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Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:58:09 GMT

Tommy and Lucy -- the two mission team members who extended their stay in Ghana and then did a little more traveling -- are now home. We thank the Lord for His traveling mercies.

Ghana Mission 2008 Summary

To recap what the Lord accomplished through the 9 members of Ghana Mission Team 2008 and our supporters...

Approximately 250 men, women, and children received free medical care in the village of Boekrom.
A total of 200 bed nets to prevent the spread of malaria were distributed to pregnant women and children in 5 villages in the Western Region and at OOEIM Orphanage near Cape Coast. Recipients were educated about the benefits of net usage and instructed about proper installation.
The OOEIM Orphanage bread making program was revived by purchasing flour and other ingredients in quantities sufficient to make approx. 1600 loaves of bread. The bread will feed the children and provide another source of income through the sale of the extra loaves.
The team advocated with school officials for fee reductions for the children and teens from the orphanage.
Construction supplies and local labor were provided to complete work on the chapel in Boekrom to the level of the lintels.
A Holy Spirit powered evangelistic outreach service conducted at Boekrom ministered to villagers and team members.
The scholarship account at Baidoo Bonso Secondary Technical School in Agona Ahanta was reviewed, funds added to it, and arrangements made for an additional payment.
The palm oil processing equipment and grinder for cassava and copra in Azani were repaired and a new management structure instituted to oversee equitable usage and maintenance of the operation.

As a team we were blessed with the Lord's presence throughout all of the situations we encountered. We celebrate the laughter, fun, fellowship, and sense of family that we enjoyed as we served together as a team. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) "In Christ we are more than conquerors through him who loves us" (Romans 8:37).

Blessings,
Cheryl

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:19:55 GMT

he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)

It would be easy to focus on the transportation challenges during Ghana Mission 2008, and to lose sight of the way that the Lord took the little we brought and multiplied it to bless others -- and us -- for His glory. Whether it was a song offered up during a service that ministered to others; a smile, a hug or making funny faces with a child that provided encouragement and reflected God's love; medication to treat an adult or youngster with malaria; a conversation with a headmistress on behalf of a young lady from the orphanage; or laughter and good-natured teasing shared during our "unscheduled" stay in New York, the Lord repeatedly extended His grace and His hands filled with hope. His presence accompanied us throughout, and His plans and purposes prevailed.

I've posted some photos to provide readers with "Glimpses from Ghana Mission 2008". To view them sequentially, first click on the "photos" link and then double-click on "Glimpses from Ghana Mission 2008" in the Recent Albums box on the right. To enlarge the photos and view the brief description, click on the first photo of the album.

Rejoicing in what the Lord accomplished,

Cheryl
for Ghana Mission Team 2008

All Members of the Massachusetts Team are Back!

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:15:23 GMT

Praise the Lord!

Tara, Elizabeth, Seth, Ron, and Donna arrived safely back in Massachusetts at approx. 3:15 a.m. this morning (Monday). They had made alternate ground transportation arrangements from New York, and arrived only a couple of hours later than Cheryl & Rachel who took the delayed flight from JFK.

Delayed Again!

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:14:40 GMT

Our 10:15 a.m. flight Sunday morning from Accra to JFK in New York via Delta was delayed until noon due to fueling issues. When we landed at JFK, we again experienced delays that involved sitting on the tarmac waiting for a gate to become available. We were finally offloaded onto a transport which drove us to a gate. Adding to these delays was the time it took to collect our luggage and go through Customs. Bottom line: we are 2 for 2 -- we missed the connection from JFK to Boston.

By God's grace, Rachel and Cheryl were able to get on stand-by for the next flight to Boston scheduled for 10:10 p.m. Tara, Elizabeth, Donna, Ron, and Pastor Seth were scheduled for the Monday morning flight to Boston at 8:15 a.m. Discussions were underway about alternate possibilities, but since Rachel and I had to leave the rest of the team, I'm not sure of the final outcome at this point.

