Ghana Update-March 2017

“Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will protect them from those who malign them.” (Psalm 12:5 NIV) 

Introduction

We do have the weak and the needy in the society today just as in the days of the Psalmist. We the inhabitants of the society are the feet and hands of the Lord who He will use to respond to give the weak and the needy the needed help. My prayer is that we will respond appropriately to the call of the Lord as He arises to the defense of the weak and the needy through us.

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Bridges Training

We were able to hold a bridges training for the Church in the Sadugu community. It was great joy see the people retelling some of the parables of Jesus in their mother tongue.

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A community in need of potable drinking water

The Sadugu community which has a population of approximately 500 people does not have a potable drinking water. Samson inquired from them what their top most challenges are and they unanimously respond that potable drinking water, education and road. We passed to their water source and the picture below tells what their water looks like. Pray with us as we plan to head back to the community with the CHE strategy to see how best solutions or remedy can be found for the challenges facing them.

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Chief Warrior attends Bridges Training

The “Chief warrior of a community is mostly the one who believes in idols more than any other person and has the mandate to lead the community to battle. However, on the second day of our training, our team encountered the “Sadugu Kabonnaa” (Chief Warrior). As we engaged him in a conversation he finally agreed to go with us to Church and he told us in his own words “today I surrender everything thing of mine to Jesus the Messiah”. Most people who know him were surprised seeing him in our company but he sat in the Bible Story telling training from the beginning of the session to the end. And the following Sunday a check with the Pastor in –charge of the community Church (the one wearing an orange shirt in the picture below), he confirmed that the chief warrior was in Church. What an amazing God that we serve?

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Church Pastors’ and Leaders Training

It was a great joy and privilege for Samson to share with over 40 Pastors and Church leaders drawn from the Ghana International Baptist Convention member Churches on the topic Bill Hybels spoke on during the 2016 edition of the Global Leadership Summit “the Lenses of Leadership”. The participants were challenged to work on their passion for what God has called us to accomplish in Northern Ghana and beyond. One of the Pastors at the end of the program said “I know everyone has been touched just like me. For me I was greatly challenged when he said God is expecting to see Pastors in all the different sectors of our lives being it in business, military or whatever occupation”

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Prayer Needs

Remember to lift up these prayer needs before the Lord. Pray for:

* The Sadugu community that solutions will be found for the challenges facing the community.
* The Bimbila community in Northern Ghana which is going through some chieftaincy conflict.
* More grace as we continue with the Bridges training for 2017

Yours in His Vineyard
Samson Abukari
(Country Director, Ghana)