GHANA, WEST AFRICA

2009-11-01T20:57:00.000-06:00

For more information on the Ghana Mission

Ghana 2010 - The Unfolding of a Mission Strategy

2009-08-17T19:52:00.005-05:00

From our Ghanaian team leader and national pastor:

As God Called me to become a local or home missionary in the North,and as go before Him in prayers,He has started revealing to me new plans and strategies which i would like to share with you on this net.

To begin my ministry as a missionary, i have planned to take the following into consideration:

1.LAYING OF PRAYER FOUNDATION: Jesus Christ started with prayer, therefore i will not underestimate the power of prayer and dependence on the work of the Holy Spirit.I will form a Prayer Force Team specificaally for missions,evangelism,church planting and other missions needs.These will be people who have the burden on their hearts and compassion for the lost souls,so that they can weep and pray for them.

2.A SURVEY TEAM: I have started enlisting all the villages in the Savelugu West Corridor and beyond where the gospel have not been preached or where there no churches.The Survey Team will be commited to the following:
A. The Team shall study the Dagomba culture,traditions, customs,taboos,and practices.
B. Study the historical events and festivisties.
C, Religious background such as African traditional worship, believes as well as Islamic blieves and practices.
The reason for this is to link up these form of worship, beliefs and practices to the scripture and help the people to find through means of worship and believe in the true God.
D. The Team will also assess the situation in the communities and approachable way to taking the Gospel to them.

E The Team will report the challenges,difficulties and satanic presence in the communities to the prayer force team for intensive prayer campain and engagement in spiritual warfare.

3. FORMATION OF ADVANCE TEAM: After surveying each community,i will have advance team put in place which will stand in the gap between the preparation period. The team responsiblities shall include:

A. Developping cordial relationship with the people of the community,especially winning favor of the opinion leaders in the communities.

B. Embark on one on one evangelism in the village

C, Start Good News Club in the communities,this club is a child evangelism or children ministry which i started two years ago as child mobilization plan when i was in the Seminary in Tamale.The team will organize children Fun Games, litttrature studies and Bible story telling.These and many more evangelistic activities will prepare the ground for the seed to be sown.

4. FOLLOW UP OR MINISTRY TEAM: I am strongly convinced that evangelism cannever be complete and effective without follow up, therefore this team shall be responsible for the follow up where ever we start a new church,so they can visit the new converts and encourage them to be strong and grow in the Lord, they will also visit those who make decisions and still thinks so they can help them make the right decisions.

5. DISCIPLESHIP: I will be commited to discipleship training programme every week ends to ensure that quality lay leaders are been sent to take care of the newly planted churches untill a trained pastor is sent to take over from him.

6. Besdes descipleship training, i will also try to iddentify the Spiritual gifted and called church members into the ministry so that i can help develop their leadership potentials and encourage them to responds to the called of God.This is what i intend to do interms of providing pastor-leaders to our mission churches..

7. HUMANITRIAN SUPPORT: Finally, we all agreed that Northern Region is regarded to the higheist povert zone in Ghana, i will therefore proposed to have an intervention policy which will support the vunerable, widows and orphans especially around the farming season where it becomes very difficult for most of the people to afford even one square meal in a day.
To be able to do this i will need to engage in farming of maize so that during the hard season we can at least support the starving members and the vulnerable with some food to save them from starving to death.

To summarize this, just take a look into the scripture to see whether this is biblically or not.
Didn't Jesus pray forty days before starting His ministry?What about Nehemiah when he received the report about the Jerusalem walls,did he not pray before going to the king? Moses also sent the people to survey the land of Canaan.Paul said to Barnabas, let us go back to where we preached the gospel to see how they are doing, that was follow up.Jesus sent the disciples two by two to the villages where he will be going,that was an advance team,Jesus selected 12 men and trained them for the task, that was discipleship,He also set Peter,James and John aside for leadership role.Finally, Jesus could not do away with the poor and needy, he provided care and relief services to them. So with these examples from the biblically missionaries, how can we do effective missions without it? As you read this strategic plan i want you to join me in prayer, because this is what God has place on my heart as i pray about my calling and ministry in the North in a few months to come, pray that he who unfold this to me will also provide guidance, wisdom,strength, grace,favor and resources to to implement them.

This is coming from your co-laborer in Christ vineyard,

pastor Mohammed.

