Blessings in Bosomtwe & Beyond

God at work in Nkwantapong

Early this morning I was able to get an account of the ministry that took place on Sunday morning in Nkwantapong.  The village has a special place in my heart since it is extremely isolated.  Michael Bentum (project manager for the work we are completing there) walked over the mountain, leaving at 6am and they had a phenomenal time as he shared from the scripture and the power of God was manifest. 

There is one church in this small village and the chief is the head of the church, it's a Presbyterian congregation. I met them on a number of occasions over the last few years and have had favor with them. They felt the presence of God and have invited Michael to come back on March 29th for a special youth event.

He was ecstatic over God working since people were instantly healed during the prayer time after he gave the message from scripture.

Our colleague, Mary Kay Jackson, will be drilling a well (bore hole as they call it) in this village which has NO ACCESS to clean water.  Last week she gave me the update that it might take place in the next month, so exciting. I remember the day I went specifically to see their water source and was shocked to have them guide me down the mountain on a slippery dirt path through the forrest to a stream where they got buckets of water, then walked back up the mountain to the town - a long, hard and tenuous journey. We are grateful for the gifts of donors to provide for this and two other wells that will be provided this year!

Would you consider giving so that Michael can take Bibles to those who would like them when he goes back to Nkwantapong on March 29th? Pray for him, that God will use him again for healing (body, mind and spiritual healings).  Surprised by healings?  Yes, we serve a God and Father who still heals! Want to watch some great testimonials of God at work today in healing, click here.

We are still paying his monthly salary as he is finishing up the construction and ministering in the village churches on the weekends. Thank you for your continued support.  We welcome your questions, ideas and emails. 

Police involvement in clinic construction

I received sad news today that it took Michael going to file charges against the carpenter that was to finish up the doors for the Inpatient Care Centre for action to be taken.  The police went with him and arrested the man, found him guilty and required him to produce the doors, and refund some of the funds. 

We are SO grateful for the direction Michael has had in completing this project.  The final two aspects are getting the doors, installing them, then putting curtains up.  It was very puzzling to me that it was taking SO LONG, yet since I was there for a few years I know how it goes.  It's great to see that he would take the necessary action to get it moving again after this stall.  I wish it didn't have to come to this, but I'm glad he did it.

 Funds are low at this point.  We owe The Mission Society several thousand dollars at this point since costs have continued even though we left Ghana and have discontinued receiving salary and benefits.  If you feel led to help it would be great!  Thanks for your continued prayers.  We have an update coming out very soon.  Email us anytime as well. 

We have just moved (five days ago)into our house in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and are getting settled finally.

Living in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Life here in Luxemburgo (neighborhood), Belo Horizonte (city), Minas Gerais (state), Brazil is so much different than in the 'bush' village setting of Amakom (village), Ashanti region (state/region), Ghana, Africa.  Pictured here is the tower I can see from our house on the mountain in the Belvedere area of Belo Horizonte.  At the top of the tower is Hard Rock Cafe - so surreal to think we are in such a mega city from having just lived in a small African village.  We moved into our house this week, and it's so nice to be able to cook and have all the trunks and boxes unpacked! We are working from a distance to complete our commitments at the clinic in Ghana, which should be completed either this month or next.  Currently we need about $6,000-8,000 to be debt free with the work.  Thanks for your patients as we have been moving and not communicating as frequently.  Having 'our place' and internet has stabilized our situation greatly.

Progressing at the Inpatient Care Centre at Lake Bosomtwe Methodist Clinic!

Today I received great news from Michael Bentum as he coordinates the completion of the Inpatient Care Centre in Amakom.  The doors have arrived, and many have been installed!  The next step is curtains in the wards and private rooms - which are made and ready to be hung.  It's great news!

Pictured: The new 4x4 Nissan Patrol Ambulance that was purchased by the gracious donors, friends and partners that responded to the need.  In the background through the tree foliage you can see the Inpatient Care Centre.

We are in constant contact with Michael as he continues working at the clinic, and ministering in the villages.  Would you pray for him as God guides him in ministry in the months ahead? 

Our family is in a time of transition and will have an update out next week.  Thank you for your prayers and support through this unpredictable time as we serve our faithful Father.

Finishing the Task

It's the first Monday of 2009 and I've just replied to an email from Michael Bentum (project manager) who is back from training in Mozambique. It looks like he has at least two more months of work to get the new Outpatient Centre completed. 

I am eagerly waiting to see what funds came in designated to Project 611 (the account for Lake Bosomtwe Clinic) at The Mission Society in December to see how fast the materials can be purchased and how many laborers can be on the job. 

It's lacking finishing tiling some rooms, about 40 doors, cement, delivery of sand, and the unexpected items.  As I write I am transported back in time mentally from this bustling metropolis of Belo Horizonte (6 million people) back to life in Amakom (600 people). I am SO very grateful that Michael is willing to continue working with us until the construction is complete.  I had thought that the tiling of the bathroom walls and the other remaining rooms had been completed, but it appears not. 

All this weighs heavy on my mind as I wish that I could have completed it before leaving Ghana. For the safety of our family I am VERY glad that we left when we did, yet it does make me sad to not have seen it done myself. It's 90% finished - but that remaining bit seems gigantic from this distance, from Brazil to Ghana.  I ask you to pray for Michael and James as they work so diligently to wrap it up. Pray the clinic workers, for the people in the villages of Lake Bosomtwe, pray for the supporters that have made the improvements there possible, and pray for us as we transition and seek God on the new work He has for us in urban ministry in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.  Thank you so very much!

Andrew Jernigan

Primary Concern

Financial crisis around the world has gotten many of us a bit concerned.  Investments that have gone bad and lost money have gotten the best of me at times lately.  Since we are in a time of transition in ministry from Ghana to Brazil - from village work to urban ministry - our financial support has gone down significantly, and our account is quite in the negative currently. 

Jesus said, 'he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.' in Matthew 6: 33 (NLT)

Can we all take some rest in this promise and challenge for this season?

House, MD - Lake Bosomtwe Edition

A while before we left Ghana, some close friends visited the us, while there one of the amazing visitors directed a shorter version of House, MD and filmed it there at the clinic.  During that time, several of the cast members were also visiting from overseas, take a few minutes and watch this two part mini-verson of House.

Part Two:

My Christmas Gift

One year ago, Juliana and I made a fast trip up to Cincinnati, Ohio to spend the weekend with friends and a partner church - Four Corners Community Church.  It was a special weekend to focus on their special campaign called My Christmas Gift.  The work in Ghana, at Lake Bosomtwe Clinic, was to be part of the Christmas gifts of their members to make a difference in many lives.  They met their goal and now, one year later I realize that it has been through SO many people that a new clinic exists, that is really more like a hospital.  One year later, a new boat is there to serve the villages around the lake.  One year later, a new 2008 Nissan Patrol 4x4 factory outfitted ambulance arrived from China through the gifts of people all across the United States. 

I am excited that through the gifts of people at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hoover, AL and First United Methodist Church in Sylacauga, AL that villages will be receiving wells soon.  Our colleague, Mary Kay Jackson, whose ministry with The Mission Society is specifically bore holes (wells) and water purification, has accepted the challenge of making sure this reachest its fullest potential.

Our project manager, Michael Bentum, returns to Ghana, then back to Amakom to the clinic next week.  He has been attending the Harvest School of Missions in Pemba, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique learning more about rural, village mission work.  He will return to update us on the status of the construction.  At this point, I know that doors need to be purchased and installed on all the rooms, air conditioners installed in the operating room and laboratory, and a bit more.  He will let us know the finishing touches and we will send the needed funds.

Thank you for your support to make the work we started come to completion!!!

