DOROTHY EDHSON HEWSLETTER

NO.

25

Dear. Friends in Christ,

FEB

1971

On October 31st our new campus was dedicated to ,the service of Jesus Christ in a lovely formal service. Unfortunately, we experienced unusual and heavy rain from 2:00 p.m. until after 4:00. This kept many Ghanaians from coming who depend on public transport, but there was still a fairly good crowd. One of the students said today that it's a good thing it rained or we might have been disgraced for lack
of seating space!

. A feature of Ghanaian programs is the chairman, who announces every event and makes little speeches at the beginning and end. A friend of the college who is
head-of--the-Customs-and_.Ex,cise Office served admirably in that, position. Mr._Kom,

the/school's lawyer, gave the main address - a very short one! He is a lay preacher and has sbme very nondenominational ideas about Christianity. Instead of an honorrarium, we will give him some books to stimulate his thinking along New Testament lines. The program included several special songs from student groups, scripture

by the Senior Prefect, a short history of the college, and a responsive litany
the,dedication itself.

for

After the program the group stayed in the chapel for impromptu singing while

we completed preparations for the serving of refreshments. It hiid been raining too hard bfefore the service to carry things to the dining hall. There are no windows in

one side of that room yet, so there was a small lake on one side of it - inside!
Now we Idiow of a few improvements that ought to be made very soon. Many of you who read this have helped make this campus possible. Pray with us for the fulfillment of these words in the service: "Prom this place, may the
Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever, be carried in the mouths and lives of its students to the perishing of Ghana, Africa, and to the whole world."
Speaking of dedications, several of us attended a similar service for the

Prampram Christian Secondary School in October. (This is not run by mission funds. Some.of us gave individual, private gifts to help them get started.) It was very
Ghanaian in that it was scheduled to start at 2:30 but didn't until nearly Several students and Christian Adjei provided special music.

I have exercised restraint in waiting until now to tell=^you the biggest news of all: Ghana Christian College ha.a ItH own VT-^a quota. This means that the Board of Governors, which is dominated by the faculty of the school, are the people who say who should come or not come to work in conjunction vTith the school. It means that we are free to preach and teach and aid churches and Christians as we see fit with out being cramped by pressures - some subtle and some not so subtle - exerted by an

African church who controls our residence permits.

\'Ie had disagreements a^ain

recently with Ghana Christian Church and we decided we must try again to get a

quota for the school. God's hand was surely in it, for the quota was granted within
Our passports were stamped

three weeks. We thanked God fervently for His grace. with the new visas by the 19th of October.

\7e have written an official letter to Ghana Christian Church advising them of

our new status. We have hoped and prayed for freedom in Christ for the school and all our work along with continued opportunity to work vdth the congregations of Chana Christian Church as well as others who will be guided by sound doctrine. Pray with us. We are still walking by faith and not by sight as we continually seek God's.way to help the congregations spiritually and materially.

The l9 year old boy about whom I wrote for C.O.M.E. material in February is finally leaving Ghana; he will go to Mali with the family for whom he works as a
steward. He has been so faithful and sincere that we hate to see him go, but I

know the Lord can use him in Mali, too.

him and gave him some devotional books.

The young people had a little party for

In October one of the college freshmen was baptized after a service at

Kokomlemle. He is the first of the unimmersed freshmen to be convicted of its necessity. He told me he plans to go home at Christmas and convince his family of the rightness of it so they will follow suit. The father is a denominational

pastor and the son has done much preaching already, too. That same Sunday another young neighborhood man v^as baptized at Kokomlemle. At Kaneshie, the newest group,
after several weeks of teaching and preaching, eleven of the adults were baptized
into Christ.

!IVice recently I*ve gone to teach at Abeka Sunday School and had only children for translators. That's an even worse handicap than usual, but with "better
communications, it surely won't happen a^ain.
Now about the college We have passed the milestone of mid-term exams already. Only one freshman seems likely to flunk out, Another freshman has been absent for weeks because of illness, but another who came three weeks late did extremely v/ell in catching up.
Our music practices are a real joy. Among the new students we have several

excellent singers.

V/e now have a budding quartet, all men this year, who should
She

be outstanding before many months are gone. Barbara Taylor has continued her slow steady recovery from Hepatitis.

has attended Sunday evening church once and attended, the Dedication program.

The

latter^ tired her enough to prevent her from attending church the following evening. , Contiriue tp pray for her.
v/e won't be arriving in the U. S. until early July.

Several have asked about furlou^.