Rachel and I arrived safely in Boston this morning (now officially Monday) at 12:46 a.m. The 10:10 p.m. flight boarded at 11 p.m. and took off at midnight.

God doesn't promise that the road will be easy, but He does promise to walk with us.

In Christ,
Cheryl

Winding Down...

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:27:01 GMT

Today -- Saturday -- is our last full day in Ghana. This morning we visited briefly with Bishop Kow Egyir who is the Administrative Bishop for Ghana. Bishop Egyir has been involved in our Ghana mission efforts since their inception in 2002 when he was Bishop over the Sekondi District; he is the President of Friends of Ghana Outreach here in Ghana. Since his schedule as Administrative Bishop does not allow him the leisure to actively engage in our activities in the Western Region, the purpose of our visit was to share with him the work we were able to accomplish over the past week and a half and to thank him for the able assistance of Rev. Dan Brace and others from the Western Region.

Following our meeting, we returned to the arts and crafts marketplace at the Circle in Accra for more shopping -- and negotiating for the best prices. Rachel, Tara, and Elizabeth have quickly adapted to the necessities of bargaining with the shopkeepers for the best price. Although they still consulted at times with "Mama Cheryl", "Mama Donna", "Papa Ron" and "Papa Seth", they knew what they wanted and had quickly learned from their experiences yesterday.

We took a ride to the hills above Accra where the residence of a former President of Ghana is being restored and refurbished for the President's use. The road winds and curves its way up into the hills, but the view is tremendous. Since city traffic in Accra is horrendous and we had made luncheon arrangements for 2 p.m. at OSDA House, we were not able to go the entire way to Pastor Seth's former town or see Pastor Dorothy's boarding school. We did, however, have time to stop alongside the road to purchase mangoes which we enjoyed after lunch when we returned.

Tara, Elizabeth, and Rachel have promised to share some of their thoughts and reflections about Ghana Mission 2008 within the next couple of weeks, and I hope that Tommy will be able to do likewise. Until then, there will probably not be anything else to report other than our safe arrival in Massachusetts -- God willing.

Rejoicing in the Lord,
Cheryl -- on behalf of Ghana Mission Team 2008

OOEIM Orphanage, Elmina Castle, & Kakum Forest

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:47:38 GMT

We left Busua Beach Resort on Wednesday morning as planned and traveled about an hour to Cape Coast which is in the Central Region. Prior to our arrival at Pedu Guest House, we stopped at OOEIM Orphanage to check on the status of the bread making equipment.  We had left Ghana cedis with them on our way to Busua so that they could purchase a 50 kg bag of flour and the other ingredients so that we could confirm that the equipment was still in working condition.   Their first batch was hot from the oven and cooling, so of course we were "obligated" to taste test it. (SMILE) Delicious! The 50 kg. bag (110 lbs.) made approx. 160 loaves of bread.

The women in charge then gave us a list of ingredients so that we could buy quantities in bulk for them at the Cape Coast marketplace. Our oburoni parade wove through the market from stall to stall behind Pastor Seth as he purchased 7 bags of flour, huge tubs of margarine, canned milk, yeast, baking powder, sugar and a couple of mega metal bowls. After we delivered the supplies back to the orphanage,  Rev. Brace's driver John brought Lucy, Tommy, Rachel, Elizabeth, and Tara to Elmina Castle where they took a guided tour of the slave castle and learned about the disturbing treatment Africans along the Gold Coast received from the Portuguese and the Dutch, and later the English. As evening was falling, they walked up to the fort across from the castle where they watched the lines of fishing boats setting out for their evening efforts.