Worship - African Style

2009-08-12T19:47:00.002-05:00

Snow in Africa

2009-08-03T10:01:00.007-05:00

One day in the village of Wayamba, while Beverly, Fiona and Judith were engaging the secondary school children in storytelling and song, I visited the primary (elementary) classrooms.

I had brought some artificial snow that a friend had given me after hearing my story about trying to explain snow to a group of village children a couple of years ago. It was a comical event with the children being horrified that huge blocks of ice actually fell from the sky onto our houses. This misunderstanding was due to miscommunication with the translator.

Anyway, showing "snow" to the children and talking about God's creation was so much fun! To make snow, we just had to add water and watch it grow.

Cheryl and Priscilla, Headmistress of Wayamba School

The Children of Wayamba

2009-07-28T15:23:00.004-05:00

On our last day in the village, the children sang for us.

Fresh Water for the Children

2009-07-28T07:51:00.006-05:00

While on mission in Ghana, The FBC Team had the privilege of joining IMB missionaries, Pat and Peggy Ozment, in bringing fresh water to the school children of Wayamba.

We thank God for providing the funds, the workers, and THE WATER!

Click here to see pictures and read about how God brought water to Wayamba.

Women of Wayamba

2009-07-18T07:38:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday during our trip to Wayamba, there were enough translators that we were able to split up and go visit huts individually with our own translator. As we walked through the village, my translator and I came upon the mill where there was a group of women busily working. I visited with them for a few minutes and then asked if they had time to hear a story. One of them turned over a big pot for me to sit on and several of them stopped working and gathered around on the ground.

As I finished the panorama story one of them said, "We are going to become followers of Jesus when he comes back again." I told her that Jesus was coming again but that we needed to be ready when he returned. Several women shook their heads in understanding. I asked if they knew how to become Jesus followers and they said "no". I asked if they would like to know and they said they would.

I went through the plan of salvation and asked if they would like to become Jesus Followers to which they replied yes. I told them how to pray and asked if they would like me to lead them in praying.

There on the ground three women prayed out loud in their native language asking Jesus into their lives. It was an amazing divine appointment.

Please pray that these women will grow to really understand the prayer they said and that a church and leaders will rise up in this village to disciple them.

Written by Beverly

2009-07-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

2009-07-15T11:01:00.003-05:00

So We Can Share

2009-07-13T11:27:00.004-05:00

As I soaked in a warm bath last night and took another nice hot shower this morning I could not help but remember the thousands of women in Ghana who will never know what it is like to soak in a warm bath or take a shower. I still have the pictures in my mind of seeing them carry large heavy pots to their village's only water source, filling them with water, and then placing the heavy pots on their heads to carry back to their hut to use for cooking and drinking.

As I turned on my washing machine this morning to do laundry the picture came to mind of the people we saw washing clothes in a muddy water hole.

As I cooked breakfast in my beautiful kitchen with every appliance necessary, I could not help but remember the women of Wynamba as they cooked over an open fire in the center of their hut's compound and how much more heat the fire added to their already scorching homes.

As I sit here in my nice air conditioned home, I remember sitting in the center of a compound of huts as the woman said to us, "I never thought you would want to come and sit in my home and talk to me."

Yes, God has blessed us beyond measure. If not for His grace you and I would not have what we do. Now that I have seen people living in circumstances most of us don't even want to acknowledge existing, I understand that God has blessed us so that we can share.

Written by Beverly

Team 2 Back in the USA

2009-07-12T16:55:00.000-05:00

Team 2 has arrived safely in the US. We had smooth flights all the way home, praise God.

We will continue to post pictures and stories in the following days.

Thank you for praying us home!

On Our Way Back!

2009-07-10T15:06:00.007-05:00

Fiona posting here from the capitol, Accra. We are 1 flight down and 2 more to go! Excitement everywhere here about Obama's visit. Fortunately we reached our accommodation before the Ghanaian police closed the roads in anticipation of the president's landing. Thank you for your prayers for safe travel.

Our last day in Tamale yesterday was spent visiting the villages of Kushibo and Tarikpaa. We enjoyed an audience with the chief of each community and received our Dagbani names. A highlight was witnessing the operation of a new corn grinding mill in Tarikpaa which has literally saved lives. The women in the village had been crossing the river to use a mill in a neighboring village but often did not survive the journey, drowning in the water.

The day was rounded off with a Ghanaian meal of fufu and red-red at Pat and Peggy's. We will miss their hospitality so much next year when they will have returned to the US after serving as missionaries for 3 years in Ghana. Cheryl was disappointed that her friend the bat did not make an appearance though, after making itself at home in her purse the previous evening on the front porch....

