We began our day with breakfast/devotions at 8:30am. Colton brought the devotion and he reminded us of the importance of doing what we do for the Lord, and not for ourselves. We had oatmeal, toast (toasted in a frying pan - we have no oven) and boiled eggs for breakfast. No one ever complains about the food, which always amazes me. Teenagers in the US are so conditioned to eating what they want, when they want, and how they want but when they come to Africa, they just eat whatever is there. I love that about student teams. Of course, if your name is Joseph, you bring an extra suitcase with nothing in it but packages of Oreos, crackers, pop tarts, Starburts, candy, etc. Seriously! That boy could open a small market inTamale and make good money. Hmmmm...
Today was also the day we met our Ghanaian team members at Shalom Baptist Church in Tarikpaa. Since school is still in session, our team is mostly comprised of university students on summer break and adult team members. We were so happy to see Elisha, Mishael, Eunice, Suyuhini, and others. While the American team drove by SUV to the remote village of Kushibo, our Ghanaian counterparts rode their bicycle down a dirt path. They beat us there, of course.
The students did an outstanding job teaching Bible stories, singing songs and playing futbol (soccer) with the kids at the Kushibo school. While they were doing that, Eunice and I walked through the village and did Bible storytelling with small groups of women. One woman that I've known for about five years, listened to the story and told me that she knew that Jesus was King and that everything I said was true, but she was a Muslim and could not change that. I hear that a lot. There's no easy answer or quick fix to that way of thinking. It just takes prayer and more prayer and lots of perseverance in continuing to share Christ with them.
This afternoon we went to Anfaani Children's Home. I love everything about Anfaani, except the fact that the children there are orphans. It is well-maintained, meaning that the children are well cared for and the place is immaculate. Tayler had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours playing with Nathan, her sponsored child. The rest of us played with all nine babies and I had the special privilege of holding and rocking a two weeks old baby girl. There is just something so right about visiting orphans.
We once again enjoyed a wonderful dinner (spaghetti) prepared by Cynthia. Tomorrow is another day of village ministry and we are looking forward to it.
Showing posts with label Tamale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tamale. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2011
June 26 - Worship at Shalom
Today was a beautiful Africa day. It is the rainy season here so the weather is fairly mild, which means it was in the 80's. We enjoyed a breakfast of omelets and yeast rolls before heading out to Tarikpaa village.
Our first trip to the village is always filled with anticipation knowing we will see old faces and make new friends. African church worship is so unique and different than most American church worship. There seems to be so much more freedom of worship here and we enjoy every minute of it.
Last year, upon returning home, one of our team members, Jackie Castro, wrote and recorded a song about her experience here. It was called "Rescue the Perishing". Today Jackie, along with Joseph, Jillian, Tayler and Colton sang that song for the church members. They loved it. Jackie commented later that it was very special to her to be able to sing the song she wrote about these people to these people.
After worship and fellowship with our Shalom friends, we headed back to the guesthouse for lunch and rest.
Later on in the day we went to meet with Rev. Baba Elisha. He is of the Kasena tribe. As part of our mission this year, we are going as a team to do some research and make contact with this tribe to see if there is a possibility of doing a church plant there in the future. The tribe is located further north, almost to Burkina Faso. We would appreciate your prayers as we seek God's favor in this situation.
Cynthia Napari, Paul's wife, cooked dinner for us. She made chicken and jolof rice. The fruit here is amazing, so we always have mango, pineapple, banana,, watermelon and/or oranges with our meals.
We are really excited to see what God has in store for this team and the people in the villages.
Our first trip to the village is always filled with anticipation knowing we will see old faces and make new friends. African church worship is so unique and different than most American church worship. There seems to be so much more freedom of worship here and we enjoy every minute of it.
Last year, upon returning home, one of our team members, Jackie Castro, wrote and recorded a song about her experience here. It was called "Rescue the Perishing". Today Jackie, along with Joseph, Jillian, Tayler and Colton sang that song for the church members. They loved it. Jackie commented later that it was very special to her to be able to sing the song she wrote about these people to these people.
After worship and fellowship with our Shalom friends, we headed back to the guesthouse for lunch and rest.
Later on in the day we went to meet with Rev. Baba Elisha. He is of the Kasena tribe. As part of our mission this year, we are going as a team to do some research and make contact with this tribe to see if there is a possibility of doing a church plant there in the future. The tribe is located further north, almost to Burkina Faso. We would appreciate your prayers as we seek God's favor in this situation.
Cynthia Napari, Paul's wife, cooked dinner for us. She made chicken and jolof rice. The fruit here is amazing, so we always have mango, pineapple, banana,, watermelon and/or oranges with our meals.
We are really excited to see what God has in store for this team and the people in the villages.
June 24-25
We thank God for a smooth flight and safe arrival in Ghana. We were greeted at the airport by our dear friends, Francis Osei and Pastor Mohammed.
Our first night was spent at the GILLBT Guesthouse. We were so surprised when they served us chocolate cake, meat pies and popcorn upon arrival. I've never had popcorn in Ghana! After 17 hours in planes and airports, we were happy just to have our feet planted on African soil.
We were all jet-lagged so we retired early. The weather was so mild that we slept with our windows open, enjoying the quiet rains and cool breeze that came in the night.
We were up at 3:30am to catch a 5:30am flight to Tamale, in the Northern Region. We had another smooth flight and again we were greeted by a special friend, Paul Napari who transported us to the GILLBT Guesthouse. I've been bringing teams to here for so long that it feels like home. We spent the remainder of the day resting, getting acclimated and participating in team orientation.
Our first night was spent at the GILLBT Guesthouse. We were so surprised when they served us chocolate cake, meat pies and popcorn upon arrival. I've never had popcorn in Ghana! After 17 hours in planes and airports, we were happy just to have our feet planted on African soil.
We were all jet-lagged so we retired early. The weather was so mild that we slept with our windows open, enjoying the quiet rains and cool breeze that came in the night.
We were up at 3:30am to catch a 5:30am flight to Tamale, in the Northern Region. We had another smooth flight and again we were greeted by a special friend, Paul Napari who transported us to the GILLBT Guesthouse. I've been bringing teams to here for so long that it feels like home. We spent the remainder of the day resting, getting acclimated and participating in team orientation.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Anfaani's Children
We thank God for the opportunity to provide support for the orphans at Anfaani Children's Home in Tamale, located in the Northern Region of Ghana, West Africa.
Victoria is the only orphan not sponsored at this time. Click here if you are interested in providing support for her. It's $30 per month or a lump sum of $360 for a year. 100% of the funds go to the orphan home to help feed the children and provide healthcare for them.
Here are some new pictures we just received of the children. They are so beautiful. And precious.
Victoria is the only orphan not sponsored at this time. Click here if you are interested in providing support for her. It's $30 per month or a lump sum of $360 for a year. 100% of the funds go to the orphan home to help feed the children and provide healthcare for them.
Here are some new pictures we just received of the children. They are so beautiful. And precious.
Mona
Joel (twin)
Josiah (twin)
Joshua
Joyce, Jocelyn, Josephine (triplets)
Peter
Victoria
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