 25+ years, and given them a reason to have a joyous church celebration. They have enthusiastically invited their friends and neighbors to the services.<br /><br />It was a joyous day in a little grace church on the edge of the rainforest, with a faithful young man as their pastor and an enthusiastic congregation meeting in their brand new, not quite finished, church building.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVcnmrAfTJ3OGDRus0bVatzm5CGbb3v5CLSVaXRkU8kXjHQWdI9hTO91jOdq1iRfGh0I2k4xe7EhzAy2JTWp6vzQ6mvdYlA1CAQe9lklkyGCAWiZdvmlBsa6XLBsfje7px4XV34l80Q/s1600-h/prabon-church-leaders.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVcnmrAfTJ3OGDRus0bVatzm5CGbb3v5CLSVaXRkU8kXjHQWdI9hTO91jOdq1iRfGh0I2k4xe7EhzAy2JTWp6vzQ6mvdYlA1CAQe9lklkyGCAWiZdvmlBsa6XLBsfje7px4XV34l80Q/s400/prabon-church-leaders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444806950355459602" border="0" /></a>Dennis and Leon with church leaders in Prabon<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbVcnmrAfTJ3OGDRus0bVatzm5CGbb3v5CLSVaXRkU8kXjHQWdI9hTO91jOdq1iRfGh0I2k4xe7EhzAy2JTWp6vzQ6mvdYlA1CAQe9lklkyGCAWiZdvmlBsa6XLBsfje7px4XV34l80Q/s1600-h/prabon-church-leaders.jpg"><br /></a>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-11379282392730983362010-02-26T23:35:00.010+00:002010-03-04T15:46:01.234+00:00Visiting the Saints in Nsuta and KonaToday we took an hour-long drive, north from Kumasi, to two village grace churches that couldn't be more different.<br /><br />First: Nsuta, a more prosperous village just off the main road. The church has its own building, nicely decorated with flags and even linoleum. This is the only church we've visited in Ghana that has a bulletin printed up for its service. The members invited many friends and the building was packed with visitors from all the churches in the village and surrounding territory. I preached on being a faithful Ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ from 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyrHiqtBau5J5n0NhvdJYz877lHD9PXLJ5Rjsb2r20q2VC9O4NA3uVWyjSEBhBxrkg3p8kSdUrKDgkxbfbePLaJNY14FBcFJu5TKFeQt9uvt2WAZCSa895r8zE0Men-uMPt-7vdlIBg/s1600-h/nsuta-dennis-preaching.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyrHiqtBau5J5n0NhvdJYz877lHD9PXLJ5Rjsb2r20q2VC9O4NA3uVWyjSEBhBxrkg3p8kSdUrKDgkxbfbePLaJNY14FBcFJu5TKFeQt9uvt2WAZCSa895r8zE0Men-uMPt-7vdlIBg/s400/nsuta-dennis-preaching.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444804096204311186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEili7rDOz0X6kT9_A8FvBj9sWNIhhQhZKHQ_vBntn-tUCFtBWBoNNGWXaQN_-2ZvdR0CwmdkOuqngXMRIEQ6B6rlHVaOwhlZZQdUf-Q8uIKDyXneV56BYysRGIuvzHBfzglYlAIJZbLKA/s1600-h/church@Nsuta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEili7rDOz0X6kT9_A8FvBj9sWNIhhQhZKHQ_vBntn-tUCFtBWBoNNGWXaQN_-2ZvdR0CwmdkOuqngXMRIEQ6B6rlHVaOwhlZZQdUf-Q8uIKDyXneV56BYysRGIuvzHBfzglYlAIJZbLKA/s400/church@Nsuta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442700234926637666" border="0" /></a>After the service, one of the church leaders invited us to his home and served us a lunch consisting of a meat pie with tuna fish, and a diet Pepsi. Then the man who owns the house took us for a walk around the neighborhood. He showed us a cocoa tree and picked one of the pods and split it open, and showed us how cocoa grows and is processed. We also saw banana trees. When we left they gave us enough fruit – bananas and oranges – to last us for a week. They are very sweet and generous believers in this church; and like most of the Ghanaian grace churches, they are growing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkAj5fYU48ajKbHe6QNCZ3HgGQ_FKP2sPlzqclEAxTRUCZFCVSuF_8MZkg3TbfKjcJ3AFj5Vxp_uhgH5BCqXymOZU2O8DgnhiJfC4i7CbjKK11gxLVZuBMttwJplp7JU7bkbL7vq2Uw/s1600-h/nsuta-church-leaders.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjkAj5fYU48ajKbHe6QNCZ3HgGQ_FKP2sPlzqclEAxTRUCZFCVSuF_8MZkg3TbfKjcJ3AFj5Vxp_uhgH5BCqXymOZU2O8DgnhiJfC4i7CbjKK11gxLVZuBMttwJplp7JU7bkbL7vq2Uw/s400/nsuta-church-leaders.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444804572733025922" border="0" /></a>Dennis, Peter, and Leon with church leaders in Nsuta<br /><br /> ***********<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoRIdRacANJ2AQA3fwOSbtAYVVZix_hRXVw8OTJO6LLw8dXfEPJmgbWSKZTqBMcUucblARQvzcPfdM-ABbmwziTJjF05tnkIy-2qxIcInrCjyxk239jMXEgO2swbu8MfaJjakL3GY9A/s1600-h/loudspeaker-KONA.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoRIdRacANJ2AQA3fwOSbtAYVVZix_hRXVw8OTJO6LLw8dXfEPJmgbWSKZTqBMcUucblARQvzcPfdM-ABbmwziTJjF05tnkIy-2qxIcInrCjyxk239jMXEgO2swbu8MfaJjakL3GY9A/s320/loudspeaker-KONA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442700958982320098" border="0" /></a>Then we took a short drive over some beautiful mountains to another town. This one straddles the main highway so all the traffic – cars, tro-tros (mini-buses), and trucks – constantly roars through. The congregation in Kona has no church building; they meet in a home set back a little from the highway, somewhat like a truck-stop in America. They minister out of a Voda Phone booth: a small store where a brand of cell phones is sold. Next to the store, they have a very tall mast with four loudspeakers on top; basically, they blare the grace message out to the whole village through their powerful sound system.