GHANA 2019
God is GOOD!!
When I first heard about the opportunity to go on mission to Africa, I knew it was God’s timing. A date planted right in the middle of all our big life events over a period of time where our calendar was CLEAR (that never happens)! I'd be done with school and licensed as a Family Nurse Practitioner- IS there a better way to START my practice as an FNP?? I think not! If you had told me 2 years ago that my first experience as an FNP would be in remote villages in the bush of Ghana West Africa, I would have called you crazy. But God knew. God knew what he was doing when he pushed me to begin an intense clinical program with 2 small children and a husband that traveled often. God knew what he was doing when he clearly spoke the desires of Africa to my heart on November 25 of 2018. God knew what he was doing when he placed the invitation for this mission trip on the TOP of my news feed for days until I said yes... And I’m so thankful I said yes.
When I first heard about the opportunity to go on mission to Africa, I knew it was God’s timing. A date planted right in the middle of all our big life events over a period of time where our calendar was CLEAR (that never happens)! I'd be done with school and licensed as a Family Nurse Practitioner- IS there a better way to START my practice as an FNP?? I think not! If you had told me 2 years ago that my first experience as an FNP would be in remote villages in the bush of Ghana West Africa, I would have called you crazy. But God knew. God knew what he was doing when he pushed me to begin an intense clinical program with 2 small children and a husband that traveled often. God knew what he was doing when he clearly spoke the desires of Africa to my heart on November 25 of 2018. God knew what he was doing when he placed the invitation for this mission trip on the TOP of my news feed for days until I said yes... And I’m so thankful I said yes.
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
If you missed my initial post about my GO, here it is: http://lookingupcg.blogspot.com/2019/03/
If you missed my initial post about my GO, here it is: http://lookingupcg.blogspot.com/2019/03/
I embarked on a journey 6,000 miles from my family not knowing what to expect with these 5 ladies that I'd only met a handful of times. I had no idea that God would knit our hearts together in such a profound way. We laughed, cried and prayed together... sometimes all at once. These women pushed me to step out of my comfort zone to share the love of Jesus with complete strangers (strangers I now call friends in Christ). I’ve never felt more challenged or closer to God because of this experience. Im forever grateful for each one of them. (left to right: Amy, Donna, Denise (founder of EveryDay Ministry), Austin, Ella, and me!).
I LOVE these ladies!!
If this doesn't give you an idea of how FUNny Denise is, then I don't know what will! (that's toothpicks on the right... not pepper!! >:)
Now are you ready to hear about our great BIG God adventure??
Thursday July 25: This was the day, the day the Lord made! The day I'd leave for an adventure I'd never forget. The day I'd set off to a place that I would quickly call home, with people I would call family, and make memories I'd never forget. Memories that would change me. Change me into a person I loved even more than I did on July 24th. All because I was obedient to a God that has always loved me even more than He did the day before.
Adam and the kids left for Texas (Adam to training, the kids to the grandparents) on the 23rd. Bittersweet! I was sad to say goodbye to them early, but grateful for the time to pack and focus on my upcoming trip. In the span of 48h, I shopped, packed, applied for my APRN license, did some laundry, packed a giant trunk of medications and supplies, cleaned the house, submitted my fingerprints to the board of nursing... you know, all normal things people do before leaving town. At 10am on the 24th (or maybe a little later because these ARE my people) I was picked up by Avery and Austin to head to the airport. At the airport, I was greeted by my team, their families and my SWEET friends Lindsey and Courtney (and Holden and Hadley). Court and Lindsey came to pray over me and hug my neck before I began my journey to Ghana. I don't know if they'll ever know how much that meant to me... And to my family since they couldn't be there. Shortly after, we boarded a plane to Chicago, then on to Brussels!
