Day 13 and 14: The End

Hello all or as the Texan’s say, “Y’all”!

We apologize for the late post, internet has been rough.

On day 13 the choirs had some time in the morning to rest and reflect on all the Lord has been doing throughout the trip. That evening they gave their last concert at a church. Again the choir sounded like angels singing before the Lord about His greatness! It was a beautiful way to end the trip in voices together singing to the people of Ghana, encouraging the church and blessing those around.

Day 14 was a travel day for all as everyone made it home safe (even if it did take all day)!

We praise God for the opportunity to serve Ghana. It was a blessing to serve with both BRH and EYOMM. Please continue to pray for OneWay Ghana as Ray and the Mensah family serve faithfully in the country.

Thank you all for your support and prayers throughout this journey!

Blessings,
OneWay team

Day 12: How Great Thou Art

Can’t believe we are almost at the end of the trip. How incredible it has been!

Today we went to Atlantic High School to lead the school in praise and worship (definitely a strong area for the choir), perform dramas, share testimonies and give an invitation to share the gospel.

There were at least 6 stories of kids coming to know the Lord as their Savior…praise God!!

The picture today was absolutely beautiful. We all sat beneath the trees, being cooled by the shade and light breeze while all the children sat in anticipation as to what these “Obrunis” (white people) were going to do. The music quickly began and the kids began to join in, singing, dancing and clapping. The two choirs took turns to give skits and share testimonies. It was a perfect display of a true and deep partnership. As the days have progressed it has become hard to even separate the two choirs for God has blessed us with unity.

Once the gospel message had been presented the students were given the opportunity to pray with the choir members. Again the picture was just further enhanced as you looked around to see choir members praying with high schoolers, leading them to christ, switching life stories and discipling. Not all the kids come from stable homes and in fact some sleep where the school is located while others have moved in together either because their parents have left them or are working in another country. These kids are not typical high school students that you might come across in the states. They have a hunger and a passion to know the Lord in ways that blew us away. They are curious and crying out for investment and discipleship in their life.

It was interesting to hear so many of the kids explain that their dream is to go to America. They view our country as a place of freedom and opportunity. Let’s thank God for our country today and pray that we step up as a true city on a hill. May we also pray for the children of Atlantic High School to be blessed with a stable home and to have eyes and a passion for those in their country as well. May these children become light in the darkness.

These evening we had the privilege of ministering at ICGC. The service was so much fun as we danced with our Ghanaian brothers and sisters in praise to the Lord. The choirs sang some songs together and blessed the congregation. Lets pray for God to continue to bless the ICGC ministry, that they may continue to be filled with joy and minister to the people in their community.

Day 11: Abofu

What an incredible day!

Today had a little bit of a slower start but ended with a a rush to say the least.

The choirs spent the morning together in prayer and worship, resting and bonding. As the rest of the OneWay team did some prep for the rest of the week.

In the afternoon we headed on the bus to Abofu, kind of a lower class neighborhood in Ghana. The two choirs played soccer or as it’s called here, football, against a legitimate Ghanaian team. It was quite a sight to see. If you have ever seen “Big Green” the soccer movie than you would definitely have a reference point for what BRH and EYOMM was up against. But they all went in with such a positive attitude and just an overall desire for the young men they were playing to experience and know the love of the Lord. Unfortunately we did loose 3 to 1, and the debate is still out as to whether it was a pity goal or not.

It was awesome to see the crowds gather as the game began. We broke the 75 person team into 3 groups: soccer, playing with kids and evangelism. Groups of children gathered and sang songs and played games and heard stories about Christ. It was hard for the kids to go home.

The evangelism team had some amazing encounters that the Lord used to advance His kingdom. Four choir members went out into the community and met a man who was previously a pastor and he shared about his life with them. The man then connected them with some workers. The 3 students jumped in and immediately began serving with them. The workers introduced them to their boss. There was a church nearby that then invited the students to gather their choir and sing at the church. The boss of the employees encouraged it as well and in fact said he would give his employees the afternoon off to go to the church. So of course we gathered together and headed over to the church. The choirs joined forces again and ministered to the little church in the community. And what a glorious sight it was. The atmosphere was small and lights time with of course no air. And the pastor stood up to thank the choir and said the words “we are so blessed”. The conditions, let alone neighborhood of that church would be looked down on in America and considered in need. But here they stand in thankfulness and call themselves blessed. What a moving picture of humility. But beyond that what a wake up call for all of us. May we have eyes today to see our blessings in abundance and to ope our doors to others.

