Celebrating 5 Years In Ghana

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.  Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." 

Isaiah 60: 1-3

I have been thinking about this post for the past few days.  I can hardly believe that we are celebrating 5 years in Ghana! My heart is so full of gratitude to God and to each person who has given to this ministry, making it possible for us to do what God has called us to do. 

Five years ago we boarded a one-way flight to Ghana. JJ was 5, Caleb 3 and Justice was just 5 months old. Since that time our family has grown, we added Rosemary, Paul and Miracle in Feb. 2010 and then on December 25, 2013 Bright joined our family. In June 2010 Autumn joined us in Ghana... I believe that God sent her to Ghana not only to partner in ministry but also to be a dear friend and sister to me. 

God has never ceased to amaze us. He has proven His love and provision for us over and over again. Through this journey I have gained a strong faith in Him and who I am to Him. God has been faithful and gentle over these last 5 years. He has brought us to this amazing place,  He has built us a beautiful home and continue to grow our CORM family.

Photos from our last 5 years: 

Family

2009-Johnbull, Stacy, JJ (5), Caleb(3) and Justice (3 months)

2010- Johnbull, Stacy, Rosemary (12), Paul (11), Miracle (8), JJ (6), Caleb (4) and Justice (1 year)

Omorefe Family 2010

Omorefe Family 2014

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Christmas 2014- Stacy and Autumn

            

2010-Edwin

2010-Ma Theresia and Malvin

2010- Portia

Visiting Portia and Her Forever Family

2010- Our CORM Family

2010-Our Kids

Our little Princess!

2013-Visiting Princess and Her Forever Family!

2013-Our CORM Family Christmas Photo

2013-Silly Faces

Our Baby Mercy

2014-Summer Time Fun!

2014-CORM Family Christmas Photo

Outreach/Ministry

Robert and Bright-Christmas 2013-The day Bright came home!

2014-Medical Outreach

2014-Medical Outreach

2014-Medical Outreach

2010-Child Investigations

2010-First Feeding in Tema New Town with Finding Refuge

Child Rescues

Child Rescues

2014-Ebola Workshop

Life at CORM

These Boys Are Amazing!

Johnbull preaching

Johnbull teaching the boys some carpentry skills

Praying in the FRIA Courtyard

My Boys - JJ, Bright and Miracle- Christmas 2013

Johnbull and Bismark

We have a wonderful staff! Stanley, Tina and Leo

Loving Life at CORM

2012- Justice

All Character

Our friends from YGAP- the organization that helped build our school.

YGAP's Ride West Africa Team- They rode from France to CORM, Ghana

Stacy, Keenan, Johnbull and Sydney 

Kristie and Righ O'Leary- FTO 

Ghana Rock Team at Lake Volta

Ghana Rock Team at Ghana Rock 2013

These are just a few memories from the past 5 years...this doesn't even begin to touch the surface of what these last 5 years have held for us. We are so blessed to know every volunteer and ministry partner that has been a part of CORM over the years. Our hearts are so full of gratitude for every moment of quality time spent with our kids, staff and volunteers, every prayer that has been uttered for this ministry, every dollar that has been given to help with sponsorships, building projects, outreach efforts, and everything in between.

We are looking forward to the next 5 years...when I look back I can see all that God has used us to do but I feel like we are just getting started. I feel like we are just stepping into our identity in Christ as a ministry and these next few years are going to be full of growth and maturing in our identity.

We're "Ghana" be Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It doesn't feel like the Thanksgiving I grew up with...no chance for snow here and I prefer it this way. It's business as usual in Ghana but then again it is business as usual on Christmas too. 

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I love that there are no expectations for gifts or candy. Where ever you are whoever you are with, you can share a meal and express gratitude about the many blessings in our lives. So much of the time we forget just how much we have in our lives...if only we lived in the state of gratitude all year.

