We had an exciting time at the West African Missionary Retreat in Cape Coast, Ghana. It was a wonderful time a relaxation, fellowship, spiritual renewal, and worship. God blessed us with safety as we traveled, a good working vehicle, and good health. We are very thankful.

While we were in Ghana we were also able to turn in our application to the US government to bring an orphan into the United States. We have paperwork literally all over the world right now. From California and to Alabama to Nebraska to Ghana. All of it being processed, authenticated, reviewed, and hopefully approved.

We would like to ask you to lift up these four women in your prayers: Patti Urban, Laura Morrison, Linda Hartman, and Adeline Aidoo. Right now our adoption is in the hands of these four ladies. Please join us as we ask God to send His angels to bless these women as they prepare, process, authenticate and approve our paper work. Ask Him to bless them with efficiency and accuracy.

We continue to ask for your prayers for Kossi and his wife from Adidokpo. When I saw Kossi this week he was very sick with malaria and could barely lift himself up from his mat. Please continue to pray for his wife, that God would break down the walls around her heart so that Jesus can come and be her life.

This weekend the Adidokpo church is having a special Easter/Evangelism weekend. Pray that God will bless them as they proclaim the Good News. Pray also that God will anoint the meeting with His Spirit and bring many to the Lord.

We also ask you to pray that God would heal a young woman's foot from the Kpeve church named Enyona. She has had this tropical ulcer (pictured) for the last nine months. With the help and advice of Dr. Farrar, I've been helping her the last month with medicines and advice on how to take care of the wound so that it will heal. Pray that God would heal her as a testimony to his love for his children.

Enyona

Her Tropical Ulcer

We thank God for watching over us. We traveled to Ghana last week for a few days of a "send-off" vacation. Our team normally takes a trip together for a few days before a family leaves the field. The team made the Parkers and our family feel very special.

After those 3 days, our team went farther down the road in Ghana, to the annual missionary conference.
Missionaries from Togo, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Ivory Coast all gather for a few days of good teaching, fellowship, and fun.

God had watched over our car. Just a couple of days before the conference two hoses had rubbed through one another and let oil gush out. First we were blessed that God seemed to have kept his finger on the holes until the car was back in Tabligbo. Second, Jeff and a friend got it fixed just in time to leave on our trip. We praise God for his faithfulness.

Since our return, Jeff has been out to see church leaders in two areas. They have been taking these days for prayer and fasting. Please pray for the leaders. Some seem to get the idea that the Spirit is going to guide them even when the missionary is gone. Some seem more like Jesus' disciples. They are jockeying for position, wanting to see what they can get instead of what they can give, and seem to have more faith in man than God. May God work mightily through these leaders just as he did through the apostles!

Back in the groove again after returning from the Grove. It was a great retreat for our family, but we are so glad to be back home in the thick of the routine. The kids, of course, have needed some "jump starting" after ten days of no responsibilities and no school. They, though, seem to be happiest about being back home, in addition to our family dog, Titan.

Louise got to play hostess this week to some of the Dagara team from Dano, Burkina Faso as they passed through on their return to Burkina. The Johnson and Burk families are part of a thriving work among the Dagara people there. We were very honored to have them in our home. Marty has gotten back out to the villages after running some diplomatic and vehicle repair errands earlier in the week. The Anasigle Kope church is growing already and they have now begun training the leaders with the Train and Multiply program.

Pray for evangelism that is being done in the Atitogon and Tabligbo areas as well as the future church planting by Tabligbo (name coming soon). Ahepe is continuing to make strides to come out of its stagnancy. Afakomi Kope needs its men to return from their money making ventures so they can grow again with solid leadership. Please continue to pray for the Vogan church that the elders and deacons will seriously pursue the training available through Train and Multiply. Thank you for all of your prayers and love. God bless you for your sacrifices.

All of our family is glad to be together again after Anthony spent a week traveling, checking out future ministry possibilities. Please continue to pray for our family during this time of transition, that God will lead us to the right ministry where he will be glorified and our gifts used fruitfully.

Our annual West Africa Missionary retreat provided a relaxing and restful break from the packing of the previous weeks. We greatly enjoyed the time of fellowship and encouragement with fellow missionaries. Our fellowship continued when two of the families from the Dano, Burkina Faso team visited Tabligbo before returning north. The team got together for a Mexican meal at the Koonces. The boys were glad to be back at school this past week. Although they enjoyed the Ghana trip, they were happy to be back “home”—at least for a few more weeks.

Thanks for all of your prayers for the Watchi people, for our family, and for our team.

Please pray for me that God will keep my heart on Africa for these last few days (or all my life) and to not fly so that reviewed through missing out on what else God desires to show me. I love you all very much and I am so thankful that you are in my life.

But, we're beginning to plan for the end of the year celebrations at school--fun days and graduation ceremonies--which will be a blast. I am beyond proud of how the boys have worked this year, and can't wait to honor their accomplishments and personal growth. They have all been wonderful and amazing from the beginning, but have become more so every day!

Thank you for your prayers . . . if you would continue to pray for our return home, I would be so grateful. I feel like it's going to be more of a transition to go home than it was to come here :) I love you all!