My Bad

I posted to the blog and walked away to enjoy watching the Hummingbirds feed and it occurred to me that I totally forgot to mention Skip in my entry. OUCH. Without Skip we wouldn’t even have a relationship with Maranatha. Skip stayed behind in Accra with Keith from the UK while we went into the bush. They worked tirelessly on policies and procedures and training with the micro bank. I’m sure the experience will lead him to finance an “Office Depot” in Ghana. He never dreamed how difficult it would be to get something as simple as a printer cartridge. I can just see the women now walking down the street with reams of paper and office supplies atop their heads as everything else is sold in Ghana.

I also got to see another side of Skip that I didn’t know when he preached at the Maranatha Church in Teshie. Just another one of those things that you find out about someone while on a mission trip. Their love of Christ. Thank you Skip for being my non snoring room mate at the guest house and my brother in Christ.

A post from Scott

I know it’s late but things got pretty busy in Ghana and I am finally in a position to actually make a blog entry. The seven days we actually got to spend in Ghana went by so fast and it’s not like we had any access to the internet. So you will see other “final” entries to hopefully include the video blogs that we did early in the trip.

Anyway…. What a trip!! All the people on our crew had such a passion for spreading the gospel and working with the people that I was never ceased to be amazed. I really enjoyed watching David, Phyllis, Jesse, Andrea and Belinda in action. Their love for what they do was obvious and I am blessed to have them as part of my church family. Jesse and Andrea made a huge impact with the children and having a praise and worship team on board made quite a difference. It wasn’t hard to figure out that these kids just wanted to be paid attention to and be loved on. Every time I turned around one of them would be praying over or have a child in tow or on their laps. David, Phyllis and Belinda worked tirelessly at the clinics each day. I found out in recent years that doing God’s work becomes tireless and that was evident with each of them.

While actually starting out with the construction team I switched gears when I got sick and was blessed with the opportunity to spend Tuesday through Friday with Apostle Odai. One of these days started at 5:30 a.m. and ended at 3:00 a.m. the next morning. I do have to say that eleven of these hours was spent on the road with David and Phyllis and included getting lost in the jungle in the middle of the night but all went according to God’s plan and I became very aware of Apostle’s dedication to do God’s work in Africa. During those days I got to play kind of a pickup game and help out from place to place as I was needed.

The group from the UK became part of our family and just added to the experience. I witnessed two of their team getting baptized in the ocean and one of them accepted Christ for the first time in his life on the trip. Life long bonds were formed and the fact that you can always be “natives” when put together in a foreign land was confirmed.

I could see that God had a big hand in putting together a group of people at Maranatha Ministries who are very dedicated to their work. This was obvious with everyone I came in contact with to include each of the village pastors, our drivers and Joe and John from the media team. Joe and John spent eleven hours riding on the jump seats in the back of the Tata over some ridiculous roads and never once uttered a complaint of any kind. They were just happy to be there doing God’s work. I also can’t forget the staff at the revival in Odesiu who were sleeping on the bed of the big truck watching over the equipment when we arrived after midnight one night. No mattress or covers and no complaining when asked to get up and put a big generator on top of the Tata to take back to Teshie.

I will just say to each of you as I have told others since I got back. I took almost two hundred pictures. I could sit down and show you each one and give the story behind them. We could then talk for hours and I could share what I experienced in Ghana. And even after this you wouldn’t have a real concept of what it is like to see the hardships these people endure or their love of God. You would just have to go and experience it for yourself.

Medical Clinics

It is amazing to me that during eight days time we saw almost 1000 people! The doctors, nurses, and pharmacy were relentless. I have never seen a more committed and passionate group. The need for education is still so great. Scott hung a mosquito net in Kwesi Teng teng because many people did not know how to use them. Phyllis did a handwashing class for the children and "rewarded" them with soap. Such small steps that need to be taken so prayerfully,but are absolutely necessary. Pray for more opportunities to influence the health and well-being and future of these communities for Christ.
What a huge blessing it was to hear David and Phyllis say that the fishing village that had so many sick children last year seemed much healthier this year. We just have to continue to serve with hearts of compassion. God is at work in the hearts and lives of the people and He is using our hands and feet.

