Hopeful Path » My Life

School Service Continues!

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:07:12 +0000

The month of April was full of activity at “our” school. God continues to reap and bless his harvest, the latest is another teacher, Mr. Zachariah we will call him. He didn’t participate in the classes we taught, but was found frequently outside listening to what was being said. One day, when I was teaching the 4^th through 6^th graders, Mr. Zachariah came into the class and sat down.

I was teaching about Abraham’s visitation by the Lord and two other angels (appearing as men). We teach moral precepts and God’s character through the history of the Bible by retelling its’ wonderful stories. The class, intently listening this particular day, as there was so many similarities to their everyday life: greeting of people of stature; the preparations that need to be made and sometimes in a hurry; and the roles of women and man. Especially similar is the joy of being hospitable, it remains the same today in Ghana as it was then many of years ago.

When the story turned to the Lord leaving toward Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord revealed to Abraham that He was going to destroy the two cities because of their sin. If you remember, the Lord and Abraham had quite a negotiation to relent His intent to destroy the cities. Finally the Lord agreed to spare these two great cities if only 10 “righteous” people were found in them! I ended the story on a cliff-hanger, would 10 people be found and would God destroy the cities?

At this point, God taught me something as I stood in front of the class. I was no better than any person to be found in Sodom or Gomorrah! My sin may not be the same as their sin, however I know my sin sentenced me to eternal death before a perfectly holy and righteous God! All thanks be to the cross that Jesus bore to bleed out for us, those who have righteousness imputed to us by our faith in Jesus Christ. So I told the class my thoughts; while it is so easy for us to point to the failures (sins) of others like Sodom and Gomorrah, in doing so, we elevate our self in the same breath by making our sin seem meaningless before God than what it truly is.

Whether it is gross sin of our bodies or the seemingly infinitesimal sin of our thought life, God sees both and will judge us guilty for His love for Him self and justice demands that verdict. Mr. Zachariah never took his eyes off me this entire time. He saw himself as God sees him. This is a humbling experience for us all, if only we would allow ourselves to see ourselves as God does, so we can really learn who we are from God’s perspective. God is gentle and loving, so when Mr. Zachariah saw himself in God’s Light, God opened his mind and heart to His Son Jesus Christ.

At this point, I asked all those who believe that they are no better than those in Sodom and Gomorrah, who have not given their lives to Jesus to be their Master and Savior, to ask God to save them and to place their life in trust to God. Mr. Zachariah prayed and was the first to stand up publicly to declare his faith in Jesus Christ. A bold move and one God will not ever forget and reward him for it.

I taught them a song that day too, Father Abraham, with all the body motions that goes with it. Thank God it was not recorded, LOL. I should retain some dignity, not! I loved it and think I was highly entertaining for them and the adults looking on in amusement.

At the end of April, I said my good-byes to all. We shared our disappointment of me not being able to stay, but confident that God is in control. The children are left in very capable hands. God continues to work through “Joel,” a solid Ghanaian Christian, and Leah to cultivate His love and moral precepts in the life of these little ones. Please continue to pray for their growth in godly living and in Christ. I continue to pray if God would have me return or be of service in other ways for I have a great love for the people of Tamale and Ghana.

School Doors Wide Open

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:48:00 +0000

Opportunities continue to expand at the school that we are teaching Nursery 1 and 2, Primary 1 thru 6^th, and now Junior High 1 and 2! In addition to Bible lessons, we are integrating English and exam taking skills as the Junior High classes are getting ready for exams to compete for entrance to Senior High schools. Leah and a Ghanaian evangelist are helping them prepare for this very important examination. Can you pray that each Junior Higher does well on their test?