School graduation is June I9:, 1971, but All other plans, are in the

I say "we" because present plans

call for, the'iTaylor family and me to travel, together.

thinking st^e, but I hope to spend a lot of time in Florida, since that Is where-

undergirSing for tnis work. Some time will be spent in Pennsylvania among supportins and. interested churches vrith a couple trips outside those two main areas. If yQU.have any requests for speaking appointments, camps., faith-promise rallies, etc., Wite meas early as possible so I can help you if at all possible.

my,living, link chwch is,, as well as many^others who have provided money and prayer

is committed to coining here for the 1971-1972 school year. She must raise' her
she'can lisfe in her talks.

' PlliASE RSMBEK that Miss Miriam Haynes of Box 856, Eustis, Florida, 52726, ^

thil year. Pleaco help her, Invite her to speak for y^ lhe fas S^idls SS meeting, youth meeting, women's meeting, V. B. S. and camp. She nas siiaes
Peaoe'btingieace and salvation to your heart and home in the middleof a troubled
wdrld.

support and travel funds while she is still teaching in Florida s pubUc schools I wish you a Happy Christmas. May the Savior of the V/orld and Prince of
In His service,
DOROTHY

ip. a. You may reach pe with a 250 airmail letter or a 130 airform at: Box 5722,
Accra N.i Ghana.,

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NORTHSIDE-CHRISTIAN CHDRCH 175 Floridahaven Drive .

Maitland,-Pla. 52751

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Non-Profit Org. U. S. Postage

$iOl6 PAID
Pla, Maitland,

DOROTHY EDNSON NmVSLETTER

Permit No.

20

. NO.

25

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FEB 1 2 1:

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Now .that the holiday liish is over, perhaps^ you can, peruse thie letter leisurely and

share our r^'eiit experi^ces here.' Christmas was a busy, happy tj^e'i - Hie college party was a big sue#ess as usual. With.Da^Qd McHenry as chairman, .T7^ had much more student talent than usual.
The children's program at Kokomlemle w^t very smoothly. I was grateful for the

help of two college students v7ho worked faithfully with me for many weeks.
this year was the play presented by -the adults of Kokomlemle? thejr

decided they could do as well as !the children.

The only "American Aid" they

received was a bit of costuming help from me.

Most of the participants were working

people with little time, to practice, p theydid quite well. 17e v/ere happy to have visitors present from the Kaneshie church for the occasion. Also for the first time, worship was conducted on Christmas morning. It was poorly attended but one new young man attended.
I was fortuna.te to share, two Christmas dinners with different missionary

families.

It was a pleasant day, but I air. looking forward to spending Christmas of 19?0* will for the about
hope

with my own family next year!

Numerical growth has slowed at Kokomlemle during the last qu^ter Pray for our young preacher,.John Adjei, and the members that their seal always' increase. The congregation must build soon. V^e have plans drawn very simjJlest of shelters for a chapel and two -classrooms. It will cost

$1,000 and we have about half that amount on hand.

The college is still paying

rent on our present meeting house, for a lease is in effect Until

I last wrote-, another college freshman was baptised at Kokomlemle, as-wellr'^ a

yoiong woman leaving for a five.year .stay.'in New York City.; * I"am h'appy to rejport a step forw^d "in the Abeka'S^^di^ School.

to have a building ready for the ehurch before Taylors and I leatfe^in June) ^inee
As of "

December,;.!! do not .go there t .teach aiij^ore.

self "^^er^i Sunday. and will teach her new songs from.,time .to timef.

Rather, Miss 'Abo^ will teaeh it- her

She'reported that they have-two

She is really goqd with the children' and T'think they will'loam

faster'unhindered by.an; ext^a.l^^age., I .stiil supply-His's Ab'tf^ with materials

- -classes now, with.i.I/Ir-.. Kueyi., j the j)re'^h^r-,'teaching o n e . '

that ^date-arid had. dohe.much house-to-house bailing..

On'^ITovember; 8th,_ some of the-students decide to.'estabiish a new congrega tion,-tising the college building, in Abeka., Actually they made many jJlans before

They Were pleased to have 16

adults and- about 50 .children besides themselves on that first day.''" The ilext Sun day, however, that-fiumber dropped, and .soon th^re were only two or^-'three attending.

Two 'or three, of the students are still working.faithfully," aware that thous^ds of
people live in the neighborhood ignorant, .of' or" indifferent, to Christ arid His claims. One Friday evening, nearly all the students cooperated in an open-air' preach

ing service near-the'market,. They did all the planning and arrangements themselves. Fourteen people seemingly made a decision to follow the Lord, but then not one of
Samuel Osei is working to conduct a choral group to interest people in serving the Lord. On Christmas Day, rather on the spur of the moment, Dick Hostetter showed filmstrips at the college building with Christian Adjei narrating in Ga. They promoted the
them came to the Sund^ service! I guess a lot more seed must be sown before it germinates.

Sunday services meeting there.

We will all continue to work, watch and pray.

