Where to even begin with writing about the first half of this month in Ghana.
I guess I can start with our host family. They are AMAZING! The Doe family consists of a beautiful mother from California (the first American we have been with), an amazing husband that is from Ghana, two lovely twin girls, two younger boys and an adopted little boy. They are a family that is filled with much joy and Jesus! This family has brought us in and treated us like their own family. That is only a snip bit of what this family is like. I could write a whole blog on them alone and their obedience to the Lord but here they are! A picture will have to come a little later!
Since day one in Ghana, we have been asked our strengths and what we are gifted in. He has taken what we have said and helped us exceed even more in those areas. Not only has he strengthened us more, but he has challenged us more and more throughout the month. As for me specifically, one of the most challenging things for me has been door to door evangelism. I know that is what missions is right? Well, yes, but supposedly there are two parts to evangelism. The one that I am familiar with is the relational evangelism. This is what Young Life always taught me. We would build relationships with the high schoolers and then get the voice to be heard by them and then tell them about the Gospel.
There is not enough time on the Race for that type of evangelism. So, I have been learning the other part of evangelism which is what I like to call the every day evangelism. This is where you share the Gospel with whoever whether that be on the bus or door to door. I learned you don’t want to miss the chance to tell people about this wonderful love and life that Jesus can offer you.
I have a relational evangelism mindset and it is hard for me to switch that off. But hey the Lord has shown up every time we went and did it.
It has been two weeks of learning about what it looks like to be challenged by the Lord and be taught His faithfulness throughout it all!
Something that has been interesting the past two months is what the Lord teaches me each month. In Cote d’Ivoire, I feel the Lord started to teach me what it looked like for me to put my whole self into the Lord and in turn I find my identity solely in Him. I also learned the He is here. He is here throughout the hard days. He is here throughout the good. He is here every step of every day.
Month two I feel has been a combo of those two lessons continued as well as learning what it looks like for Him to be faithful, my rest and my comfort. I know I thought school as out right? Nope! It never is with the Lord. I have had many times throughout this month where I have had days where I just wanted to talk to people back home, talk to the people that know me and comfort me. If you did not know, I have been limited on wifi. So, the whole talking to people back home has been a little more difficult this month.
Yes, that has been hard, BUT it has also been very rewarding as well. I have hard to rely on the Lord for the comfort that I would get from the people back at home. Sometimes I want to take the easy way out and give in and talk to people back at home wether I have wifi or not. Those are the times I have learned that I need to step away from technology and just sit with the Lord.
Today was one of those days.
I wanted to just call up my twin or family or friends and just get it out and let them speak life into me. It took a ton of self will to not do that and go the Lord instead. I didn’t get comfort right away like I obviously wanted BUT I did get the comfort I needed and an even deeper comfort than I thought I could get.
All in all, it has been a challenging, joyous and wonderful two weeks living life here in Ghana with this amazing Doe family.
We only have a short amount of time left with this family and with these amazing people here in Ghana. I would ask for prayers that we shine the Lord’s light brighter than we have before. Can you pray that as a team we step into the hard conversations and know that the Lord is going to do amazing things through those conversations? Would you also consider helping me pray for comfort as the time is dwindling down with these people that have become family here in Ghana?
Thank you all for the support and prayers for me, my team, my squad and the people we are encountering. Also, thanks for keeping up with the blogs and actually reading them. I will hopefully get another one up soon!
Love you all, miss you all and may God bless you all!
(Here are some pictures from here in Ghana. We are in between a lagoon and the beach. I do not like the beach, but I can dig a Ghanian beach)
(This is after Kelli got freaking baptized in Ghana! Praise God!)