A few weeks ago, I was prepared to teach the 3^rd through 6^th graders, but the headmistress had other plans. Arriving, she tells me that the two Junior High classes had not had any Bible instruction and asked me to teach them immediately—yikes, we American’s like to plan, prepare, and control our future! Well, I prepared to talk about Cain and Abel to younger kids, could I do it for 14 to 18 year olds? No, God impressed upon me that he wanted me to give the good news of Jesus Christ to these classes. I told the Ghanaian evangelist, who was with us and he agreed. He said that God has appointed me to teach that day, so I should present the gospel. The first time people hear the gospel, the table must be properly set!

So I started where God does, “In the beginning…”, continued with the uniqueness of the Bible (1500 yrs to come together, over 40 authors from 2 cultures, 3 language groups, who wrote 66 books that fit together with One Voice), and ending with the Bible’s central message: our sin separated us from our loving God, who has provided for a restored relationship through faith alone in Jesus Christ, mankind’s Lord and those that accept Him, Savior. We had been praying for an opening into these classes, but hadn’t been expecting such a sudden invitation. God timing and ways are perfect, who can know them? Well – seven of the nine students in the class raised their hands to indicate a commitment to Christ after the gospel presentation! Please pray for them and the over 100+ other children and four teachers now that have come to know Jesus!

It’s been amazing to join God in His work to reconcile these little ones to Him. What their outcome will be on this earth, I do not know and I am concerned. But for a fact, I know they and I will enjoy the majesty, power, and glory of God for eternity; thanks be to Jesus Christ.

Expanding Service by God’s Grace

admin — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:03:00 +0000

I have been concerned about my time spent in ‘ministry’ (all time is the Lord’s, but my heart is to be available to people looking for true answers to life’s most difficult questions). God always provides in ways that will further His purposes and meets the desire of our hearts that align to His will.

My close friend told me about a family of ten children that he had grown close to last year but with whom he had lost touch. A team of Americans had met this family of another faith last year, and had encouraged the father to allow his children to go to church. He agreed. So the American team brought them to church until they left Ghana. My Ghanaian friend, who works where I am staying, continued to walk the 15 minutes each way to their home every Sunday to ensure the children got to church. But his duties kept preventing him from picking them up, until finally he stopped going altogether.

My friend recently remembered them and suggested that I go and get them since I was going to be here for a longer period and wouldn’t be pulled away as often as he was. I heartily agreed, so we went to greet Nadoo, the father, two Sundays ago. Nadoo is a warm and open man. He keeps a meticulous compound that is always swept clean (I normally find him cleaning it), and operates a little mechanic shop from his compound. It is obvious that it is hard to make ends meet, but Nadoo, like so many other Ghanaians, has an indomitable spirit.

After greetings (Nadoo laughed kindly at my attempts at Dagbani), we talked about the children and church. While many parents in the US would have started with “Why should I let them go with you after they were abandoned before?” Nadoo knows that life is hard here, and that many times circumstances drive people in directions they thought they would not go. So today is a new day and here we were with an offer for him to consider. After talking a while about the children and my mission, Nadoo agreed that I could start taking them to church the following Sunday.

I arrived at their home the next Sunday at 8:45 a.m., the agreed-upon time. Picture the scene with me: the family realizes that I actually am going to show up (I will still have to come consistently to prove myself for the future), so the kids starting rushing – the little ones half-naked – to get their little water pails and run for water with which to bath (Ghanaian usage)! I see it may be a little wait, LOL! They are wearing ear-to-ear smiles, but I will have only six coming today, as the other four are out of town. We arrive at church at 10:15 a.m.; not too late, as church starts at 9:30 a.m. We all sit together – me and my new family. They are Hakem (15), Wadodo (13), Alimson (9), Rashead (8), Salom (7), and little Anta (6).

They sit still, listen intently, and stand with everyone. They seem to be enjoying the service. When the music starts with dancing, they really join in. Rashead goes to the front and dances with some of the college students that attend my home church. All clap and dance, with Hakem being the most reserved. All the time, I am dancing in my normal location—in the back of the church (the same place I ‘danced’ at Seabreeze at times; in the back, tapping my foot on the outside and dancing on the inside . In Africa, I really get to dance!