<br /><br />I was invited to preach and I spoke on our need for salvation and gave an invitation for the listeners to trust in Christ. Our congregation was anyone who happened to be on the road, or walking by, or sitting at their booths across the road, as well as a group of the ever-present children in Ghana. I could see some 30 or 40 people scattered out across our line of vision, and who knows how many others were home listening on the super sound system!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBI08_Pjsz9vlntrx8Hq_SZh7YvuhM64cjXLuyWH5aRQHPt7VLs_ApyZ6MBiSAnDw4Yr_7hVGn7hiXLEzXSMDfuSbLk98DkXetDKHzfINPE4NWD9WTybs-g7UmvE-phoTufniraxFGQ/s1600-h/voda-phone-hut-kona.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBI08_Pjsz9vlntrx8Hq_SZh7YvuhM64cjXLuyWH5aRQHPt7VLs_ApyZ6MBiSAnDw4Yr_7hVGn7hiXLEzXSMDfuSbLk98DkXetDKHzfINPE4NWD9WTybs-g7UmvE-phoTufniraxFGQ/s400/voda-phone-hut-kona.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442701255942275906" border="0" /></a>The grace church in Kona is small, just a handful of believers, but they are a bold and resilient group. I recognized several from our last trip two years ago and a few new ones have joined since then.<br /><br />I have noticed in both of our trips to Ghana that Pastor Peter seems to have a special love for this church. It is the smallest church that we visit, and has the most unusual mode of ministry, but you just have this little group when you meet them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2PByoSc1BmgXAh4_ef5-iSGHlC4hUnX4mJ6BExgHdepLSLuPROgNnJ0_RcErLi_nEG3OsLangtW7JG4uXTFL7oYId7DH7go95jw64KPibGobmhvMUOHQxuXp0vuwRxR_jG_djbqgYg/s1600-h/churah@kona.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2PByoSc1BmgXAh4_ef5-iSGHlC4hUnX4mJ6BExgHdepLSLuPROgNnJ0_RcErLi_nEG3OsLangtW7JG4uXTFL7oYId7DH7go95jw64KPibGobmhvMUOHQxuXp0vuwRxR_jG_djbqgYg/s400/churah@kona.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442701497373556306" border="0" /></a><br />Tomorrow, Saturday, I start the day early, with another 5:30AM live radio broadcast with Pastor Peter. I love doing radio: I've been doing a weekly broadcast in NYC for 25 years. But these early AM broadcasts are a little difficult – no yawning allowed on-air!<br /><br />We will have the rest of the day off until evening. We plan to take a trip around Kumasi, specifically to the Kejetia (ke-je-TEE-a) market, said to be the largest market in West Africa. You can buy anything there, from toothpaste to a bathtub, new and used clothing and shoes, etc. It is a maze of small booths with twisting "aisles". You have to orient yourself by looking for a tall building or antenna outside the market area so you know where to head to get out. Some people are afraid to go into the market, for fear they'll never find their way out; it really is that intimidating.<br /><br />In the evening we start a new phase of our ministry in Ghana - the first of our open-air, evening evangelistic meetings: meetings held in a clearing in the center of villages, with music and dancing, and then preaching in English and Akan. We'll be doing six of these over the next week.<br /><br />Prayer needs: That Elizabeth's cold or allergies will get better, she didn't feel well today. That the radio broadcast will be well done. This is an important part of the Ghana grace church's ministry and I want to "open my mouth boldly as I ought to speak." That our evening meetings will clearly present the gospel of grace and that people will respond for salvation.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-81389654173960987562010-02-26T03:39:00.027+00:002010-03-03T03:27:57.446+00:00Saints in Apitisu - 2/25<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeZBRu_IZJ43b3n-DJED5l_PXpoy-KQqdS9uTG4fE-WgHHOgVc084yw7abbLVIR8shPyaeVEPS-n1to0HprO_s1Vl3mdXJirIvypyg0rbqf9c922mgNcviWXaFsRYEcm-Y_l2KOiPJg/s1600-h/dancing+women.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeZBRu_IZJ43b3n-DJED5l_PXpoy-KQqdS9uTG4fE-WgHHOgVc084yw7abbLVIR8shPyaeVEPS-n1to0HprO_s1Vl3mdXJirIvypyg0rbqf9c922mgNcviWXaFsRYEcm-Y_l2KOiPJg/s400/dancing+women.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444243535129643282" border="0" /></a>From Dennis:<br />It was very hot again today but the people came out to the church meetings. The churches have doubled in size since we were last there. In Apitisu, even the local chief came with his wife for the service.<br /><br />We had to travel deeper into the countryside to reach Apitisu – down a red-clay road with car-size potholes. It is a very poor town, but with very enthusiastic grace believers. They cheered and clapped during our teaching times. At the end, they said they wanted to dance with me so we closed the service with dancing.<br /><br />After the meeting, we convened outside in the shade and we feasted on meat pies, quiche, fresh coconuts and fresh pineapples (grown in the village).