Couch David Deborah 1982 Ghana

8/12/2019 Couch David Deborah 1982 Ghana

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/couch-david-deborah-1982-ghana 1/6

GHANA

Since 1957 Ghana has been an independent

nation. Previously a Bri tish colony she led

the way to independence in Afr ica. Present ly

she is ruled by a military government which

overthrew the socialist parliamentary govern

ment on December 31 1981.

\ ;Tlkr3.VWVi îii3iT

Ghana is s trugg ling with severe economic

problems. Cocoa is the main export but

much of it has been smuggled ou t for higher

prices. Corruption thievery an d black mark

eteering are c om monpl ace . Most of th epeople of Ghana like those of other thi rd

world c ou nt ri es ar e po or . S om e c an afford

fine homes, cars, and refrigerators, bu t most

struggle to feed and clothe themselves and

their families. In spite of their problems

Ghanaians remain a friendly, respectful peo

ple.

COUCHES

David an d Deborah both graduated from Johnson

Bible College in 1979. In February 1980 they

arrived in G ha na . C ar ma Faith was born February

1, 1982. In Apr il , 1982 they returned to th e U.S.

for fur lough. David is a ttending Cincinnati Chris

tian Seminary. The Couches plan to return to

Ghana in August, 1983.

Most o f the i r work in Ghana is associated with th e

college. David teaches New Testament theology

an d history. Deborah helps with the collegebusiness .

When able they visit with churches to teach and

encou rage . Mos t of t hese are l ed b y s tu de nt s o r

past students.

FORWARDING

AGENTMr. Fred C o u c h

B ox 8

SmithvUle IN 47458

GHANA

COLLEGE



ACCRA GHANA

Ghana Christian College has been training Gha

naian preachers an d evangelists since 1966. The

co llege was es tabl ished to train men from the

variety of churches in Ghana lacking Bible-

trained leadership. Regardless of church back

ground or aff il ia tion men can come to GCC

to be t aught the truth from God s Word without

denominat ional bias .

il v I O A X S U N hThe college controls no churches, no r is it

con trol led by any church or group of churches.

The college does no t pay preachers or students

to w or k w it h churches. We preach teach and

encourage in churches we have opportunities

to visit. The purpose of GCC is to train

Ghanaians in leadership to work with their own

churches and to be supported by those churches.

The 1981 82 school year saw 33 students

studying at GCC. Since its beginning over 70

me n have graduated. Seventy percent of those

i nv ol ve d i n full t ime Christian work i n G ha na .

FACULTY

Christian Adjei

I Christian is a 1970 graduate

of GCC. Since that tim e h e

has been teaching with the

college. In the summer of

1975 he studied at Cincinna

ti Christian Seminary. Chris

tia n te ac he s N ew Testament

an d preaching.

Carl Bridges

Carl, a graduate of Lincoln

Christian Seminary has been

with GC C since 1976 . Be

sides teaching Carl also serves

as principal. His wife, Glenda,

takes care of many aspects of

the college business..k <1

Dorothy Eunsonr

^ Dorothy a graduate of Mil

T ligan College, came to workI with GCC in 1968 She

teaches English, Bible Survey,

J Bible Geography and otherI courses as needed. She also

serves as faculty librarian.

Joseph Nsiah

Joseph graduated from GCC in

1974. H e h a s b e en a ss oc ia te d

with th e college since that

t ime. In 1 97 9 h e r e ce i ve d th e

M.A. in Old T e st am e n t f ro m

Cincinnati Christian Seminary.

NEEDSContinued prayer:

fo r GCC th e teachers an d students;

for the Christians of Ghana as they face

economic and political difficulties;

fo r Jef f and Sherr i Hoste t te r and Rick

an d Coretha Fulton recruits to Ghana.

Qualified and dedicated Christians, wil

ling to live and work in d if fi cu lt con

ditions, to join the work of GCC.Teachers and a busi ness manager are

needed

Used clothing, subject to guidelines, to

be given to GCC students at Christmas,

if interested please contact the Couches

for guidelines.

GCC is trying to improve its library. We

n ee d b oo ks suitable fo r use by a Bible

college. If interested in helping in this

way please contact the Couches.