The kids leave for the kids’ service around 11 a.m., so off they go in a blur. God bless the Sunday kids’ service workers. Leah, a co-missionary here, is one of the two that puts on the kids’ service. Leah’s Dagbani is much better as a result of doing it, too, as children constantly talk in their mother language a lot.

Around 12 noon, the services end, so I go to get ‘my’ kids. Oh my gosh, I forgot what it was like being a parent to little ones energized by excitement and sweets! It takes me a good 30 minutes to find and re-find them all. It provides entertainment for a few of my African friends to watch me run them down, only to lose one later.

Oh, I forgot to mention while I was waiting in the compound before church, Nadoo’s sister came to greet him. She was surprised to see a white man sitting under the shade of a tree in his compound. It turns out that Maltiti is the head mistress of a private school from Kindergarten to Junior High School, with 200 students attending. I am invited to come see her school, where we arrange to meet the next day, Monday. The story continues…go to Ministry Page of Hopeful Path to find out what happens!

Building Relationships for the Love of God!

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:49:00 +0000

This past month has been filled with meeting new people and building relationships. The above photo is a football match I attended between my home church, and a village we are serving. My home church finally won after losing two times earlier in the year!
My “little” Joe’s Dinner Ministry is turning into quite a gathering at times. As the University students grew in numbers at my home church, so did the numbers attending dinner regularly.

Four students who live in a “compound” house near my apartment grew particularly close to me (I live where Home churchmeets). We have a very nice and quiet Prayer Garden on our property, which the students were using as their study center. My apartment, being on the same property, became full of guests each night during exam time (Nov. 23rd through Dec. 8th). When we got together to celebrate the end of exam time and their departure for Christmas break, I found out that my 14’x13’ kitchen/living room can hold 13 students and Joe for dinner!

Your funds helped some students get home for the holidays, fed many, and helped with medical and school fees during this past month! They are so appreciative of the help. In order not to create dependent relationships, I endeavor to “create” opportunities for the students to help around the house or ministry, so they can get paid for truly being a help.
Please pray for their safe travels during the holidays. It is very dangerous on the roads here due to the rough roads, bulls, donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, guinea fowls, children, bikes, motorcycles and pedestrians in the road (really!).

We plan on kicking off two on-campus ministries in January in which I will be directly involved; please pray that Christians already on campus join the effort and have a heart to bring people of other faiths to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I am sure it will not only be a fun and informative time for students, but life altering for those that place their faith in the only true God through Jesus Christ His Son.

Before the Center of Good News came, “It was like living in a hole.”

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:26:00 +0000

In 2005, the Center set out to make a difference in a very poor district in Northern Ghana about 150 km the Center. The above statement was made by the leader of one of the seven villages we visited this week. As we talked to all the community leaders, the same sentiment was expressed in many different ways: “Our children now know that they are not alone, that other people love them;” “The women are now suffering less;” and “The gap between that time and now is very long.”

Three people, real heroes, who work for the Center are delivering all types of interventions to these communities. Some of these villages are so isolated that none of their children ever went to school. So education of children is a Center priority, so they are building schools, supporting teachers, providing school materials, and administering a child school sponsorship program. The Center supports a school feeding program too, ensuring every child gets a hot lunch 5 days a week.

Some communities are fortunate enough to participate in the Center’s She-Goat Program. In one community, 53 children were given a goat. The goat is not killed, rather bred so the offspring can be sold to pay for school fees (Ghana government charges each student) and pay for family necessities. Some of the offspring become a source of meat for the family too.

The education of children was not the only area lacking, but adults too were hungry to change their lives too. The Center provides business skill training, health, hygiene and nutrition courses, and other life skill training. The Center not only taught about heath and hygiene, but has built public restrooms and water systems to improve daily living conditions and to prevent the spread of diseases.

The Center in cooperation with an international partner is providing micro-loans to women to start small businesses. This has radically changed families. They now have a source of income, rather than being 100% dependent upon farming to survive.

