Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime

If you are in a crowd of people in Ghana and say the name "Emmanuel", you are guaranteed to have a few men turn and look your way. It would be difficult to find a name that is more common here. The other night in devotion I asked the girls if they know the meaning of "Emmanuel". They told me it means "God with us." We then talked about how through Jesus, God came to be with us on this Earth. He came to show us and help us experience the love of God in ways that would never be possible without Him. And now, here we are at Christmas, where people all over the world stop to celebrate the arrival of "God with us".

Every year our partner church, Maranatha Power Ministries, celebrates Christmas in a big way. Thousands of meals are prepared and distributed in several different villages. This year, the Pearl House family got to join in on two of those celebrations.

At our recent fundraisers three of you purchased a Christmas party. Through those donations we were able to rent transportation and serve at two different parties. On Thursday we went to a village called Mankesim here in the Central Region of Ghana. And yesterday we traveled several hours to the Eastern Region to celebrate with the people of Kraboa Coaltar. Maranatha prepares hundreds of meals and packages them on the day of the party. Meanwhile, a program is put on letting the children have fun and learn about Jesus. The Pearl House girls were able to help package the food, assist in the program and share the food.

This all originated from a conversation I had with Bishop Odai, the leader of Maranatha. I was telling him I wanted to find ways for our girls to serve. They are being given so much now that they are at the Pearl House. It is important that they remember their blessings and live in gratitude for God's daily provision. He suggested that they participate in the Christmas parties this year. And I am oh so glad that He did. It is the perfect way for the Pearls to proclaim the arrival of the Savior on Earth. Jesus is God with us. And when God's children choose to serve others in the name of Jesus, they too are proclaiming "Emmanuel".

God is indeed with us!

 For more pictures from these parties, please see The Pearl House page on Facebook.