Friday July 26: 14 hours after our trip began, we landed in Brussels at 7am, ready for our 10am flight to GHANA!!!.. that much closer to a shower and a bed! As soon as we walked off the plane, we were greeted by sweet little travel agents who informed us that our flight was delayed 7 hours, BUT they had meal vouchers for us- ohhh goodie gum drops doesn't that just make everything better??? We tried three different spots to lay our heads.... the first was too hard, the second was too loud, and the third was juussttt right!...little couches in the corner of our departure gate. It would have been great rest except for the 37 children playing rugby 15 feet from us, the creepy men stalking our sweet resting spot, and the oh so helpful "Final boarding call for flight 264 to (insert foreign city here), please board now, we have closed the gate" announced over 6000890564 times for every.single.flight.
Silver lining: the bathrooms weren't too shabby, the company was pretty great, and the food was yummy (and free... yay vouchers!)... I got a Belgium waffle, y'all!!
Finally, at about 7pm (9h delay.. ahem) we boarded our flight to GHANA....after the gate agent triple checked our baggage claim receipts... what could possibly go wrong now??
11pm: We made it to Accra, Ghana!!!!! Pranced off the plane, trotted across immigration and headed straight to our luggage.... that was NOT there. and then an hour later, still not there. I could go into detail about how the Accra airport processes a lost baggage claim, but I won't because it's not detailed or elaborate. It basically consisted of spending 20 minutes hunting down the lost luggage office, then writing down each of our names, the description of our luggage and our flight info on a legal pad.. in pencil. PS hold onto those boarding passes.... apparently they are as good as your passport, thumb print and first born combined!
Saturday July 27: 2am(ish), we head to the Shiloh Guest House via our oh so gracious chauffer, Junior. He's the son of Bishop Francis Odai and the worship leader at Maranatha Church (the church that partners with EveryDay Ministry and hosts us), plus wears about a million other hats. You guys, this man is straight from heaven. The most kind and gentle soul you will ever meet. A servant heart like no one I've ever known. His presence made that exhausting journey fade from memory, and my excitement for the days to come resurface- I mean he began worshiping the moment we got in the car and THAT.VOICE!!. Upon arriving at the guest house, we had fresh fruit and water, a warm bed, and a cold shower waiting on us... NO complaints! We were all in bed by 3am with our alarms set for 7am.
Meet Junior:
7:30am: Breakfast of fresh fruit and toast, and then we wait. Denise warned us that it would be a lot of "hurry up and wait", and boy was she right! The goal was to leave by 8am... 9:45 we head off for our first adventure... the 10am dedication of a computer lab for the Frankadua Girl's Home... 2 hours away. I know this delay would have driven some of you crazy, but can I just say again, these ARE my people! I GET them!
Oh and our driver, Eric. Another saint. Who else can put up with driving 6 women all over the country of Ghana for 7 days? St. Eric, that's who.
Left to right: Eric (our driver), Pastor Bright, and Junior.
We were packed in (and tired)!! And can I just tell you about the traffic... no lines on the street, they make their own rules! It was hilarious and rather frightening!
Just your everyday road.. In case you're wondering, there are tire shops EVERYWHERE!
Our views...
Everyone carries everything (I mean everything- laundry, water, food, shish-kabobs, fish, you name it!) on their heads... it's fascinating
We have deer, Ghana has baboons. There were about 20 of them in one spot
Houses...
This is where you buy your lottery tickets..
Back to our trip... The Frankadua Girl's Home is a 3 year program for teenage girls who have been rescued from sex trafficking/slavery to be educated, discipled, and counseled to heal from the horror of their past, and trained in an occupation to be a business owner upon graduation. Many of these girls come from voodoo tribes who believe that a virgin must be offered in repentance for sins. These virgins, often only 8 years old, go to shrines where their clothes and identity are stripped from them to be slaves.
11:45 we arrive at the dedication. On the way there, all I could think about was how tired I was and what I wouldn't do for a BED and a NAP! I just wasn't feeling it. BUT then we arrived, stepped out of the van and the presence of the Lord was so strong that you couldn't help but be drawn to the people and the occasion. We witnessed the dedication and celebration of the computer lab that was donated by EveryDay Ministry (with help from some of you). The EveryDay team was invited in first to bless and pray over the lab, then we brought each girl in to see what the Lord had given them. Many had never seen a computer. I taught a few how to use a mouse and find the letters of their name on a keyboard. As I learned their names I was drawn to tears... Faith, Believe, Joy, Hope, and more unique ones I can't remember, but I do remember how I was moved by them. These names were given to them when they entered Frankadua because they did not know their true names, or much else about their lives before slavery.