Back in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Juliana and I left Belo Horizonte, Brazil seven years ago, and returned one week ago.  I moved here in 2000 and served as the pastor of the English congregation at Igreja Batista da Lagoinha while Ju was finishing her residency in Pediatrics.

Our time in Ghana ended abruptly, and rather traumatically in October. Often we are asked why (of which we wrote in detail in the previous posts) but it has come to the point that we are comforted in the fact that we were able to complete the project sooner than we expected. It was during Debriefing and Renewal at Mission Training International in Colorado earlier this month, that both of us realized that God accomplished through our partners/through us at Lake Bosomtwe what we thought would take 5-10 years, in really only 2 years on-site in Amakom. During the time at MTI we did received renewal from our Father, it was needed and so good!

Thank you for your prayers for our family during this time of transition!

After one week in Brazil, the kids are doing well and their Portuguese is improving rapidly (as well as mine).  We are so grateful for the leadership of The Mission Society for their wisdom and guidance during this time. During our time in Colorado at MTI we were able to meet with leadership of The Mission Society and were just blessed beyond words as the love and understanding they extend toward our family.  God is healing the wounds of this unpredictable exit from Ghana, and unexpected blessing of returning to Brazil in ministry.

Give Me Your Eyes

I was in the car, outside Baby's-R-Us waiting on Ju, and this song came on the radio (K-LOVE FM, which you can listen to online too). I was quite moved by it, hope you like it!

Take a minute to watch this video, it's the music video of the song 'Give me your eyes'   by Brandon Heath.

Click the link to buy the song on iTunes

 

Painful Goodbyes - Grieving

For me, Andrew, it's been an intense time of grieving as I leave a work that I have poured so much into, enjoyed immensely and grown so much through.

The work continues, as I stay on the phone almost daily to make sure that Project 611 (clinic construction) continues as we committed to finish, the clearing through customs of the new 4x4 ambulance, and the sale of the truck we have used these last years there.  Long distance work now that we have left. We have letters to write to folks that have worked with us, and work to be done to look into what our next mission work will look like.

Would you pray for us during this time of change?

 

Pictured: Juliana was giving a blessing, word of encouragement and prayer with construction workers at the new Inpatient Care Centre.

We were deeply moved by the affection and emotion as people grieved our departure, showed their gratitude and appreciation.

On Monday, the day I flew out, Michael (project manager/missionary with us), came to Accra to give me a gift from the chief and elders of Amakom, a new beautiful Ntoma made from Kente cloth, and sandals.

Receiving this gift, a very nice and super costly expression of thankfulness, from the village where we have lived and served is an enormous joy to me. It was very hard for me to have the meeting of farewell with them the week before.  They and I shed tears.

A Cup of Suffering and Joy

‘When we are compelled by love, when we embrace the life of beatitudes, we are truly blessed. Truly we are filed with inexpressible joy knowing we dwell in the shelter of the Most High God. We rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He is our refuge and our fortress; we put our trust in Him. He covers us with His wings of love, and we find safety in Him.’                           Heidi Baker, in ‘Compelled By Love’

During our three years in Ghana, we were able to learn more than we ever imagined about the cup of suffering and joy.

We witnessed poverty and sickness and drank from the cup of suffering when both worked together to steal lives of people like young Yaw, that died because the clinic could not offer him an emergency blood transfusion (with severe anemia due to malaria and sickle cell). But I also drank the cup of joy when less than one year later a three year old boy from Ankaase was the first one of many that followed to receive healing through a life-saving transfusion (with blood donated by a clinic construction worker!) marking a milestone at the clinic: our blood bank was in place and already saving lives!

We drank the cup of suffering when a tropical rainstorm destroyed many of the homes and churches in the neighboring villages and many were left without a roof.  But what a wonderful cup of joy it was to be able to provide (through your support) new roofing material to the community!

After I found out my license had been revoked I experienced being faced with patients coming to the footsteps of our house almost daily looking for relief from their sickness and not being able to care for them, against the cry of my heart, for the sake of obeying the authorities. It was a sour sip of the cup of suffering… But what a joy it was to see walls being raised and lab equipment purchased as part of the new phase at the clinic – that will continue through the work of the Methodist Church Ghana.

We drank the cup of suffering when we were leaving our home in Amakom and had to let go from holding the hands of our Ghanaian brothers and sisters, but rejoiced over a cup that is to come, on the day we all meet again, and enjoy a feast already prepared by our Lord and King! We are blessed beyond measure to be called His servants and to serve with you wherever He leads us to go.

In Him, through Him and for Him, Jesus, are all things.
  Love,
  Juliana

Giving Questions

 “Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:13

The work at Lake Bosomtwe clinic and in the villages surrounding has happened through friends, family, and churches that have practiced this passage so enthusiastically. We are very grateful.

As you have read, we begun a transition of ending our work in Ghana.  Our commitment to the work continues until the construction of the new clinic expansion is complete.  Those who have been giving directly to Project 611, we would appreciate continued support until December when the retaining wall and other finishing touches are done.  We have had to use quite a bit of personal money and savings to turbo-speed the work that we believe to be vital for the villages of Lake Bosomtwe ($15,000).

As for our family ministry support: we appreciate your continual support as we move forward and run the race!  Our status as missionaries with The Mission Society remains unchanged. We will be meeting with the Regional Coordinator for South America of The Mission Society in December to explore what it would look like for us to serve in this field in Belo Horizonte.

We rely on the faith based giving of caring people like you to live, eat and minister each day. Thank you for your support and outpouring of love in this major time of change.

 “In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”   1 Cor. 9:14

Times of Transition

Dear friends and family,

Do you remember standing with us two years ago for my medical license in Ghana to come through? Or my joy when I reported back on our newsletter that, after going through all the required interviews and tests with the Ghana Medical Council, I had been granted the right to practice as a doctor?

Little that I knew, that this right would be later on questioned and my license revoked – ‘why?’  I kept asking the Council for a whole year, without being given any answers. On our last newsletter I mentioned being on a ‘forced maternity leave’. Two months ago, after many meetings and discussions and fees being repaid, I finally heard from them: I never ‘signed’ for my license. I was never told to sign any piece of paper, even on the times when we called the Council after the interviews to check on the progress of the license – on the day of my final interview (over two years ago) I had been told by one of the members of the Council that it would be coming in the mail and that in the meantime I was allowed to see patients. And so I did.

Much has happened since we moved to Amakom and we are very aware of His presence, provision and purpose in this place. We have been able to be broken, shaken and molded by the hardships of a life in the village, but also immensely blessed in His love as we became one with the community, and loved and were loved in return. We went through a cholera epidemic, endemic malaria, malnutrition and many, many other reasons that confirmed in my heart my calling to serve at the Lake Bosomtwe clinic as a physician. I was deeply moved by our Father’s heart to the poor and changed by the pain and dependence on God’s provision that we witnessed and were part of.  Through your help the clinic boomed, the community was lifted up with hope and lives were saved and transformed. As I write you so carefully (almost with a holy fear) and choose words to describe all that happened in these last three years in my family’s life, what keeps coming to my mind are faces - the faces of so many that crossed our paths and taught us so much about Him. I personally was changed forever and ruined for the ordinary as I learned to see Jesus in every person I was able to minister to as a doctor, but also as a friend, mother and yes, as a daughter and sometimes granddaughter too. I had the joy to heal Jesus, give Him many glasses of cold water, dress Him, comfort Him, feed Him and love Him in a way that is absolutely addictive. At the same time I was able to see my husband’s gifting bloom and watched him thrive through the challenges that were continuously presented to us. We have grown and have watched others around us grow in the Lord.
After one whole year trying to make sense out of this situation Andrew and I started asking the Lord for clear direction concerning our ministry, instead of praying to have my license back. And here is what we wrote our U.S. leadership at The Mission Society recently:
“After a lot of prayer and listening to Him regarding our presence in Ghana He has confirmed in our hearts and we are in agreement as a couple that it is time to go. The decision is not based on frustration, resentment, or any other emotion. On the contrary, we are in peace. We do not understand all that may be coming next, but we are convicted that it is best for our family and the ministry for us to step out, once the clinic construction is over and we are able to present it to the Methodist Church Ghana. We always dreamed of it being 100% staffed with nationals, and we believe this to be a pivotal time to push the transition into their hands. We are very blessed to be able to present in the coming months this beautiful gift from the Lord back into the hands that opened the door for our family to be able to be part of their vision.“