Early on Thursday morning, the same group traveled to nearby Kakum Forest where they walked along the suspension bridges above the forest canopy. Despite initial trepidation by some, they all had a terrific time. They shared their adventure with John (their driver) who had never visited Kakum before. While they were at Kakum, Pastor Seth received a phone call from the orphanage informing us that one of their JSS (Junior Secondary School) students was sent home from school because they couldn't pay the fee assessed by the parent-teacher organization. Pastor Seth, Ron, Cheryl, and Donna accompanied 17-year old Alice and the Rev. in charge of the orphanage to advocate on her behalf. After meeting with the headmistress about the situation, Alice was allowed to remain in school with a promise from the headmistress that she will advocate for the orphanage children at her school. We also visited the primary school where some of the orphanage children attend with the same request for special consideration.

Note: Cheryl had met Alice at the orphanage 2 years ago during our 2006 mission. At that time Alice had shared that first one parent had died, then the other. She had been living on the streets until Rev. Richard (the founder of the orphanage) met her and brought her to OOEIM. She had been there at that point for a couple of years and considered him her father. Unfortunately, he died within 6 months of our previous visit, so she and the others have essentially been orphaned a second time.

The team reunited at the orphanage briefly before driving to Elmina Beach Resort where they enjoyed a buffet lunch overlooking the water. A truly spectacular setting!

Another visit to the Cape Coast marketplace yielded 3 more bags of flour, rice, fish, tomato paste, onions, and other ingredients for the orphanage as well as more Ghanaian fabric for many of the team members. (It was wholesale after all...)  Tara, Elizabeth, Rachel and Tommy returned to the orphanage early so that they could spend more time with the kids. They organized soccer games (the orphanage kids wore them out), and Rachel even helped wash some clothes with one of the older girls whose responsibility it is to do the wash twice a week for everyone. There were lots of hugs from 5-year old Mary and teasing between Isaiah, Elizabeth and others. The older boys had their part of the baking process fully under control as they cut the dough, weighed it, and placed it in buttered pans for rising. For our teens, the experience at the orphanage ranked among the most meaningful of their time in Ghana. The adults, too, were again touched by these children and youth, and rejoiced that the team was able to provide some tangible support in the form of baking ingredients to assist them in the long run.

We were all sad to say so long to Lucy and Tommy this morning (Friday) as we left them at Weda Lodge in Anomabo. We know, however, that they will be well cared for by Julia Acquaah-Harrison's brother and the staff there as they spend the evening in preparation for a long bus ride to Kumasi on Saturday afternoon. (Before we left everyone on the team admired the spectacular view from Weda Lodge which is situated on the top of a hill overlooking the ocean, fields, and villages in the area.)

As already noted, the remaining 7 of us safely arrived at OSDA House in Accra about 11:45 a.m. today. After quickly settling into our rooms, we were off -- to shop -- for arts and crafts products. Lunch at "Frankie's" was sandwiched in between our marketplace excursions, and the teens especially enjoyed their first hamburgers/cheeseburgers and fries in almost two weeks.

Time has passed much too quickly for many of us; we depart from Accra at approx. 10 a.m. on Sunday and will arrive back in Boston around 9/9:30 p.m. Nevertheless, we are all looking forward to being reunited with our loved ones and friends even as we celebrate the wonderful workings of the Lord and His faithfulness during our time here in Ghana.

Joyfully,
Cheryl & Ghana Mission Team 2008

Filling in the Blanks...

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:12:27 GMT

Time and unreliable internet access in Busua and elsewhere limited my ability to share some of the details about our time in the Western Region as well as about our time in Cape Coast, so I'll now attempt to fill in some of the blanks about our activities.

Sunday, 27 July 2008

Evangelist Bruce stopped by Busua Beach during breakfast to invite our mission team to join him and the congregation at St. Peter's Methodist Church in Busua for a special birthday celebration service that evening, and Pastor Seth accepted on our behalf. Cheryl was assigned to bring "A Word" during the Birthday Service and Rachel was asked to sing another solo.