The choir shared the gospel with the people in the church and had an opportunity to then individually ministry. All around the room you say the body of believers in full action. It was like stepping into a story from the book of Acts.

God is moving mightily in Ghana continue to pray for his mighty hand to do great things in and through us. Pray for the people of Abofu to come to know the Lord. Pray for those in that community who do know the Lord to continue to be a light in the darkness.

Day 10: Piano Keys

This morning we went to a church in the area and truly were able to worship true Ghanaian style. BRH and EYOMM filled the front of the church as they danced out of their aisles to the front to express the words they were singing with the congregation, “Celebrate Jesus Celebrate…”.

During the service the choirs blessed the church with some music. The pastor put it beautifully, “On a piano you can play white keys only or you can play black keys only, but when you put the two together it makes a beautiful sound.” The voices sounded simply angelic together touching so many hearts.

The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing at the recording studio and then a final good bye to part of the oneway team.

Pleas pray for Michael, Jim, Hannah and the Beckman family as they are in route back to chicago.

Day 9: BRH Perspective

Revelations 15:3-4

“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you O Lord? And bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

From Kristen Tekell (BRH choir member):

“I am in awe as I witness the powerful presence of God at work in this place, revealing truth, transforming hearts, and sharpening us to do His will. Overflowing with joy, He continues to move mightily in and through this journey. God’s love has crosses borders, conquers fears, connects cultures and unifies hearts through the power of His holy name.

Each day holds unique experiences and blessed opportunities to learn, grow, preach, profess and practice faith in an intimate way with the Father, of ALL nations, countries and creation. The EYOMM choir, inspiring ambassadors of Christ, continue to uplift, encourage and fellowship with us as our hearts, faith and spirit as we function as one body of believers.

Today, I met a dedicated disciple, Richmond, who is such a pillar of strength and courage. The knowledge and wisdom revealed through his words and passion and love for God brought tears to my eyes and conviction to my heart. With a radiant smile covering his his face and overflowing from his spirit, we spoke about God almighty, His power and our hope. He memorized and recited entire chapters from Hebrews, asked poignant questions about the church, my beliefs, my fears and faith in Jesus Christ. He taught me more about faith in thirty minutes than hours of study in a classroom could ever reveal. He spoke truth not as if it was written with ink but with the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but written in the depths of his heart. His favorite book is Revelations because it speaks of God’s glory in heaven. This young man is 11 years old and lives at the Agape orphanage, which was the first stop of our day.

From the Ghanaian games, dirt pushing in wheel barrows and craft-making to sorting through mountains of donated materials our time at Agape was full. Full of eternal fruit that reaches beyond the surface of the skin to touch the depth of our spirits. The beautiful smiles and joyful hearts of the children of Agape confirmed yet again that circumstances do not determine the state of the spirit for those in Christ Jesus. Though those precious children may not experience love from a biological family on earth, but they have the unconditional love of the eternal Father saving their place in the Kingdom of heaven…where we shall meet again in praise and fellowship…Someday.

The BRH family continued to flourish into the Christ centered body God designed us to be as we join with the EYOMM team as iron sharpens iron so we are learning and growing from each other. God used our experiences at Agape to teach us more about His love, His purpose on earth, our appointed place on that plan, and the eternal hope for each beautiful child of His. The next piece of the journey today took us to the University of Ghana hospital. We joined as one with the EYOMM members and spread out into the wards on tour teams. Praying over the sick, feeling the pain and always praising God’s name, asking for hope, healing, courage and strength for the suffering. From the maternity ward praying over a woman in the final stages of labor to praying for the hurting soul in the emergency room ready to meet their savior, the Holy Spirit’s presence filled the halls as well as our hearts.

We came back to the complex after a full day of worship for a special surprise Ghanian night of great food and fellowship. Persevering through the lack of power, the EYOMM team gave us a taste of Ghana. The culture of family is contagious here and so is the genuine passion for people, building relationships, and exuding joy for life. We witnessed the wonders of Ghanian traditional dances + dress and joined in the festivities with some American flavor upon request, sharing two-step, the hokey pokey, and more. What an incredible blessing to be in this place for such a time as this. God has sent us here to learn, grow, give, and pour out His love as vessels to fulfill His purpose and bring glory to His name.