Shortly after we made our decision, we learned that my name had been placed on a list of  ‘doctors to be arrested for practicing medicine illegally in Ghana’. It is hard to describe the sense of injustice that has filled our thoughts and emotions since then. I suddenly could not feel safe at our home anymore and after quickly packing our clothes, we left Amakom, on our way to the capital city. I struggled with the thought of being put in jail with an infant to nurse, and common tasks as driving down the road became a major stressor to me. God has been healing and restoring in my heart what was a truly traumatic experience. I appreciate your outpouring of love and prayers, and feel very privileged to be in this journey with you.    

       Juliana

We didn’t blog or email this as we wanted to safely leave the country without raising any flags. This past Monday we left Ghana, arriving in Colorado. Our leadership has urged us to attend ‘Debriefing and Re-Entry’ (a program designed to help cross-cultural families debrief past experiences and adjust to the next transition, with primary emphasis on recognizing God’s hand in past events and anticipating the next step for which God is preparing us) at Mission Training International in Colorado Springs, and before this occurs we are taking time to rest and recuperate. After spending Thanksgiving with family in Kansas City, we will continue onward to our next mission field, in Brazil.
Our current status with The Mission Society remains unchanged at this point as we will be meeting with the Regional Coordinator for South America in mid-December. We are exploring the possibilities of continuing with The Mission Society serving in Belo Horizonte, Juliana’s hometown.

We are so grateful for the leadership, support, care and guidance we have been receiving from The Mission Society on the field and from the U.S. office. Your prayers, notes and phone calls have been very encouraging and a great reminder of the victory we have in our Father’s love.  God is good, always.

Juliana and I thank you for caring. We thank you for your prayers, and for serving the Lord with us!

      Blessings to you!

         

Andrew and Juliana, 

          Lucas, Luiza and Nicolas

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

     2 Corinthians 5:14,15 (NIV)

The Artist, The Lover

Today again I am amazed at our artist, our creator – God – as I sit at the dining room table looking out over the meteor crater of Lake Bosomtwe on this cool morning. I do not take for granted these moments as they are quickly fading. Today I drive to Accra for a meeting tomorrow, and to ship some items from here (wedding albums and the like).

I was really comforted this morning in reading some thoughts from a high school classmate, Brad Willis, on his blog writings on God’s sovereignty. In addition the words of a hymn titled ‘Be Still, My Soul’ that I copy here, take a minute to read it.

1) Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in every change he faithful will remain.
Be still my soul: your best, your heav'nly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2) Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Finishing my fourth cup of strong Brazilian coffee with french toast to go tackle the day...I rest that ‘God will undertake to guide the future as He has the past’.  He has guided so wonderfully and I do rest in Him.  I do accept His great peace in this storm. It’s so indescribably how loving He is to us. I am so thankful to so many that have been emailing such caring notes to us!

"Let them boast in this alone: that they may truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken! Jeremiah 9:24 (NLT)

Prayer Request

Greetings from the Jernigan family in Ghana!

This is not the kind of update I was expecting to write you. And neither is an easy one to put in words.

In our last email we shared with you how construction at the clinic was moving so well, how blessed we were to host our dear Irish friends and how our family was adjusting to life back in the village.

Since then we received disturbing news concerning my medical license that compelled our family into a new twist. I say ‘twist’ because that is one of the words that can describe how Andrew and I have felt while going through a major transition phase that affects our presence in a country that we grew to love. We are carrying the peace that passes all understanding, but we would like to ask you for your prayers as our family gets ready to leave Ghana. The leaders of The Mission Society are aware of our situation and our status as missionaries remains unchanged.  We will be exploring our next steps with our leadership in the times ahead, and will be keeping you up to date. The Inpatient Care Centre will be completed soon, the wells for villages with no water are moving forward, and the new 4x4 ambulance arrives this month. It’s all a beautiful gift from God to the church and the people of the area. It has been a privilege to be agents of our Father’s love with you in the villages of Lake Bosomtwe.

Please stand with us, in faith:

•     for strength and safety in these next weeks,

•     for the necessary paperwork to come through without any delays, 

•     for Rebecca, our dear and precious intern, intercessor, Lucas’ teacher and friend as she relocates to the capital city (Accra), to minister with the Mozley family, colleagues with The Mission Society,

•     for our kids that are already so resilient, to be able to say healthy goodbyes looking forward to what is coming next

•     for the friends and patients around Lake Bosomtwe as they grieve our absence,

•     for the final stage of construction at the clinic to be finalized – for provision of the necessary funds and for encouragement for the workers on site,

•     for the Methodist Church Ghana to be able to find a doctor or nurse (that has a calling to serve the poor) to take over the work in Amakom

       and finally,

•     for the staff at the clinic as they continue without us the task of serving the community and sharing Christ’s love.

We apologize for the lack of details at this point, we will let you know more as we have a departure date set.

We love you with the love of Jesus and are grateful for you standing with us in prayer, in Him we have the victory,

Andrew, Ju, Lucas, Ana Luiza, and Nicolas

"Happy are those who fear the Lord.  Yes, happy are those who

delight in doing what he commands.  They do not fear bad news;

they confidently trust the Lord to care for them."

Psalm 112:1,7 (NLT)

If you feel led of the Lord to give an extra gift this month, please designate it: Jernigan Travel Fund to cover unexpected expenses. Send to The Mission Society, PO Box 922637, Norcross, GA 30092, or call 1-800-478-8963 to give by credit card by phone. Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Friends showing love

It was truly moving as Juliana gave a wonderful message of love and hope to the staff and construction workers on Wednesday morning. They heard the news that we are leaving the work here and moving on.  Many cried, hugged us tightly, and grieved with deep, heart-felt sorrow.

The new building, ambulance entrance side showing in the picture, is now about 85% complete.  A LOT has been done in the last few days even so that this picture looks old.

We have seen God move in our time here.  Over three years in Ghana.  The workers on the project have been working hard and have participated in building a dream - from a small clinic to now a small hospital that will be a 30 bed capacity facility.

We praise God for the friendships made, and the partners that have given so generously to make it all happen.  Praise God! I still have a lot to do before we leave Ghana. The building will be moving rapidly forward to completion.  The money given for bore holes/wells for villages that don't have water has been transferred to the Ghana Water Project of The Mission Society, which is led by Mary Kay Jackson, based in Accra. Water is a wonderful gift that I really can't find words to describe the deep, life-changing impact that these gifts will do for all the families in these villages.  Thank you to so many people that give so willingly to help us in sharing the love of Jesus here in Ghana.  Thank you!

The project manager on the construction of the 'doctor bungalow', our house (pictured in the background behind Luiza), the new staff house, the rebuilt old doctor bungalow, the outpatient clinic, the office, and the new Inpatient Care Centre is Michael Bentum, who is shown here with Luiza.