While I would like to say that the Center work is done, it is far from over. These seven communities still lack so much. Every child is not sponsored, there is not enough micro-loan funds to meet the incredible demand, more schools are needed, some schools are built but children must sit on the concrete because no furniture can be purchased, some of the wells are still far from some communities, and the list goes on and on.

The reason I went was to learn first hand the work and needs of these villages. About half of my time in Ghana will be spent trying to develop relationships with Ghanaian and foreign organizations and people to develop stable funding sources for all these and many other humanitarian projects. This aspect of my work is daunting to say the least, so please pray that God directs me in all that I do with wisdom. Your support of this mission will help expand all these works in these communities and hopefully to the other 50% of communities that are without any interventions in this poor area.

God also gave me an opportunity to share Jesus, when I was asked to pray over a girl who was recently paralyzed from the waist down. The village took her out of the hospital due to farming season (couldn’t afford having people tend to her in the hospital. The health need is so great with only one clinic in this large area staffed by a physician assistant. Please pray for them and thank God for the great resources we have in the Western World.

Did I say Life was Fragile Here?

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:43:00 +0000

I had my day all planned out; at least I thought I did. God had another plan. Anyway, Rev. arrives early this morning, about 7 am, requesting I be ready to leave in 20 minutes for a dear friends burial. She had just passed and he had gotten the news late. I said sure. I had left my cell phone in the office so he couldn’t reach me last night, when he was informed.

A pastor friend of ours came along with us. We drive the 2.5 hours to almost Burkina Faso; far North. After the burial, we go to the widower’s home to greet him. Shortly after arriving, my pastor friend received a phone call. You see last night, he had visited a 16 year old girl, who was not feeling well. Her village is near the Center. She and her brother are the only two Christians in this family of another faith. My pastor friend had taken a keen interest in them due to their family situation.

Well like I said, the phone rang. It was another pastor informing by friend that the 16 year old girl, the girl my friend had prayed with last night, passed away early this morning. They were calling to ask my friend to bury her. Since we were so far away, the other pastor said he would stand in for my friend, who became very solemn; but said she is with the Lord.

In the US, we are blessed with a level of medical care that everyone has access too. Just being able to go to an emergency room in the US is a blessing! Yet, here access to any medical care is severely limited.

This was another day of God reminding me to be thankful of all the advantages He has given me and all you too, who live in countries with advanced medical facilities.

Please though, don’t put your trust and hope in those advanced medical facilities, living like they will keep you alive forever. Even though this tender girl has passed, she will have eternity to live in absolute glory with her Maker, because she realized her need, confessed it to God, and by faith asked Jesus to be her Savior and Lord.

We all die one day: no matter our status, our income, our age, our friends, our toys, our hopes, our dreams….in an instant they are all gone.

Arrived Alive! September 30th, 2009

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:24:00 +0000

ALL PRAISE and THANKSGIVING TO GOD FOR HE IS GOOD and THANKS to all those that are praying and supporting this mission:)!!!

I left LAX, on time, 5:25 pm on Monday the 28th. I sat next to a Belgian guy, who spoke little English. I knew none of his language. We attempted a few niceties, but not a lot more. You can only look at a guy so much and smile until it gets a little creepy LOL! We arrived (everyone on the plane:)at London Heathrow at 11:25 am the next morning. We arrived early, because of a strong tail wind. This gave me time to go to, guess where, Starbucks and buy some coffee beans, which I had forgotten to buy before leaving. Yes, I did bring a French Press and small coffee grinder with me for my “comfort food/drink.” It was a little dicey going through Heathrow’s Security. My carry on baggage was screened out for hand search due to the 240,032 or so electronic components in it! Duh…