After dropping off Donna and Elizabeth for worship service at Azani following breakfast, Pastor Seth, Lucy, and Tommy distributed the remaining mosquito bed nets to those living in Ahantaman (sp?). They also spent time in worship there. Afterwards, they returned to Azani for the remainder of that worship service and then distributed the nets designated for those in that village.

Tara, Rachel, and Cheryl worshipped at St. Peter's Methodist Church in Busua -- a short 5 minute walk from the Busua Beach Resort where the mission team was staying. St. Peter's is the church where Evangelist Justice Bruce is assigned. Cheryl offered greetings to the congregation on behalf of the mission team, and then Rachel was asked to sing. As in Boekrom, those gathered enjoyed her offering of "Shine Jesus Shine". After worship service, the three of us were invited to join Francis Brewer and Evangelist Bruce at the mission house (parsonage) next door for light refreshments and conversation. It was a great opportunity for us to share how blessed many of the team members have been by the financial gifts and support which enabled us to participate in this mission, and we learned how in Christ Evangelist Bruce became a new creation, leaving his old ways of life behind to serve the Lord.

Shortly after we arrived at the church for the birthday service celebration, the team was surprised to be led to a local restaurant where we were asked to join other guests of Evangelist Bruce for dinner. Among those assembled for the dinner were two chiefs from areas where Evangelist Bruce had served previously. Afterwards, we walked to the Busua church where the team had to sit on the dais (altar) with other guests. (All of us would have preferred to sit in the pews, however, so that we could have joined the dancing in the aisles and at the front of the church during praise and worship!) We presented to Evangelist Bruce the battery operated lamp that provided the light to work on the generators for the Evangelism service with a reminder to, "so let God's light shine through him that others would see his good deeds and praise his father in heaven". Those gathered thoroughly enjoyed it when Rachel sang, "Lord I Lift Your Name on High".

More later!

Blessings,
Cheryl

Now in Accra!

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:59:35 GMT

Rachel, Tara, Elizabeth, Donna, Ron, Pastor Seth, and Cheryl have all arrived safely at OSDA House in Accra. Lucy and Tommy will continue their journey for a few extra days, so we dropped them off at Weda Lodge in Anomabo on our way from Cape Coast to Accra. They will be taking a bus to Kumasi on Saturday afternoon for a little extra exploration time.

Our time at OOEIM Orphanage was productive and a blessing. I'll write more later about our adventures, but only have time right now to let folks know that we have safely arrived.

Standing on God's promises,
Cheryl & Ghana Mission Team 2008

Nyame Adom

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:03:48 GMT

means God's grace or by the grace of God.

It is truly by God's grace that our small team has been able to accomplish what we have over the past several days. In addition to the other projects already mentioned, the palm oil processing and cassava processing equipment in Azani are once again operational. Today (Tuesday) Rachel, Tommy and Cheryl watched as John ground dry coconut and as some of the palm oil went through its final boiling stage to separate the "good oil" from the unusably product. At the same time, Pastor Seth, Donna and Ron met with the headmaster at the Senior Secondary School to settle the scholarship accounts with the school for those teens for whom we had committed assistance.

Afterwards, Ron, Cheryl, Amelia, Tommy, Rachel, and John visited the work site for the chapel. Backfilling has been partially done and removal of another tree within the structure of the walls and trenches have been dug in preparation for the pouring of the foundation for offices and a conference room which will be part of the chapel building. Wood and wire was delivered for the construction of the forms for the support columns for the walls and roof. Concrete should be poured into the forms within the next couple of days (after we leave). An elementary school is very close by to the new chapel, so we were able to visit with some of the younger school children during their lunch break. Lunch was being provided for them through a government program that provides the funding for local women to prepare and serve the food. Their lunch today consisted of a bowl with a layer of cooked beans, followed by a layer of gari, and then a scoop of palm oil over the top.

Last night some of the team attended abot an hour of a revival service at St. John's Methodist Church in Dixcove while the remainder of the team rested back at Busua. As usual, the little ones were drawn like a magnet to Rachel and some of them squeezed into the pew beside us.

