I am going to attempt to try and tell you a little bit about my good friend Dosu Charles Mawunya.
My team and I had the honor of serving in Ghana alongside Charles. He is 20 years old and has lived away from his parents since he was only a todler. He followed the footsteps of his older brother and learned survival skills from him. He taught him how to steal things from people’s homes and then turn around and sell them so he could buy himself a meal. It took a beating by older boys all the age of 16 or older in order for him to understand that stealing things was not a good thing. Up until he was the age of 8 he was being raised by the headmaster of the school in his village.
One day, our host Pastor Paul and his wife Angie took him to church. They saw something in him, different from the other boys. They saw that he was a quick learner and that he was obedient to what they asked of him. Over the years Pastor Paul poured into Charles. He gave him a purpose every time they visited the village. A few years later when Pastor Paul decided to move away from Tema to Keta, he invited Charles to join them. Pastor Paul has a “boys home” near his home. He desciples them and gives them a purpose so that they grow closer to God. It is truly an inspiring ministry. I will tell you more in a seperate blog. 🙂
Well, much like Pastor Paul and Angie, we all saw Christ in Charles.
God placed him on my heart the first day of construction ministry. It was very evident that he stood out from the other boys. He was focused on his work, he was listening to everything the older men were asking of him and he looked like he loved what he was doing. (I was trying my best guys, but oh man you all know how I can’t stand the heat for very long.)
The goal was to patch up the walls from a classroom at the Keta International Early Childhood Development Center. After we all finished that day a few of us stayed back and talked to Charles for a bit. He asked us where we were from and what we did back home for a living. He learned that we all come from different backgrounds and school majors. I told him that I was not yet done with school but that I worked in a hospital for an organ transplant center and that ultimately I would love to go home and go to PA (physician assistant) School in Texas somewhere. He then shared with me that he finished what we consider high school and that he is now applying for schools.
Charles told me he would like to go to medical school. He told me that it has been a dream of his to become a doctor one day and be able to spread God’s kingdom with everyone that he encounters. He shared that some of the applications are expensive and once he is accepted that he must also consider being approved for a visa. This hit home with me. I have struggled financially in order to finish school back home. I thought I understood where he was coming from. I quickly found out I had no remote idea how hard this was for him. Back home we have school loan companies, I have my parents, banks, a job, and grants. Still, he didn’t have any one of those advantages. In the states we are beyond blessed with it all. I do not have to carry 110lbs of cement on my back to earn my money, I don’t have to be up before the sun to build rooms or care for other people other than myself just to earn some money in order to pay for one application and then do it all over again for a visa. Not to mention that there is always a chance of receiving a denial from them both. The dedication that Charles carries kept me wondering what helped him be so intentional, so dedicated and so driven. The Lord asked me to set up an appointment with him, so I did.
We pulled up two plastic chairs near the kitchen. Getting to know a bit of his bakground helped me see the purpose behind God’s creation that is “Charles”. Charles shares a love for ministry. He has a heart to serve. He shares this love simply because ministry is his entire life. When we saw him as focused on his work, it was really that he was loving his work because that is a child’s classroom. His love for children is far greater than his love for resting. He poured himself into the classroom walls because he stands firm behind the purpose of that classroom, that purpose being God and pouring into children. In return his reward from God is a chance at medical school. (WHAT? How cool is that!?) God’s purpose for Charles blew my mind.
He shared that he accepted Christ into his heart the moment he felt he no longer wanted to be bad and instead wanted to be loved. At 20 years old he made this decision and has kept his promise to himself and to God. How different would this world, this life be if we just all made that very decision?How different would it all be if we all were as servant hearted as Charles? How different would this life be if we all were as selfless as he is? I would love to live in a world like that instead of surviving in the one that we live in now. What an inspiration he was and is to us all.
As you can see, he is covered in cement, this is the look that he rocked most of the month. I asked if I could take a picture of him multiple times where he isn’t wearing as much cement, but we never got around to it. I asked what he thought about this picture, and without thinking for a second he immediately said ” I love this picture.”***(Because of little internet if you cannot see the picture I will come back and edit my post at a later time and retry to load it.) 🙂
My purpose for sharing Charles’ story is to share the love that Christ has for his children. I want to share his story because Charles deserves more than anyone I know to fulfill his dream of going to medical school and works for it. Charles walks with Christ in so many ways, he cares for boys younger than him and helps them grow closer to God. He wants to make sure that they do not have to worry where food will come from. He wants to make sure that they know that there is more to life than worry. Charles shared with me that he focuses on children’s ministry because of all his hardship. God put it on my heart to share his story because it was such a sweet reminder of how God has a purpose for all of us. God does not forget about his children. God knows that this world is wicked, this world is hard and in our brokenness we are merely surviving in it. But, with Jesus he invites us to partner with him and do life together. God brings the light out of the darkness, and we are the light. Charles chose to walk with his light and I will always thank him for showing me how it’s done.
Please don’t forget to share this story and keep up with my blog! My month in Ghana may be over but I have so much to share with you!!