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLzWKGL41AbjWLsKYYGZyz0lVpyWAFqCY9NFZhucyOazyeDlPDjqEoJ68yEix35ZBSk3j0Kv_7u9-B7UrYr1Yl-0TNd2eylFtmCvCk4fXpzqXlgTXOgUy3Vhbc2KQeVqnGSWcFiDwwA/s1600-h/4399547392_649d8e66a8_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijLzWKGL41AbjWLsKYYGZyz0lVpyWAFqCY9NFZhucyOazyeDlPDjqEoJ68yEix35ZBSk3j0Kv_7u9-B7UrYr1Yl-0TNd2eylFtmCvCk4fXpzqXlgTXOgUy3Vhbc2KQeVqnGSWcFiDwwA/s400/4399547392_649d8e66a8_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444244015229051346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZbXuuHl5oC7qZKwpQW-nKsmz-nxtRN5iOdRMvsE7CxXjxteCbHnSHPOz4-9GatBHO4IQCyS8cXkiATi5hz4fBWm7BVPjMAWuJDb0NIVZWM6xNis30VdX33Lu-MSIfGd88tDnSZNV6w/s1600-h/Liz+being+followed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZbXuuHl5oC7qZKwpQW-nKsmz-nxtRN5iOdRMvsE7CxXjxteCbHnSHPOz4-9GatBHO4IQCyS8cXkiATi5hz4fBWm7BVPjMAWuJDb0NIVZWM6xNis30VdX33Lu-MSIfGd88tDnSZNV6w/s320/Liz+being+followed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442398721388139586" border="0" /></a> Liz and I took a walk around the village and I asked some of the children to walk with us. Soon, many more children had joined us. One of the pictures shows Liz out in front followed by dozens of children. We created quite a stir in the village as everyone was looking up to see - what is going on? These two white people walking around with every kid in the village.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />While we were walking, several women asked me to take their pictures. It is a novelty to them. They love to see that flash. You hardly see anyone in Ghana with their own digital camera.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VKEriB7lCLsZ3TRLkNKKJiyOxjYa5CqEbloH2CU8Rml8ro6EHsPGRm25BFeibdg46KRcoIk9vGg_Hg7I4XecpSrx00UxRgEBToVYRozsgEYI-AVFT4xnVHmI1o7QYvelvR8Fg41neg/s1600-h/Apitisu+woman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6VKEriB7lCLsZ3TRLkNKKJiyOxjYa5CqEbloH2CU8Rml8ro6EHsPGRm25BFeibdg46KRcoIk9vGg_Hg7I4XecpSrx00UxRgEBToVYRozsgEYI-AVFT4xnVHmI1o7QYvelvR8Fg41neg/s400/Apitisu+woman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442413915431713090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QUeVk55mhBUmo4BYALt0__Sz-UR-UWdgOGXYqTX0ZLhew7x9crZpfO6mgc_O9-N4btg5gO8NuFqIpBAm_nJhF2AqGMI_Qf-DHnF3lmOSDQX6QO5SYN23P_o6LqcjHFSEOgTuGsPVqQ/s1600-h/Children+in+Apitisu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QUeVk55mhBUmo4BYALt0__Sz-UR-UWdgOGXYqTX0ZLhew7x9crZpfO6mgc_O9-N4btg5gO8NuFqIpBAm_nJhF2AqGMI_Qf-DHnF3lmOSDQX6QO5SYN23P_o6LqcjHFSEOgTuGsPVqQ/s400/Children+in+Apitisu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442402251972809410" border="0" /></a><br />Back in Kumasi: We ended the day with the final session of the pastors' conference at the Grace Bible Church in the evening. Five of the pastors from the city came, along with all of the grace pastors and most of the church members. We had a good time in our last meeting at GBC in Kumasi.<br /><br />One young pastor, named Mordecai, asked me to write a book of the material we covered in the three sessions so that he could use it to learn how to teach in his village and "send it around the world." I said I'd start on that project while I am in Ghana.<br /><br />Pray for a book to be written and for Barbara at home alone for these three weeks. 6" of snow came down today. Also pray for Elizabeth who has been fighting a cold since before leaving the US.<br /><br />Tomorrow (Friday) we travel to Nsuta and Kona, two villages north of Kumasi, to visit the grace churches there.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-78180671491361679792010-02-26T02:52:00.014+00:002010-03-03T03:46:25.254+00:00Saints in Patasi - 2/25From Liz:<br />Today, we went out to a couple of the village churches. These are the places that you’d never see from a tour bus. Our first stop was Patasi; the church there meets in a one-room schoolhouse — openings cut out in the walls for doors and windows. When we pulled into the village, children started running to meet our car—and they seemed to come from everywhere. As our service started, the kids hung through windows and piled three deep at the doorways—fascinated but silent observers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrRZVweL_M-iSAwOEhYsxjRGK_-EkbUb3hKclh9YL3fT-HkUOzvEgobtFcYzr_BtlHXhRGltJMeQlJbLrdMlC-m4FNw6QW3OG7m-QNjDzUWFD_NcswqXxjQUkZaR1eanbBNAW_eoLwA/s1600-h/Patasi+drums.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrRZVweL_M-iSAwOEhYsxjRGK_-EkbUb3hKclh9YL3fT-HkUOzvEgobtFcYzr_BtlHXhRGltJMeQlJbLrdMlC-m4FNw6QW3OG7m-QNjDzUWFD_NcswqXxjQUkZaR1eanbBNAW_eoLwA/s200/Patasi+drums.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443862918981424722" border="0" /></a>When the service began, the music filled the room—a couple of women leading the singing, with their babies tied to their backs—two young men beating out the rhythm on a pair of drums. When I return home, I will definitely miss the fervency of the worship here.