Beverly is currently the record holder for "who has taken the most photos so far" meanwhile Colton has mastered the art of negotiating a bargain at the local markets.Who says guys can't shop?

On a more serious note, we have seen great need but also the mighty power of the Lord in the lives of His people here. We return to the US eager to be with reunited with our families but sad to leave behind new and old friends.

Wednesday update

2009-07-09T11:14:00.005-05:00

Wednesday was a very full day. The team went back into the Wayamba village for more hut-to-hut storytelling. Many Dagomba said they are interested in hearing more about Jesus. After storying with a group of men, 5 of the them said they want to know more about following Jesus. As Colton and I were sharing the plan of salvation two village elders came by to listen and the young men would no longer speak. Instead of asking them to verbally commit their lives, I told them that God wants everyone, including these elders to be saved, and now you know the way. One young man in a blue shirt looked at me with a big smile on his face and nodded his head. Please pray that proper leadership will be raised for this village to give strength to the new or hidden Christians and that a church will be established.

After a fun closing ceremony for the VBS at midday, the team traveled to Tarikpaa. After meeting the Chief we went to visit a widow and her children that Team 1 had discovered the previous week. After visiting we prayed for the widow's very sick son.

We concluded our day by going to Shalom Baptist Church for a very Ghanaian service. We were treated as royalty. They were so kind.

Chris

Tuesday in Wayumba

2009-07-08T03:27:00.004-05:00

Cheryl here for the team.

Tuesday was another incredible day of hut-to-hut evangelism and VBS with the schoolchildren. It is so evident that God has gone before us and prepared the way. We are so thankful for the openness of the Muslims. They are not only listening to stories from God's Word, they are asking insightful questions such as, "How do I follow this Jesus?"

Working with the schoolchildren is sheer joy on both sides. We brought two puppets (named Ruth and Naomi by the student team last week). Fiona and Beverly are doing a great job teaching Bible stories through them. Actually, we have all come to realize that Fiona has an alter ego, which is quite amusing. Judith has taught the children many songs and they love it. Colton and Chris are doing sports evangelism.

Yesterday, I spent the day with my friend Paul Napari, meeting with healthcare officials and and also meeting with the director of the orphan home. God was so good to give me the grace to communicate well and everything fell into place just as expected. To God be the glory.

Today, we are headed back out to Wayumba for evangelism this morning and a closing VBS ceremony at the school this afternoon. Our prayer is that even though we are leaving, that God's Word would stay in the hearts of the children.

Thank you for your continued prayer support.

Hut to Hut in Wyamba

2009-07-06T13:07:00.002-05:00

Hi Ya'll! Beverly is writing today. We had another amazing day in Ghana. God has blessed each day's work so much. Today we went out to the village and paired up with an interpreter to go hut to hut sharing Bible stories. Fiona and I had an awesome Ghanaian Christian with us to take our journey through the village. We first visited with a group of about eight women who were very receptive to our visit. One of them did offer her baby to me to bring home but I had to give him back. Our work in this village is mainly to help plant a church because currently there is only a mosque. We ended our visit by asking if they had any questions and one of them asked if they could come to both the church and be Muslim. We assured them that everyone was welcome to come to church on Sunday. Pray that these people will come to church and hear the "Jesus Way." We visited several other huts and shared with several more women. It was a great morning in the village and we can't wait to go back and do it again tomorrow.

We ate our lunch under a tree in the school yard while the students had their lunch. I can't wait for Rockwall students to see those pictures. After lunch we were allowed to do a VBS during the afternoon school hours at the school. Fiona and I did the Bible story using two puppets. Let me tell you that when you get a very strong Texas accent, a very British accent, and a Ghanian translator together with two puppets, you end up with quite a show! The kids were very amused with our very comical act. But they listened so well and were told how much God loves them. We can't wait to get back there tomorrow!

Sun 5th July

2009-07-05T14:26:00.005-05:00

Village women and elders listening to a story during the 1st Sunday morning service

Chris Read in Wayamba

Beverly Elam at Wayamba "Children's Church"

Beverly Elam, John Haruna, Judith Ozment, Eunice Alidu and Fiona Jones singing with the children of Wyamba

Fiona Jones, Judith Ozment, Beverly Elam, Cheryl Read meeting the village children for the first time before The Hope video

Fiona here for the team. What a wonderful couple of days! "The Hope" video was shown to over 300 in Wyamba last night. The rain stopped, the technical equipment held out and there were no bugs! We actually worshipped God in the shadows of the village mosque. Moslems came out of the mosque where they were praying and assembled to watch the video! A God thing? We think so. Thank you so much for everyone praying for the Lord to draw people to Him in this village.