Water well dedication- Sunday

Sunday afternoon David, Phyllis, Belinda and Faith took a 3 hour drive north to Teyi for the dedication of Charlie and Davids water well. The village was very remote, a beautiful setting! The water well is on a hilltop overlooking lake Volta, the largest lake in Ghana. Everyone dressed in their best tribal clothing and we had many speeches and dancing. The water well was named "Jesus Fresh Water" well. The water is crystal clear and we all enjoyed a drink. The children were beautiful and had a great time playing in the water. A local women spoke and stated that the villAge was founded 101 years ago and this is the first time they hAd ever had fresh water. We were honored and not to be outdone by the youth, we were give a goat, cassava, sweet potatoes and fish. Fergie also road home on the SUV, but we didn't see her after we got home. Please pray for Teyi, they have clean water, but their lives are very hard. Thank u for all ur prayers ,
Phyllis

Monday

On Monday the team went to a village named Obung. We were part of an all day medical clinic that took place at the church in Obung. The medical team saw about 350 people from the town. It such a blessing to see the unity of all those who a part of using medicine to heal the lives of others. While praying with those who had been treated, one woman prayed to received Christ. We also had some people who were a part of voodoo who came up to the clinic as we were closing up. Thy had their faces painted and were playing loud music in an attempt to intimidate those involved in the clinic. Be praying for the village of Obung, because it is the location of the crusade on Tuesday evening. Also on Monday night Jesse, Andrea, Dr.Ola (U.K.), Rosie (U.K), and Keith (U.K) shared a word with Pastor Odai on a radio show he host that goes out to all of Accra. We leave for the bush tomorrow. All we can say is just pray.

Sunday Morning at Maranatha Power Ministries

The team arrived at the church for the 7:45 A.M service in which Skip Nichols preached. He spoke to the congregation about the micro banking initiative and about the importance of investing in our spiritual and physical life. That we must have initiative in the way we live out lives seeking to glorify God through our preparation, and follow through in all areas of our life. Skip also introduced us to Milicient, one of the success stories of the micro loan system. Through the loan she receive Milicient now runs her own business. After the first service we all went to different areas to teach Sunday school. Phyllis, Belinda B., Andrea, and Jesse lead the youth service. The name of there group is Crossroads. A name with great meaning when you understand the challenges many of these young people face. Andrea brought a powerful word, and Jesse (who the students and youth leader referred to as papa) brought a closing word. David taught an adult Sunday school class, and Scott taught a class for newcomers to the church. He said he was a little nervous , but we all heard he did great! He said that in some ways he felt prepares because he could still remember some of the ways it felt to be new to a place. In the second service David preached and brought a great word. During the invitation 5 prayed to receive Christ. In the afternoon we went to the ocean and Matt(U.K.) who received Christ was baptized. It was such a beautiful moment of praise to Go for saving Matt. Also after the service David, Phyllis and Belinda B. drove three hours one way for the dedication of one of the water wells that has been constructed as a result of the fundraiser last March. It was so beautiful to see how God is providing water for the people of Ghana. There are still more wells needed, but such a blessing to know that God is using many of you to meet the need. We finished the day with a worship service of all music. Praise teams from the church sang incredible songs of praise in both English and Twi. We were blessed by the way the people of this congregation lift their voices to God. It's now time for bed and we need rest after a wonderful day. Blessings