A very talkative and pleasant young lady was the one searching my bag. She was very thorough. She pulled out me coffee grinder with its shiny blades, looked at me; now tears are flowing down my cheeks, so she just didn’t have the heart to take it away (kidding but there was likely a look of horror on my face). She had already “pinched” my scissors, again duh….I bought an electric hair clipping set (due to high incidence of people getting AIDS from a haircut, really), but forgot to take out the dang scissors. It took me a good 15 minutes to repack the bag because Anne Ringer had packed it PERFECTLY and I could not get all that stuff back into it no matter how hard I tried, really! So I ended up putting a big book of Africa in my laptop bag. Thanks Anne:)

Our plane left on time at 2:25 pm for Accra, Ghana. I must admit, a wee bit of stress started to set in due to just the thought of going through Ghana Immigration and Customs. Right then, I thought of all you praying for me and God going before me; regardless of how the situation turned out, God would be faithful so I became relaxed. Thanks again for your prayers. I sat next to a very, shall we say, large African man; dressed in formal business attire. I had about 6.5 hours of sitting in about 3/4 of a seat, LOL. You just gotta laugh at the subtle ways Satan tries to get us frustrated or mad at life’s little inconveniences. He wasn’t interested in any conversation, so again had a quite flight to think, read and pray.

I arrived at Accra, Ghana’s Capital, at 8:24 pm, tired but excited. My luggage came out right away, oh ONLY 1 piece came out. I waited another 30-40 minutes for the last 2 to come out on the last cart! God gave me plenty of opportunity to pray through each circumstance, so as not to get anxious or discouraged. Oh by the way, when you land in Accra DON’T tip the luggage porter at the baggage carousel, especially don’t show a $5 bill as “porter panic” sets in to help you out. Oh why not tip, because apparently all they are allowed to do is pick up the bags, the same bags I had been lugging around, and put them on the cart at the carousel, because they are not allowed through immigration or customs…duh duh duh…anyone see a trend here.

Of course, I felt obligated to tip him the $5, since he knocked out two other porters to reach me before them. Handing him the $5, he says; oh not so open its ILLEGAL! You see I have done a lot to get to know the culture before going! LOL

Anyway, the immigration agent was very very nice. He commented I was staying for a long time and then promptly stamped my passport. In like flint so I thought, however it was stamped 60 days visit allowed. No problems, now I just have to go register with Ghana Immigration to stay. This cannot be done in advance, unless a quota has been issued by the government to the organization one is working with. Center of Good News tried, but was unable to get it issued, so I will be applying now for a work permit.

Please pray that it get issued or that they determine I can stay with one which they might since I am not employed by any Ghanaian entity.

Lastly for this blog…I was met by two very welcoming and friendly faces; Rev. and his wife. It was now about 10:15 pm. They had been there since 7 PM, because they wanted to be sure they did not miss me coming out! Bless them. The first thing we do standing in front of the airport, Rev. prays thanking God for my safe arrival, for Seabreeze Church for sending me, for the good plans He has for us all and much more. We have prayed in public or semi-privately no less than six times in the first 18 hours together. God is real. I’m blessed by Rev.’s example of acknowledgment and dependence upon Him. We went straight way to Rev.’s brothers home, where supper was waiting. Then went to bed one tired but peaceful man. Yet there is the lingering sting of leaving my loved ones and dear friends behind. Blessing to you all from Ghana! Akwaaba, You are Welcome HERE!

Please pray for wisdom, understanding and for me to yield and be totally dependent upon God through the many circumstances ahead. Especially pray for Rev. and his family for protection. Pray for peace and comfort too for his family, we will all be attending Rev.’s mother’s funeral next week.

Thank You! Ghana Bound September 28th

admin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:36:00 +0000

I hope you and your family are well. My continual prayer for you and your family is to maintain your Godly living, while continuing to diligently strive further for the good God has planned for your lives. I pray God’s infinite love for you, motivates you to do all he has called you to do with love and joy, regardless of your circumstances.

I thank God for his steadfast love, faithfulness and power; to always do what we really need! Thank you for being so encouraging to me! Your kind words and support are invaluable to me and the mission. Thank you for your prayers and tangible support, they are vital for Ghanaians living in spiritual and physical despair to have real hope.

