Really the Last Blog from Ghana

I almost forgot...HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!!

Last Blog from Ghana

Hello again!

The team is leaving in just a little while. Yesterday was a great day of discussion and debriefing. We also had a farewell ceremony thrown for us by the Manna Mission staff. It was very nice of them. The staff at Manna have been such servants and have been a pleasure to do ministry along-side. We will miss them dearly.

During the trip the SMI team has made some estimates of the medical work that was preformed:

- Doctors, nurses and med. students saw around 1,000 patients
- There were around 12 surgeries preformed
- Around 10 babies were delivered
- 500 glasses were given out at the traveling eye-clinic
- Dozens of people have given their lives to Christ

And 48 people will forever be changed in how they view the relationship between healing, medicine and Christ.

Once again, as I have personally experienced myself before, I feel that I have been blessed by the Ghanains I have worked with far more than I could have blessed them by being there.

It was a great trip!

Last Day in Ghana

After three strong days of traveling clinics this week, the team will be wrapping up our stay at Manna Mission today. We will be debriefing and preparing to return home throughout the day. There will be many good-byes.

Thank you for supporting our team and taking time to read this blog.

Take time to ask a team member about their time in Ghana when they return.

God Bless.

Ocean Odyssey in Ada, Ghana

First we took a three hour bus ride. Then there were twenty minutes on a boat and another five minutes of walking. We had reached the Manna Mission Church plant on a small island near the town of Ada. Ada is located east of Accra, where the mighty Volta River meets the Atlantic.

The small island village probably hasn’t changed a whole lot in the past 200 years. Other than more modern looking clothes, it was pretty primitive. We set up a medical clinic, an eye clinic, children’s ministry, and sent out an outreach team.

It was a great day of ministry, as well as a long one. We arrived back at Manna Mission Hospital around 9:30 pm.

I had the opportunity to work in the eye clinic. It was very rewarding to see someone put on a pair of prescription glasses and light up because they could finally see. Some of the literate villagers who were farsighted could now read their Bibles. What a picture of the ministry we are doing. The blind will see!

Thank you for your prayers.

The SMI Traveling Clinic Hits "Downtown" Teshie!

Greetings from Ghana!

Things have been going great here. Fast and crazy, but really great. Today the team went to downtown Teshie and set up a medical clinic. It was hectic but went very well. Many patients were served and many good conversations happened. There was also a children’s ministry where the leaders made “Gospel bracelets” with the children. They are bracelets with different color beads that represent the truths of the Gospel. If the medical clinic was hectic, that was pandemonium! The kids loved it and were sporting their Gospel bracelets all over “downtown” Teshie.

An evangelism outreach team has been going out each day and that has gone well. Also today, different teams went two-by-two to different public schools to lead a devotion/teaching out of the Bible. The public schools here are surprisingly receptive to the Gospel being taught in their classrooms.

Every evening the team meets and recaps the day and also does a case study of a patient from the day. This is led by Morgan Wills and other doctors to help the medical and nursing students gain experience in diagnosing illnesses and in how the Gospel and spirituality are not only integrated, but central in the healing/treatment process.

The Wills and West children have been a great addition to the team in our children’s ministry. We are thankful they are here.

It is difficult to get pictures up here, but I will keep trying.

Keep praying! Thanks!

Hello everyone! This is Jina Hawk, one of Nick & Julie's team members. I took a few photos of our trip and wanted to add them to the blog today. I hope it works! If not, check-in tomorrow. :)

There's one of the church-service, and one of the view at Manna Mission from the roof of one of the buildings that we're staying in. And also a picture of our team at lunch today - good chicken/peanut soup!

Alrighty. Enjoy! I'm off to dinner. Thanks so much for keeping up with us, and we'll be sure to post more soon!

Jina

SMI-Ghana 2008 Kicks Off!

The team has arrived. Yesterday the team hit the ground running from the airport bus straight into the Manna Mission Church service. After worship there was lunch and a brief orientation before the team began the task of unpacking personal things and the huge amounts of medical supplies.

