Monday 30 May 2011

Thought for the day... a day late.

Sorry that this is a day late. My thought for the day is actually a song that I wrote. The lyrics are posted here, and the song can be heard on the video above.

Time for me to wake up, time for me to rise up,
Time for me to make up, time for me to wise up,
Time for me to groove on, time for me to keep on,
Time for me to move on, time for me to be strong,

Pre-Chorus
Now’s the hour, the time is now, Lord please show me how,

Chorus
I want to live every day, every moment, every hour,
I want to give all my mind, all my heart and all my power,
All for you, it’s all for you, cause you have made me new.
All things new, all things new, you’ve made all things new.  (2nd Time)

Time for me to show up, time for me to stand up,
Time for me to grow up up, time for me to man up,
Time for me to stay on, time for me to hold on,
Time for me to pray on, come, sing this song,

Its only in you that I find rest, It’s only in you that I am blest,
It’s only in you that I found truth, You make all things New.

Sunday 22 May 2011

Common Christianity- Thought for the Lords Day Episode 1

Hi,

So, am thinking about doing a short devotional thought every Lord's Day on here. Pray it encourages you all.

The word "common" is most often a derogatory or negative word, denoting something of inferior or lesser quality. However, it has another meaning, that of something that is shared, something that brings unity. We Christians have much in common. As I studied for my sermon today (on Unity of the Spirit) I ran across three things that we Christians have in common.

1- A common confession: I Tim 3:16. What is that? That Jesus is Lord, Jesus is the Son of God. We believe and confess "He who was revealed in the flesh,Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory." This is the rock upon which the church stands, and it is a bold statement which binds Christians together and sets them apart from all the other religions of the world. Our confession springs from...

2- A common faith: Titus 1:4 What is this faith? It is faith in Jesus, as mentioned above, but it is also the faith of Jesus. Gal 2:20 in the KJV reads "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who love me, and gave himself for me." Living by the faith of the Son of God gives us a...

3- Common salvation: Jude 1:3. We all share a common salvation- the salvation of faith. I Pet 1:9 "... obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls." John Maxwell, on the Laws of Teamwork, talks about the Law of High Morale- When you're winning, nothing hurts. Well, one thing we share in common is that we are all "winning" together. Really, what should get us down or drive us apart? Next time you feel like slandering or downing your brother, remember you're going to spend eternity with him/her. That's a long time of awkward silence. Think about it.

Isn't it exciting to have a share in this common Christianity? It binds us together more than any other bonds of kinship, nationality, or interest. You and me, we've got a lot in common!

God bless,
Jeremiah

Thursday 19 May 2011

ABC! 123!

Ape reads A A A. A with a line reads A A A.
"The aging ape was out of shape because he ate and ate and ate!"
Elephant reads Eh Eh Eh. E with a curve reads Eh Eh Eh.
"Ellie the elephant bumped her head,
she felt so dizy she went to bed."

These are two of my favorite sounds and songs to teach in the Learning to Read Program. It's hard to believe that my students have ONE more pace until we start the advanced sounds. The advanced sounds blend two letters such as sh, th, ch. etc.
Right now I have 3 students (Baffour 8, Eunice 8, and Hannah 4). It may not sound like much but between them and Jonathan I stay PLENTY busy in school. When Eunice came to the school just a few months ago she didn't speak much English. Now she is starting to read English words. This is really neat because her mother doesn't even know how to read. I'm hoping Eunice will one day read the Bible to her mother. Baffour knew English but didn't know how to read except for a few sight words. Now he does a great job reading. Hannah is just 4 years old and I wasn't sure if I should start teaching her to read yet so I gave her the choice. She very much wanted to and I'm glad I let her because now she can read sentences.
It has been challenging at times to get them to say the right sounds b/c some of the English letters are not in their local language. I have also been working alot on their attention span- Hannah because she is so young and Baffour and Eunice because they get weary from not eating before they come to school. I sometimes offer bananas, oranges, or boiled eggs as reward snacks.
Lord willing in just a week or two they be working in English, Science, and Social Studies paces as well as their Word Building and Math paces.
What is even more exciting is that they will be able to read their BIBLES soon!

