My Mission Journey to Ghana
My Mission Journey to Ghana
By Volunteer in Mission Jill Wilson
Click to view the photos from this trip.
When we listen, we hear God. Sometimes it is through people, sometimes through situations, sometimes through prayer. Our spiritual journey is formed by listening and following Him. Being a Mission Volunteer is one step in that faith journey.
I told people I was a volunteer, but I think I should change that to more accurately say that God volunteered me for the journey to Ghana. I believe He did that to all of the team. While we may attribute our participation to a person, I think that we were hearing God, as he knew we would listen, through people! God put us together for a reason!
As humans, we cannot always understand the reasons things happen. We cannot understand why humans still live in impoverished conditions. We cannot understand how our small actions in one week, really make a difference, in the long run. We may not understand why he called us on a mission journey. While we may not understand, we trust God. We trust him in his grace and mercy on all people. I believe God put us together in Ghana for a reason I do not fully understand. But just like we listened to ‘people’ in order to hear our call, I think the people of Ghana ‘listened’ to us as we served them. They have seen God’s love because of our actions. They know we came to them, sharing ourselves with them, as God has asked, through people! I trust God that they have felt his love through us; and just maybe that is why our team was put in Ghana together!
Our team was somewhat task oriented. We each brought a skill to the people and put our skills to good use. Some of us labored in concrete and paint. We repaired and completed concrete walkways at a school. The complete school was repainted. Some of us provided health care. On the narrow front porch of a clinic building we saw 700 people with various health concerns. We also built desks and chairs at a different school, which currently holds all classes outdoors. One on our team, an engineer, performed assessments for sanitation needs in five different villages.
Our journey was facilitated by Bishop John Kweku Buabeng-Odoom, and the Methodist Church of Ghana, and Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie, our New York Annual Conference Mission Coordinator. Bishop John had prepared for our visit and was actively involved in our week of service. Our introductory meeting and parting ceremony with him was official, but extremely heartfelt.
His gratitude was overwhelming. He looks forward to our return. Worshipping in a Methodist church in Ghana is a joyful, dancing, singing, uplifting experience. Passion for the Lord, and his mercy and grace is unquestionable. The poverty we witnessed is extraordinary. That which you and I never even think about is their daily struggle. Clean water, sanitation, food and clothing top the list, followed closely by health care, education and a job.
Weeks after our return flight touched down in JFK, we are still processing what the experience meant to us and to those we served. A Mission journey is just that…a journey. It begins with the formation of a team and the relationships therein; continues with the formation of relationships with the local leaders and people; and certainly continues the journey of faith we are all on.