This morning a crowd of villagers were waiting for us as the first "church service" took shape. It was under the shade of a tree. More joined as the service continued amongst the background noise of goats, chickens and cell phones! Several Bible stories were told and the children had their own Sunday school in the village school building. Over 100 children listened attentively to to the story of "Creation through Christ". Beverly taught them how to say "Hey y'all" so now they can speak Texan!

We are returning to the village tomorrow to do evangelism from hut to hut. We are so excited.

Here are some snapshots of our experiences the last few days:

Saturday Team Update

2009-07-04T11:04:00.004-05:00

David, from Team 1, was kept overnight in the hospital. My understanding is that he is better. He does not have malaria, but a bacterial infection. Thank you for praying. Please don't stop.

Team 2 arrived safely in Tamale today after a very smooth flight. We dropped off our things at GILLBT guesthouse and then went to the Ozments for a wonderful breakfast of mango pancakes and sausage. Afterward, we went for a visit to the orphan home and to see Pastor Tia at the Ghana Bible Society. He gave everyone a Good News Bible in English and we all purchased Dagbani Bibles. We also made a stop at the Cultural Center (market) to do some window shopping.

We just finished dinner. OH MY GOODNESS. We celebrated July 4 with GRILLED chicken, potato salad and baked beans. We finished off our meal with pound cake and ice cream. Mom Peggy and Rev. Paschal are taking very good care of us. In other words, we are being very spoiled!

It is raining now and we are supposed to show the video, The Hope, at Wymba village tonight. God is in control and we are trusting Him to make a way, if that is His will.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. We have a big week ahead of storytelling and VBS in Wymba, a village that has NO Christians (yet!). God has been so good to open a door for us to be able to enter the village and we know that He is going to do great things there.

Team 1 Arrival in US

2009-07-03T16:08:00.001-05:00

Team 1 has arrived safely in the US, praise God. One team member, David, left Ghana with 103 fever. He has been taken to the hospital in the US. It is probably malaria. Please pray for him.

Cape Coast

2009-07-03T13:01:00.004-05:00

Today the team went on an excursion to Cape Coast, which is at the southernmost part of Ghana. It was a 2 1/2 hr drive, which meant a good introduction to the culture for our 4 "new to Ghana" team members Chris, Beverly, Fiona and Judith.

We toured a slave castle in Cape Coast and then ate lunch at a local chop bar (restaurant). On our way back, we pulled over and dipped our feet in the ocean. Chris decided not to take off his shoes and join the fun, so when he wasn't looking, the tide rushed in and soaked him good. Colton and I thought it was much funnier than he did.

We also stopped on the roadside and ate freshly chopped pineapple. Cape Coast is known for their pineapples. They are almost white inside and have a subtle sweet flavor. It cost less than $1.50 for 5 pineapples.

We fly to Tamale at 6:00am tomorrow, so pray for a safe journey. Tomorrow night we are going into Wyumba, a village without Jesus, to show The Hope video. We will be with IMB missionaries, Pat and Peggy Ozment. Rev. Pat has been to see the chief and received permission for us to tell the people about Jesus. These people are lost and without hope. You know how to pray.

Thank you all so much for your encouragement and prayers. We can feel them already. Everyone is doing well, just a little jet lagged.

Saying Goodbye

2009-07-02T16:12:00.002-05:00

It was really nice to have both teams together for a few hours this evening. We enjoyed cheeseburgers and fries (more squeals and hoots) for dinner and spent some time telling mission trip stories.

The HCA Student mission team is now at the airport waiting to board for the flight home. They will arrive in Texas on Friday afternoon. Pray for a safe journey.

Tomorrow the FBC Mission Team will travel south to tour the Elmina Slave Castle. On Saturday, we will fly north to work among the Dagomba tribe, an unreached people group.

We give all the glory to God for using our hands and feet for Kingdom work.

Team 2 Arrival

2009-07-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

Team 2 has arrived safely in Accra.