Saturday

On Saturday we had the first medical clinic in Nungua. All went well, and the medical team saw around 200 patients. David and Phyllis along with Dr. Ola (U.K.) did a wonderful job organizing the clinic and treating everyone who came for treatment. It was incredibly organized and ran very smooth. Andrea and Jesse led an impromptu service with those waiting to be seen by the doctor. Pastor Prince translated and several people prayed to receive Christ! Later in the afternoon Jesse and Andrea had the privilege of meeting with the choirs at MPM and had a clinic followed by some of the most incredible singing ever!
Belinda Barragar shared her testimony with a group of about 40-50 young people at the youth jam.
Scott Piper joined a group of eleven other men from the U.K. helping to prepare the roof for a future medical clinic.
Skip Nichols had the privilege of visiting the new site of the microbank started by Marantha Power Ministries. The new location has eight employers including one auditor who manages 500 customers accounts (100 micro-loans and 400 savings accounts.)
The most exciting news is Matt, who came with Peniel Church, accepted Christ today! We continued to enjoy rich fellowship with our British brothers and sisters in Christ!
It was a wonderful first day of ministry! Thank you for your continued prayers. They are needed and felt!

Arrived in Accra

We arrived in Accra yesterday around 5:45 P.M. Pastor Odai and Junior met us at the airport and took as back to the Shiloh guest where we are staying. When we arrived at the guest house we met up with the rest of the team from the U.K. They had arrived the day before and it was good to meet our ministry partners for the week. After dinner we sorted medications for the clinic today, as every got to know each other better. Then it was off to the "All Night Vigil" at the church. The church here has been fasting the last 14 days in preparation for this week. We arrived for the service around 10:00 P.M. and were greeted warmly by the church. During the service members of the group gave testimonies, Jesse and Andrea lead some songs of worship, and Pastor Andrew Love from the U.K. shared the sermon. It was the first time Andrew could remember preaching a sermon at Midnight. It was a great word. After the sermon about 12 people gave their lives to Christ. Our group left the vigil a little after 1 A.M. in the morning to go get some rest for today. Many of the members of the church stayed and continued praying and worshipping until about 4:00 A.M. It was an inspiring evening and just what we needed as we begin the construction, medical clinic, and ministry training time with the pastors and lay leaders today. All in all it was a great start and we are all looking forward to seeing God move today.

Ghana Team

Atlanta Airport Update

Well it's currently 12:36 A.M. And we are now switching planes because of minor problem they call... Engine failure! Apparently Engine number 2 isn't working. Thankful that they caught it before we were in the air. I know we are all glad to be going to a plane where all the engines work. Keep praying!

We got out of Tulsa

We got out of Tulsa, that shouldn't be a big problem or so you would think. We arrived at the Tulsa airport with plenty of time this afternoon, but when we got to the gate we were told that the flight was overbooked and that not all our group members were going to make it on the plane. Not a good thing we you have to making a connecting flight. So immediately we began praying that God would open a seat on the plane. It's amazing what happens when you pray, God shows. Almost as soon as we started praying someone came up and volunteered to take the flight to Atlanta tomorrow morning, opening the one seat we needed for our entire group to get on the plane. Today's bread, right when we needed it. God is already teaching us about depending on Him before we even got to Ghana. We are currently sitting on a plane getting ready to take of for Accra. Pray for a safe journey as we fly tonight. Thanks for all your prayers as we travel. We can feel them. We will try our best to blog everyday. Blessings

Last planning meeting

Today we had the last planning meeting for the trip at the Pennington's house before the team leaves for Ghana on Thursday. It was an incredible time of preparation both spiritually and practically. We discussed needs for the trip, went over assignments for the trip, and then prayed together as a team. The July team is made up of David and Phyllis Morris, Jesse and Andrea Graver, Skip Nichols, Scott Piper, and Belinda Barragar. We will also be partnering with about 23 members of a church from London, England. Please be in prayer for the team as they make final preparations for the mission trip. Pray for God to prepare the hearts of all who will hear the word, and that many would come to know Christ as personal Lord and Savior, and begin the journey of spiritual growth. As you pray for the trip, you might consider setting aside a specific time everyday that you could commit to pray for 5 minutes. We know that your prayers will make such a huge difference. We will be posting as time allows throughout the trip, so check back everyday for updates. Thank you for all your support as the church, believers in Christ united in prayer.