GHANA ADDRESS:

Ghana Christian College

B o x 5 7 2 2

Accra N Ghana

U.S. ADDRESS FORWARDING AGENT:

African Mission Evangelism (Inc.)

c/ o Mi^ Patti Metz

42 3 Pa rks ide D r .

Orlando FL 32806



GHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

RIC B MISS ION BV NGKLISM

D V ID A N D DSBOR H

C 0 0 C H

Fisid Address; Forwarding Agent:

GHANA CHRISTIAN C0LLKC5E Mr,Mrs. Frea GoacdBox ^722 Box i-Ob

AOCRA GHANA •Sraitnviae, Ind. 47458

MARCH 17 1982

CARMA FAITH

Hs came to Shane aa a couple and will return fo r furlough as a family.We praise the Lord fo r th e very precious gift of a daughter. Carma Faitharrived a very healthy 8 pounds 5 ounces on February 1. David was presentthrough the labor and delivery. Together we experienced the miracle ofbirth. After a few days in the clinic both mother and dauchter were allowedto return home. We thank you for your prayers. Though only six weeks oldFaith has brought abundant joy to our lives. As typical parents we thinkou r daughter Is beautiful and very bright.

A CHANGE IN GOVERI (ENT

Since ou r last l e t t e r to all of you quite a number of things have

happened. The firstferm of the 1981/82 school year closed early In Decesditr.The students departed for their month long Chrlstmii holiday. Before theywould return to school s n«^ government would be In power In Ghana.

Even In Ghana we do not escape the busy Christmas season. The f i rs t

week of Decmnber was final exams week. I t was a busy time for students andfaculty alike. Besides exams to give and take the used clothing Dorothyhad collected on furlough was distributed. The students were pleased withthe good quality clothing they received. After the last day of exams thefaculty hosted a Chrlsfcreas party for t he stu de nt s. We had the coiwionGhanaian part food—rice n'nd stew. In addition we enjoyed popcorn and cake.The party ended with wx-A Hinging and the reading of the Christmas story.

We spent the vacation catching up on the things tltat we could not getdone during the school tern. We spent a few days in Lome for a vacation/shopping trip. It m to be our last before the baby came and we returnedto the States. We also enjoyed th e ccmipany of a number of friends over th eholiday season. Christmas day we attended the Christmas service at AbekaChristian Church, nîch meets at th e college. We shared In a fine dinner ,with friends a t Dorothy*s house

31 Decemi>ef has now become the watchword In Ghana. On that day Ghana scivilian government as overthrown by the military. Charging the govermntwith corruption and Inability to cope with Ghana's severe ecoiwmic problemsthe military began a revolution. The holy war , as i t Is called. Is aimed

at easing the plight of the workers and farmers who have been taken advantageof under past regimes.

Most of the fighting took place on the other side of Accra. We wereno t affected in Abeka. We could hear some shooting bu t that Is as closeas i t got. We tried to follow th progress on the government radio but I t

was also a focal point In the coup. We usually heard what those In controlwanted the people to hear. A 6:(X) p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew MS Institutedcausing the cancellation of ou r New Year s Eve service.

The government has formed task forces of students from the universities to help deal with many of the country s problems. They are mainlylater pools for the government to send wherever they wantvx>rk done. Because

of the task forces th e universities have shut down and the students havelost a year of their styJiss. Thus far our students have been exempted,since they are theologies students.



A few of our students faced some real difficult ies In finding transportation as a result of the coup. On e student v«1ked 27 miles before

he could get transport out of his area. Howeverp roost were able to returnfor classes without too much trouble. By the end of the f i rs t week ofclasses (January 8 all had returned.

Throughout the last couple of months we have been able to go aboutbusiness as usual for the roost part. There are the Inconveniences of the10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew which 1 new In effect. Always there arethe uncertainties caused by a unstable government. The 90V6fh™5ntmoved to put an end to the smuggling vdilch has arained off Ghana s essentials.Price controls are being relnstltuted. Citizens* defense conmltwes arebeing formed to check corruption and abuses In their areas. As thesepolicies are Implanented goods become scarcer. Fanners f

their goods to market for fear they will be forced to sell at «low to benefit them. Shopowners who have had to pay high pricesgoods are being forced to sell at lower prices. So. many 'this makes for very difficult times for the are coming down but goods are not available. Tte government Is iMkeingsome efforts to redistribute cownodltles. ttewevtrand canned fish and meat are sold at government outlet stores, ^wever,these are sporadic and undepandable. Aday s waiting may net a person onebar of soap, a few cans of fish and some matches.