I love Thanksgiving in Ghana! This is our fifth year here...I can't believe that it has already been five years! So many people have been asking how we celebrate Thanksgiving in Ghana since it's not a national holiday. 

Tonight we will be starting our Thanksgiving traditions off with some delicious Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and Apple Fritters. Tomorrow we will do the traditional Thanksgiving meal with our family and some of the Americans that live in a nearby community ( Autumn will do most of the turkey cooking and pie making...I could never pretend to love this process as much as she does). On Friday we will celebrate City of Refuge Ministries' 8th Anniversary with a program of Thanksgiving and celebrate around a meal with our staff, children, students and their families! 

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! 

From our family to yours...Happy Thanksgiving!!

DIY Cast Removal

Life as a missionary isn't always easy...let's face it, it can be very difficult.
DIY (Do It Yourself) takes on a whole new meaning!
On July 6th 2013 Justice broke his arm while we were in the US. We returned to Ghana just a few days after the accident. We waited six weeks and then Johnbull decided that it was time to remove the cast...the only issue was we didn't have a clinic we trusted enough to remove the cast.

DIY CAST REMOVAL
Supplies needed:
1 NEW saw
1 Brave Dad
1 Trusting Mom

Beyond Our Borders

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.     1 Chronicles 4:10 (ESV)
  

Johnbull and I founded City of Refuge Ministries in 2006 with a hope to help the most vulnerable in Ghana (check out this video from our first ministry exploratory trip to Ghana). In 2007 we were introduced to the issue of the fishing kids on Lake Volta and then in 2008 we opened the Freedom Center in Tema...for the next two years we traveled between our home in South Dakota and the Freedom Center in Ghana. In 2010 we moved our family to Ghana...all this while our vision was very limited...our primary focus was on the children who lived in the Freedom Center and those who we were working to rescue from Lake Volta. Our hearts hurt for the Single Mothers and we reached out to them the best that we could.

Shortly after we moved to Ghana in 2010 Autumn, our Director of Education, also relocated to Ghana and our focus quickly became the education of the children. Our focus continued to be limited...totally dependent on God but all of our goals and objectives for the most part remained within our borders-the walls of our ministry. 

Over the years God has broken our hearts more and more with the things that breaks His heart. Our vision has expanded as our foundation has been made solid in Him. 

The beginning of this year we felt very strongly that there was a realigning happening...which is very interesting when there are only a handful of people in leadership. It's like..."Okay God, we are with you in this but I seriously can't be spread out any more. If you want to use this ministry to do more then you have to send more people!"  We felt Him urge us to create structure...even to create structure within outreach arms of the ministry that didn't exist...how is that even possible? We started working on it...in faith that He was at the helm of this great vision. All the while praying for God to send the right people to work with City of Refuge. (Matthew 9:38)

We started dreaming with God. The first thing that He did was bring a sweet friend to help us capture our dreams in a very organized way. We began to look at our Child Sponsorship program and how much more impact this ministry could have on the community that we serve. After several meetings and lots of dreaming Impact ONE was created...a ministry that will not only impact the children but the child's entire family and ultimately the community. THE QUESTION WAS WHO IS GOING TO MAKE THIS MINISTRY A LIVING BREATHING OUTREACH TO THE COMMUNITY? And... GOD BREATHED HIS BREATH OF LIFE INTO IT!

Within just a couple weeks a team of three Ghanaian Missionaries - all graduates of the University of Ghana- took on the challenge of Impact ONE! Three young men who are very passionate about Jesus and all have a desire to see the Kingdom of God be established in Ghana. Over the next couple months we will introduce to you more about Impact ONE and ways that you can get involved in this ministry...beyond our borders. 