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikn1IkE9uBusNda9fWM-kawYyLRKRXc6HHJAzEIDMeM3FvAgGpGfwFLD1_g-xf5YGYnKrI3ZFP4bn_o9G_8D4itvNY2Bf0exMMAPGoVJJLAovHwWDv1oHtuYgd9jx9VgpNBKYVDyriw/s1600-h/4395322047_b64ec1aabe_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikn1IkE9uBusNda9fWM-kawYyLRKRXc6HHJAzEIDMeM3FvAgGpGfwFLD1_g-xf5YGYnKrI3ZFP4bn_o9G_8D4itvNY2Bf0exMMAPGoVJJLAovHwWDv1oHtuYgd9jx9VgpNBKYVDyriw/s400/4395322047_b64ec1aabe_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444248802471834226" border="0" /></a>Leon, Dad and I each had a chance to share a few words of encouragement with the believers there. What is beautiful and incredible to me is that though I have never met these people, we are nevertheless part of the same family, and carry the same citizenship – and only because Christ himself has joined us – He himself is our peace. It’s the only gospel that can save, and it’s the only gospel that can truly destroy walls of race and prejudice and hostility. I am so encouraged by that!<br /><br />As we left Patasi, the church members piled our trunk full with pineapples, yucca, oranges, avocadoes, bananas and palm nuts. I was reminded of the Macedonians who in their poverty, abounded in their generosity, giving even beyond their ability.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxFNR1DDz83sc7jJIJoPMrr94fj93IJcmoxXAEcItrEOcxgZCkOR-q1aSs26nQgSpmizJjjRy7MvIt-7OGrsNc-PQckySw_edgVhG5yZctD_I4i4dns7n1pOwFhcGBi8v0fm3V0lJYg/s1600-h/4395323921_4015cbc2da_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxFNR1DDz83sc7jJIJoPMrr94fj93IJcmoxXAEcItrEOcxgZCkOR-q1aSs26nQgSpmizJjjRy7MvIt-7OGrsNc-PQckySw_edgVhG5yZctD_I4i4dns7n1pOwFhcGBi8v0fm3V0lJYg/s400/4395323921_4015cbc2da_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444248719053742178" border="0" /></a>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-58615466538204241602010-02-25T01:15:00.004+00:002010-02-25T03:45:13.858+00:00Prayer Requests for ThursdayTomorrow (Thursday) we're going to visit two grace churches in the villages of Apitisu and Patase. The drive will be several hours on the paved road, and then about an hour on the red-clay road. Leon, Liz and I will be teaching in each of the churches. We visited these churches on our last trip to Ghana. After the church meeting several men took long poles and knocked down some coconuts from the palm trees and split them with a machete and that was our refreshment.<br /><br />In the evening we will return to Kumasi and continue the pastors' conference, by the request of the pastors. We will be giving them an intense overview of the "Unfolding of the Mystery," continuing the studies we began on Monday and Tuesday mornings.<br /><br />Pray for our safety in driving to the villages. The roads are not in good condition and many drivers take chances passing on the narrow roads - we've had a few close calls already.<br /><br />And pray that our teaching and visits may be used by the Lord to encourage these believers to be faithful.<br /><br />We'll be speaking to many unsaved people in each village -- everyone in the village comes to the meetings, and even the schools dismiss the children early so that they can come and see the people from "New York America." We pray that their hearts may be open to the word of God.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-73112286051510246442010-02-25T01:09:00.003+00:002010-02-25T01:14:35.026+00:00Goodbye to Christina<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_JUH3SXaCuuP6544p5H2iniY1iSygZiAf5ddHowk57-cRLhOJsNBAImkZknArCNU2fPnf9_bmXxWvtfLdMvFrILq_L2fjkgaOJCTpb9HyUXGpzBM6nfGoqkALUfVlFPpPMuZYPKibQ/s1600-h/christina-goodbye.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_JUH3SXaCuuP6544p5H2iniY1iSygZiAf5ddHowk57-cRLhOJsNBAImkZknArCNU2fPnf9_bmXxWvtfLdMvFrILq_L2fjkgaOJCTpb9HyUXGpzBM6nfGoqkALUfVlFPpPMuZYPKibQ/s400/christina-goodbye.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441983125528363778" border="0" /></a>Tonight was Christina’s last night in Kumasi. She’ll leave tomorrow for Accra, and will fly home to NYC on Friday. She'll be in church on Sunday at Grace Bible Church in Brooklyn and will share a report of her time in Ghana. She wishes she could stay longer.<br /><br />For this final night at the church, she joined the praise team and helped lead the worship. As much as she has come to love the people of this church, they have come to love her, and are hoping she’ll be back soon. Please pray for safe journeys as she travels over these next two days.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-88787760683362980412010-02-25T00:27:00.009+00:002010-02-25T03:47:34.170+00:00Faithful People - Wednesday EveningFrom Dennis:<br />It was hot today, over a hundred degrees. We had an easy day, time to get caught up on some emails. In the evening we were at Grace Bible Church for the Women's Day of our conference. Elizabeth was the Bible speaker and Pastor Peter stood beside her and translated into Akan. Liz spoke on 2 Timothy 2:2 -- "The things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also."