Have you ever looked at a picture and been absolutely overwhelmed with all that it represents? As previously mentioned, we were able to receive the youth group from my home church this past June. They were in Ghana for two weeks working with the Village of Hope. While here they came over to visit The Pearl House for a few days. After working on Thursday and Friday they came back to the house again on Saturday. This time, the girls were out of school and ready to play. As they were coming, the White Station group also brought along some of the older children from the Village of Hope.
The Village of Hope is a well-established organization here in Ghana. They have an orphanage, several schools, a hospital and a vocational training center. The number of people they impact daily is in the thousands. This place was my doorway to Ghana. I started taking students there on short-term missions in 2003. Every year I grew to love Ghana more and more and eventually that love changed the course of my life. The “children” from the VOH that came to visit that day are now well-educated and independent adults in their twenties.
Once everyone arrived we sat down to share a time of worship together. The Pearls, the White Station Group and the Village of Hope children all sang together and uttered prayers for one another. To say I was overwhelmed is a gross understatement. It is amazing to see how God works so faithfully in our lives. I was sitting in a room worshipping with members from the church that ushered me into adulthood and created opportunities for me to meet the people of Ghana. To pray with and for the young adults that made me want to live and serve here long term. And to see the 20 girls that I now call my daughters sitting in the very same room. All of us together, worshipping one God. It is truly amazing to see how God weaves our lives together with others for the joy of His Kingdom. What a joy it is to be part of the family of God.