In a real way, Ghanaians and I are blessed to experience God’s love through your lives by your faithful decision to be a mission partner. While we seek to improve the daily lives of those in despair, your true gift is eternal, it is the gift of love.

Super Spiritural & Super Human–NOT!

admin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:55:00 +0000

We are all the same, not one of us is better than the next! We all have the same basic needs and desires. We each have our strengths and weaknesses; none of us is perfect. We all can have mountaintop experiences and all stumble at times too.

We are to honor those in authority over us and to make their work a joy. We are to esteem those who are called to put themselves in harms way for the sake of the Gospel. However, we should never let ourselves think more of that person than what they are, a person just like us, who is subject to life’s successes and every temptation and ways.

It is true that when God puts us in a more responsible position, there comes increased accountability and privilege. So pastors, spiritual teachers, mentors (Dads and Moms!), missionaries, etc. are expected by God and us, to not only know about God, but to walk with Him intimately with increasing perseverance.

So how do we meet our obligations of a higher calling? Whatever God has assigned to us, we need to be committed to it whole-heartedly and strive for excellence in all we do through His provision and power. We need to rely not only on His Spirit, but each other too! We really are made for each other.

We each need someone who knows not only the good in us, but the dark recesses of our hearts and minds, so we don’t act those dark things out in life! We need to encourage one another as this life is hard and will overwhelm any person at times. And most importantly, we need to pray for one another.

So please pray for me. Pray that I will honor and please God with all my heart, mind and body. Pray that I keep God’s interest and others above my own. Pray that I always fear God; He is God Almighty, not just a friend. Pray that I don’t fall into the trap of comparing my life with other people’s lives. Pray that I don’t become absorbed in self-pity or think of myself more highly than I should. Pray that I always remember that I need others to be what God wants me to become; that I’m not whole without other dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

We need to be watchful for each other and always ready, so lets agree to pray for one another as Jesus is soon returning!

Praying for September 2009!

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:40:00 +0000

I have an exciting announcement. While our prayers are reaching those hurting in Ghana, personally, my heart aches being 7,500 miles from those God has called me to express His love and care. So, I am very pleased to announce that my oversight team (Sr. Pastor Bevan Unrau and Jim Marmion with Rev.’s input) has approved my departure to Ghana at end of September!

The oversight team established a mission budget, based on needs in Ghana and for my support, of $4,052 a month. The team set a threshold for me to leave of $3,242 a month (80% of $4,052) committed for 3 years. Currently, 18 families have made an annual or monthly commitment that is equivalent to almost $1000 a month and another fourteen families have made one-time donations! To date, the mission has received in donations and commitments totaling $20,920–Thanks Again Partners!!

However at the current rate of annual and monthly commitments, I would not have left until at least May 2010. Prayerfully, I have decided that God wants me to give from my life savings to provide for personal expenses that current giving will not cover. After prayer and consultation, my oversight team has agreed to send me earlier because it will help the work in Ghana and reflects the same measure of faith my mission partners now display by giving sacrificially above their current church giving.

Our goal of $4,052 a month has not changed; we hope that amount will be raised in the near term. In these tough economic times, we realized that it is difficult for many people to commit to a project for three years. So donors will have the opportunity to decide to continue or end the relationship annually. Of course during a year, personal circumstances may lead to stopping, lowering or even increasing a commitment.

Your prayers are vital for this mission to thrive! Now that I have a departure time, a number of critical actions must occur and be completed in this order, please pray: Rev. confirms departure date and letter of service is written; for reasonably priced airfare; the Ghana Embassy approves a long time visa; and that $35,700 additional is committed to fully fund the mission this coming year (includes cost of car for Ghana). On a more personal note, pray for good health for my daughter, Megan and my first grandchild, Scarlet, due August 6th.

Thanks again for all your encouragement, prayers and tangible support!