"What will your family be doing in Ghana?"
It's an easy answer,
The Lord moved on our hearts through our adoption to recognize the truly difficult and sometimes horrifying plight of orphans. (In Ghana, there is one orphan for every 23 people!) Through an experience in Ghana in which a person drowned unexpectedly without ever hearing the truth of Jesus, we have been burdened for people who have never heard of Christ. (In Ghana, 10% of the population is considered unreached because of language and cultural separation.) In a nutshell, here's a brief synopsis of God's call on our life for ministry in Ghana:
1.) We will be working for Feeding the Orphans to care for orphans. We will be an on the ground contact for the orphanages in Ghana and FTO in the USA. We will see that the physical and spiritual needs of the children are met. Additionally, we will be helping with a pilot project for FTO to establish homes in villages for orphans. These will be like permanent foster care homes that empower the locals to care for the orphans among them in a "forever family" environment. The children will be raised in their own village by caregivers that love and care for the orphans like they are their own. Adoption is a huge blessing for children who are adopted into families, but it will not be the answer for all. Our desire is to love and
care for the waiting children. They are God's beloved ones.
2.) We will be working for a Ghanaian ministry, Meaningful Life International to plant churches in the northern region where the gospel of Christ has not penetrated. Reid will be helping to train pastors and bridging the gap into these villages. However, everything will be done through the Ghanaian people so that the ministry is not dependent on us. We wish to help empower the people and give them a vision for their country. We hope to come alongside the people in Ghana to see this happen. Compassion outreaches will show the gospel of love before it is preached. Medical outreaches and provision of clean water will be some of the compassion opportunities in these villages. Trained pastors will be in place to disciple those turning to Christ.
These are the two main components for what we will be responsible for. One additional thing is beginning to take shape. Tiva Water here in Knoxville manufactures filters to provide clean water in areas where it is needed. These point-of-use water filters assure clean water at the time of use. These filters may be used as a bridge to introduce the gospel in the unreached areas. Additionally, the plan is to follow a business model which will provide jobs for a sales force and maintenance team to service the filters. Again, we will work with Ghanaians for this to happen.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us. If you would like to be added to our newsletter list, you can e-mail us to add you too. We appreciate your prayers!
It's an easy answer,
"We will be living the gospel through LOVING orphans and
preaching the gospel by bringing HOPE to unreached people."
(First picture we received of our son on May 27, 2010. Heartbreaking.)
The Lord moved on our hearts through our adoption to recognize the truly difficult and sometimes horrifying plight of orphans. (In Ghana, there is one orphan for every 23 people!) Through an experience in Ghana in which a person drowned unexpectedly without ever hearing the truth of Jesus, we have been burdened for people who have never heard of Christ. (In Ghana, 10% of the population is considered unreached because of language and cultural separation.) In a nutshell, here's a brief synopsis of God's call on our life for ministry in Ghana:
1.) We will be working for Feeding the Orphans to care for orphans. We will be an on the ground contact for the orphanages in Ghana and FTO in the USA. We will see that the physical and spiritual needs of the children are met. Additionally, we will be helping with a pilot project for FTO to establish homes in villages for orphans. These will be like permanent foster care homes that empower the locals to care for the orphans among them in a "forever family" environment. The children will be raised in their own village by caregivers that love and care for the orphans like they are their own. Adoption is a huge blessing for children who are adopted into families, but it will not be the answer for all. Our desire is to love and
care for the waiting children. They are God's beloved ones.
2.) We will be working for a Ghanaian ministry, Meaningful Life International to plant churches in the northern region where the gospel of Christ has not penetrated. Reid will be helping to train pastors and bridging the gap into these villages. However, everything will be done through the Ghanaian people so that the ministry is not dependent on us. We wish to help empower the people and give them a vision for their country. We hope to come alongside the people in Ghana to see this happen. Compassion outreaches will show the gospel of love before it is preached. Medical outreaches and provision of clean water will be some of the compassion opportunities in these villages. Trained pastors will be in place to disciple those turning to Christ.
These are the two main components for what we will be responsible for. One additional thing is beginning to take shape. Tiva Water here in Knoxville manufactures filters to provide clean water in areas where it is needed. These point-of-use water filters assure clean water at the time of use. These filters may be used as a bridge to introduce the gospel in the unreached areas. Additionally, the plan is to follow a business model which will provide jobs for a sales force and maintenance team to service the filters. Again, we will work with Ghanaians for this to happen.
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us. If you would like to be added to our newsletter list, you can e-mail us to add you too. We appreciate your prayers!
"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
Colossians 1:27-28