Today I spent hours with him going over building progress, receipts, plans, task lists, and projections. Pray for him through this time especially as he is seeking God about his next step of where to live and work as he serves God in missions.

Wow, that was a LOT of patients

It was a super fast, and good visit of the Dunwoody UMC team here for four days of outreach. 

There were seventeen team members that did so much during their visit.  The doctors saw 839 patients (Saturday, Monday & Tuesday) which in turn kept the pharmacy overwhelmingly busy way past the closing time of the clinic each evening. The construction team members ended up working a lot of the time assisting so that the medical team could do their jobs, except for the electrical detail which assisted Michael in getting conduit and wiring in for most of the new Inpatient Care Centre.

On Sunday, we had a community service in Ankaase with all the churches meeting together.  Each had part of the s ervice, while Michael and I gave the message.  Wow, it was good.  God moved and spoke through us.  I praise God when we can be used of God.  Rebecca and Louise (pictured) had scripture readings in it - and did a great job! The service began at 11am and ended at 2pm. It was the first time for them to ever have a unified church service and afterwards they told us they would like to do it at least twice a year!  All for unity!

By 3pm we had eaten and were back to have an afternoon kid's camp in the village.  About 200 kids showed up and stayed through the rain before the team had to run to catch the boat back across to the hotel before the sun went down.  A long and good day.

Growth in Ghana

Today as I write I am blessed by growth on multiple fronts.

One. The construction is moving forward rapidly.   During this week the walls are being plastered in the Inpatient Care Centre, plumbing being installed, ceiling and roofing put in place and painting beginning.

Two. Video/singing/preaching have taken place and lives drawn closer to Jesus in Duase and Dompa this week, led by Michael Bentum (Ghana, the project manager), James Sarpong (Ghana), Louise Monroe (N. Ireland) and Rebecca Hillman (California, USA).

Three. Nicolas is healthy and growing (pictured below)

Four. Our family is growing spiritually as God gives new perspective and guidance through the help of our leadership.

Five. The clinic capacity is going to BOOM this weekend as a team from Charlie and Mary Kay Jackson lead a team from Dunwoody, Georgia, USA in a medical and construction outreach trip.  We expect 200-300 patients each day for the visiting doctors, nurses and pharmacists to attend to while the other team members will be laying ceramic tile in the new Inpatient Care Centre.  They are keeping a blog about their trip, click to read.

Speak Up, Defend the Rights

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

                       Proverbs 30:8-9 (NIV)

“But from above, in the eyes of God, sorrow and joy are never separated. Where there is pain, there is also healing. Where this is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the Kingdom.”

by Henri Nouwen

A Smile from Nicolas

Nicolas is sending you greetings from Ghana today.  He is healthy and two months old! 

Last night he slept 7 1/2 hours!!!  So nice.

As we were in Accra for meetings all last week, he is very glad to be back in familiar surroundings back here at home in Amakom (in the quietness of the 'bush').

I'm reminded of Psalm 128:3,4

"Look at all those children, there they sit around your table as vigorous and healthy as young olive trees. That is the Lord's reward for those who fear him."

Invading the Impossible

  The doctor had been working for hours seeing patients after the long drive from Kumasi.  She remarked that this one child needed to be referred to a hospital because it was in need of a transfusion. Afrifa, the laboratory technician, heard this and quickly told her that 'no, we can do it here' - the doctor was totally shocked!  It was the first time that it's taken place here since we purchased the necessary supplies and tests from a donation by a church in Alabama. Wow, how great it is when we can be there to provide the needed care, love, and support for a child in need.

A little later on in the day, I had been checking out the constructions progress of the Inpatient Care Centre (workers pictured) that is underway and as I was approaching the road on the way back to the office I saw surveyors with their tripod and scope set up right in front of the Outpatient Building!  After greeting them and welcoming them here I asked what they were doing...working on improving the road. Without much further inquiry they said it would be gravelled and tarred with a deep roadbed, widened, and done properly - a contractor has been selected.  Later I 'googled' and found this article from a Ghanaian Parliament floor discussion on the improvement of our road. It's slated for 1st quarter of next year!  WOW!

Upon returning to the office I had a meeting with Sammy Adu, the administrative accountant, who let me know that with the expansion of the laboratory the status of the facility must be upgraded in order for us to be reimbursed by the National Health Insurace Scheme. We are able to be an accredited institution due to our membership in the Christian Health Association of Ghana.

Later this month we will be receiving a QBC Autoread Plus, QBC Centrifuge and Workstation, along with the Paralens system for malaria and blood parasite detection (some funds were received for this, more $1000 is needed if you would help, email Andrew). In addition, with the building of the Inpatient Care Centre (sponsored completely by churches and individuals in Northern Ireland), our status will need to be upgraded since we will have an Operating Suite (operating theatre, minor surgury/small procedures room, post-operation monitoring recovering room) in order for claims to the National Health Insurance Scheme to be paid.  The status required is 'hospital' - this is huge news!

On Tuesday, Juliana is to meet with the registrar of the Ghana Medical & Dental Council regarding her medical license - we are expecting a breakthrough! 

Many days lately we have seen victory in situations and as we approach these new things this next week, we go confidently trusting Jesus.  He is our strength and joy.

"My heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming'

"Do all the good you can.    By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can.  At all the times you can. As long as ever you can."

"Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you  burn"

                        ...both are quotes by John Wesley (English Revivalist/Evangelist 1703-1791)

I'm radically challenged for hunger, spiritual hunger for the presence of God, work of God in action here in the villages, to see those around us so desperately seeking Him and hungry for the ways of God and results following.

I was moved as Michael and I ministered from the Word in Dompa two weeks ago.  People are hungry for a move of God.  There was an air of expectancy, and it was exciting to be able to be the voice, the hands, the face of God to the people that day. As I reflect on that quote of John Wesley when he said 'catch on fire with enthusiasm' I think on my attitude so many times when going to speak to people.  Do they see enthusiasm? Do people see a radical lover of Jesus?  I hope today they see more of a radical lover than yesterday, and the next even more, each day more and more.

Juliana and I are on a track to radical extreme living for God and ready for where ever He leads us.  Lately it's been so wonderful to hear from the Lord in such specific ways, be warned of upcoming things ahead of time, and see God work in the people around us. Our Father God does the impossible, and it's so easy to loose consciousness of the God that invades the impossible.

The response of David in Psalm 27, verses 7 & 8 is a cry that I echo today, it says, "Listen to my pleading, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard you say, 'Come and talk with me' and my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming".
 

Compelled by Love

We are often refilled by books, and today we write with exciting news that there is a new book that we recommend to you.

What does it look like to trust everything to God?
In Compelled by Love, Heidi Baker gives you a glimpse of total dependence and authentic Christian community by taking a fresh look at the Beatitudes.

In the war-torn, poverty-stricken country of Mozambique, she and her husband have experience God's miraculous provisions and witnessed the transformed hearts of people caught in desperate life-or-death situations. Join them and discover the reality of God's kingdom here on Earth.

- For anyone wondering if they could truly live a life of radical love...

- For anyone wondering if the Beatitudes mean anything...

- For anyone wondering how to follow Jesus all the way..

Click here to order Compelled by Love, and while there order There is Always Enough.

:: feed the hungry, help those in trouble ::

Pictured: YaYa, the breadseller from Dompa, taken at the Sunday Community Service on the 20th of July. She walks two hours to the clinic through the villages with a smile, laughter and a very large aluminum bowl filled with sweet tea bread on her head. We often buy it for the patients and staff when she arrives at the clinic, so she stays on the bench under the tree for a couple of hours spreading her contagious joy. She is a lay leader in her church and attends the Church of Christ in Dompa, always with a loud and cheerful greeting when she sees me - giving me another reason to smile.