It was the most humbling and beautiful experience. I don't think I stopped crying the entire time I was there.
The girl's bunks...
THe dining hall and the "gate"
1:30 we have our FIRST meal of chicken and rice! Prepared by the culinary artists at the girl's home. ** Just a side note: from here on out, when I mention we had dinner, you don't have to wonder what it was. Chicken, fried rice, and french fries. every time. And I'll be honest, I miss it!
2pm we head off on our next adventure.. to a village an hour past Frankadua. Down bumpy dirt roads with no street signs or directions, through villages that appeared to be forgotten, and with children who ran as far as they could alongside our van just because "they were happy to see the white people". The story of this trip was truly prepared by God.... A man from Tulsa who worked aboard Mercy Ship in Guinea, brought home the story of Charity, a woman from a tiny village in South-East Ghana with a 13-year-old tumor that consumed her life and soon her ability to breathe. This man was part of the medical team that removed the tumor and gave Charity her life back. When Denise heard this story, she knew she had to meet Charity. Denise asked Bishop if he could possibly find her, and within days Pastor Bright had located her... and please just know this was no easy task.... A three hour drive along bumpy dirt roads in search of a woman with no real address or telephone number. These guys can do ANYTHING.
As we entered Charity's village, we passed by a teenage girl and 2 small children on the side of the road. They were Charity's children waiting to greet us. They walked us down a dusty path flanked by small buildings of brick, mud and straw to the home of Charity. It was an area of 3 small cement rooms with thatched roofs and dirt floors. Charity was busy dusting off plastic chairs in the "living room" (the outdoor area in the center of the huts) for us all to gather. She was BEAUTIFUL. Her smile lit up the village and she was so grateful to see us. I hope she knew how grateful we were to see her. She introduced her husband, 4 children (her 5th child was not there), and the extended family that live in those 3 rooms, and then told the story of how her tumor affected her health, her life, and her family.
Charity first noticed the tumor 13 years prior. Over time it grew so large that it was beginning to interfere with her ability to eat, drink and even breathe. She was losing hope that she would ever be cured after multiple trips to local hospitals that only turned her away. Finally, a teacher of the village told her about Mercy Ships. I don't know the details of how they got her to Mercy Ship, a long, intense voyage I'm sure. But they got her there. They healed her, and gave that family their mother, wife, daughter and niece back again to share her story of the hope of Jesus Christ.
After hearing her story, Denise asked if there was anything that she and her family needed. She requested a home for her husband and 4 children. A place where she could invite people in, dust off the chairs and share the hope of Jesus Christ. More on that to come:)
Old uncle was a little handsy... we had to get him in order!
Sunday July 28: The day of rest. We attended Maranatha church. Denise discussed HOPE and shared Charity's story. We helped with Sunday School by singing songs and sharing a story from the bible. Then we ate lunch at Bishop's home, prepared by Mama Valerie. at about 3pm we headed off on our 8h journey to the Glamossay Hotel in Sunyani, Ghana.
Mama Valerie and Bishop. Can they adopt me too??
Monday July 29: The real adventure begins! We head to the first village in the bush of Ghana, Benuano. It was about 30 minutes from Sunyani, tucked in what felt like a rainforest among many other small villages. On our drive into Benuano, we passed women and children carrying jugs to fill with water from the nearby stream. Water that was green and obviously unfit for drinking.
This car was PACKED with children from neighboring villages headed to Benuano because they heard we were coming!
After VBS, we passed out juice and crackers in the most orderly and efficient way we knew how. It was still pretty chaotic. Those sweet souls were desperate for that snack and were so fearful of missing out. Some were hoarding extra and others followed us around after we were done asking for more. We gave them what we could, then left for the afternoon to rest.
At about 7pm, after our... you guessed it... chicken dinner, we headed back to Benuano for the Revival. We were welcomed into their pole barn by the sound of DRUMS, music and worship. The spirit was alive! These people KNOW how to worship! I learned that the drums were the way they called the village to worship. I couldn't contain my excitement. I saw many familiar faces from earlier in the day. It felt like home.