Saturday 14 May 2011

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62842270@N06/show/

Les Photos De Togo








We Go To Togo!

Oh, to go to togo. Isn't that fun to say? Well, it was fun to do also. This is what happened.

It started back in last April. We applied for a resident visa here in Ghana, so that we can stay long term. A process that usually takes about 6 weeks to 3 months, has now been ongoing for a year and 1 month. Basically, Ghana's government is not really working. The Director of Immigration did not even show up at the office for six months. Yeah. So, May 12th, our last extension of an extension on our visa ran out, and we had to leave Ghana and get a new visa to re-enter. Where did we go? Togo!

We decided to kill two birds with one stone; to get our immigration stuff done, and also to encourage the saints in Togo. We left on a bus Monday night around 9 p.m., with Beth Ann Modlin, a volunteer here in Ghana, and Laura Judd, another volunteer, and travelled through the night and arrived at the border, the town of Aflao. Passing through the border, we got our visas for Togo, and met up with our brethren from Togo, Bruno and Amy Koumedjra. It was encouraging to see them again. Amy (originally Morris) is an American lady who came to Ghana to serve in the mission in Ghana. Here, she met Bruno, and brother from Togo, and the rest, as they say is history. They are now serving God in Togo. Well, having travelled through the night, we had a roaring appetite, and treated Bruno and Amy to some breakfast at a restaurant in Togo's capital, which is right at the Ghana/Togo border, Lome.

After breakfast, it was over to the Ghanaian Embassy in Lome, where we dropped off our passports for a new visa (after a wait of about two hours, during which I apparently fell fast asleep). Our paperwork taken care of, we were then free to spend the rest of the time visiting and encouraging the Togolese brethren. We drove up to Vogan, about an hour away from Lome, where Bruno and Amy live. There we met with Kwame "Hammer" Afakule and his family, who are old friends. (The "Hammer" comes from his childhood, when he would crack coconuts with his bare fists... hence Hammer). Hammer was led to Christ as a teen by my dad, when he was here as a missionary kid. Hammer and his wife, Dela, are serving the Lord in Togo now.

Wednesday morning, we were able to visit the school and clinic that the church in Vogan runs. I (Jeremiah) was able to talk to the students, encouraging them that the opportunity they have, not to just get a secular education, but to actually learn the Bible as well, is trully a special one. I also spoke to those who had come for the clinic, encouraging them that, even if they should have perfect health, if they don't assure their spiritual welfare, it profits them nothing.

That evening, after spending time visiting with and encouraging the saints during the day, we met together for the Wednesday night assembly. I again spoke, this time on the subject of righteousness, which is of faith, not through our efforts, but because of who God has made us to be. Afterwards, Bruno, who did a great job translating into Ewe, a local language, was really encouraged, as were many of the brethren. Following the assembly, we returned to Bruno and Amy's home, where we were staying. Amy and the ladies put together a delicious meal, and we had a wonderful time fellowshipping with Bruno and Amy, the Afakules and a few other Togolese brethren.

Thursday, after breakfast with the Afakules, it was time to go back to Lome and pick up our passports, in order to return to Ghana. Goodbyes were said, and we pilled in Bruno's car and were off. 21 (roughly) hours later, we were back in Kumasi and I was helping Alima with math. It was a great time in Togo and we really thank God for the opportunity, and Bruno and Amy, Hammer and Dela for their hospitality. It was all-in-all a very encouraging time.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

"Official" introductory/inaugral post.

Hey there!

Well, we've been asked about this a couple of times, whether we have a blog.
The answer is now yes, we-blog.

So, we already send out reports (if you don't get 'em, email us at hostetterministries@yahoo.com and we'll add you to our list). The question then is, what are we hopping to accomplish with this blog?

1- Our reports are kind of long. We want to keep these short.
2- Our reports come every month or two. We want to try and blog every week or two, if possible.
3- There are a lot of little things that happen that don't make it into our reports, but which you might find interesting.
4- Our reports are kind of one-sided. We hope that this can be an opportunity for more interaction.
5- We want to keep this light-hearted and fun. Hopefully as you read it, you will smile.

With that neat five-point list, may the blogging begin!