Thank you for the continued encouragement, prayers, and support. Each one is providing strength, courage, and empowering us to continue humbly seeking the Lord in Ghana. Please keep praying fervently for “His righteous acts to be revealed” more daily as we dwell in Him richly with our brothers and sisters in Christ in this beautiful country of Ghana and that He would continue to fill the deep recesses of our hearts with wisdom, courage, strength, understanding, hope, and joy. Love you all so dearly and cannot wait to share more of these life changing experiences. We are also thinking and praying for you!

In Christ Alone,
Kristen

Day 9: Simple Faith

What a packed day, from morning till night. Early tomorrow we will post from one of the BRH members about their experience at the outreach today. But in the mean time, I will leave you with an incredible story of a young man that we met today:

The teams served at the AGAPE orphanage today, and came across a young man. I guess by American standards we would consider this 11 year old a boy, but he has grasped things far beyond most of us. One of the choir members struck up a conversation with the young man and asked, “what do you like to do for fun?”. Anticipating a answer in the realm of sports, reading or hanging out with friends, but rather the he looked up and said, “I like to share the gospel!” Really?!? There are not a lot of people who would consider that their favorite past time. But when questioned further about this hobby he responded with such confidence, “I just have a passion to see people come to know the Lord.” He then began to explain, “For years (speaking as if he were 25) I have wanted to be a dancer, but when I was ten I felt the Lord call me to be a pastor, and I have wanted to do so ever since.” He also told us that Revelations was his favorite book because it encourages him to share the gospel because eternity in heaven or hell is real.

How awesome is it to see a young man that just gets it?!

The title of this blog and ultimately the desire of this trip is for proclamation. And here we have a child who the world would say has nothing to live for (no money and no family), but with greater faith in God than those of us who have in abundance.

The question to think through is do I get it? Do I have compassion for those who are doomed to an eternity of suffering? Is it urgent for me to tell people the coming reality?

Pray for us and also for your own life that we may return to this simple faith and task set before us to make disciples of all nations.

Day 8: Recording and Reaching Out

Yet again, today was another fabulous day filled with God’s amazing grace and power. We all continue to be amazed at how God constantly refreshes His people and pours out His spirit and power on people who fully surrender and yield to Him.

Today was a big day for the recording project. The Baylor and Ghanaian choirs were at the studio again all day. You may think it’s not hard work sitting and singing all day, but in reality, it’s exhausting! There are so many little details and such that go into recording music, and it is very hard work! Four songs were recorded today, making seven total, well on our way!

The team from OneWay went to Agape Children’s Home (the same orphanage we were at earlier this week). We had a fabulous time doing sports, stories, songs, and just loving these kids. We have been so impressed with the amazing education and community these orphans are being given, and more importantly, the huge emphasis on the Bible and love for the Lord. They were constantly spilling out many perfectly recited, huge Bible passages and loved playing Bible trivia with us. It is obvious that these beautiful kids are filled with amazing love for the Lord and His Word. It’s truly a beautiful blessing to see these children being trained in the ways of righteousness. We commend our brothers and sisters who work at Agape for doing a fantastic job! Take for instance David, a young man from New Zealand who arrived a few months ago to work in Ghana at Agape. For the next two years, he will be living in a house with 6 of the high-school aged boys, very close to the orphanage, two of them being apprentices in carpentry, his trade. It is so encouraging to talk to him, hear his story and witness his dedication to denying himself and following Christ to serve the least of these, in this case these precious orphans. Pray for him, that he would remain close to the Lord, that he would be a strong influence and leader on these children, especially the older boys, and that God would continue to use him to do mighty things for His glory.

Tomorrow we return to Agape, this time the whole huge team, including the choirs, to spend more time with the kids and do some work projects around the Home. After a trip to Agape, we will be ministering together at a hospital in Accra. Pray for another fruitful day and that we would bless everyone we are in contact with, as well as be blessed by them. Continue to pray also for health and energy, and for protection from any schemes of the enemy.

Praise God for His continued faithfulness and power poured out in brand new ways continuously, to those who believe Him and call on His Name. To Christ alone be the power, the glory, and the honor forever and ever. Amen!