**I also learned that each person owns a plastic chair that they carry over their heads as they run into church so they have a place to sit... it's their only chair. Not only for church, but for home and sometimes school.
We began by deworming the children then heard beautiful words from Bishop and Denise. After sharing their accounts, they passed the mic over to the team to share our testimonies. I shared mine. Something I wasn't sure I'd do, but I'm so glad I did. I really had no idea how I was going to put my story into words (because I never had before), or if my story would even be appreciated. But God knew, and the holy spirit gave me the words. I would say that was one of the most challenging, intimidating and freeing things I have ever done. It felt so good to step out in obedience, and I refused to let my fears get in the way of sharing God's love and a story of redemption with others. I'll never know if my story touched even one heart, but I do know that my heart was touched by the opportunity to share with this group of people.
We then heard several moving testimonies from people in the village. Two really stood out to me. One was of two girls that came to Christ after that pole barn was planted by Maranatha and EveryDay Ministry years ago. They came from a Voodoo family and their father beat them every Sunday for going to church, but they continued going. After months, maybe even years, the father saw the change in his daughters and came to Christ himself. A second testimony was of a former voodoo priest that had a horrible infection causing his body to "rot". He was told there was nothing that could be done and was sent home to die. The next day, he gave his life to Christ and was healed. This story struck me as too awesome to be true, but so many people validated this account. I knew it wasn't too good, it was too God.
After sharing in testimonies, it was time to CELEBRATE! We began with a birthday cake for Austin, dancing in worship to the beat of the drums, and then by donating a "tricycle" to the village pastor. Now I know what you're thinking... tricycle?? It's a large three wheeled motor bike with a trailer on the back that holds up to 12 people. When Bishop asked what he'd prefer as a means of transportation (a motor bike, car or tricycle) the pastor requested a tricycle because it could hold more people. This tricycle was a huge blessing to him because he had been walking miles to other villages to share the gospel. And now, he has means to travel and bring others to church on Sundays!
Tuesday July 30: On this day, we had another VBS in a neighboring village called Mensahkrom. Maranatha and EveryDay had planted a pole barn and water well in this village years prior as well. Before we began, I shared about the importance of using clean water, washing their hands after using the restroom and wearing shoes when possible. We dewormed everyone in the village and answered any questions they had. I'll be honest, I was nervous to answer some of their questions because I knew they did not have many of the resources we have to prevent illness, but with the help of the village teacher, Hereford, we gave them the knowledge and tools they needed. I was then able to break off and conduct a small medical clinic where I treated about 25 people for things such as skin infections, back and joint pain, and GI distress, along with doing some physical exams and providing education about more specific concerns.
Village women cooking the chicken dinner
Pastor Bright and Bishop playing soccer with the guys
Donna dancing with those sweet babies to the melody of her grandaughter's worship song
VBS!
After we were done with VBS and the medical clinic, we ventured down the road to visit the water well. There, we met a 10 year old boy named Bernard who spoke to us about how he walks to this well about 4-5 times a day to fill his bucket with water for himself and his younger siblings. He had the sweetest smile and the most kind and grateful spirit. I was in awe as I watched him carry a 5 gallon bucket full of water back to his village.
“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Isaiah 12:3
Where they used to fetch their water....
They walk as if there is NOT a giant bucket on their heads.. I surely would break something..
A village home
A tricycle
That's real, y'all!
Just a bunch of cows hanging out on the road!
We returned to our hotel for the afternoon. As we rested, we all discussed how different Mensakrom felt compared to Benuano. There was a strong air of oppression. Denise shared with us that their village pastor had run away with many of the things that were donated to the church years ago, and since then the village had experienced great spiritual warfare. It was difficult to rise above this oppression and speak healing over this community, but just as she does best, Denise "went there" and "nailed it"! She shared 1 Peter 5:8 and gave an analogy of a lion in the zoo. He is scary and intimidating, just like Satan himself, but we have nothing to fear because he can't get us. Just as the gates and cages keep the lion from harming us in the zoo, so does God keep us protected through faith.
