Overwhelmed! That is the word for the day. We have all been overwhelmed by the goodness of God, by the spirit of each person we’ve met, by the way we were treated like royalty, and on and on.
The Ghanaian worship swept us all up as we danced and danced with all of the ladies. JoAnn pulled out flags to wave and the ladies were almost fighting over them. It is a HUGE Ghanaian tradition to wave handkerchiefs during worship and we knew they would love the color of the flags. JoAnn led the way and the ladies followed. It was precious. There is no need for Zumba or a gym in Ghana. All you need to Ghanaian style worship to stay fit.
We prayed and asked the Lord to open heaven and come down and bless us with His message. He came in power and blew us all away. The ladies embraced their identity as daughters of the Most High and cried out to heaven for their inheritance of grace, peace, and mercy, and many other things.
The ladies broke into three groups and the GGs (Ghana Girls) went two by two to share their own identity verse and how God had been faithful to them. The Ghanaian women were soaking it all in. These mighty women of God poured themselves out like a drink offering to the Lord and He blessed it. Before it was all done, the Ghanaian women started sharing their own stories of God’s goodness and faithfulness in their lives. These testimonies encouraged all who listened.
We closed with a joyous celebration of worship and lunch. They were excited to have a special meal and to fellowship with one another. Most of them packed their lunches to take home with them and spent their time fellowshipping instead of eating. They most likely took it home to share with their families, because it was such a special treat.
We returned to the guest house and one of our team members started feeling really sick. We’ve prayed for her and I called the American doctor here to make sure it was nothing serious. He said it was her system responding to the Ghanaian spices and it happens sometimes. We have her on the BRAT diet and she has rested all afternoon in the air conditioning. She is already improving, but please continue to pray for our health. We have so much to do and no one wants to miss a moment of it. Watching God move here is like Christmas morning again and again.
Eddie wanted to take me to see his wife, Regina, and their children: Daniel, James Michael, Susan, and Ashley. This family has adopted me as their American mother since 2003. Eddie calls me #1 Maame. The team went with us. When they opened the gate for us to pull in, all of the children were standing in a row with signs for us, greeting us. Susan had a crown on her head and a boa around her neck. She presented them to me. We went inside and they had posted signs they made all around their house declaring their love and appreciation for me as their Maame. I was moved to tears and speechless, which is rare (no wise cracks). We took the team on a tour of the house and Eddie shared his vision for his ministry. I looked around and the GGs had tear filled eyes they were trying to hold back. We celebrated together. Ashley, Susan and I played the drums (Cathy Little would be so proud of me) and the others danced. We presented them with gifts of clothes, shoes and soccer balls. The children were so happy. We had to leave too soon, but Grace had dinner waiting for us.
We’ve spent our evening sorting supplies for our other destinations to prepare for our trip to the north. Tomorrow we will go to Bantama Church in Kumasi and repeat the same retreat; however, we all know the Lord is the one leading and it could look completely different.
Please pray for good rest for all and for our systems settle. We want nothing to slow us down. Your prayers are felt and we are gathering so many stories to share with you. There isn’t enough time to record them all each night.
Gina: “As one who works with in Women’s Ministry at my church, I want the passion of the Lord to pour through the ladies of Due West UMC like I’ve witnessed here in Ghana.”
JoAnn: “The desperation in the faces of the women for more of God has blown me away.”
Kellie: “These ladies have so little by the world’s standards, yet they possess a beauty, love, joy, and passion for the Lord I want to experience.”
Kelli: “When the ladies shared their personal stories, I was so moved. They will live in my heart forever. The way they would war for one another astounded me.”
Kim: “As I watched the ladies pray, they emptied themselves before the Lord verbally and physically. You can’t begin to capture it in a picture, but it was a sight to behold.”
Margaret: “Beautiful, humbling, joyous, heart breaking, powerful, miraculous…these are just a few of the words to give you a picture of what we have seen and experienced today.”
Susan: “I have never loved these six women more than I do today. I watched them move from timid and unsure of themselves to bold and fearless in the Lord. They have blessed all who have encountered them, especially me.”
Blessings from Ghana!