Thursday Morning in Accra

2009-07-02T03:16:00.003-05:00

My goodness, what a different a good night's rest makes! The team just finished a breakfast of pineapple, yogurt, oatmeal and french toast. Everyone is rested and feeling great. Jennifer, one of my girls, has been running a low grade fever for a couple of days, but she is just fine this morning, praise God. Please continue to pray for her.

I just have to comment on dinner last night. The team did not know we were having 4 different kinds of pizza. You should have seen their faces and heard their squeals (girls) and hoots (boys) when they saw it. They even jumped up and down. What I didn't tell you is that all we had for lunch yesterday was bread. But it was Ghanaian sweet bread, which is heavy and filling. In fact, we all LOVE the sweet bread. You'll eat anything when you are really hungry, right? Today is chicken and rice for lunch.

Pray as Team 2 continues their travels here. They will arrive at 3;25pm in Accra. We are 5 hrs ahead of Texas time here. The entire team is very excited to see them and share their stories. Tomorrow, Team 2 will travel to Cape Coast and tour the Elmina Slave Castle.

Team 1 departs Accra at 10:45pm tonight so pray for them to have a safe journey home. Also, pray that everyone stays healthy.

I've encouraged the team to email home (slow slow connection), but most of them don't have the patience to wait on the computer to load. You will see them soon, though.

In our team meetings, what I keep hearing over and over is that they know that this trip has not been about them, but about others. They got it.

Our prayer has been and will continue to be that God is glorified in all that we say and do.

Departures and Arrivals

2009-07-01T12:34:00.002-05:00

Team 1 has arrived safely in Accra. We had somewhat of a bumpy landing, but all is well. We dropped our things off at the Baptist Guesthouse and went to the market. Oh my goodness, taking 8 girls to the market in Accra was quite an experience! I just hope they don't exceed the 100lb weight limit on their luggage. After the market, we visited Beacon House, a local orphanage. They have 33 children, all ages. The team had a great time playing with them. We are now back at the guesthouse. Don't tell the team, but we are having PIZZA tonight for dinner. In the van on the way from the airport, they remembered that there was HOT water at the guesthouse and they were so appreciative of that. Funny how so many things can change in just a few days. Also, I noticed that none of the team members turned on the air conditioners in their rooms when we arrived.

Tomorrow is our visit to Agbogbloshie. This the village I started in years ago, working with Pastor Mohammed. They are a congregation of about 75. Pray that we can be an encouragement to them.

Please pray for Team 2, who is departing from DFW at 4:20pm today. They will arrive in Accra tomorrow afternoon. I am excited that both teams will see each other for about 3 hours and will have dinner together.

A side note....when we arrived at the Accra Guesthouse we met some other Texans. How fun!

2009-06-30T09:38:00.004-05:00

I just realized that the last time I posted, it was to the wrong blog. You can click here for our previous update.

Yesterday (Mon) we went to Tarikpaa village and did evangelism with about 300 school children. I've never seen kids (ours and theirs) have so much fun together! We divided the children into 3 groups. Group 1 heard Bible stories using puppets. Group 2 sang their hearts out and Group 3 played football (soccer) using the Evangeball. After about 30-45 min, we rotated the groups.

In the afternoon, Cheryl had the opportunity to meet with the women at the village well and tell them the Biblical story about the woman at the well. Good stuff. Incredible, actually.

Today (Tues) was Healthcare Registration in Sankpem village. We registered 300 people for national healthcare. In addition, the team divided into three groups and went with translators to the homes of those being registered and told them the story of Jesus.

Two of our team members heard about a widow in a neighboring village who was very very poor. She has 5 children, and the oldest (a boy) is sick. The team members met with her and have provided funds for healthcare registration for the entire family. In addition, the 2 team members will provide funds for the children to attend school. The costs are very minimal.

We are having a wonderful time and no one wants to go home! We depart at 7:30am Thursday for Accra. Tomorrow in Accra we will go to the Market and then we will go visits Beacon House Orphanage.

On Friday, the team will visit Pastor Mohammed's home church in Agbogbloshie. This will be a very difficult thing for the team, so pray that God would prepare our hearts, minds and eyes for the experience. This is a Dagomba village, that is literally built on a dumping group. There is no sewer system or electricity. The people are beyond poor. We are going there to help encourage and strengthen the church.

The team departs from Accra for home late Friday evening. Please pray for a safe journey.

Team 2 will arrive Thursday afternoon (depart USA Wed aft), so please pray for them as well.