Today as I held hands with workers and prayed before they began working on the Inpatient Care Centre construction I again was reminded of the passage I read yesterday and then again this morning before getting out of bed.

"Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors. Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes." Isaiah 58:9-12 (NLT)

Last week I arranged for a meeting with the chief and elders of Dompa, the largest town on the shores of Lake Bosomtwe, where we have been desiring to drill boreholes.  Consultants came from Accra for bore hole sitings and research, the N. Irish team presented gifts, and in turn they gave a beautiful sheep as a gift of gratitude to the team. The next day it was cooked and quite a tasty stew was prepared for the many constuction workers, clinic staff, team and our family.  During the meeting with the chief I had asked permission to have a community church service the following week and they granted it. 

So, on Sunday, we drove by truck while the team met us by boat in Dompa.  Hundreds of people came and it was a beautiful sight to see. It was clear that many that were present do not normally attend church, while others represented the Church of Pentecost, New Apostolic Church, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Aventist, and Methodist churches of Dompa.  Although only a small percentage attend church regularly here in this remote and isolated (due to limited road access over the mountain) town, between 400-500 people were in attendance (including the chief and a number of the elders).

Pictured: Michael Bentum and I praying for the church leaders from each denomination present in the community service.

We enjoyed seemingly hours of such beautiful worship in Twi (local language) and a few in English (by our visiting UK team) and then a time of all the children (probably 200) come forward to sing with Hollie Combs leading them in local worship choruses. The account of the day is also told on Rebecca Hillman and Louise Monroe's blog.

It was after this that I called those who were sick and wanted prayer forward to be anointed and prayed for healing. I was aware of the presence and leading of the Lord as I prayed. I was so in hopes of a miracle of instant healing, especially since one was completely deaf (pictured), yet nothing happened visibly this time. Since I have experienced miracles of healing I am more and more willing and ready to ask of our Father. It's His desire to see people restored to the way he designed their bodies to function. While I am writing on this subject I encourage you to order the DVD titled Finger of God,  it's an extraordinary documentary by a skeptic of miracles (much of the footage is from Africa).

I mentioned Michael Bentum praying with me, he also did the interpretting and preaching with me. He has been working with us for over two years and just last week received word that he has been accepted to the Harvest School of Missions from October - December of this year.  It's a phenomenal training program for rural ministry in Africa that takes place in Mozambique at the Pempa mission base of Iris Ministries (members of H.I.M.) Would you consider helping sponsor his coursework there?  He is in need of the funds for the travel there, tuition and outreach.  After the school he plans to return to the work here with us in the villages of Lake Bosomtwe. If you would, email for info on how to send your check.

 

Update on Tuesday from Amakom

It's been a wildly busy day here on this side of the lake.  We began the day with unloading the truck that had come in from Kumasi late last night with a roof rack loaded full.  Devotions were after this at 8am, then a processional of the visiting team to greet the two chiefs in Amakom.  An hour or so later we were off trekking to Atafram to greet and present gifts to the chief, elders and assembly man there. 

All the while, the plumber had arrived from Kumasi late yesterday afternoon and has begun his part on laying the pipes in the expansion of the Inpatient Care Centre.  Isaac, an additional mason, arrived with two of his workers, and about 20 other laborers were busy working.

Once we arrived back from these two villages doing the political responsibilities, the UK team got to work as well in acts of service on the building site...and soon the rains came.  Some went off to Amakom to speak in the primary school - and this went very well.

Tomorrow is a day of traveling to visit/tour villages for Kente, Adinkra clothe, wood carving and greet church officials in Kumasi followed by a meal at Royal Park Hotel, then back to the lake.

Pictured:  Michael Bentum holding Nicolas

Nicolas is One Month Old

In church yesterday I shared how that when Ju's takes Nicolas out for a walk here the ladies have called him 'obolobo', meaning chubby and fat baby. 

We are grateful for a healthy boy that is one month old today. 

Lucas and Luiza are so sweet with him and he is getting love from everyone.

Showers of Blessing!

Nicolas was born on the 14^th of June at Lake Bosomtwe Clinic, with the help of the Angelina, the clinic midwife and Georgina, one of our health assistants, weighing 8 lbs. 2 oz., after less than three hours of labor! We were both fine and I was able to ‘assess’ him from the delivery table (no, I am not a super woman, but I could tell from a distance how well he was!) and give him a 10/10 Apgar score – once a pediatrician, always a pediatrician!  In a moment of temporary insanity (that is what happens when you deliver your baby in an institution where you are the medical superintendent – no one is going to argue with you!) I was able to walk to our house, a 100’ distance, 20 minutes later, followed by our improvised but very committed local prayer team (Andrew, Michael, James, my mom and Juliana) as we heard our interns Holli, Rebecca and Louise cheer from their porch with excitement, and as rain poured out on us. It was an unforgettable moment of extreme and overwhelming joy.  Nicolas is growing and adjusting very well to life in Amakom, being loved without reservations. Lucas and Ana Luiza are both very excited to have him around and, although it has been hard for Luiza to  loose her official title of baby, she has enjoyed being my ‘helper’ and big sis! We give thanks to our Father for a safe birth and for His presence with us, holding our hands!

About the name

NICOLAS (victory) ARAUJO (Juliana’s father’s family name, and also hers and the kids middle name, in a Brazilian/Portuguese tradition of maintaining the family name with the generations) JERNIGAN.

How surprised those around us seemed to be when we told them our baby boy’s name, even months before he was born! In Ghana, it is the norm to wait many days, sometimes weeks after the birth, before a child is given a name, which is done in a so called naming ceremony, an outdoor party when friends and family are invited to come and witness (click here to read about this tradition of Outdooring). But as much as we want Nicolas to be called by his name, what prevails in the end is his Ghanaian name, Kwame (in the Ashanti region of Ghana, it is the name given to a boy that is born on a Saturday), to us a true compliment and reminder of his African citizenship.  Some, like our friend Michael, even insist on calling him ‘Shower of Blessings Kwame Andrews’ since the minute he was born a torrential storm followed, and persisted for many hours. Rain is often a spiritual sign of blessings, in a land that carries dry seasons that may mean empty stomachs to those that need their crops to survive.  May he indeed be a blessing to those around him, and one that brings blessings wherever he goes, in the victory of the cross!

Posted by Juliana Jernigan

Construction Progress in Amakom

Work is now well underway at the Clinic extension following the arrival of a Team from the UK at the weekend comprising of 16 members from Northern Ireland and the England including former missionaries Dorothy and Phillip Parish.

The team wasted no time in getting into action when they arrived on the site on Saturday 12th July 2008.

Having prepared and trained carefully over the past six months, the Team's expertise and enthusiasm has already been evident as they have worked side by side with thea local work Team.

The programme agreed by local man Michael Bentum and joint team leader Alex Moorehead is designed to maximize the resources of the Team for the duration of their visit and the anticipated benefit to the clinic and area is significant.

Posted by Tom Millar (one of the Northern Irish team members, click to read his blog)

About Getting Fat, Guinea Fowls and other Cultural Lessons

‘Are you eating properly?’ and ‘You need to get fat!’ are the two sentences I have been hearing the most every time I walk out of our house in Amakom for a short walk to the clinic or the office where Andrew spends many hours of his day (working hard on keeping the clinic running, construction work going and preparation for teams scheduled for the next few months).