<br /><br />She learned to say "faithful people" in akan -- "nnipa anokwafo-oh." It looks easier than it is; Akan has some sounds that just don't exist in English. But the congregation loved hearing her speak Akan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8N-V_WfIlS7t7Iv90P1GbRJ6Gtle5V1pKKRO8vDCxhsWA2-Fj6qCvpQKIu7AggR4PzIGoHF4Yzg9xDfhvNEp8Qb5uWhUI-9anQ9-Z5nym3p6bFJ9pSqd8n87PG_7u746IH9Eyx6ocg/s1600-h/liz-preaching-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8N-V_WfIlS7t7Iv90P1GbRJ6Gtle5V1pKKRO8vDCxhsWA2-Fj6qCvpQKIu7AggR4PzIGoHF4Yzg9xDfhvNEp8Qb5uWhUI-9anQ9-Z5nym3p6bFJ9pSqd8n87PG_7u746IH9Eyx6ocg/s400/liz-preaching-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441980430543057458" border="0" /></a>From Liz:<br />It is a hot, hot night here in Ghana. We’ve just returned from Women's Day at Grace Bible Church, where the women led the service. It was another great night of fellowship, praising the Lord together, and digging deeper into this message of the grace of God. I taught tonight from 2 Timothy 2:2, where Paul tells Timothy to commit the things he has heard from Paul to faithful people who will be able to teach others also.<br /><br />We talked about how that word ‘people’ is a word that includes men and women—and that each of us who knows this grace message, who knows the unsearchable riches that are found in Christ, who has had this costly treasure committed to us, now has a responsibility to turn around and teach it to others, who will be able to do likewise. Many of us are eager hearers of the Word, and we gladly consume this message of grace, but too often we forget about the second half of that verse, the ‘able to teach others’ part. That’s the part that makes us a little uncomfortable.<br /><br />We looked at that word ‘able’, and saw how it means ‘sufficient.’ People who are ‘sufficient’ to teach others also. Well, who is sufficient? Who is able?? Paul uses the same word in 2 Cor. 3:5, when he says, ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” Praise God that he is not looking for strong and self-confident people, but for people who are confident in what the Lord can do! It is not our power, but the power of God in us that will make this message known to our friends and our families, to this city and to this country.<br /><br />As I was preparing this message, and even as I preached it tonight, I was also preaching it to myself. I am challenged by Paul’s words to Timothy, and pray that in my life, and in the lives of the women and men who heard these words tonight, when the day comes to give an account to the Lord for what we did with the grace that’s been committed to us, we’ll hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDWnvltBGPspenTA28AKFlFtYAwOT2JPptLtb7mUcHyWcSEZZGaWFRheqNa8eTfu23hYwwPNMTbGnvtgR-PAdRpsUL0EHskJuFcflV_LZ-pFuDvNBydQLjnWdF6BEsnlVM_L-3E5Bsg/s1600-h/womens-nite-congregation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDWnvltBGPspenTA28AKFlFtYAwOT2JPptLtb7mUcHyWcSEZZGaWFRheqNa8eTfu23hYwwPNMTbGnvtgR-PAdRpsUL0EHskJuFcflV_LZ-pFuDvNBydQLjnWdF6BEsnlVM_L-3E5Bsg/s400/womens-nite-congregation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441980803863733362" border="0" /></a>Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-51432713498819449752010-02-24T02:43:00.005+00:002010-02-24T22:01:41.335+00:00Many Lights in the DarknessFrom Liz:<br />We just got back from the Tuesday evening meeting. I wish that there were a way to adequately convey the infectious joy that filled that humble building in the heart of this third-world city. In this church of cement blocks and corrugated-tin roofing, with lights that flicker on and off, and the sounds of the city and the hot breezes coming through the shutters—there is a dynamic group of people who know the gift of grace and are holding fast to this life-giving Gospel. Sitting in the service tonight, surrounded by women of all ages, some holding babies and little children, some in western clothing, some in traditional dresses, I was listening to their resounding ‘Amens!’ as Leon preached, and I thought of Ephesians 4, where Paul talks about the unity of the Body of Christ. Here, five thousand miles from home, among people with a different language, culture, skin color, way of seeing and experiencing the world, I have never felt so deeply the truth of those words—that in the Body of Christ, we share one hope, one calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. On a continent that feels a world away from all that I know, I find myself at home.<br /><br />Sunday afternoon, I had the opportunity to have lunch with a few of the young adults in the church. Three men and three women, all in their mid-twenties, joined me and Christina at Mr. Biggs—the Ghanaian equivalent of McDonalds. Over chicken and rice and meat pies, I found myself increasingly impressed, and humbled, by the understanding, fervency, and sincerity of these young grace believers. We spent a few hours sharing how we each came to know the message of the dispensation of the grace of God, and talked about the struggles we’ve encountered as a result of believing this message. Several in the group help lead the children’s ministry at the church, and they were eager to share ideas and get advice on how to teach grace to their kids. In truth, I think there’s a lot they could teach us. But as we talked with them, what struck me as most meaningful for these grace believers here is the reassurance that they are not alone. I pray that as they hear this message of Grace confirmed over these next few weeks, they will be encouraged to stand firm as lights in the darkness of this city, this country, this continent.