First Baptist Church

We made it! We arrived yesterday, but were not able to update the journal due to internet troubles. That said - we are here and so excited! 

After arriving, we met the other small team that is joining us in ministry, and then made the 3 hour trip to the vocational school! It was great to see many familiar faces from last year! We were able to greet many of the students and faculty prior to enjoying a meal and settling in. 

Today was spent working alongside the students to prepare the school grounds for graduation this Friday. It's a big deal for the students, so they spend the week leading up to graduation cleaning and preparing the grounds for celebration! It was great to spend this time with them, catching up, and hearing their stories. 

Tomorrow we pause the cleaning for a special field trip with the students. We will be joining them as they visit a monkey sanctuary and waterfall. This is a unique opportunity for them, and for us as well! 

Thank you for praying for us! We are so excited to be here! 

Yesterday was an amazing day of "firsts." We had the opportunity to participate in a field trip with them, climbing the tallest mountain in Ghana and meeting some pretty cool monkeys.  It was an awesome day getting the full Africa experience with the students from the school. It was the first time most of them had ever seen the mountain or the monkey sanctuary and several of them didn't know the sanctuary existed. It was awesome to experience things for the first time right alongside them. 

Today we have been busy continuing to prepare for graduation. Later this afternoon we will be traveling to a local village for kids ministry, outreach, and cinema ministry. 

Thank you for your continued prayers!!

Today was a packed day of ministry. We started off with marching into town with the graduates and a brass band. The ceremony was a huge celebration. It was from 11 A- 2P. Lots of dancing and the graduates were very emotional to receive their diplomas. We got lots of pictures with the graduates. After the ceremony, we went into Juapong for kids ministry. We came back and watched the Lunar Eclipse (only visible in Africa!) while we had dinner. 

Tomorrow we will be assisting a medical clinic hosted by the Ghana Baptist Convention. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Today, our team partnered with some doctors to host a medical ministry in Juapong. We started at 9 AM and worked straight through 3 PM. It was a full day of visiting with all kinds of people. People on our team were working registration, checking blood pressure, checking blood sugar, evangelizing, and playing games with the kids outside. Throughout the day, we saw over 200 people go through the screening. Our team is grateful for the opportunity and excited for church tomorrow. 

An update from yesterday evening...

Church was amazing today! The service lasted over 3 hours, and the team learned lessons of authentic worship, prayer, and community. After lunch, we are now in Mpakadan for kids ministry until dark. It's been a joyful day of worship. Pray for the team as they make preparations to head home. 

The team said some emotional goodbyes from the school today. Over the course of the last week, we met several amazing and inspiring people. We created friendships that we'll always hold close to our heart. Our last meal in Frankadua was true Ghana food- Goat and fufu. We will all be home soon!