Thank you all so much for your support and prayers. It has been such a wonderful journey and I know that each team member will have many stories to share.

We will be posting pictures of Team 1 and updating the mission for Team 2 in the days to come, so check back.

Interesting and exciting day!

2009-06-27T19:48:00.002-05:00

Saturday started with a trip to Kushibu and of course a first stop with the new chief. The chief had just been "enskinned" or installed, and he received the team, so all is well. Maybe more than well for some. He would not speak directly to team, he said that Colton would be his mouthpiece.

He also noticed that there are several girls on the team. He said that two of them could be his wives. Cheryl can choose. Cheryl hasn't yet decided who the lucky brides will be.

The team also spent time at the Heritage Baptist Church and went to see a demo of the grinding mill. These two things are landmarks for the people in this region and examples of God's work when we are obedient.

Next the team went back to Tamale and went the cultural center (market). Get ready mom and dad, Caleb and Cameron have purchased their machetes.

In the evening the team went to Sankpem for the first crusade. The movie "HOPE" was shown. At least 10, maybe 12 people accepted Christ.

Before returning to Tamale, the team ate Ghanaian food in Sankpem. They had Tizit with groundnut and okra soup. Try to find that on the dollar menu!

The end to a long but great day.

Team Tamale

2009-06-26T14:31:00.004-05:00

After arriving in Tamale, the team was taken to our home for the week, The Seed Ministry. We are so blessed to be with Rev. Bob and Mom Bonnie Parker. They are spoiling us and we love it!

Thursday Update
After unpacking, the team was taken on a driving tour of Tamale, a large city of about 700,000. We enjoyed a lunch of chicken and dumplings and sweet tea ( I told you we were being spoiled!). Afterward, we went to see our friend, Pastor Tia, at the Ghana Bible Society. Not only did we hear the incredible story of how the entire Bible was translated into the Dagbani language, we had the privilege of seeing the original manuscript, which took over 20 years to translate. We also had the opportunity to purchase Dagbani Bibles.

Later in the afternoon, we went to Anfaani Orphan Home. Oh my goodness, I don't even have the words to describe how wonderful it was to see and hold the children. I'd love to post pictures but, due to a super slow connection, that won't happen until we get home. There are 8 children there now. We got to see Baby Grace. She is about a month old and weighs less than five pounds, but praise God, she is doing well. She is eating and sleeping normally. One of our team members, Tayler Insuaste, got to spend a lot of time with Nathan, her sponsored child. He was introduced to her as her new brother. Tayler picked him up and he snuggled right up to her and went sound asleep. She's a good big sister. All of the team members enjoyed holding and playing with the children. The children were a little shy at first, mainly because of our white skin, but it didn't take long for them to warm up to us. We left there knowing we had been blessed.

Friday Update
Wow, what a day we have had! We woke up to the most beautiful African morning, with birds singing in a giant Kapok tree situated in the middle of the compound. We enjoyed a home cooked breakfast of eggs and toast and then headed out to the village of Karanga meet Mukarimatu Alabani, who is the World Vision sponsored child of the Wilkinsons. This little girl was precious in every way. She was so excited to receive the gifts we took her, especially the soccer ball. Right before we departed, she stood up and sang a song for us. So cute!

We ended our day with a tour of the Savelegu/Nanton World Vision Headquarters where we visited our friend, Simon, the director. It was wonderful to see the mailroom full of letters from sponsors in the US. World Vision is who they say they are and they do what they say they do.

On our way back to Seed Ministry, I received a phone call telling me that our 11 supply boxes arrived. Praise God! Pastor Mohammed rode through the night on a bus to bring them to us and we thank God for him.

I am now at the home of Rev. Pat and Mom Peggy Ozment to sort the boxes while the team went on to Seed Ministry to rest and have dinner. There is no internet at Seed Ministry, so postings may be few and far between.

Tomorow we will visit Kushibo, home of Heritage Baptist Church. We will meet the new chief and also see the grinding mill for the first time. Of course, we won't be able to leave there without visiting the schoolchildren.

Tomorrow night is our first crusade. It is in Sankpem village, where most of our ministry will be. We will be showing the movie "The Hope". Please pray for God to move in a mighty way among these village people. This is the village that desperately needs a water well, but more than that, they need living water.

We will try and post more later. Thank you for praying. Everyone is well and good.