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0gnks1d0pmuss3HS-RhK6Hy9BbU9jAIc1wlTUCqzW_tBYGI2fkuN_rs9rBzLvBP7givC9WGXHOePe4V86zwYveLCX2TM8_oZY90gQPxxBu75SgJzZALxsHZ44dIvftEB3snnYt8Y0Q/s1600-h/young+people2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0gnks1d0pmuss3HS-RhK6Hy9BbU9jAIc1wlTUCqzW_tBYGI2fkuN_rs9rBzLvBP7givC9WGXHOePe4V86zwYveLCX2TM8_oZY90gQPxxBu75SgJzZALxsHZ44dIvftEB3snnYt8Y0Q/s400/young+people2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441932544454705474" border="0" /></a>The first few days that I spent in Ghana, I was overwhelmed with all that I saw. I turned to my dad at one point and asked him to help me see the beauty of this place, because I just couldn’t see it. What I could see was this congested, concrete, chaotic, broken-down city. Almost a week into the trip, I find my perspective changing. The landscape hasn’t changed, but what I am beginning to see more is that God is doing a work in this city. I see pastors who are studying hard to understand this message of grace; I see young people passionate about the spread of this gospel, as they teach the children and seek new ways to get the message of God’s grace out to their city; I see women carrying their children on their backs, walking miles to this church to hear Truth. I think I’m beginning to see some of the beauty of this place. And it becomes clearer and clearer that the Gospel of Grace couldn’t be more strategically planted than in this throbbing city of people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer0hzW9j3TAargUvNOVN__Vapj30V2bTk75CvHZsI2xuRpIE1vvTixGiJxmUaCVJ5OBHHa3aSru2B0T6O0UnyqbrfXJbtlYSHyQ4hS0IWvy0hWHe5XUvFqulP0dtoaWBHoOYN__n-_Q/s1600-h/Kumasi2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjer0hzW9j3TAargUvNOVN__Vapj30V2bTk75CvHZsI2xuRpIE1vvTixGiJxmUaCVJ5OBHHa3aSru2B0T6O0UnyqbrfXJbtlYSHyQ4hS0IWvy0hWHe5XUvFqulP0dtoaWBHoOYN__n-_Q/s400/Kumasi2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441933452679688082" border="0" /></a>We had a scheduling change, so instead of speaking Monday night, I will be speaking tomorrow (Wednesday) night. Although it’s a service for the whole church, I will be speaking specifically to the women. The men have been told to let the women sit in the front rows, so I will be able to see them “eye to eye.” I’m looking forward to this opportunity to encourage the women. Please pray that the Lord will guide my words, and open the hearts of the women and men who will be there tomorrow night.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-66935261291949729602010-02-24T02:18:00.000+00:002010-02-24T02:20:28.825+00:00Tuesday AfternoonElizabeth and I caught a taxi and went into downtown Kumasi this afternoon between meetings. We had a pizza - perhaps the only pizza in Ghana - at Vic Baboo's Cafe, the world-famous, old British hang out from the days of colonialism. Ghanaian pizza really is pretty good!Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-48172160740527626902010-02-24T02:01:00.003+00:002010-02-24T02:17:26.317+00:00Pastor’s Conference Wrap-UpWe conducted the Kumasi Pastors' Conference on Monday and Tuesday mornings. About 50 pastors came the first day, and about 60 the second day. These pastors are part of a pastors' fellowship in Kumasi, and include ministers from many different denominations. The sessions opened with a time of song and prayer, and, as many of the pastors are Pentacostal, speaking in tongues. Then I was invited to give my presentation.<br /><br />On the first day, we used the subject of food in the Bible to show the concept of dispensations. We looked at God’s instructions to Adam, to Noah, to Moses, to Peter and to Paul. We pointed out how the instructions changed and even, at times, contradicted each other; therefore it is possible for a preacher to be "biblical" and "scriptural" but still be wrong if he fails to recognize which instructions are meant for him, "rightly dividing the word of truth."<br /><br />Everyone agreed that there is much disagreement about doctrine among the believers and churches in Kumasi, and they seemed to see that there is a need to study the Bible dispensationally if we are going to be "approved unto God."<br /><br />On Tuesday morning, we took 1 Cor. 2:7-8 and explained the mystery from those two verses: that it was ordained by God before the ages, kept hidden, then revealed to the apostle Paul; that one day we're on to glory; and why it had to be a secret. If Satan had known God’s plan, he never would have crucified the Lord.<br /><br />Many of the pastors were getting a whole new understanding of the Bible and the excitement in the room was palpable. I tried to illustrate and dramatize the truth to make it plain, and the pastors were often cheering and praising God. We went for nearly two hours, and when we finished, the pastors asked that the sessions be continued. They have never heard of the mystery and they said they needed to know more so that they could take this teaching back to their churches in Kumasi and in the surrounding villages. Pastor Peter, who has labored alone for many years, was overjoyed at the response of the pastors. We added another session on Thursday evening at Grace Bible Church, when we will continue the teaching on the message of grace.