Somehow life ooes on. Many Christians support the new government.Ghana Christian College supports the alms Ju^^lethe conditions of the cosmon man who has suffer^ so

In Ghana Is not a political rale. The college has continued p Lwa number of regimes. hope to continue to do so undeT the PeoP^«National Defense Council. Our purpose Is to Ghana swill lead In Ghana s churches. In this way we hope .0 contribute to unana sr ehab l lU^ lo f r — — — ~ __ __ .

FUROUGH

Bv the time you receive this we will be on our way to theStates wl IZ rJve Ghana March 9 « a few days InEnnland visiting with some friends from Ghana. April 3 Is the date oour arrival In Indianapolis. hope during elenlncM

to visit with you. Thenwe

can tell you personally about our experiencesIn Ghana.

Southside Christian GhiirohP.O. Box 108

Smithville, In. h7US8

David, Deborah, and Gama Faith

BO X I |^60U9Kempton, ^

NON PROFIT ORQAN.

U.S. POSTAOB

PAID

PERMIT NO. 2

ani thvi l l e Ind.



GHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

iftl lf MX « a I 0 IVA»0» I . I 8H

C A V I B A N D D E B O R A H

C O U C H

Fi»id Addr®3s: RoTtfardiJig h a m t i H H CKRISTIAK CCLL83 Mr KPfl Pr« i Couch

S o x 5 7 2 2

m u .

August 2 ? , 1982

Fylends And S u p p o r t e r s ,

The l a s t f o u r months have been qui te a change of pace from

Ghanas S i n c e mid-SJay we have t r ave led o v e r 1 0 , 0 0 0 m i l e av i s i t i ng churches cam ps, a n d l a ca t i on B ib le S ch oo ls , We

a re a lre ad y t i r e d o f t r ave l i ng bu t the r o a d s a re much be t t e rt h a n in Ghana, It i s d if f ic u l t fo r u s to p a c k u p , c l i m b in

th e truck a n d h e a d down th e r oad . B u t o n c e th e trip i s ove r

and we a r r ive a t o u r des t i na t i on we e n j o y t h e fe l lowsh ip a n dthe o pp ortu nity to s h a r e o u r work wii^h o u r s u p p o r t e r s andthose i n t e r e s t e d in Ghana Christian Co lleg e,

In add i t i on to our t r a ve l i ng D a v i d was ab le to take a summer

c l a s s a t Cincinna t i Bible S e m i n a r y , He b e g i n s c las ses f u l l -

t i m e A u g u s t 3 0 , He wi l l dr ive to C in cin na t i and s tay fo rc l a s s e s Monday th rough W e d n e s d a y , B e c a u s e o f h is s t ud i e s wewil l have to l imi t our t r a v e l i n g during tha t t i m e . The majo rityo f o u r t rave l ing wi l l have to be done on w e e k e n d s . We apprec ia te

y o u r pray 3 r s f o r u s

A good dea l o f o u r t i m e no w wi l l be spen t in prepar ing to r e tu rn

to Ghana, We have to t ry to s u p p l y o u r s e l v e s fo r three years

w i t h food, c l o t h i n g an d o t h e r s u p p l i e s . We w i l l t ry to calcul a t e th e th ings we wi l l n eed an d ho w much o f e a c h . We m usta l s o de t e rmine w h a t we w i l l be ab l e t o f i nd i n Ghana Tha t is

a b o u t a s e a sy to do a s pred ic t t h e Am erican economy. We are

hoping to s e n d o u r shipment in Ju ly 1983

On e th ing t h e co l l ege d o e s e a c h year i s to d i s t r i bu t e usedc lo th ing to the - s t u d e n t s a t Chr i s tmas . We w o u l d l i k e to t ake

back w i t h us what u s e d c lo th ing we c a n . I f you are in te res tedin h elp in g us p lease c o n t a c t u s . There a r e cer ta in g u i d e l i n e sin v o lv ed , such aa s izes an d types o f cÎothing., T his is on eway we can h e l p o u r s t u d e n t s and t he i r famil ies b e c a u sec lothing i s ve r y expensive in Ghana,

