What is life without terrible puns!?! Well if you came here to know more about my time in Ghana you came to the right place. First off I should mention we had another team with us this month! These are other people on my squad and it has been great getting to know them better. Shout out to team C3!
The People:
Our two teams partnered with an incredible ministry in Keta, Ghana called Center for Africa Missions. Our hosts and the lovely people who run Center for Africa Missions are Pastors Paul and Angie Doe. Pastor Paul is originally from Ghana. He is full of life, driven with a very laid back style, and completely relatable to everyone he meets. He spends his days running from place to place in order to serve the people around him. Angie is his wife who is originally from the states. She home schools their four children, preaches, and encourages the young girls in the community and us. She is full of knowledge, passion, and grace. Both have a heart for the people and children of Ghana. They truly want to build up the people of this city and they exemplify a couple who doesn’t just say they love Jesus but live their lives acting on what it looks like to love Jesus. They are a beautiful picture of putting God first in their marriage and their lives. Their children absolutely reflect that as well. They have an awesome team that helped our world race teams out this month, Florence, Elwin, and Odeilia. They are kind, loving, and hilarious! The people here speak Ewe (pronounced eway) and English.
When we first got here we were met by our hosts and another mission’s team from California who stayed for a couple of weeks. They preached and lead worship at an event called Celebrate Jesus. I watched them love the kids so incredibly well and live out what it’s like to be love to others.
Ministry aka what am I doing this month?:
Center for Africa Missions creates relationships with the kids in the community and opportunities for them to develop into great adults. They are building a computer lab, their music room has just opened, they host men’s bible study, they have a boys home, a preschool to teach the children, they build community for the women in the area, help build wells so the people in villages don’t walk miles for water, and they have a gym-like a LEGIT gym- for the community.
Our everyday life looked like visiting schools and villages to encourage the children and teachers, gave them school supplies, spent time teaching and building relationships with the kids, we sang and danced with them, and swam in the ocean with them. We also preached at church services, helped with construction projects (yes, I mixed concrete like a boss), some of my very talented teammates painted murals, we held a worship night where we just sang and praised God for who he is, and we went to the market to pray for people.
My favorite moments this month were by far building relationships with the people here, my hosts and their team and the children of the city. We would walk down the street and kids would run out of their homes singing the songs we taught them and we would dance in the street. Kids ran up to us and held our hands and walked with us wherever we were going. We prayed for people in the market who believed as we did and those who didn’t. We celebrated Ghana’s Independence Day and cheered for the children who marched in their celebration. I ate a lot of rock band muffins. I spent time dreaming with members on our teams. I read books that completely wrecked my life in the best ways. I grew in my faith as I wrestled with questions. I laughed, I cried, I sang, I danced. I don’t ever want to forget the magnificence of this month.
All in all Ghana has been a beautiful experience.
