John and Bess Russell
www.themissionsociety.org
Partner Agency: The Mission SocietyAgency Contact Information: P. O. Box 922637
Norcross, Georgia 30010-2637
770-446-1381
www.themissionsociety.org/missionaries/index
russellsinghana@yahoo.com
011-233-75-622295Asbury Mission Team Area: Ends of the Earth
John, an evangelist, pastor and teacher, and Bess, a registered nurse, are working in a remote area of northern Ghana, Africa. Their love and care for the Ghanaian people is evident as they work with national leadership to minister through preaching and church planting, and to meet medical and physical needs, replicating a “grassroots” method known as Community Health Evangelism (CHE). Asbury has sent various medical and children’s ministry teams to join the Russell’s work. There are also opportunities for our congregation to assist with literacy program development and other projects. The most noteworthy opportunity is to see John’s and Beth’s faithfulness being blessed by God, as many Ghanaian’s lives are being changed by people coming to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and to be a part of that experience.
“A Scripture we live by: ‘Greater is He (Jesus) who is in you than he who is in the world.’” – 1 John 4:4
Growing up, I always had a fascination for Africa and her people. I remember hanging maps of the continent up in my bedroom and trying to memorize the location of all the countries. When I was in High School I read an article in the National Geographic on the civil war in Rwanda and burst into tears asking God what I could do to help people love one another despite their differences. Northern Ghana is the poorest and most underdeveloped area of the country. It is Ghana’s Samaria. Even Ghanaian pastors do not want to come here. They feel that if they are assigned to the North, they are being punished. –Bess Russell
“God answers daily our prayers for ministry, food, health, and safety. God answered our prayers about a home in Wa. After being in tight quarters for a year we prayed for a place with adequate space to have a school room for Isaac, living quarters for our help, Elizabeth, a place where we could pray and study, a yard that Isaac and Rachel could play in, etc. God answered our prayers and gave us a home with these requests in Wa. God protected us when we prayed for help during a physical attack on us by a group of men while we were in our car. The men left us alone after we prayed Yesus Christo out loud. God answered our prayers about a successful surgery on Bess’s father’s heart. God answered a song prayer I had when confronting a witch. I was able to confront him and witness to him with no problems as he was trying to do harm to me.” – John Russell