Arrival in Tamale, Ghana, West Africa

2009-06-25T08:52:00.000-05:00

Wednesday pm (US time) - Team arrived safely in Accra, Ghana. Everyone and everything (all boxes and luggage) made the trip without incident. If you count your blessings ONE-by-ONE, you are now up to 39 (14 safe missionaries, 14 pieces of luggage and 11 boxes of supplies).

Team will be in bed by 9:00 and will get up at 4:30 to take the next leg on to Tamale. Great start to a wonderful trip.

Thursday am (US time) - Team has now made it to Tamale. Flight was smooth (and on a big plane, 50 seater). Everyone is well and no one seemed nervous about the flights.

Team took a tour around Tamale upon arrival. They will go to Ghana Bible Society and the orphan home this afternoon. Please pray for baby Grace. She is about a month old and about 5 pounds. She is struggling to survive.

Pat and Peggy met the team at the airport as well as other Ghanian friends. Lots of hugs and kisses with renewal (and new beginnings) of friendships.

Baby Grace Update

2009-06-19T05:55:00.002-05:00

Baby Grace is out of the hospital and doing better, but she still has a long way to go, which means we still have a lot of praying to do.

Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for Grace.

Baby Grace

2009-06-15T15:42:00.001-05:00

Please pray for Baby Grace. She is three weeks old and just arrived at the orphan home. She is very weak and not doing well.

Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" Jer. 32:27

Baako's Bicycle

2009-06-06T07:14:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago a woman I know sent a card. Inside was $100 and this message:

......... buy a bicycle with the money and find someone that needs a bicycle and will ride the wheels off going to tell the people about Jesus.

This is Baako and his new bicycle. He preaches in as many as 10 villages and he always had to borrow a bike.....until now.

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Rom. 10:15

Congratulations Pastor Mohammed!

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Pastor Ziblim Mohammed - Graduate
Ghana Baptist Theological Seminary

Pastor Mohammed and wife, Dorcas

Dorcas

Walking in Wyamba

2009-05-23T13:02:00.006-05:00

On July 2009, a small mission team will be going to Wyamba to take the Good News of Jesus Christ into the village. Currently, there is a mosque, but no Christian church. There are Muslims, but no Christians.

IMB missionaries, Pat and Peggy Ozment, along with their Ghanaian counterparts have met with the Chief of Wyamba and have been welcomed into the village.

There are 235 children attending Wyamba school. The children do not have safe or clean drinking water, so we are working on getting some piped in from a nearby water source.

More importantly, the children need Living Water. Please join us in praying that they will drink deeply from The Well.

Click here to view a walking tour of Wyamba.

Wyamba Village, Northern Region

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Meet Nathan

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Nathan

Age: 19 days

He was brought to Orphan Home a few days ago.

His mother died giving him life.

Kushibo Grinding Mill

2009-05-13T21:42:00.006-05:00

In June 2007, my friend, Chief Imorow of Kushibo, asked our team to pray for his village because they had recently experienced a tragic loss. While taking grain to a neighboring village to be ground, several of the village women drowned while crossing a swollen river.

In June 2008, we returned to Kushibo and presented the village with the funds for a grinding mill. A special thank you to the students of Heritage Christian Academy for collecting nickles, dimes and quarters to help fund this project!

Click here to see the grinding mill in action!

HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS! Rom 10:15b

Leaving a Legacy

2009-05-02T12:46:00.004-05:00

Below is a narrated video of how my dear friends Pat and Peggy Ozment are leaving a legacy of God's Word in the villages of the Northern Region of Ghana, West Africa.

Look closely and you will see precious faces of the Dagomba. I know many of them by name, especially the man who is always standing beside Rev. Pat. This is my Ghanaian team leader, Pastor Ziblim Mohammed. We have been working together for 6 years. It was his daughter, Patience, who recently died from complications due to malaria.

After three years on the field, Rev. Pat and Mom Peggy are leaving West Africa in October to return to the States, but we all know they will leave their hearts in the Northern Region.

Click here to see an online version of this story.

Her Name is Rahamas

2009-04-25T17:37:00.007-05:00

Rahamas lives at the orphan home in Ghana, West Africa. She is a bundle of joy for her caretakers. As you can see from the photo, she is in her native dress. What you can't see is that she was dancing all around the room, much to the delight of everyone present.

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

The (Earthly) Fatherless at Anfaani

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I just received word from my missionary friends in the Northern Region that some of the fatherless at Anfaani Orphan Home need help. Specifically, there are 4 children in dire need of support. Anfanni has requested a mere $12.00 per child per month to help with food and a few basic necessities.