<br /><br />A spiritual battle is always being waged, and these pastors need our prayers - that "the eyes of their understanding will be enlightened."Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-64004996495122413402010-02-24T01:12:00.002+00:002010-02-24T01:27:36.749+00:00God's Plans v. Our Plans - Monday EveningMonday evening at Grace Bible Church was scheduled to be "Women’s Night" and Elizabeth was to be the speaker. However, about an hour before starting time we were hit with a torrential rainstorm - lightning, thunder, pouring rain. The Women's Day program was washed out, but is re-scheduled for Wednesday evening.<br /><br />I became the teacher for the evening service, to a smaller than usual congregation, but we still had a good time. My topic was from Romans 15, where Paul prayed and asked all the churches to pray with him for safety on his trip to Jerusalem. Then he went to Jerusalem and, just as he feared, he was mobbed by the Jews and taken into custody by the Romans and would spend the next 5 years in a Roman prison. We thought about God's plans for us today: that He does not promise to fix all our problems or keep bad things from happening to us. We don't even know what to pray for as we ought (Romans 8:26). But Paul learned that whether things are going well or things are going badly, he could do all things through Christ who constantly strengthens us. I shared with the congregation some ways that this has worked in my life and everyone seemed to be encouraged.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-55529429918277371562010-02-24T01:09:00.003+00:002010-02-24T14:48:00.082+00:00Little John and the Radio - Monday afternoonPastor Peter and I went downtown to the FM radio station on Monday afternoon, to be interviewed on the live, drive-time radio broadcast. The host is a man named "Little John," and he is the owner of the Sports Hotel, one of the tallest and newest buildings in Kumasi, as well as the FM radio station, which is directly across the street from the big soccer stadium. Little John is a young man, mid-thirties or so, very athletic looking, a sharp dresser and a real “go-getter” entrepreneur.<br /><br />We started the interview with some background information on what "Grace For Today" is and where we're from. And then we got into what we believe. We talked about the gospel of the grace of God; being sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit; how to pray under grace, knowing that God doesn't always "fix all our problems" but He always gives us the grace and strength we need to live wherever He has put us. Little John seemed to really get interested in what we believe and kept asking questions and prompting me to go on. We ended up getting about 45 minutes of airtime!<br /><br />We left the studio after our interview, but continued listening to the rest of the broadcast on our way back to the hotel. Several listeners called in to say that they needed to hear more of that kind of teaching. When I walked into our hotel, the young woman at the front desk told me she was surprised to suddenly hear one of her guests preaching on the radio program and that she really liked the teaching that was given.<br /><br />Little John invited us back to the station for another interview next week!Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-48981434207952534892010-02-22T15:04:00.005+00:002010-02-22T17:06:02.546+00:00Ministry Schedule - 2/22 - 2/23Please continue to pray for us. Here is our schedule for today and Tuesday:<br /><br />This morning, Pastor Dennis taught the first of two sessions at the Kumasi Grace Pastor's Conference, at a hotel in downtown Kumasi. We are hoping to reach about 50 pastors of various denominations, with the message of God's grace. Please pray for this conference, that the teaching will be well presented, and that God will use these sessions to bring more Ghanaian pastors to an understanding of His word, rightly divided. (We will be presenting this same program in 2 weeks in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.)<br /><br />4 to 6 PM - Pastor Peter and Dennis will be on a live radio broadcast on the Lite FM station in Kumasi. This show will also be rebroadcast in 5 other areas in Ghana.<br /><br />7 PM - Elizabeth Kiszonas will be teaching in the evening service at Grace Bible Church in Kumasi. It will be the Women's Day of the conference and the women will be seated front and center with the men seated in the back of the auditorium.<br /><br />On Tuesday:<br />Pastor Dennis will be teaching in Session 2 of our Pastor's Conference.<br />Elder Leon Gilchrist will be teaching in the evening meeting at Grace Bible Church in Kumasi.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-78837188326832445262010-02-22T14:16:00.006+00:002010-02-22T15:03:59.329+00:00Sunday Service 2/21The Sunday morning service at Grace Bible Church - Kumasi marked the start of our three-week ministry in Ghana & Ivory Coast. The church building was packed when we arrived; grace believers had come from near and far for the meeting.