A New Director in Ghana
In the cement brick coolness of the church building, six men sit on wooden benches. The murmur of voices and rustle of pages join the sounds and sunlight streaming through the open door. Pastor George Korah stands at the front, leading the day’s lesson.
In June of this year, Pastor George graduated from the Building Healthy Leaders course based on material produced by Leader Source. George wrote that the lessons were transformational for him in his ministry and also his family life.
He and missionary Oleta Witt worked together to identify potential leaders in two of the village churches, and now George is translating the training he received and passing it on to others.
When Oleta became director of the Ghana ministries last January, she immediately began training Pastor George to assume the position. She understood that, for the ministry to truly prosper, it needed to be locally led. She and George worked together, casting new vision for the ministry and bringing needed structure to the organization.
Today, new leaders are being trained, the churches are being strengthened, and the organization is operating more smoothly. Oleta and George identified remaining tasks that still needed her input, and those were accomplished in due course.
In God’s divine plan, Oleta’s medical training—originally thought to be the basis of her work in Ghana—turned out to be of secondary importance to her work of organizing and establishing the ministry there.
Through her leadership, the ministry has been grounded with a focus on training leaders and seeing the churches brought to maturity and even greater effectiveness for Christ.
But what does this mean for Oleta’s future in Ghana? In the best of ways, she worked herself out of a job, turning it over to George’s capable hands.
And just at that time, Oleta’s visa allowing her to stay in Ghana was expiring and would be difficult to renew.
That is why, on October 30, Oleta said goodbye to her friends in Ghana and returned to the States. From here, she can stay in touch with George while also allowing him to have complete leadership of the ministry.
We are grateful for Oleta’s excellent work in Ghana. Although at a distance, she will continue partnering with us as a liaison to Ghana over the next several months and serve as the Director of Finance.
Please pray for Oleta as she transitions back to the States. Her heart remains in missions, and she is seeking God’s will for her future. The World Mission Board is looking forward to continuing to work together, as God leads.
We invite current donors to Oleta’s ministry to continue to support Pastor George and his leadership. Current surplus funds for Oleta’s ministry will support the future work in Ghana. If you have questions, please call Ashlee at 913-432-0303.
