Why Ghana? (Part 1)

As promised in a previous post....


My decision to apply to be part of the GO (Global Outreach) Trip to Ghana with my church began about a year ago.  Sitting in a Starbucks with my good friend, Bill, he told me he had decided to go on a mission trip and that he had always felt a calling to Africa.  The opportunity had presented itself for Ghana, and he had stepped up.  He was just weeks away from the experience.  My interest was piqued and we continued to discuss his planning in the weeks leading up to the trip.  While he was away, the whole family consistently prayed for him and the team.  During this time, I fielded lots of questions from the kids, especially the younger boys about where Bill was and why he was there.  The mission seed had been planted.

When Bill returned he described the experience as ‘life changing’ and told me I should really consider going on my own trip.  Although I was admittedly interested, I wasn’t sure how serious to take him because I don't have any skills I had stereotypically associated with mission work - I'm not trained in medicine and "handy' may be one of the last adjectives used to describe me.  Bill encouraged me to consider it and the seed was watered.  

Over the course of the following months the watering continued.  God kept placing outreach opportunities and messages in front of me.  Our church, Northview Church, is very externally focused and promotes serving others as part of our church’s DNA.  This really connects with me because Marcy and I have long talked about wanting to make sure our kids grow up with the value of serving others and try to involve them in community service activities several times a year.  I’m not certain if my ears were more tuned to the message or there was indeed an increase in the number of sermons emphasizing outreach, but it began to feel as though God was emphasizing the importance of this part of my Walk much more. 

As some of those outreach doors opened, I recognized them and walked through in obedience.  In conversations with family, digesting sermons, and talks with friends I began to realize that as Christians we are not called into missions, it is an expectation of ALL who follow Christ – that’s what the great commission is.  The call will come with specific location and time. 

Through this discovery and over time, God began to work in my heart to accept the reality that I could be used on a mission trip.  At the same time he continued to place the topic in front of me in various ways:  Co-workers I had never spoken with about my faith and relationship with Christ began to approach me and ‘out-of-the-blue’ share details about their personal walk and their personal explorations into mission work; My boss and good friend resigned his prominent position to pursue opportunities more focused on mission and outreach through his church; my new boss encouraged me to find ways we could do more service oriented activities with our employees,; other friends and family went on their own short term mission trips; and my own brother announced that he is actively working to enter the mission field fulltime – he’s just praying and waiting for his call!  In addition to Bill, there were now others talking to me about the potential of specifically a Ghana trip in my future. Crazy ‘coincidence’ but I still wasn’t entirely convinced that a Ghana Trip was for me – I’ve never even traveled outside the country before! Surely there was some place closer to Hamilton County (my bubble) God wanted me to use me!

In the early fall, my friend Bill returned to Ghana for a second trip and we talked even more about the second experience and his own growing commitment to the outreach efforts by the church.  Once again, our family regularly prayed for Bill and the others on the team, which resulted in more conversations about our family serving others and reaching ‘beyond our bubble.’  The kids were really starting to connect and embrace this!

Then came a mountaintop experience for me, The Discipleship Walk – a spiritual retreat through our church.  I went into the weekend with no expectations and just prayed that God would speak to me through the weekend and that the Walk would enrich my relationship with Him.  So, I began listening and processing what I heard.  Without going into real detail, the weekend felt like it was built specifically for me and to help me accept that God wants to use me in Ghana.  It also became clearer to me the connection between a mission trip I would go on and the impact it could potentially have in the lives of my children. I began to see that God could use my own experiences in serving others to impact my family in a way that may have a lasting impact on my kids as they grow and become young adults with their own growing relationships with Jesus.  If they saw their dad taking a bold step to follow Christ wherever he would have me go – that would be a powerful example for them!  I also thought back to those bedtime prayers for Bill and the conversations I had with the kids in those moments.  I was moved to think that if a friend’s step in faith to follow a calling could have that impact on my kids, how much greater could my own example be?

As I listened and participated in the retreat weekend, my conviction that God was calling me to Ghana continued to grow.  I lost all doubt when one of the speakers shared about his faith journey and how serving in Ghana on a mission trip had been a defining experience!  My mind and heart was immediately drawn to the conclusion that I needed to take action and respond to the calling God was placing on my heart. 

Eight months ago, I could barely tell you where Ghana was.  Today, the seed that was planted a year ago is in full growth mode.  I am 26 days away from one of the most exciting personal and spiritual adventures of my life – I am certain of this.  I also am certain that I don’t yet have the complete answer to the question, ‘Why Ghana?’ This story has been my experience on the front end of this journey - Part 1 of the complete answer.  I look forward to writing Part 2 in a few weeks, but am also open to the likely possibility that even then I will not have the complete answer, as God will certainly continue to use this experience to impact my life well beyond the actual trip. 

Please join me in praying that God uses the work I am part of, and the relationships that develop as a result, to have an equally (if not greater) positive impact on those we go to serve.

Peace.