Missions With the Consfords
The Ghana Field Journal
Twenty years of daily missionary life, written from the field. From Ivory Coast to Ghana, from our first week on the ground to our last day before deputation — this is what it actually looked like.
Back in 2006, Laura and I landed in West Africa with two suitcases, a toddler, and a lot of faith. I started writing because I wanted people back home to know what missionary life actually looked like — not the highlight reel version, but the real thing. The broken-down trucks. The power outages. The Sunday mornings when three people showed up and we preached anyway. The days God moved in ways we still talk about.
I kept writing. Every day, or close to it, for twenty years. Through Ivory Coast. Through Ghana. Through the birth of Danny and Bonnie on the field. Through church planting and Bible institute classes and moments I would never trade for anything. What you will find here is not a polished ministry report. It is a journal — honest, sometimes funny, occasionally hard, and always real.
More than 1,630 entries are archived here. If you want to understand what it costs to take a family to West Africa for the Gospel, this is the place to start.
Browse by Era
The journal spans two decades and two countries. Start wherever you like.
2006 — 2008
Ivory Coast: The Early Years
We landed green and wide-eyed. Language school, culture shock, car trouble, and the first souls saved. Gilbert was small. Danny was born on the field. We were figuring everything out in real time.
Browse the Full Journal →2009 — 2010
Deepening Roots
Church work was growing. Relationships were forming. The harder and slower work of discipleship was teaching us more than we expected. Bonnie arrived. Life on the field found a rhythm.
Browse the Full Journal →2010 — 2011
Ivory Coast Crisis
Political unrest changed everything. The election crisis forced hard decisions. We watched God provide when the situation looked impossible, and we learned what it means to trust Him with your family’s safety.
Browse the Full Journal →2011 — 2012
The Move to Ghana
God opened a new door. We crossed the border into Ghana and started over — new language, new culture, new relationships, same calling. The journal from this era is some of the most raw writing I have ever done.
Browse the Full Journal →2013 — Present
Ghana: Church Planting & Bible Institute
Hope of Africa Baptist Ministry. West Africa Bible Institute. National pastors trained, churches planted, and a vision for indigenous missions taking root. This is what we came for.
Browse the Full Journal →2001 — 2008
The Bonjour Emails
Before the blog existed, I wrote emails. We called them “Bonjour” — a nod to our French-speaking field. These early dispatches from Ivory Coast and language school in France are some of the most unfiltered writing in the archive.
Browse the Full Journal →“I never started writing because I thought anyone would read it. I started writing because I needed to remember what God was doing — and because the people praying for us deserved to know the real story.”Joe Consford, Missionary to Ghana
Twenty Years, One Calling
A few of the moments that shaped the journal — and the ministry.
2001 — 2002
Language School in France
Before the field came the classroom. Joe and Laura spent over a year in France learning French — the language they would need to preach, teach, and live in Ivory Coast. The Bonjour emails begin here.
2002 — 2004
First Term in Ivory Coast
The Consfords land in West Africa for the first time. Church work, language barriers, culture shock, and the first real lessons in what missionary life actually costs. Gilbert is small. Everything is new.
2005
First Furlough
Back in the States for the first time. Churches, deputation meetings, rest, and the strange feeling of being home but missing the field. Then the call back to West Africa.
2006 — 2009
Second Term: Ghana and Ivory Coast
The longest stretch of field journal writing in the archive. Danny is born in a West African hospital. Bonnie arrives. Church work deepens. The daily journal from this era is some of the richest material we have.
2010
Second Furlough
Another season in the States. More churches. More meetings. More of God providing exactly what was needed to go back.
2010 — 2011
The Ivory Coast Crisis
Election violence changed everything. The political unrest forced hard decisions about the family’s safety. The journal from this period is some of the most honest writing Joe has ever done — faith under real pressure, in real time.
2011 — 2013
Ghana
God closed Ivory Coast and opened Ghana. A new country, a new language, new relationships, and the same Gospel. The Consfords crossed the border and started over with Hope of Africa Baptist Ministry.
2014 — 2025
The Texas Years
A long season back in the United States. Raising children, staying connected to the mission, writing, podcasting, publishing, and preparing for what God had next. The Missionary on Fire podcast and both books come from this era.
2025 — 2026
Second Deputation
Joe and Laura are on the road again — visiting churches, sharing the vision, and raising the support they need to return to Ghana. The journal is not finished. The next chapter is being written right now.
Want the Stories in Book Form?
Joe pulled the best field stories out of the journal and put them into print. That’s My Goat: And Other Missionary Stories is the funniest, most honest book about missionary life you will find. It reads like the journal — real moments, real people, real faith.
Get the BookMorning Meditation Podcast
If you want a daily dose of field-tested devotional content, the Morning Meditation Podcast is Joe reading Scripture, sharing a story, and drawing out a short reflection — straight from twenty years of missionary life.
Listen FreeGet the Prayer Letter
The monthly prayer letter is the closest thing to the journal in current form. It is what Joe and Laura are doing right now — on deputation, preparing to return to Ghana, trusting God for every dollar of support.
Subscribe FreeThe Consfords Are Going Back to Ghana
Joe and Laura are currently on deputation in the United States, raising the support they need to return to Ghana and continue the work. If these journals have meant anything to you, the best thing you can do is pray, give, or invite them to your church.