March has been a full month—one of seeming constant activity as we prepared for and launched out into the long-awaited ministry to the elderly of Tema and the surrounding communities. Initially we had concerns about whether we would get a response.It seemed like the people we were coordinating with at the local Social Welfare office were impossible to pin down. But we were persistent, and when the day finally arrived, we were expecting to have close to 100 people come to our mission center, where we would offer food, fellowship, and haircuts. We were surprised to say the least, when over 200 people showed up, and that’s not counting the people we had to turn away because our buses were all full. I personally had a brief moment of panic when the Social Welfare officer called me about half an hour before the program was supposed to start to tell me about an extra hundred people who were ready and waiting to be picked up in locations we didn’t even know about! So then we had a new issue to consider of whether the food we prepared would be enough to feed twice as many people as we planned for.

But through the course of the day, everything we needed was provided for. From food to money for transportation, anytime we thought we were about to run out, there was enough to last till the end. I can’t tell you how happy I was to see our dining hall full of people from all over the area, enjoying the chance to socialize, and also to see the impact the event had on those that were volunteering to serve food, cut hair, or just sit and chat with someone. Our hope and plan is to hold this kind of event once a month to start and increase the frequency as we get more accustomed to the work. And after that I can’t wait to see the Mercy Ministries expand to other areas—prisons, hospitals…and everywhere else we can think of. 

On a personal note, I spent the afternoon with some friends at the beach recently, and was struck once again with awe at the majesty of a seemingly endless expanse of water stretching far as the eye can see. The phrase “Be still and know that I am God” takes on new meaning for me any time I start to really look at nature. I tend to want answers as soon as I’ve come up with the question, and lately I’ve had a lot of questions I’ve been asking God on various topics, but as I sat on the sand I found that all I could do was think about the goodness of God. Just think of it—there we were, unsure that we would get people to come, and at the end of the day, God not only brought people, He provided enough food to feed them! It was so encouraging to me to see God go so far beyond expectations. At the moment I’m at a loss for words…and I am waiting in eager expectation to see what God will do in my life next.
Rachel

"Looking Back..."

Greetings all, hope you're doing well as you read this post. While I was home recently I was going through some old journals and notebooks and came across the journal that we kept as a team for the mission trip to the Dominican Republic in July of 2005. As I read through the entries from different team members, I came finally to the last entry and was surprised to realize that it was mine, I had long since forgotten writing it. But as I read, what I wrote then seems so relevant to the way I still feel today. So I want to share it with you…hope you enjoy :-)

Sunday, July 17, 2005
"…It's hard to know where to begin when reflecting back over the week, but as we fly over the green patchwork of the Dominican Republic I am struck by the view. Through the clouds I catch glimpses of fields leading into forested foothills which in turn lead into actual mountains. And over it all, above the ocean and hills and sea of clouds, the sun shines down, giving warmth and light, illuminating the dark places and stimulating growth and life. All this beauty (in addition to how we've spent the last week) draws my mind to God's abounding love and grace. Just like the sun light pouring down, God showers us with His love, even when the clouds seem to cover it, His love is always there. This week has been such an amazing time not only to show God's love to the people of the Dominican Republic, but also to receive His love and grace through the very people we came to serve. As a "seasoned" mission trip participant, I would half expect to be used to this by now, yet somehow I am always surprised and feel a sense of wonder at the way God works in and through people.
Through all the thoughts and feelings fighting for space on this page, one word keeps coming to mind: grace. The simplest definition I have heard of grace describes it simply as "getting something you don't deserve". Did we deserve to show and be shown God's love? Was there something we did that somehow earned us the wonderful experience we just had? No, of course not… 'For it is by grace you have been saved,' and as the worship song says, 'freely I've received, now freely to give.'
I know that in the future I will look back at this past week and remember many things. Some memories will fade, only to be brought back by looking at pictures, while others will require no photos to jog them. I think the images of the Project Child Orphanage will be burned into my mind for a very long time. No camera could capture the joy contained and shared in the smile of one boy in particular.
Well, by now I'm sure you get the picture…I've rambled on and waxed poetic long enough. I think the best I can say is: WOW! What an indescribable gift! In closing I leave you with a prayer/song that has been sung at countless family dinners and church services in my life:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!"

"A Breath of Fresh Air"

Okay, no sense trying to deny or make excuses...it's been way too long since I've updated. Sorry about that, but the good news is, I'm updating right this very minute! That's gotta be exciting!

The past five months have been pretty crazy busy for me. In September I started a three-month long course at the base here in Ghana. (That is I attended the course, not that I ran it) As those of you who read my last post know, around that time I was feeling some growing discontent with the status quo, and a real desire to be challenged and pushed to change. Well, that is exactly what I got in this course, three months of intensive challenge and growth. I'm not going to go into too much detail here for the sake of time and space, but it was an amazing time of re-evaluating, and then stretching, my comfort zones.

So, that course ended on December 6th, and Ghana held their elections on December 7th...and I flew back to the States on December 8th. My arrival in Michigan was followed quickly by a whirlwind of activity including speaking to the senior high Bible classes at my old high school only two days after I arrived. The flurry of activity continued right through the holidays and on till January 5th when I boarded a plane to come back to Ghana. (By the way, I discovered some time ago that it just isn't possible to see all the people you hope to see and do all that you hope to do during a one month visit home...there's just not enough time...unless you give up sleep that is)

But now that I'm back in Ghana, a different flurry of activity is getting ready to commence. There's a lot of work to do to catch up for the past few months when my attention has been focused elsewhere, but the thing I'm most excited about getting going on is the work with the elderly in Tema and Ashaiman. As some of you know, this is a project that we've been talking about getting off the ground for a long time now, but for a while there we weren't getting much in the way of help from the local Social Welfare office (a main source for finding those senior citizens who might need assistance). But the great news is that in the last month, the people at Social Welfare have started calling asking when we want to get started because they're all set and excited to see this ministry started! Really exciting news for me, and I can't wait to start, which will be next week with a trip to the Social Welfare office.

There are of course, many other projects going on right now, but in the interest of space and time, I'm going to cut this short now, and promise to write another post before the end of the month. By the way, thanks to everyone who was so encouraging to me while I was in Michigan, it was really great seeing everybody and I wish I had more hours in the day so I could have spent more time with everyone...
Love you all!
Rachel