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.