- - -- - The Sunday before Christmas a young man named Frank stopped in Accra ..on his

way home from teacher training school. He brought with him a young man he had con verted to Christ to be baptized in the ocean. Frank conducts a prayer and Bible study group in his school with attendance of over 100. This young man /as baptized
a year and a half ago when visitors from Hessville Christian Church in Hammond, Indiana, preached in his village. Do you remember my mentioning I-lr. Doku, a preacher in the Church of Jesus? Some mpnths ago, he made his own arrangements to go to America and attend Winston-

S^em Bible College.

Letters from him indicate he is happy in his studies.

V/e
One of

have hesitated to send anyone to the States for extra study for various problems it
might cause, but vie rejoice when one is able to do it on his own iniative.
our very able freshmen is also from the Church of Jesus.

First term finals were conpleted in the school before holidays and the second

term begun. One freshman was dismissed for poor grades, and one upperclassman informed he does not have the grade average necessary to graduate. Basically it
was a profitable and smooth-running terra.

We continue our 'Hiursday afternoon music sessions.

The total group has

sung several times and have learned their first hymn in the Ga language. The men*s quartet has also sung several times. They did especailly well with "0 Holy Night" for Christmas. They sang two numbers for the Kokomlemle children's program. During these holidays, a new sidewalk has been laid on the campus, two dormitory floors resurfaced, and running water and sinks installed in the dining
hall and kitchen.

I suppose you have heard about the cholera in West Africa.

Actually, there

occasionally have both had deaths from cholera. The Saturday before Christmas, a^ coupJ^ of the men were scheduled to preach in Cape Coast fer the Universal Christian

is more here than" makes the papers. 'The villages near where ye go to the beach

neighboring country, said his first letter to us was delayed because even the air mails were stopped for three weeks on account of cholera. .Hr. Kuevi brought a government health team to the college,last month and v/e all got shots. That fact, boupled with our cooking and hygiene habits, make the danger to us negligible.
The'weekend .of November 2l3t, I enjoyed a quick visit to Bunkw^, a mining

Church convention, but all public meetings in that city were cancelled because of the disease. Lartey Lawson, our Sunday School boy, who moved recently-to .Mali, a

town nearly 200 miles v/est-of Accra, Cecilia Bansah, the Christi^ nurse.lives "there. ' We had. good.fellowship-together and saw.some interesting sights such as a rubber plantation, gold mine, and newborn, baby ^ the hospital where Cecilia is
a midwife. ' tt. 4.1.

belongings before continuing to South Africa, their nev; field of service. I .had
them for meals twice - once for a Ghanaian dinner cooked by. two of the .students (I'm not very good at it)i . .j '

* The Smaage fami-ly spent nearly two weeks in. Accra:packing or selling their

as a gift from the Mohammedans! Alfred-Appianing, the preacher,, gets discouraged in that village. :.Pray for him.:that God will bring fruit from.his work or show him
where to find a nore abundant harvests

Dick Hostetter, Derry Smaage^. several Ghanaians and I w^t to Bawoiase for theridedication of their little.building that they had, improved ^fter ,receiving it

Second Street^ Bloomsburg,,PA, 17815, for.-the,I;Tortheast; and Mrs. Eleanor Lewis, 44Q^-Marilyn Avenue, Orlandoj, Florida, 52806 foj the Southeast. Hopefully, by ~^at time," Mr. sTi^uldrTiave display uiatgl^tals reW^OJ^the-rToirtheasirT-bTDVT Please s^d changes of address for this Newsletter to llrs. Jerry-Owen,..c/o

and ready to be shared by February 1st. ^.V/rite to I.tr. \.'illiam Eonson, 596 E.

I have sent a new. set ,of sUdes-to..i^he States, They should be duplicated

. j

.Northside Christian Church. . . Remember my. forwarding agent (and a gomO is Ilrs.
Tom Barkes, 603 Twin Brook Lane, Joppa, Maryl^d, 21085.

connected with this field. You may write her. at Box 836, Eustis, Fla. :,2726.
May the Lord grant you a wonderful year of spvice and love. May our -busyness-^be planned to produce the most fruit for Him.
,' In His service in Ghana,
DOROTHY

to-Ghana while I am on furlough if God and Christian people make it possible for her to do so. In helping her, you are also helping me ^d all the mission^ies

Keep in your prayers and pocketbooks Mss Miriam Haynes, who wants to come

She will-need pledged living support for a ye^, travel funds ^d a modest ^ount of working funds. She can speak to your group and show slides of the work here.

NORTHSIDE CHRISTIAM CHURCH

Maitland,_Fla.

5 Florid^^en Drive
32751

^ S post^
Maitland,
Permit No.-

-en.

Pla.
20

DOROTHY EUNSai NEV-^SLETTER

NO.

24
aoRi"cr^i

MAR 3
Mission Se-rvic-^o

1971

'^OX 368