The Psalmist said, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?” Psalm 2:1 SEPTEMBER:
This was a quiet month. We used the month mainly in preparation of the arrival of the shipment with the ministry supplies. We did process the documents for exemption waiting for the final approval from the Finance Ministry. I also started a series of Messages on knowing your enemy and the need to fast and pray. Ephesians 6:1-22
OCTOBER:
SHIPMENT: The container with the mission supplies arrived on October 14th. Our Clearing Agent Presented the Shippers Bill of Lading or the Shippers Waybill to Ghana Customs to clear our container based upon the Manifest that the Shipping line presented to Ghana Customs on the 17th, The Agent then proceeded to the Shipping Line (Mediterranean Shipping Company) To pay their charges and get the container released, only to be told that our name is not in their system. This was the beginning of something we never saw before. How could a Ship bring our container with our name as consignee on the Manifest to Ghana Customs and then the Shipping Company Local branch not have our name on their system? I told our Agent that the Shipping Company’s local group is planning to charge us Demurrage. The shipping line gave us seven (7) free days to clear our container that is14th October to 21st. They claim the mistake is from their Office in the USA so we should get our USA Agents to contact their Office to correct it; this is odd since it is their Office that made the mistake. It took two days to get this corrected, then it took another full day to give us an invoice to pay the local administrative charges. When our Agent went for the release of the container the MSC Release Team told us the container is on Demurrage for two days. I told them they caused the delay but they claimed they are not aware. Under protest, our Agent paid the two days $108 including VAT. This was on October 21st. After the payment, our Agent went back for the release only to be told that the Officer to release the container is gone home for the week-end; which means we have to wait till Monday 24th. When our Agent went on Monday they told her we are to pay another Three (3) days of Demurrage making a total of five (5) days. They will not accept responsibility of all this treatment but they said we must pay and ask their USA Office to tell them to refund the five days’ Demurrage, we did and asked Missionary Expediters to tell the MSC Office in the USA to tell their Ghana representatives to refund the Demurrage of $316 including VAT. To date, they have not done so. We got the container on the 24th at midnight and returned it on the morning of 25th. As the apostle Paul said, “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.” 1Thess. 2:18. This was Satan’s hindrance. But greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
Visit of Sis. Ruth Ward From Mission Central: When we were loading the container this past August Sis. Ruth from Mission Central informed Adelaide that she will visit Ghana in October for a friend’s wedding so we asked her to stop by. Well it turned out that the wedding did not happen
so she came over to be with us for the rest of her stay in Ghana and Oh! She has been a blessing, she helped with the offloading of the container and accompanied us for donations we made to Institutions, namely: Benette Hospital, Bosuso Health Post, and Drorwulu Special School for Mentally Challenged. She went with us to our Farm, she ministered to our women but above all she taught some of our young girls Sewing and needle works. As she rightly said The Lord had a different plan for her visit. To God be all the glory, she will return to the States on November 8th. Please see the attached pictures of the donations and the training of the young girls.
Pastor’s and Leader’s Prayer Breakfast: We organized a prayer breakfast on October 29th with pastors from six Churches and leaders in attendance, the purpose was to pray for our country which is facing an extreme economic crisis, and to honor the pastors who stood in for me while my wife and I were in the States this past summer. The pastors who stood in for me received Dr. Carson’s Biblical Theology Study Bible and the other pastors got a MacArthur Study Bible. See attached pictures.
Please be in prayers with us as we also pray with you, inflation here is getting to 40%, gas price goes up almost daily, price of everything is high and is still rising; this is seriously affecting the ministry.
Northern Ghana/Alivefm: We are planning to visit the brethren in Northern Ghana the first week of December, but unless the Lord intervenes, we may not be able to go due to the rising cost of gas, it is almost $10 per gallon.
We very much appreciate your prayers and financial support but if the Lord burdens you to send us a special love gift for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it will help us visit the churches in Northern Ghana, Alivefm will also be 10 years this Month. We are always encouraged by your support. May our Sovereign LORD bless you very richly.
In His Grace For His Glory, Noah Quarshie & Family.