Now, don’t get me wrong: I do NOT need to gain any more weight on my third post-partum week. On the contrary. What I am learning in this culture having experienced pregnancy and delivery, and now with a newborn in Ghana has taught me so much in terms of  how these precious people deal with such a special time in a mom’s life. One of the things being the belief, rightfully so, that a breastfed baby needs all he can get from his mom, and therefore the need to get the mom well-fed, preferably with chicken soup (remember: chicken meat is a treat in the village, usually eaten on very special occasions, once or twice a year, like on Christmas and Easter holidays) and fufu (the national starch of choice, made with plantain and cassava), lots and LOTS of it! I even received a guinea fowl – very special! - as a gift from Mac, Juliana’s husband (see picture of them with my mom, in front of our house). On the other side of this ‘eating plenty’ conversation is the fact that my mom came all the way from Brazil to spend one month with us, and spoil us with her company, her joy and of course her culinary talent. Like I said, they are all serious about getting me fat, in a Ghanaian-Brazilian joint effort! The end result of all thi s talk is that Nicolas is indeed getting big, and already has a double chin and big beautiful cheeks (I AM biased!).

I have been culturally advised by close Ghanaian friends to stay in my room as much as I can with Nicolas, avoiding exposing him to the elements for the next three months – I hear that and I think ‘mosquitos’ – another wise survival-type advice – and heat rash in this tropical weather. Not bad for the introvert part of me, I do admit. Very hard though, when the world around me keeps spinning and I hear of patients coming and going day and night at the clinic(*), and while we are hosting three interns (Holli pictured with Nicolas) in our modest guest house. And as much as I want to believe resting during post-partum is a common practice among the women in the villages, I see too many of them carrying their tiny babies on their backs, on their way to farm, uphill, or carrying heavy logs on their heads in order to have fire to cook a meal for the rest of the family, right before and not long after delivering their children.

Life goes on, much like before, but I cannot help but notice the smiles I have been receiving from some of the people –specially the moms and grandmoms- I greet on the road. Call me a romantic, if you will, but I noticed they now carry something in their greetings to me that, while I still am and will always be an oburoni (‘foreigner’, literally ‘person from a distant land’ in Twi), transcends language or cultural barriers, something that says ‘you are closer to being one of us because you dared to BE one of us.’ And I can say to them with confident trust: ‘I dared because Jesus loves you!’

         *In case you are wondering, the clinic is staffed with a midwife (who does a lot of the work these days) and six health care assistants. We also receive a visiting doctor from Kumasi, Dr. Frank, on average once a week, who is especially a big help with the more complicated cases in this time. Since my arrival in the country, in April, we have been waiting for paperwork concerning my medical license to be cleared again, so I guess you can say I have been on ‘forced maternity leave’ since then. Lucas warned me in his 6 year old way that this would be ‘a time to trust in Jesus and get some rest’. We are still waiting for the Ghana Medical Council to approve my credentials and allow me to go back to work…

Michael in Ministry in the Villages

Over the last couple of years you have read of Michael if you have been reading our newsletters and blog. Today I give you an update since I have been reading the blog writings of current interns (Louise, Hollie and Rebecca).

Michael has been super busy in the work of clinic expansion, yet also in preaching in villages on weeknights and Sunday mornings. Last Sunday he gave the message in a congregation that met in a school building since their sanctuary was destroyed by a horrendous tropical storm in March. I'm glad that today he has the weekend off and is at his home church (Living Water Assembly of God in Kumasi). Next Sunday, he is scheduled to preach in two churches.

Read this from Hollie's blog:
"Michael is the ultimate go to guy and most of the day consists of hearing people call out ‘MICHAEL’ and him saying ‘YES’ and running to fix the problem no matter what it may be. He is licensed in electrical work and is the project manager for the construction on the clinic. When he is gone from the village you can feel the absence of his presence because he is always smiling and you can hear him singing very loudly on his porch which is a stones throw above our house. One night we heard him singing for literally 3 or 4 hours and would occasionally stop to laugh at his persistence and his absolute love for the Lord. He is sold out. He is a Ghanaian missionary to villages and has a love for people that is contagious. He has often led crusades where he translates for hours the Jesus film and hundreds have gotten saved through his ministry."

Another blog entry from Hollie records one of the evenings in a nearby village:
"Michael, who leads the program, calls to those who want to give their lives to Christ and many hands go up. He then asks the people if they want to be healed of any sicknesses and the same amount of hands go up. As he and the girls are praying for these people I start singing There is Healing in this place, Nothing but the blood of Jesus and We are standing on Holy Ground. A sweet presence of the Lord is there and in the dark, with only the light of the moon, people are turning their hearts over to Jesus and then being healed. It is miraculous and powerful."

Pray please, as he would like to attend the Harvest School of Missions (3 month school, classroom and outreach) in Mozambique. It would require sponsorship for the airfare and tuition once accepted. It's meant to prepare missionaries for village mission work - which is his heartbeat call from the Lord. We praise God that we get to work alongside a young man who is completely in love with Jesus. He moved out to work with us at Lake Bosomtwe and we praise God for His life.

Expansion of the Inpatient Centre

It's rainy season and it's raining so often, so much, and so much! It puts quite a damper...or dampness on the progress of the expansion of the clinic building that started a little over a week ago. The expansion project is funded through the generosity and hardwork of many people in the UK and N.Ireland and those of Seymour Street Methodist Church in Lisburn, Northern Ireland (suburban Belfast). One of their own, Louise Monroe, is here for almost two months (click here to read her blog writings). On the 10th of July, a group of 16 from Northern Ireland and England will be arriving for 16 days in Ghana to do construction and daily village outreach.

It's been quite an adventure in cultural learning during this building project since we are so far away from supplies. Yesterday, for instance, once we found a large enough truck that would deliver to us (a feat in itself) it had a wreck injuring the driver as it went around one of the treacherous curves on the roads getting close to our village. Today, eight of the workers from the construction went to go unload the wrecked truck and load two smaller trucks to bring the blocks, boat fuel and generator diesel fuel, and lumber.

At the moment though as I write there is music blaring loudly and an announcer working on a youth table tennis (ping pong) tournament that was organized and pulled off by Hollie Combs (click here to read her blog musings). Rebecca Hillman is taking pictures of the event and urging us to come see the action when she comes into the office to enjoy the air conditioning for a minute or two (read her blog, with a lot of great pictures).

We thank you for your prayers. We praise God that Nicolas is growing and doing so very well. Soon I hope to post some pictures of Lucas and Luiza with their new brother.

A new Jernigan born in Ghana

We are grateful to announce the birth of Nicolas Araujo Jernigan on the afternoon of the 14th of June in the village of Amakom at Lake Bosomtwe Methodist Clinic (where we serve in ministry) with the assistance of the midwife (Angelina)and a health assistant (Georgina). Ju walked back to our house about 20 minutes after delivery. Nicolas weighed 3.7 kg (8.2 lbs)at birth and is strong and healthy. He and Juliana are doing very well.

We know many of you were in prayer with us for a safe delivery so we thank you for your love. Labor lasted for about 2 1/2 hours, which was a great answer to Juliana’s prayers. On our side, we had our prayer warriors surrounding the clinic in those hours.

A tropical storm with heavy rain downpour came as Nicolas was born, which left those waiting outside worshipping and thanking God soaking wet (including his grandmother from Brazil, Eliana, who is visiting).

Great Expectations

'So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.' Romans 15:13 (NLT)

It's often so easy when not taking our thoughts captive to allow hopelessness and discouragement to rule. If we let our mind, our conversations, our interactions be formed by our weaknesses rather than from a transformed and renewed mind then there is no way for us to be full of peace since we are not living in the believe of Him but in reaction to our beliefs of ourselves.