After sharing, we passed out dinner to everyone in the village.... chicken and rice!! Then went home for the night.
Wednesday July 31: We set out early for our 3 hour trek to Kintampo. We first stopped at our new fancy hotel, Falls Palace. We had our own living room! and check out that shower! Plus HOT water!!!
After checking into our hotel, we made our way to the village of Kintampo to dedicate a brand new pole barn provided by EveryDay ministry and Maranatha church. We were greeted by the sweetest children! The day consisted of a dedication, ribbon cutting, sharing the gospel and hearing testimonies from villagers. Denise shared the importance of the local church and some of us shared what our local church means to us. I was one of the "some of us". This time I was trembling as I spoke because I was not at all prepared, but the holy spirit laid 1 Peter 2:12 on my heart and I couldn't help but relate it to the importance of living out their faith and encouraging others in their new church. I'm not sure I even made sense, but I know the message of 1 Peter was loud and clear. God will do the rest. After we all shared, I held another medical clinic and saw around 40 people this time. One woman stood out to me as she had a mass in her abdomen that was the size of 3 grapefruits lumped together. Since I obviously could not help, Bishop agreed to help her get to a hospital to be evaluated and treated. I plan to follow up soon! Pray for divine healing or for God to bless the medical team there to heal her.
Ribbon cutting!
The village goat!!
Again, we left for dinner and returned for a revival. At the revival, we dewormed the village THEN had the ULTIMATE celebration. Sweet Donna had talked about how she knew the blessing of drums in each of these churches. It hurt her heart to see villages without a set of drums and informed Denise that she wanted to purchase drums for the village. Well, you don't tell Denise... or Bishop and his people... that you want to do something without immediate action! Within a few hours, Denise asked Donna to share her feelings about the drums. Just as she began to tell them that she wanted to donate drums to their village, Michael (Bishop's right hand man) walks in WITH a brand new set of drums. And the crowd went WILD!! We all cried, and danced, and worshiped, and cried some more. Donna is right. Drums are the Lords call in these villages and there is something about them that just makes worship complete. I will never think of drums the same again.
Thursday August 1: This was our last day in the bush and we made sure to go out with a BANG! We visited 3 villages, dedicated 2 pole barns and a water well, dewormed over 1000 people and held another mini medical clinic. The first village we visited was Bosomfourkrom. A little back story as to why I was excited about this village... as I mentioned, we had lunch in Bishop's home on Sunday. Bishop and mama Valerie have adopted many children over the years from all over Ghana to give them a better life and to share with them the love of Jesus. One of the boys they adpoted was David. I met David on Sunday. He had just graduated from college with a degree in Geological Engineering- impressive! He was from this village, and his mother still lives here. She was the first person to greet us when we arrived. It felt so good to hug her neck, and to see the bond that has been formed between this village and the Maranatha Church family. We entered their church, a tiny mud building filled with people anxiously awaiting us. We did our usual- minister, share, deworm and provide medical care to those in need. They were all so gracious and welcoming.
This may be one of my favorite images from the trip. I noticed that I really didn't see any toys in any of the villages.. and we saw MANY children. But then we came across this sweet child and the pull toy he made out of trash!!
The second village was a QUICK stop. This was the village of Buipe, and this is their church... a large tree with, you guessed it... their plastic chairs! We stopped to say hello, hug some necks, deworm and Bishop shared the love of Jesus. I would love an opportunity to return for the dedication of a brand new pole barn for this village... because I know it will happen, it always does when this team gets together.
And our final village was Ohiampe. We drove up to HUNDREDS of men, women and children awaiting our arrival.. and it felt like they never stopped coming.. I think Pastor Bright counted 800 at one time. Every one of them just wanted to touch our hands as we passed by. They had the biggest smiles and were, like so many others, so gracious and grateful to have us there. We were there to dedicate their new pole barn and water well. We spent more time here hearing testimonies, ministering to the village, holding babies, deworming, passing out dum dums and soccer balls and Jesus Storybook bibles and One Year bibles and prayer journals and juice and snacks, oh my!!
