Blessings in Bosomtwe & Beyond

"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

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

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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…