Hello dear loved ones!!
The last several weeks have had some tough moments, but even in the midst of the emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges, God has proven Himself faithful. It is incredible how He gives an all-sustaining love that no one else is capable of. At times, life here can be a roller coaster of emotions with ups and downs. I never know what each day might hold. I have learned that it is best not to make plans because something unexpected is bound to happen, and God always has greater plans, thoughts, and purposes anyways! That is why I love capturing photos of the sunsets here in Ghana at the end of a long hard day because it is a reminder that His mercies will be new in the morning. Even against all odds…. He is a faithful God!
LEARNING MUST CONTINUE!
A few weeks ago, the President of Ghana made a much anticipated announcement about the decision of when school will resume. I had high hopes that it would continue by the second week of September, but unfortunately the announcement was that school would be further postponed until January 2021. It has now been six months since school was cancelled in the beginning of March. When I walk around our village I see all of the children roaming unsupervised and most of the time doing mischievous things. Some of the older children have had to go to work to help out the family since the economy is still struggling from the Togo border being closed. It is even predicted that there will be a large number of children that will not even come back to school once it does resume because of a variety of reasons: They are now learning a trade, they have some other work they are now doing, or sadly there have been many teen pregnancies happen during this school shut down as well. The majority of the children in Ghana have no access to internet or even television due to not having electricity, so that rules out any virtual learning possibilities for the majority of the country. There is a radio program every morning for one hour that is meant to help the older students listen to some lessons, but I fear many are not partaking in this either.
There is a lot to be said about the current situation, but I do not want to dwell on the negative. Instead, I want to praise God for the ways we can still reach out to the children and their families during this time. We have been able to do 4 different food distributions in the community to the majority of vulnerable children and their families as well as print off school work to give to certain children that are able to work independently. Until school resumes, one of my roommates and I, who is also a teacher, plan to gather groups of children throughout the week to do a one hour lesson together. We have done it twice already and the children were so eager and excited to be learning again after just being in the house doing nothing! We have started in the Muslim community with hopes of also sharing some Bible stories as well. Sweet Rumana has also joined us for the lessons! A few days a week some children I know also come by our house for a few hours of learning as well.
SMILING FACES!
Here are some smiling faces from visiting in the community. I try and go visit my friend Jennifer and her new baby Jessica as often as I can to check on them because Jennifer’s husband had to sneak back to Togo across the border to continue working. He may not be able to come back until the border’s officially open back up. She has her hands full with this sweet baby girl along with her other two boys. Even though she is always busy, she always takes time to visit when I come by and never fails to send me with some popcorn that she makes herself to sell!
The elderly lady is sweet Mawuenyo. We finally convinced her to sit in a plastic chair that we got for her several weeks ago. She normally prefers to sit on a small wooden stool to do her work, but she has been experiencing joint pains. We are not exactly sure because she has no birth certificate, which is a common thing here, but we know she is at least in her mid 90s. Even though she has body aches and pains she still insists to go to church every Sunday to worship Jesus with everyone else! Her laugh and smile is such a light in the darkness of idol worship that happens all around her.
HARVEST TIME!
The time finally came for us to harvest the corn that we have been growing since April! Here, they wait for the corn to dry on the stalk before harvesting. We harvested and then pulled the sheaves before separating it all out into 15 plastic bags full! Our sweet little neighbor children came over to help the process. We were able to share the bags with our friends in the community that really needed it. It was a fun and productive day! We thank God for the harvest that was plentiful!
PRAYER NEEDS
My last update I shared about an elderly man named Yao who was severely malnourished and neglected by his family. After taking him to the hospital and he was discharged, we tried to nurse him back to health. It pains me to share that Yao did not make it. We had found that he had passed away one morning when we went to check on him. It was a difficult situation and even more complicated because of the family issues. What brought me peace through this whole situation was that I know he was in Christ. He is now no longer in pain or suffering as he was. We will continue to pray for his family to have softened hearts to know who God truly is!
Around the same time Yao passed away, we noticed that Wisdom’s condition was also getting worse. We took him to a specialist in town and after some tests he was referred to a bigger hospital about an hour away. He had very low blood levels, severely malnourished, anemic, and other health conditions that are still being tested and examined for. My roommates and another teacher from the community volunteered themselves to go and take care of Wisdom while he was at the hospital. They have been rotating in and out for over a week now. It has been incredible to see how much Wisdom’s condition has improved since he was first admitted. The doctors said that he was near death, but now he is able to walk with assistance and eat on his own! Wisdom’s family situation is very complicated. There are deep issues from the past when his mom passed away. His family are into idol worship practices and blame different things on Wisdom’s condition. The father is rejecting him because he blames the grandmother for cursing him. We had to bring the issue to social welfare. It is now being sorted out while he is in the hospital. Wisdom needs consistent care. We are praying that his father will put the bitter family feud behind him and take Wisdom in as his son to care for him. Wisdom is a precious child of God and has value for his life! Join us in prayer that his family will see that!
The photo of the woman and baby is a widow named Sherita and her baby boy named Miracle. She came to the house a few weeks ago asking for funds to take baby Miracle for his circumcision. When we came to check on Miracle after the procedure was done we found that their living conditions were very challenging. Sherita also has 2 other young children and 2 older girls. They are all just barely making it. We are now trying to start the process to help her sell charcoal in the community to help get some funds for the family. Sherita has passed through a lot of challenges, but still holds onto a faith in God. I pray that we will be able to continue to love on her and her children to help them rely fully on God’s sustaining love.
PERSONAL UPDATE
“He who believes in Me…. Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38
This verse took on a whole new meaning for me recently. After reading an Oswald Chambers devotion on this verse I couldn’t help but relate it to my exact situation. A few days before reading this particular devotion I found out that I have a blood clot in my right leg. To receive that news was not something I was expecting at all. It has completely changed my daily routine and habits due to medications I am now taking. It has been humbling as well because I have needed to slow down my normal running (or riding my bicycle) around for now which has allowed me to see the living water of God flow from the body of Christ around me. My roommates and other brothers and sisters in Christ have taken on the different activities and care I was involved in before getting the medical news. I am so thankful for the family God has given me here as well as my family there. I know that other people around the world are also experiencing this same medical challenge, but if we are to keep our eyes focused on the Source rather than the problem then peace like a river will flow in our hearts.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to read these updates from Ghana! I have felt love and encouragement over the months that has been a huge boost in the ministry The Lord is doing here. The generous giving has allowed projects like the food distribution to go on as well as urgent medical care for precious people like Wisdom. God bless you all and thank you for the love, support, and prayers!
From this side of the world to yours,
Chelsi
when you post pictures of a sun rise or a sun set, I know thoses are times when you are along with Jesus, taking a rest from your daily activities. This is good. This is a difficult time for the children plus their parents. Sometimes there are tears because of all the needs you see, but we know Jesus wept, (John 11:35), then in a moment there is laughing because a child did or said something funny. Jesus gives us humor also. Praying for the school situations, the smiling and sad faces, food needs to be met, medical care to be provided, Jesus to be received for who He is, and the blood clot to be dissolved. Love, from…
Oh sweet Chelsi Thank you for taking time to share what is happening in Ghana. Prayers that your blood clot will dissolve and you will be able to resume all the work you are doing for those precious people. Love, Joy and blessings to you!