What a powerful verse, and prayer that Paul prayed. We can take this and make it our prayer, our hearts desire for each other. For that matter, it should be our prayer for ourselves as well. Our relationships will be so much more fruitful is we are living in this mindset from the Kingdom of God rather than the way of the world imagining that our relationships are fragile and operating through insecurities that have weighed us down. Having the hearts desire for HOPE, that God will KEEP YOU happy and FULL of peace since we are BELIEVING in Him, OVERFLOWING with HOPE through the POWER of the Holy Spirit. Wow, a great verse to meditate on today.

The writing for today from Oswald Chamber's devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, online version is excellent. Click here to read it now.

Pictured: Andrew & Juliana, yesterday was the due date for our baby boy to be born, our third child.

The Office

On this scorching hot day in Amakom on the Lake I'm quite protected from the heat as I work away for hours at my desk. Today and yesterday have been long days in the office, actually it's the most time I've spent in here since our return. Currently we have an administrative intern, Louise Monroe from Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the months of June and July. Hollie Combs is here for the same period for a service internship as well. Rebecca Hillman is here beginning a longer period of serving in multiple capacities. They have been in Twi classes all morning with one brief break where Louise and Rebecca came and chatted a bit.

It's been especially busy as we are gearing up for a season of visiting work teams, their projects, and the logistics of each team. Planning and purchasing takes quite a bit more work here than expected. Louise snapped this picture of me at the desk yesterday as I was working on the projected costs for the clinic expansion which is the building project of the N.Irish/English team that comes in July.

I've also been in touch with Father Stephen McWhorter quite a bit this week since this past Sunday the opportunity was given at two different churches to give toward bore holes and the work of mercy ministries here. A phenomenal response came, so I've been researching now what it will take to fulfill the needs that can be met by these generous gifts. New challenges for the ministry here present new levels of faith.

The boat motor of the government boat we use for outreach recently had to be sent to Kumasi for repairs and it is coming back today to be put in service again. During it's demise the need for the larger clinic boat to be restored and functional was broached - and now funding has come to get it operational again. It will help so much when larger teams are here this summer (the Irish, the Georgia, and the Cincinnati teams) that require two boats each day. The resulting challenge now is that the boat house is not large enough for two boats, so I'm working on enlarging it and adding a storage room (for lifevests, fuel cans, fuel tanks, and supplies).

A days work, and it's only almost one in the afternoon on Thursday (the due date for our baby to be born...will he come today?).

The Picture Project

In collaboration with Rev. Steve Buchele, Brett & Leigh Anne Harris, and the visiting team last week from Alabama a brilliant idea of Steve's was able to come to fruition. Referred to as 'The Picture Project', click here to read and view this beautiful photo article.

New partnership, Answered prayer

During our time in the USA this Winter/Spring we visited many existing ministry partners and established new relationships. We received an email from Rolland and Heidi Baker (missionary members of H.I.M.) that invited us to the Revival Alliance Conference where they and Che Ahn, Bill Johnson, Duncan Smith, and others would be speaking. It was at this conference that we were introducted to Harvest International Ministry. Harvest International Ministry (HIM) is a network of likeminded people that come together for a common purpose, to spread the love of Jesus and equip the saints. It's an apostolic network of churches, missionary organizations, ministries, church networks, missionaries and marketplace ministers committed to loving and helping each other fulfill the Great Commission.

Today we received word that their executive committee welcomed us as members. The partnership brings support and prayer covering from a network of pastors and churches that we greatly respect. We are blessed to be in ministry with them. HIM is led by an outstanding minister Dr. Che Ahn and the executive committee (Che and Sue Ahn, Mark and Anne Tubbs, Rick and Pam Wright, Terry and Cheryl Edwards, Dennis and Lynnie Walker, Brian and Candice Simmons, Charles and Anne Stock, James and Michal Ann Goll, Jill Austin, Lou Engle, Paul and Joyce Tan, Wesley and Stacey Campbell) it's board of directors is a group of respected leaders (Che Ahn, Peter Wagner, Cindy Jacobs, Bill Greig, Sam Caster, Paul Tan, Rick Wright, John Park, Jeff Wright, Angela De Forrest, Mark Tubbs).

As God has called and equipped us to advance His kingdom in the villages of Lake Bosomtwe and beyond, we are blessed to have this partnership in ministry adding so many more churches and believers praying, interceding for the people we are here to love and care for in this mercy ministry at Lake Bosomtwe Clinic. Praise God for each of you in the churches that currently partner with us as missionaries with The Mission Society, and for those new partners in ministry through the H.I.M. network of churches, ministries, missionaries, and marketplace ministers.

Ephesians 4:11, "And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (ASV)

Reflection on Wednesday from Amakom

'The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things tought by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.' says Paul in a letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:1,2).

Today my heart is grieving for the lost sheep, for those that are not following Christ but wandering away and hurting. Recently I realized that a friend here in Ghana is hurting and abandoning the ways of God and in pain.  In this pain this person is acting out against others rather than seeking God for comfort - as they would say here in Ghana 'it pains me'.

On another note though, I am remembering with joy the group that left this past weekend after about 12 days of hard work, lots of love and care to our family, and cultural immersion from Alabama.  What a great experience we and they had here.

In just a couple of hours we are expecting our truck to pull back into the village bringing Hollie Combs (from Adairsville,GA, USA) and Rebecca Hillman (from Hughson, CA, USA ) as they will be working here for some time. On Saturday, our colleagues Rev. Kirk and Rev. Nicole Sims will bring Louise Monroe (from Belfast, N. Ireland, UK) who will be here for six weeks working in administration assistance. Their house, the one we lived in when we first moved here, has had a complete make-over - new roof, new ceiling, new wiring, plumbing, flooring, new kitchen, fans, beds, and fresh paint inside and out . The clinic grounds crew is cutting the 'bush' (the tall grass) that has grown high behind it as I write. Their fridge has been stocked and sheets on the bed. Pray that these young ladies will walk in the strength of the Lord, grow in Him during this time here, be content in the village life, and become friends with each other and local people.

Our eNewsletter program was hacked into...kind of :)

Some of you received a newsletter in our traditional format last week, but it was not written by Ju or myself! Relax though, our visiting team from Alabama requested to write Blessings, our monthly email newsletter on our behalf. We are grateful for their visit, and for their hours in putting together this news update for those who receive it. Click here to read it. If you would like to get it each month, click here to subscribe.

Greeting the Chiefs

While the work outreach team from Alabama was here I took the opportunity to do some necessary political business while also introducing them to local tradition. Each village has a chief (similar to mayor, but also judge), an okyome (an advisor, liason and spokesman for the chief), elders and assemblymen. On Tuesday, we went to greet these men in our village of Amakom (pictured top,right), then after that we traveled to our neighboring village of Atafram (pictured on the left). The chief of Atafram is a sub-chief, meaning that he is the chief over the area (many villages) and has higher authority and the ability to go directly in to the Asantehene.

Our next visit was on Thursday morning. The team came by boat to the village of Dompa, while I drove and met them there. It was an overdue visit, my first time to greet this chief and elders. The visiting team has brought gifts of rice, oil, hats and a new torch (flashlight for the Americans reading this post). We were received very well.  (pictured below, Michael Bentum standing with me as we explain the purpose of our visit) There were many questions about the clinic and how we can assist them with getting a bore hole (well) drilled since it's a town of 2000+ people and they have no well at all.  Last year they had a cholera outbreak (and have had many other years we are told) and over a dozen died, over 70 admitted for treatment. It's a valid request, yet we don't have the funds yet to have this need met. After this meeting the chief asked us to speak to the community...this led to a two hour, town hall/court room style gathering where people were given the chance to share their grievances, questions and concerns to me. I was not expecting it, nor did I expect the type of questions that came. I praise God that the team was there with me, and that God certainly gave wisdom and discernment for the correct responses to  the questions.