The team is very excited to be here and the Manna Mission staff is also equally excited to have us. They have been very welcoming and accommodating and the team is thrilled to work along side them.

Dr. Seth, the man who is in charge of Manna Mission, gave us a brief orientation and welcoming which included his amazing story of how God has brought him to this place and how God has built up what was once a barren piece of dirt and weeds into what is now a Church, hospital, seminary, school and more. Amazing story.

Today the team will be working in a tropical disease center not on the hospital grounds as well as a woman's shelter not on Manna's site.

Hopefully I can get some pictures up soon. Thanks!

Everyone is Almost Here!

Greeting from Ghana!

The Wills Family and myself are currently at Manna Mission helping prepare for the arrival of the team on Sunday morning. The Manna Mission staff is also hard at work preparing beds, food and other things that need to be done to house and feed 49 people.

It is my first time at Mann Mission and I have been very impressed by the Christ –centered focus here. The people are very kind and joyful and I am excited to be working with them.

Please continue to pray for a safe arrival of the team. Also pray that God will work through us these next couple weeks as we provide Christ-centered medical care for the people in and around Teshie, Ghana.

Final Meeting

On Sunday night the team met for our final meeting before the trip. A lot of information was covered and the team had a great time of corporate prayer at the end of the meeting. We learned about some cultural practices specific to Ghana, some logistical planning and talked about spiritual warfare.

Spiritual warfare is a seldom spoken about topic in America, yet the Bible speaks of it very frequently. If the God's people are doing things to bring glory to the Saviour, then the Enemy wants to get his evil hands involved and destroy it. The battle is not against flesh and bones, but it is real and we covet any prayersfor our team.

Most of the team will see each other for a full day training on Friday before the team departs on Saturday. Morgan and his family will be leaving Wednesday for Ghana to help prepare for the team.

Please keep praying for us for:

1. Safety.
2. That God opens the heart of the people we will be interacting with and that we proclaim His Gospel fearlessly.
3. And mostly that God is glorified through us!

Pill-Popping Party Pictures

These pictures were taken at Friday night's Pill-Popping party where team members prepared for the trip by organizing and getting together medical supplies. Also, clothes were dipped in Permetherin for mosquito protection (it doesn't just repel, but when the little bugs fly by it they drop dead!) There is more to come.

Pictures from SMI meetings

Ghana

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

(John 12:24)

This summer as a team of medical professionals and students we're going to Ghana to work at Manna Mission Hosptial. We'll be writing more about it as we continue to prepare and we'll try to put up pictures of the prep, the trip and the return. You can check the blog to see what's going on and feel free to leave notes or ask questions. Below is a summary of the trip and what it's all about...

Where is Ghana?

West Africa

What is Manna Mission Hospital?

„ Indigenous, nonprofit organization with a church, hospital, grade school, and bible college
„ In the village of Teshie, on the outskirts of Accra

Why are we going?

Assist the personnel at Manna Mission as they meet the medical and spiritual needs of patients in southern Ghana.

Help participants explore what it means to become integrated followers of Jesus Christ in the fields of medicine and nursing by serving and learning together in a cross-cultural setting.

Who's going?
„ 12 Nursing Students
„ 6 Medical Students from Vanderbilt
„ 20 Providers and support staff (Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, RN’s, spouses)
„ 5 kids!

What are we going to do?
„ Providing medical education, mentoring, and encouragement to the health care providers and staff at Manna
„ Ministering in multiple settings including “bush” clinics in underserved areas, pharmacy, vision clinics, door-to-door outreach, and children's ministry
„ Mentoring the participating medical and nursing students as they explore what it means to become integrated followers of Jesus Christ in their chosen fields.

How are we going to do it?
„ With the prayer and financial Support of our families, friends, and churches

How you can be a part of it...

Pray for our team
„ Preparations
„ Raising Funds
„ Health and Safety
„ Travel Dates: June 20 – July 5

Financial Support
„ Total Cost of $150,000
„ $3,500 Per Participant
„ Travel Expenses and Supplies
„ Gifts are Tax Deductable and can be made to African Leadership with SMI 2008 in the memo line.