Pictured: Stanley (CORM's Director of Program Development), Tyna (FRIA Leadership Team Member and Adminstrator) and Leonard (CORM Administrator and Impact ONE Leadership Team Member) - Not Pictured Collins (Impact ONE Manager - Leadership Team Member)

Brave and Intentional

I love them. Each and every one of them are in my heart. For so long they have felt distant…a part of us but a part not seen or heard. Finally! They are coming closer into view and I couldn’t be any happier! My heart is full of joy and anticipation for what is in store…a new community of women and their children… God is drawing near to our hearts…we will all forever be changed because of this!

On September 6^th the ladies of our 7 Continents program and their children are moving to the CORM Children’s Village. Our days will be full of new and exciting adventures together as we study the women of the Bible and how God used them in the everyday and how He loved them unconditionally and how much He loves each and everyone of them. Our ladies will be going through a 3-year program – the first two years will be all about empowering them as women and mothers. Empowering them with Literacy, Their True Identities in Christ, Parenting Skills, Entrepreneurship, Budgeting and the list goes on and on…and all at the same time they will be continuing to learn skills that will help them after the program. Then the 3^rd year of the program is all about application…taking everything that they have learned over the past two years and making it work for them.

When I think about all of the possibilities in store for the ladies it brings tears to my eyes! This has been my hearts cry for the past three years and finally God is bringing the ladies to us…my heart sings!

You can play a part in this. We need you! If you are an encourager and would like to send the ladies messages and notes of encouragement please let me know and I will send you the address to mail your notes to. If you are gifted in Women’s Ministry and would like to share with us Bible Studies or ways to reach the ladies hearts for the King of Kings please let me know…I need your help! If you would like to sponsor a mother and her children while they are here with us please let me know and I will get you connected with our sponsorship coordinator.

The ladies will be moving into our Redeemed House with their children. The children who are 3 years and older will be going to Faith Roots International Academy and all of the littles under 3 years will be going to our new daycare which will be located at the Freedom Center. If you would like to give towards their education  ($50 per month) or if you have any gently used or new toys that you would like to donate to the daycare please let me know.

We will be repainting the Redeemed House and purchasing new furniture, beds, mattresses, wardrobes, kitchen items, dinning room set, living room set…etc. for the house. If you would like to help us purchase any of the needed items please visit our website and choose the DONATE button or you can mail your donation to our PO BOX listed on the website...on the memo/note line please be sure to write BIG MOVE/ 7C and the item you would like to purchase for the women and their children. 

We are looking forward to what God has in store for our sweet ladies! These next three years are going to be full of lots of BRAVE and INTENTIONAL STEPS!

Our Young Men and Women

Today we are officially starting our Initiation Week at the CORM Children's Village. We spent the morning talking about what this week's schedule looks like and this afternoon we are talking through "Who Is a Godly Man and a Godly Woman."  Such a great topic to start the week off with. 

Stanley, Our Director of Program Development, telling a part of his testimony.

Our Youth Praising God!

Leo, our Administrator and Impact ONE staff, leading this afternoon's ministry time. 

Blessed by our youth and what God is doing in their lives!

What Will Tomorrow Bring?

So here we are in The Gambia. A land where Johnbull has told me about for the past 13 years. The country where God introduced Himself to Johnbull in a real and special way. This is the land where Johnbull learned to trust God...and he saw many miracles. A place of promises and deep relationships.

14 years have past since Johnbull was last in The Gambia. 14 years of great change, development and    Many who he knew have moved on and some have passed away. 

Today we are sitting here in the lobby with the wife of one of Johnbull's closest friends from The Gambia. Two days ago we went out in search for his friend...we went from lead to lead, to find out that his friend passed away from cancer two and a half years ago. My heart hurt so badly as I watched my husband grieve the loss of his friend. When he last spoke to him over the phone a few years ago I believe that it was Johnbull's intention to surprise him one day in The Gambia...never thinking that his dear friend would leave this Earth so soon. 

These two little princesses are the daughters Johnbull's friend left behind. Their mother is a professor at the university where she teaches French.

This is such a reminder that we are not promised tomorrow and we need to live this life intentionally and to the fullest. 

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Prov. 27:1