A Tamale Christmas

Did Bing Crosby ever sing a song called, "I'm dreaming of a hot, dusty Christmas"? Well he should have. We saw hundreds and hundreds of children last week and it was easy to forget that you are hot and filthy. They always make you smile.

We enjoyed every minute we were able to spend with the Nagy/Kurnick team. We have heard that they had a safe trip and are doing well. They were on the road to villages almost every morning visiting schools and Bible clubs. Everyone did what was needed and more. The team had 4 adults and 6 young people. Seth and Caleb (along with the Seedlings) enjoyed seeing the teenagers.

John and Paul both preached while they were here. Everyone seemed to enjoy the lively praise and worship time at the churches. In the first picture some of the guys are dancing, as Paul is getting ready to preach.

In the second picture, the team is serving chicken and dumplings to visitors. We opened the gate on Christmas and invited people to come and fellowship (which, of course, means eat).
We saw a lot of friends, pastors, and Seed Ministry alumni.

We want to say thank you one more time to the team for what you brought and what you accomplished. You all did wonderful work in Ghana. Seed Ministry staff and the Seedlings were so happy to see you come and so sad to see you go. God bless you.

Receiving Much More Than Giving!

We are blessed this week because we have visitors here from the Louisville area. They consist of two families that have decided to spend their Christmas on mission blessing children in the various Bible Clubs.

In the past two days we have seen 20 Bible Clubs! Yes, 20! The staff of Seed Ministry splits up in two buses taking one family in each bus. We drive from club to club. A member of the family tells the story of Jesus' birth and then we sing a song. The visitors then pass out toffees and the children's gifts!

I can truly say for everyone that we have been receiving many more blessings than we are giving. We have received many smiles and waves of welcome along the roadsides. We have received hugs and handshakes from the children. We have received many songs sung by even the smallest of children, telling about our Savior! We are overflowing with JOY!

PHOTOS: Team 1 family shares the Bible Story to a classroom of children.

Paul and Jake giving toffees away to the smallest children.

Team 2 John leads his family and tells the Bible Story at a club.

Chase sings with the children.

Who is helping who?

We were sad to see the team from East Bernstadt leave. We pray that they will have a safe journey back home to their families and church. They did very well for the two weeks they stayed with us. Toby's impression of the team was humility. They didn't complain and always put others first. I know we all try to do that, but spending three nights sleeping on a concrete floor with no fan seems to wear people down. When the going got tough they pushed ahead. We knew they were tired, but they just kept on working. There were young and "not quite as young" on the team and we were surprised by what they could handle.

The team was also a great example for the the Parker boys and Seedlings that they spent time with. We were glad that Seth and Caleb could be around godly marriages and loving people. Everyone received a lot of valuable wisdom from each other.

The first picture shows Uriah, Seth, and Wumpini at a church dedication. They, along with Caleb, provided help and entertainment. (They also provided scapegoats for us to blame whenever we blew it.)

In the second picture some of the team is singing a song during the dedication.

The team's goal, and Seed Ministry's, was to come to Ghana and minister to the children. They wanted to enrich and encourage. They wanted to show love to the kids, but after two weeks we were the ones enriched and encouraged. We were shown love by the kids everywhere we went. If you have done missions before you know this is the way God works. You come to be a blessing, you go back blessed. Now that is "win, win".

Dynamic Duo

Caleb and Seth are enjoying their time in Ghana. They love the people and have met some great friends. They are both home schooled. Some people worry that they may not get enough "socialization". We have not placed them in a room full of 14 to 16 year olds in a long time (unless it was to tell a Bible story). However, they do spend a lot of time with adults and children. When they are with adults they try to be good listeners and respectful (and entertaining on some occasions). When children are the focus, the Parker boys, can organize the group, play games (tug and pull is Seth's specialty), and teach the Bible lessons.





These pictures were taken a few weeks ago when the FBCEB team had come to work along side Seed Ministry. The first picture is when we visited the school at Kpendua. Caleb is carrying on a conversation with Emmanuel while we were setting up. Emmanuel is a godly man, good husband, and good father. These are the kind of people we are glad the boys get to hang out with.





The second picture was taken when we delivered some Christmas gifts near Kpana. We asked the team to leave all of their things on the bus and walk a short distance to a Bible Club. I asked Caleb to stay to keep an eye on things. Since Caleb had a few minutes and some curious children came to say "hello", he started sharing about God's love through Jesus' death. We don't tell the boys to do things like that, they just seize the moment sometimes. Seth and Caleb, of course, always make us proud. They have had their part in what has been accomplished this year at Seed Ministry.

Happy Campers

"What did we do to make Seed Ministry so mad at us?" That was one of the questions asked on an extended stay in the African bush. The team spent the night inside a church at a village recently. They ministered until well after dark and then began early the next morning. They were all troopers. They ate some very hot food and slept on a very thin mattress. No one complained about anything. It was a quick way for us to get to know all of these wonderful Christian men and women. Seth and Caleb were able to see some great role models. Couples showing a strong marriage and everyone showing the fruits of the Spirit (especially patience). Everyone was laughing about the day and night spent "in the wild".

Introductions

When we went to Galenshegu to spend time with the children Mrs. Candy made fast friends with some of the children. In Ghana, a piece of candy is called toffee. So when we introduced Mrs. Candy to Pastor Abraham he said, "Oh, the children will like you." (This has also earned her the nickname "Toffee"). In the first picture Pastor James is introducing Mrs. Candy to his daughter Matilda. Matilda stuck with Candy for the rest of our time there.

In the second picture you can see Mrs. Connie introducing the children to her friend, Jesus. She explained our sin and God's remedy. Jesus said that you have to have the faith of a child to enter His Kingdom and we saw that played out in the village. Although she did not know Mrs. Candy well, Matilda stayed very close to her. When a lost person will come to Jesus, trust Him, and follow Him (stay close to Him), then God will accept them as His child.

These two ladies, along with the rest of the East Bernstadt team, are doing amazing things in the lives of the children in Ghana.

Tale of Two Cities

The East Bernstadt team are staying busy, very busy. On the schedule was two crusades. The first one was mentioned in an earlier blog. There was a lot of opposition. The unbelieving men of the village even organized the children to chant very loudly when the preaching began. Atlthough we see many times where the message is rejected, it was sobering to hear those children. It makes the Bible Clubs seem that much more valuable. The children will not grow up as empty slates. Our hope is that God will put them in a setting where they can hear the Gospel.
The second crusade was in a different village about one and a half hours away. Pastor Norm, from the team, preached another clear message. This village only has one family that are Christians. The father is a godly man and great example to his neighbors. You may be able to imagine what it would be like to not have any Christian friends or family. You may also be able to imagine what it would be like not to have a church body to teach and encourage you.
After the message some came forward to reject there way of life and become Christians. Even the next morning a few more came. The team will go back and visit the new believers tomorrow.
I would like for you to pray for this new church body. It will contain mostly babes in Christ. Satan will surely attack it, so we pray that the people will be strong. Please don't forget about the first crusade either. Pastor Norm has thrown the seed on the hard soil. We are doing our part and waiting on the Lord to work a miracle in the hearts of the unbelievers in Ghana.