<br /><br />We were introduced and we each gave short greetings and words of encouragement to the congregation who all wished us "AKWAABA" (‘welcome’ in the Akan language). The service was filled with beautiful singing, drumming and dancing.<br /><br />Members of the church's Women's Fellowship wear matching dresses. One of these women generously sewed dresses for Chris and Liz so that they would also match.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHHYZ9WhId2kpcFVCCiBBRYsJBGri91MMf_J7xAig9XL3_y0k0vyZPx46am5ZAoHwT6AMCT_G_k9gvt4eXfgy2QU_PgeS2kP0U8mHkP-UumbMxqjZ21Ri1KkU5uGRUgls5lU7IoiwOg/s1600-h/Women+in+dresses.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHHYZ9WhId2kpcFVCCiBBRYsJBGri91MMf_J7xAig9XL3_y0k0vyZPx46am5ZAoHwT6AMCT_G_k9gvt4eXfgy2QU_PgeS2kP0U8mHkP-UumbMxqjZ21Ri1KkU5uGRUgls5lU7IoiwOg/s400/Women+in+dresses.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441082528292855490" border="0" /></a><br />Pastor Dennis preached on four things we learn from Ephesians 1:13-14 and 4:30. These are familiar passages to every grace believer, teaching about the sealing of the Holy Spirit in this dispensation of grace. First, we need to hear the gospel of the grace of God -- that Jesus died for our sins. Second, we have to believe in Him, not just about Him, but trust in Him as our Savior. Third, when we do that, God the Holy Spirit seals us into the Body of Christ until He comes to redeem those whom he has purchased with His blood. And fourth, the application of this truth, "do not grieve the Holy Spirit" – Paul will always remind us, who have been saved as a gift by God's grace, of our responsibility to live a life pleasing to the Lord.<br /><br />Pastor Dennis referred to the many young men who were in attendance, whose ancestors were the world famous Ashanti nation who fought valiantly against the British colonizers, and later won their independence from Britain in 1957, becoming the first sub-Saharan nation to break free from colonialism.<br /><br />"Your ancestors were heroes who won world-wide fame on the battlefield. Today, we are in the battle for souls and for the truth, and we need heroes again today, men and women who will say, as Paul wrote in Acts 20:24, “I don't care what it costs me, I will finish the ministry that God has given me to preach the gospel of the grace of God."<br /><br />Reminding them of their history as the proud nation of the Ashanti people and challenging them to be "lights shining the darkness" as in Philippians, seemed to touch their hearts and many spontaneously broke into cheers and clapping. We pray they will respond to God's challenge to them for their lives.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8515502057769072661.post-25895256772257378072010-02-22T13:54:00.012+00:002010-02-22T18:01:25.071+00:00Safe Arrival!We arrived in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Thursday morning and were met by Pastor Peter and his assistant Pastor Boat. We drove along the Atlantic coast about 3 hours west of Accra to Cape Coast where we spent the night. On Friday we continued on to Kumasi, a four hour drive from Cape Coast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5e_q8BYIxOlax6JD2HJSrENBWAKsIjagzOE4CMnej2-DN8tNcoDk4Fuz2nKTTmw-sbzOfVS8RCs8XcrMxTGvrDKA85MVZWqoMz2PfdGHfN28TO5jYjYxv4jPZLJwn5yYwDtUJdMgwQ/s1600-h/peter&me@FM.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW5e_q8BYIxOlax6JD2HJSrENBWAKsIjagzOE4CMnej2-DN8tNcoDk4Fuz2nKTTmw-sbzOfVS8RCs8XcrMxTGvrDKA85MVZWqoMz2PfdGHfN28TO5jYjYxv4jPZLJwn5yYwDtUJdMgwQ/s400/peter&me@FM.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441070811566071442" border="0" /></a>On Saturday morning, Pastor Peter and Pastor Dennis went to the radio station studio of Lite FM in downtown Kumasi to broadcast a live, half-hour radio show. We focused on the gospel of the grace of God and the importance of rightly dividing the Word of Truth, and invited the listeners to come to the pastors' conference and church meetings this week in Kumasi.<br /><br />The radio ministry has been the key to Pastor Peter's amazingly fruitful grace ministry, just as it has been the key to our ministry in New York City over the past 25 years. We know of no better way of reach millions of people with the gospel of grace and the truth of God's word, rightly divided.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGscVtst91R548xMl5-oBp7wgajypuiXRzvuEdUMOkwZyiXsMiUercUBUleil2bIf9p5HzOCsLLAqvAUOit9m2XdtF26OiJJ8i3eWegPs0SArKhlSLnEky63HELzyK_uV8uWeoU8mBg/s1600-h/poster-good.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGscVtst91R548xMl5-oBp7wgajypuiXRzvuEdUMOkwZyiXsMiUercUBUleil2bIf9p5HzOCsLLAqvAUOit9m2XdtF26OiJJ8i3eWegPs0SArKhlSLnEky63HELzyK_uV8uWeoU8mBg/s400/poster-good.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441071279180591202" border="0" /></a>Posters advertising our meetings are glued to bus stops, walls, telephone poles, etc. all over Kumasi and in the villages we'll be visiting. Our pictures are on the posters along with a list of the churches we'll be visiting and times of all the services.Dennis Kiszonashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05824395228815337530noreply@blogger.com1