“I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.” (Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana from 1960-1966)

The following post is from my missionary daughter, Allena. She served in Ghana, Africa, for a total of seven months. Her sixteen month mission’s requirement for her degree in Intercultural Ministries was cut short due to COVID-19. Back at school, I asked her to share with the blog community of ENCOURAGE ME what her heavenly Father taught her during this time in her life.

One of the biggest things God taught me in Ghana was how to work with children. I’ve learned this was actually one of my strengths. I didn’t feel qualified, and doubted my ability to do work with children. At home, I’d participated in some of the children’s departments of churches my family attended, but I knew the Lord wanted me to become more experienced in this ministry. One of the ways He did this was an opportunity through two of my teammates. They were in a Montessori program when they attended school at home. With their experience in teaching children, they were able to give me ideas to work well with children. God has truly redeemed my time in Ghana (as well as my previous short-term mission trips to Mexico and Costa Rica).

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children.” (Matthew 19:14, the International Children’s Bible, ICB)

One of the biggest things I did in Ghana was a children’s Bible study. It was in a village at 8p.m. every night. It was a 45 minute drive there, and a 45 minute drive back. We were in a small Presbyterian church where I would do a story from a children’s Bible (or make one up). I would have them draw the main characters, or what they got out of the Bible story. We would also do songs and games to keep them awake, active, and alert. I believe working with children will continue to be an enjoyable part of my future forever. (I also helped co-lead a Wednesday night Bible study with a fellow teammate, Lina, in another village.)

“[A] missionary [is] someone who leaves their family for a short time so that others may be with their families for eternity.” (Anonymous)

Ghana taught me that worshipping God can appear differently than I experienced in my home of Gahanna, OH. It can happen in my heart, or even in a poor village full of noisy children, wise, older adults, and lots of noisy, smelly animals (like chickens, goats, and cows). God is more concerned about the attitude of my heart than how I look.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is. Don’t look at how tall he is. I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, ICB)

In Ghana, I learned how to take care of the house our team of ladies lived in. We didn’t have city water. We had to order it. A tractor brought it. I was in charge of ordering the water (along with other duties). I learned to grow up as an adult. I paid the night guard who kept our compound safe as well as the household bills.

“[I’m] healed and forgiven. Look where my chains are now.
Death has no hold on me [because]…Your grace holds me now.” (Chorus of the song, “Whole Heart (Hold Me Now)” by Hillsong United)

Most of all, I discovered in Ghana that God was faithful to show Himself in all areas (or occasions) in my life when I least expected it (or even didn’t think I wanted it). The Ghanaians love to serve others. God brought this home to my heart also. How has the Lord been working with you? If you can, leave me a comment Woman on a Mission on Facebook. Wuni alibarika ya (God bless you). Ghana has about eighty different languages they speak. Dagbani was the one I learned in language school.