Today is our last full day at Busua. We will depart shortly after breakfast on Wednesday morning for the guest house where we are staying in Cape Coast. During our two days there, we will be visiting with the children at the OOEIM Orphanage and some will visit Kakum Forest where they will walk along the suspension bridges above the tree canopy. When we stopped by the orphanage on our way from Accra, we learned that they did not have the necessary supplies to utilize the bread baking equipment donated a couple of years ago by someone in the area. Therefore, one of the ways we are assisting there is to provide flour, margerine, sugar, and yeast for them to be able to resume the bread baking program which can not only provide food for the children, but a source of income as some of it is sold. We'll also be distributing first aid medical supplies (bandages, pain reliever, etc.) and the soccer balls from Fisk Memorial United Methodist Church's recent Summer Vacation Bible Camp project. (Participants and teachers prayed over the soccer balls as part of their mission project and signed them).

I will probably not be able to update this blog while we're in Cape Coast, but will fill in the details of our adventures when we arrive in Accra at OSDA House on Friday.

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him -- even as He is doing for us.

Nyame adom,
Cheryl on behalf of Ghana Mission Team 2008

Note: I'll share details regarding the worship service and birthday celebration when we're in Accra.

Great is God's Faithfulness -- the Work Progresses

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:12:28 GMT

And the nominee for a 4-wheel drive commercial is the road to Boekrom! One of our vehicles got stuck in the mud on it on Friday morning, and a chunk of wood got stuck in the fan belt and punctured the radiator in the van we were borrowing from the Methodist Church on the way back from the Evangelism service on Friday evening. By God's grace, however, we had help getting the vehicle out of the mud and our driver Patrick (who works with youth in the Ghana Methodist Church & who assisted us 2 years ago) was able to get us back to Busua in the broken van.

Three of our projects have been completed since the last time I was able to update the blog:

Health Clinics: As planned, we conducted the medical clinics on Friday and Saturday mornings. All three nurses from the Ghana Health Services have assisted us in the past -- Effie, Hannah, and Georgina. Approximately 200+ patients were seen over the two days, many of whom were women and children. On Friday, Tara and Donna took patients' blood pressure with assistance from Elizabeth while Cheryl put together the pain reliever and vitamin packets at our "pharmacy table" for distribution by Effie who was our nurse in charge of the medications. Tara and Elizabeth also took turns assisting with the medication packets.
On Saturday, Rachel and Lucy joined the medical team and took the blood pressures.

Mosquito Net Distribution: A total of 170 mosquito bed nets were distributed to 5 villages on Friday and Sunday mornings. Tommy and Lucy spearheaded this effort with Amelia and John's assistance. Explaining the importance of using the nets as well as instructions about proper installation were vital elements to this project.

Evangelism: The Lord blessed many on Friday evening at the Evangelistic outreach service conducted by Evangelist Justice Bruse in Boekrom. Rachel sang "Shine Jesus Shine" for her solo and Tommy shared testimony about his relationship with the Lord. The Lord used both teens mightily as well as Evangelist Bruce. To God be the glory! The Saturday night service scheduled for Butre was cancelled since another church was conducting a 3 day revival and it was not practical to do a second evening in Boekrom due to the condition of the road.

Chapel Construction: Local workmen and masons are making steady progress in building the cement block walls for the chapel in Boekrom. Ron, Tommy, Rachel, Pastor Seth and occasionally others have visited the site to monitor the progress and to arrange for necessary supplies and food for the workers. Work on this project continues.

That is all I have time to write about for now. God willing, I'll post another update soon to share about Sunday morning worship services and a birthday celebration we attended at St. Peters Methodist Church in Busua for Evangelist Bruse.

God is good -- ALL the time. ALL the time -- God is good. His compassions fail not. Great is His faithfulness.

In God's grace,
Cheryl & the mission team