For our sixth month on the World Race, God has planted Team Ronel on the soft shores of Cape Coast, Ghana.
The temperature is high and the days are long. The locals are friendly and the street food is cheap. Opportunity to share Christ is plentiful and there’s even some basketball too.
We are working with Hoops Care International, a nonprofit based in Ghana that opens doors for local youth through basketball, teachings, and fellowship.
Every afternoon, we taxi into town and hit the court for our sometimes pathetic attempts at the game and small groups with the local kids.
We are one week in and so far, it’s been a blast! This is one of my favorite months of ministry on the Race so far. It’s ironic because my only experience with the sport is embarrassing myself at a basketball camp when I was a kid, then begging my mom to not make me go back. Every practice, we take half an hour to get together in small groups to connect and talk about God.
I’ve challenged the kids to memorize scripture and we’ve been studying Paul’s instructions to the church of Ephesus on how to “walk” as followers of Christ. It’s special to partner with this organization and jump into the lives of these kids. It’s also a bonus that they all speak English! I continually find myself impressed by the spiritual maturity possessed by children no older than 8. No wonder Jesus loved kids so much – He knew they would have much to teach us.
Another aspect that I’ve loved about this ministry opportunity is the authority given to our team in bringing ideas, material, and teachings that God lays on our hearts. We are no longer just following directions, we’re leading the show. It feels good to take ownership and bring our passions to the table.
I’ve been passionate about women’s ministry since before the Race, but God has amplified this since I stepped foot on African soil. In Côte d’Ivoire, we held a women’s day in our village to share about the true identity we have in Christ. It was a highlight of the Race for me as I saw women declare truth over themselves and truly believe it.
When my teammate Chelsea mentioned doing a special session with the girls at Hoops Care, I was elated.
There are no more than five young girls who attend practices regularly. In a group that numbers 35 boys some days, that can be quite the tough gig.
We jumped on the opportunity to plan a program for the girls as soon as possible. My only hopes were for them to feel seen and to find freedom in whatever the Holy Spirit led us to teach on.
Adventures in Missions has a women’s ministry called Beauty for Ashes, which gives missionaries like me and my teammates guidance and resources to host women’s retreats around the world. Much of the ministry is set up to create community through vulnerability. The guide gives us many resources, ranging from drawing activities to Bible teachings.
After chewing over the options, I felt it would be beneficial for the girls to go through a drawing activity where they revisit a painful moment in their lives and then ask the Lord where He was in that situation. The point is not to drag them back into the gutter, but to open a tunnel for them to grab Jesus’ hand and finally crawl out.
In leading the activity, I wasn’t sure what the girls were thinking. I feel like this is what one can expect with a group of teenage girls. I was only confident that God would meet them in that place and do the necessary work in their hearts.
One of the most special aspects of this program was not only how we shared with the girls from Hoops Care, but that we were also joined by other passersby. An 11-year-old named Priscilla was selling plantain chips and we offered her a seat in our circle. Another young girl named Joyce joined in too. Evelyn, our 15-year-old, spunky-as-ever new friend from our host home even tagged along for the day. It was spontaneous to me, but totally obvious God had His hand in the event before we even thought about it.
Now I’m processing the day and I can’t help but think to myself, you know, this is one of those super exhausting, but super filling days.
How many days like this do I make space for in my life? I don’t know, but I’m hungry for more.
It’s days like today that beg me to thank God for bringing me across the Atlantic to beautiful Ghana of all places.
Ministry is bigger than basketball. It’s relationship building and telling people with my actions that they are seen and loved and valued. It is Jesus reaching over and reminding these kids that they can live as adopted sons and daughters of the King. It’s not just for them, but for me as well.