The news we h earl fro m Ghana i s m o st ly e nc ou ra gi ng Th e cementw ork on the chape l h a s b e e n c o m p l e t e d to the po in t th e roo f

can be p u t o n . We ozvjered roof ing shee ts to be s h i p p e d from

th e U,S, They sh o u ld arr ive in time fo r th e r o o f , to be on byth e end of t h e f i r s t t e r m in ea rly December.

In mi d -J u l y s ix s t u d e n t s gr a dua te d from th e c o l l e g e . One of

t hem , Enoch N y a d o r , received a four -yea r degree . He i s no w

serving a s minis te r w ith t h e Abeka Chris t ian Church, th e c h u rc hwhi ch m e e t s a t t h e co l l ege . Th e o the r f ive s tudents rece ived

th ree-year d i p l o m a s . E i g h t s tudents were a c c e p t e d fo r a d m i tt a n c e n e x t year . There wil l p ro b a b l y be a few more a p p l ybe fo re school s t a r t s in mid-September

As f a r as we know th e po l i t i c a l s i t ua t ion i s much t h e sam e.The People s National Defense Committee continues to rule Ghana,

We have n o t yet h e a r d o f any subs tan t i a l changes or improvem e n t s , but if t h e y come they wi l l t a k e t i m e . We a re cont inuin g w i t h o u r p l a n s to re turn in Au^cust, 1983, u n le s s th er e i sa se r ious dec l ine in th e po l i t i c a l s i tua t ionr . whi ch we do no t

expe c t .



•••t bs able to gimre with you some good news

finaneeg For sotse t ime, due fo r thepar t to tresjsndous economic problems,, the college

was under severe f inanc ia l s t r n ♦ We were able to continueour work as normal, but because of the poor exchange rate for

the dollar in Ghana t t was becoming extremely expensive* We

were not able to make any improvements or maintain the collegeaa should be This meant di f f i cu l t t imes fo r a l l concerned

However, arrangements have been made which have eased the college'sfinancial situation The college purchases Christian books withi ts dollars These books are shipped to Ghana by the publisherswhere they are sold by African Chris tian Press . AGP is a dist r ibu tor of Christ ian l i t e ra ture in Ghana They were facingthe problem of not being able to buy books because of the lackof dal lars AGP s e l l s the books in Ghana and reimburses thecollege in Ghana' s currency at a much bette r ra te of exchange

than v e were getting previously *The legality of the situationwas checked and approved before the arrangements were made We

are thankful that a way has been found to ease the financialsituation of the co llege At the same time Christian l i terature is being brought in to the country

This does not mean your support is no longer needed. t dossmean the college will be able to make improvements and continuei ts work with one'less problem facing it As far as the missionaries are concerned, there is no benfit to them This is str ic t lyan arrangement for the college We are continuing to strugglewith the poor exchange rate The college is the important aspect

of our work, not our personal finances

We share this with you because you hear from us when things aretough. You should also hear when they improve. As you pray forus in the diffâul t ies we face please join us, in thanking uod TQr tire~l.lnpiwMe^^

FOK PSRSONAL COHHESFOKmi-IGS

Mr.t ' Irs . David Couoh

£69 iE. Union Ava.

McConnels^fille, Oh* 143756Ph . 6li4-?62-l4?3?

JÛTLSIDS CURISTIAI^ CiiUECH

P.O. Box 108

Smithvllld, Ind U7 458

\HORlZCtt^Sil^ssion Sewces,p.O. Box 2.121KnoxviHe? Tn 379

SgbiD ALL FUNDS TO:

Fred V. Couch, Fvfd* Agt.P.O. Box 106

Snithvilla. In. UVllSS

Ph. 8I2-62I4-9202

KON-HIOFIT ORGAX.

U.S . TOSTAGS

PAID

Sm ith vil le , I n.

emd t No. 2

Documents

Couch David Deborah 1982 Ghana