My apologies for not posting more frequently. Wifi has not been my friend here in Ghana, but God has opened up doors for me to have it today 🙂 !!
My month in the Ivory Coast seemed to come to an end very quickly, yet I feel as though I lived many lifetimes during my stay. In my last days there, my team and I attended our friend Nathan’s traditional wedding, which was full of many priceless experiences.
We helped UMC leadership write the program description for a training program focused on cultivating effective communication/advocacy. Their goal is to reduce violent political action by increasing healthy conversations among people from different parties of thought.
We were taken on a tour of Grand Bassam (one of the most historic areas of Cote d’Ivoire) and I got to try out my hand at weaving traditional fabric. I also got to visit the beach, which I had been missing dearly 🙂
Our last night with the UMC included an hour long radio segment where we sang, preached and held a Q&A. It also included dinner at the Bishop’s house with many of the Methodist leadership team. They gifted us with authentic Methodist clothing and prayers for our journey.
After ministry ended, we regrouped with our squad for a Leadership Development Weekend (LDW), a few days of debriefing before transitioning to Ghana. It was a great time for me to unpack and spread out my thoughts concerning my first month of ministry/spend some time sitting at the Lord’s feet before heading to Ghana.
Amidst the clamor of activity, God was faithful to grant me still moments of insight, little glimpses of what He was doing. One such moment came while I was sitting, listening to my teammate preach the good news of Jesus into the radio microphone and out onto the airwaves of Cote d’Ivoire. Not only had we physically traveled all over Cote d’Ivoire speaking truth and sharing love, but now our voices were ringing across the country proclaiming that “Jesus is Lord” and “He loves you”. I thought of all of the potential that moment held, of all of the ways the Holy Spirit might choose to activate the truth being spoken, of all of the lasting change that could result…And then I thought back to all of the little pieces that had to fall into place for that moment to occur: all of the supporters who had to say “yes” to supporting my team and I, all of the family and friends who had to say “yes” to coating us in prayer each day, all of the people within Adventures in Missions who had to say “yes” to working diligently/paving relational roads for us to walk down, and all of the people within our host ministry who had to said “yes” to letting six random Americans come in and minister to their people.
Thank you to everyone who has said “yes”. He is using our “yeses” in bigger and better ways than any of us could ask or imagine.
Please continue to lift up my team and I in prayer and stay tuned for a few Ghana blogs to come.
Love and miss you all!!! 🙂