It was here in Dompa that I preached this past Sunday and afterward we and the whole congregation went to the homes of two shut-ins to pray for them, give them a summary of the morning message and care for them. An offering had been taken up for them during the morning service.  It was truly a meaningful and specail aspect of the service to me, and the visiting team.

'Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.' (quoted from 1st Peter 5:12-16, NIV)

Alabama team arriving today

It's a busy day here on the hillside of the beautiful meteor crater as we get ready for a joint team from St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Birmingham,AL, USA and First United Methodist Church in Sylacauga, AL, USA led by Father Stephen McWhorter. They left yesterday morning and are arriving in Accra, Ghana about 15 minutes from now (as I write this at (9:15am). Steve Buchele will be meeting them at the airport and bringing them up to Abono, where they all will stay at Lake Bosomtwe Paradise Resort. Steve will be fascilitating their orientation this afternoon and evening, then the group will be coming across by boat to Amakom to meet the clinic staff, begin working, and celebrate Lucas' 6th birthday.

The group will be involved in many aspects of work at the clinic. Church on Sunday will be at the 'Methodist society' in Dompa, with afternoon activities in Amakom. Monday is a work day on the clinic campus, Tuesday will start with greeting chiefs and elders in Amakom and Atafram, Wednesday will be a day of travel to Adamwaase to tour a Kente cloth weaving village, on to an Adinkra cloth village, then a wood carving village outing. Thursday and Friday are work days on the clinic campus, and Saturday they return to Accra to fly out early Sunday morning (June 1).

We are so blessed to have this group return again this year, with some of the same team members from the Feb. 2007 trip, and a few new team members.

'Doctor, We Need You'

It's 9:24pm on Tuesday evening and we're in bed. The all-to-familiar sound of the clinic night watchman's voice pierces through the night with 'Doctor, We Need You'.

We had gone to bed knowing that the third birth of the day could come anytime, but we had just gotten settled not long after watching an episode of House, MD (DVD of Season 2). Well, the call came and Juliana went since the mid-wife had gone to Kuntenase to get our monthly reporting forms and would be back early tomorrow morning.

Today was busy, Juliana and I had been setting up a new delivery room - which is being used tonight - with a new delivery table (very modern I must add and comfortable), an infant intensive care station (infant warmer), and other accessories for the room. Of course, you may remember, that Juliana is 36+ weeks pregnant herself and has worked all day on organizing, cleaning, etc. As we are waiting on the re-instatement of her medical license by the Medical Dental Council she cannot see patients at this time - she should hear news of their decision by the end of the week and can only go attend patients in emergency cases such as this tonight.

In the middle of a busy day, we had lunch (ocra stew over rice) on the floor picnic-style as our dining room table was covered with things as a sorting station during morning. I told Lucas of an email I had gotten from my mom that said that she would really like to send him his favorite home-made cake "Feathery Fudge Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Satin Frosting" but there is not enough room left for the visiting team coming this week from Alabama to bring it. I asked him if he thought he would have a cake for his birthday (it's on the 23rd) and he said, 'No, I don't think so. I can just have a popsicle for my birthday.' Oh my heart broke, it was at this moment that I wished for the biggest birthday party (Brazilian-style that his cousins have there). He didn't say it in sadness really, just realization that it won't be anything big. I'm glad that this team is bringing a cake that I bought/ordered from a bakery in Accra (the capital city of Ghana). It will be here by the 24th, and we will have 'party' with the team from Alabama, a 'family' gathering of sorts.

.... Juliana just came in for the truck keys and went out again... she said that the birth that she was called to has emergency complications, our truck has to rush her to the Catholic mission hospital that is 1 to 1 1/2 hours away (St. Michael's Catholic Hospital in Praamso).

I see the truck pulling out. I'm still waiting on Juliana to return to the house though and it's 9:51pm. May God intervene and strengthen this lady and her baby. Sustain them. I speak life and health to them in Jesus name. I come against all complications, and declare victory in the name of Jesus.

Update: Thursday morning.... we received word from the clinic driver that the baby did not make it. No details really, but the news is very discouraging.

Back at home in Amakom

We have been back in Ghana now for 18 days and it's been a wild transition back into the way of life. It's been quite an adjustment this time to get acclimated back into how things work here.

Today we are just overjoyed because we know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, doing exactly what we are called to do and are victorious! We will see the Kingdom of God advancing in this place, in power and might, with people living and loving His presence.

We are very grateful for those of you who are praying for us, especially during this past week as it's been a bit intense re-entry. It's so very wonderful to be walking with warriors, not alone, but with a winning battalion of super fighters with us. Thank you! Thank you Jesus for the overwhelming peace in the middle of challenging situations. He is our great strength. Ju is doing very well in the pregnancy.

Psalm 33:18-22 (Amplified)
Behold, the Lord's eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield. For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name. Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.

Netting Nations - Partnership with Lake Bosomtwe Clinic

Check out, www.NettingNations.org, a great charity that has expressed interest and contacted us for partnership with them for July 2008 distribution of treated mosquito nets. They are working to raise $2500 so that we can distribute 5000 nets - wow, a lot less costly that the Nothing But Nets campaign.

If you or your group could help them reach their goal we would sure be grateful!

Sending Money to Michael for Ministry in Ghana

  We encourage you to support Michael Bentum in his ministry in the villages of Ghana in preaching, giving bibles and mercy.

 After working with him since our move to Ghana in 2003, then his training at Harvest Mission School in Mozambique, we highly endorse this young man and ask for your prayerful consideration of sending funds to him using your Visa card through iKobo it is then applied to a Visa ATM card which he can withdraw funds for the ministry there.

 Let us know if you have questions.

 In the last month over 35 people have come to the Lord, people physicall healed in the services, and bibles given to new believers.  He is in need of a truck, as he already has a laptop, lcd projector, amp and speakers, and generator for showing films and preaching - will you help today!

One more day in the USA

It's our last full day in the USA before returning to Ghana. Wow, it's been a full season here of work on this side of the ocean. We hope to get blueprints today for the clinic expansion and finish packing.

Yesterday we were able to speak in the two morning services at Metro Church in Birmingham, then my parents 50th wedding anniversary party in the afternoon - such a special time of celebration of two Godly people that are so active with the Lord and in life still. They have served with us for this time in the US, traveling and ministering with us. We praise God for them.

Thank you to all of the people praying for us and the people in the villages at Lake Bosomtwe, and the staff at Lake Bosomtwe Methodist Clinic - we are so grateful for your prayers. The financial support is coming in for the expansion, the ambulance, lab, and supplies - so we praise God for that and thank those of you have been giving toward it. New workers are coming this summer, teams from the US & UK, and it's an exciting time in the life of the clinic.

We bless you all and look forward to giving updates soon from Ghana!

New mission staff members

We are living in such victory and blessings as we share with folks of God's work and love for His people. What an amazing loving God! He is so lovely.

Juliana and I are speaking in the Wichita, Kansas area this week in groups, lunches, and gatherings - and it's great! Early on Sunday morning we got in from four days in Pasadena that were indescribably great at a conference there - a spiritual retreat that was very renewing and refreshing.

We are so blessed that Rebecca Hillman will be coming to work serving at Lake Bosomtwe with us - working in mercy ministry, with Lucas as he enters first grade, teams, and massage therapy.

During the months of June and July we will also have Hollie Combs (Georgia, USA) and Louise Monroe (England, UK) in interships as they explore their call into missions. If you would like to sponsor Rebecca, Hollie or Louise in their work to help with their housing and other needs email us (click here). Prayerfully consider it we ask.

Interview Online

About a week ago we were interviewed for the podcast from The Mission Society, click here to listen.