This village was special because there is such a beautiful story behind it and I cannot do it justice, so here is Denise's account:
"As long as I ever live I will never get over what the Lord has allowed us to be a part of. In July of 2017 Corrie and I went back to Ghana to decide are we in or out. We had not been to Ghana in 3 years—for several different reasons. But at the forefront of our minds was, is what we are doing here really making a difference. We of course did not tell Bishop that was the real reason behind our visit. So we did not ask him to do what he did. But God knew what we needed to see and laid it on Bishop’s heart to take us on an EveryDay tour. We visited nearly every village we had either put in a water well and/or pole barn. Again unplanned the theme at each stop was tell me your story. Quickly we realized, God is at work. God had been true to His word—it never returns void. People were growing spiritually and children were being educated—academic growth was taking place. So we are back in—110%. One of the villages we visited in 2017 was Ohiampe, although at the time I had no idea where I was—story of my life in Ghana! To be completely honest it was our last stop of the day. We had already been in and out of the truck several times. Bishop said, “I want to stop at one more church.” In my head I thought “Oh my word. Really?” (in the Egge North Dakota accent of course). We were tired, hot, and done. Pastor Michael pulls the truck over literally on the side of the road, nothing is in site. So I said. “Where’s the church?” “Right here.” He said. I look up and there are 3 make shift benches under a tree with a very solemn lady sitting on one. THIS is their church? We sat down and I asked Pastor Fredrick to ask her to tell me her story. I learned that she and her husband were voo-doo priests. In April of that year, there was a family dispute over land and her husband was be-headed. Leaving her with 6 children. The church started a little over a year ago and began reaching out to their children. Even though voo-doo they were allowed to attend. Pastor Fredrick said, “She’s been sitting here waiting on us and she wants to give her life to Christ.” So right there I prayed with her. She repented of her sin and committed her life to Jesus. What in the world? I turned to Bishop and said, “We are putting a pole barn in here.” He smiled this little grin he has as if to say, “As you wish, but that was already the plan.” I got back in the truck and just looked at Donna and Corrie. We all three were in disbelief at what we had just seen and heard. So fast forward... We dedicate Hope Chapel in the village of Ohaimpe. I was hoping my friend would still be a part of the church. Sure enough. Not only was she a part, her entire countenance had changed. Jesus is changing her life. I asked if she would come and share her story. She did with over 700+ people squeezed into the chapel and standing all around the outside walls. She said she had peace that she never knew before Christ. Amazing!!! Two years later my friend is still in the church and there were over 700 people gathered to dedicate the church and celebrate. She stood up and shared her story of redemption and hope. As long as I ever ever live, I will never get over what God let’s us be a part of—even when we think we are too tired, too hot and done."
And now you know why I have so much hope for that church under a tree in Buipe. And why I love what EveryDay and Maranatha does so much!!
The second toy I spotted...
Friday August 2: Our final day. I honestly wasn't ready to leave. We began the day by meeting with Charity's uncle and daughter to finalize the plans for her new home. What.a.blessing!! While I watched as this was discussed, the Lord laid on my heart a desire to do more... the shakes came on again... I had to be obedient. I hope to share more about this very soon!!
Then, we all gathered at Junior's house to meet his sweet newborn baby boy, Clarence. PRECIOUS! I could not put him down! Ohhh my ovaries!
Next we traveled to 'The Market' for some shopping led by the lovely Yayo, our own personal shopper/bargainer/body guard. SO fun!!
Then, we ended the day with dinner (NOT chicken and rice) at a GORGEOUS hotel with our team!
We headed to the airport at 7pm for out 10pm flight back to Brussels. Saying goodbye was HARD. I cried (shocker).
Meeting with Yayo, then at the market with Amy :)
Dinner!
Saturday August 3: Back through Brussels to Chicago to Tulsa we go!! We arrived HOME with our luggage!!! It was so hard to say goodbye to those 5 ladies, but the bond we formed could never be broken. And now we get to share the miracle of our journey with our family and friends. I AM BLESSED!
Ghana, you have my heart forever and ever, Amen.