Anfanni is run by an amazing Christian woman named Emelia. Her mother founded the orphan home many years ago. She died last year and now Emelia is dedicated to living out her legacy of taking in the motherless and fatherless children from the remote mud-hut villages. Some of these children have been rejected because they are a twin or triplet (seen as evil by some). Others were rejected because the mother died in childbirth. Still others are taken there because the family cannot afford to feed them.

Regardless of the reason, the need is there.

Can you help? Will you help?

If the answer is "YES!", click here for donor information. Choose Orphan Advocacy - General from the drop down box. The mission name is Ghana 2009.

100% of all donated funds will go directly to Anfanni Orphan Home.

On behalf of Emelia and the children, thank you.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Worship in Ghana

2009-04-03T15:47:00.002-05:00

My dear friends and missionaries to Ghana, Rev. Pat and Peggy Ozment, recently visited a small village west of Tamale. The villagers had gathered to help raise funds to place a sheet metal roof on a mud-hut church. The video below is a glimpse into their way of worship. Click here to read more about these villagers. Click here if you want to donate funds to help put a roof on the church.

The Least Reached

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Chief Neindow Iddrisu and Family

Sankpem Village

Ghana, West Africa

What is a least reached people group? It is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group.

In other words, there aren't enough of us going to tell enough of them about Jesus.

Please join me in asking the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. (Luke 10:2)

100 Backpacks

2009-03-13T14:50:00.004-05:00

Thank you students and families of Heritage Christian Academy, Rockwall, TX for providing 100 backpacks filled with school supplies for the children living in the Sankpem Village in Ghana, West Africa.

Patience and the Ghana Health Initiative

2009-02-22T20:24:00.008-06:00

Patience

2002-2009

First, click here to learn how Patience helped me launch the Ghana Health Initiative.

Next, click here to find out why the Ghana Health Initiative must continue.

Baptism of Believers

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Orphan Home Babies

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Aren't they beautiful?

The Dagomba Tribe

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The Dagomba are a large people group living in northern Ghana. Their kingdom, called Dagbon, was established centuries ago and dominated an area near the Dagomba capital of Yendi.

They speak Dagbani, which is a Gur language.

The Dagomba make their living primarily through farming. Much of the land of the Dagbon is infertile and requires that a farm be left fallow for up to five years; therefore, Dagomba villages are somewhat small, leaving room for farms to be widely separated. Farmers use much fertilizer from the manure of the village cattle, and eventually the soil does become quite fertile, enabling the farms to be used year-round. However, farms located in the bush are used only for two or three years and then are left fallow. Since yams are the specialty crop, the Dagomba plant over 32 varieties. Farmers also grow crops such as maize, millet, rice, peanuts, and beans.

The Dagomba are not only skillful farmers, but also are fishermen and hunters, and some even engage in administrative and managerial work. Dagomba craftsmen are skilled tailors, traders, and makers of ropes and mats. Some also specialize as blacksmiths, butchers, and barbers. Parents send their young sons to be trained by these craftsmen. Through observation and practice, a boy will gradually learn a trade and assume his role in the new occupation.

In Dagomba society, villagers arrange their houses in a particular order. The chief (eldest man in the village) locates his dome-shaped hut in the center. His hut stands out above the rest. The village is divided into wards or quarters, all facing the chief's home. A quarter is identified by its head or by its dominating specialist group. For example, there may be a soldiers' quarter or a butchers' quarter. The commoners are scattered throughout the village in round or rectangular huts (for female and male, respectively); there is no physical separation of the commoners from the ruling class.

Drummers play an important role in the village, for they not only are musicians, but also are court historians. They must learn and retain much information. In most cases, a drummer's son follows in his father's footsteps, becoming a drummer and learning from his father the origin of the people and their kingdom.

What are their beliefs? Although almost half of the Dagomba follow the Islamic faith, many also believe in and worship additional spirits and gods. Each village sacrifices to its individual ancestral gods and the entire society collectively worships the more powerful gods. The Dagomba also practice witchcraft and consult diviners to rid themselves of curses. The Dagomba honor their ancestors with a pagan festival called Bugun, which means "fire" or "hell." The celebration begins with a great feast and culminates when the people gather together with lighted torches near a tree outside the community. There they recite the names of their ancestors and throw their torches into the tree.

Excerpted from The Joshua Project Website

Ghana, West Africa

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