Photos: Day 5-7

Thanks for your patience, enjoy the photos of what God has been doing here in Ghana.

Day 7: Divide and Conquer

Today our team split up and served in two different areas.

The choirs spent the day rehearsing and recording at the studio in Ghana. The cd is coming together and is an exciting project. What a unique opportunity that musicians from two completely different places come together to lift praise to the Lord and then share it with others. What an awesome opportunity for the two choirs to make an impact on each others countries and ultimately the world.

While the choir was working hard at the studio and small team from OneWay headed out to Mama Jane school in Ghana. The school was beautiful and picturesque. It was probably one of the nicest schools you would see in Ghana.

The team visited about four or five classrooms, totaling close to 100-125 students. The students learned how to make a gospel bracelet that will be something they can always look at to remember what Jesus did for them.

One of the classrooms heard the story of Daniel and the lions den, however they were not merely spectators but in fact quite ferocious lions. The kids made lion masks and acted as the lions den. They were pretty timid at first with almost inaudible attempts at a roar, but as the story went on the children found their inner beast. It was fun to take the Bible into a tangible form for the children. The students committed to telling someone they knew the story they had learned today! The day at the school ended with a dancing train to the song “How Great is Our God”. One thing we most definitely can learn from the Ghanaian people is how to express praise through dance.

Today those 100 or so students each heard the Gospel today! Praise the Lord that more and more people are being added into the Kingdom.

Please pray for Mama Jean school to continue to flourish. May that school be a breading ground for radical and solid disciples of the Lord. Pray for all the children who heard about Jesus today to have a personal relationship with Him. Pray that they continue to grow being rooted and established in love.

In contrast to all of the good things taking place, we know that the enemy knows the CD the choirs are creating is a threat to him. Pray protection over the entire process of the project. Pray for all the equipment to function properly, all voices to be well rested (good health for everyone) and unity.

Tomorrow the choirs will have some more time in the studio and will be heading out to serve in the afternoon.

Also, we apologize for the delay on photos, stay tuned for they are on their way!

Day 5 and 6: Joining Forces

Sorry about the delay on the post. We have been having some problems with the generators. Pictures will be posted soon.

Day 5:
This morning was a historical moment as the two choirs joined together! The voices raised together in one voice to praise the one true God. Orientation was a blast as we learned about the Ghanaian culture, how to greet and introduce ourselves in “Twi”, one of the languages spoken in Ghana. We taught each other our countries national anthems and shared a little about each one of our ministries. Then together we shared communion together and prayed over the unity of the choirs.

Following the orientation there was time to get to know each other. Everyone from the different teams blended wonderfully and had a fabulous time getting to know each other, especially enjoying the gift of music! It’s wonderful to see and experience true love and kinship with brothers and sisters from all over the world, even though very few of us knew each other before this trip.

The whole combined team enjoyed a Ghanaian lunch together, and the Baylor and Ghana choirs enjoyed more worship and fellowship. Some of the OneWay leadership traveled around doing errands and connecting with various friend and ministries, while the rest of us went on an intense, bumpy, long ride through a market to “Precious Kids School” where we ministered to some truly precious kids! We enjoyed the lively singing, enthusiastic smiles, and tremendous hearts of the kids as we played, hugged, sang, told stories, and prayed with these kids… truly a wonderful treat!

The whole team (minus a few OWM leaders busy checking out the studio that recording will take place in) gathered again for a wonderful Ghanaian buffet dinner and enjoyed more fellowship and getting to know each other. Right as we sat down with plates full of food, the electricity went out completely, so we ended up enjoying a lovely dinner by flashlight/candlelight. Good bonding and memory-making time.

Tomorrow we head off at 5 am for an extremely full day of visiting Kakum National Park, the beach at Cape Coast, and an outreach in a village. Pray for continued bonding among the team members, energy, and effectiveness as we minister to the wonderful people of Ghana.

As they say here in Ghana, God is good…all the time! Amen!

Day 6:
What an exciting day in Ghana. Today was the first day that both choirs ministered together to the Ghanaian people.

We started with a long (and early- 5a.m.) bus ride to Cape Coast to visit four different schools. We broke the 75 member team into four groups. Each group shared songs and stories with the middle school and high school age kids. The EYOMM choir and BRH taught the children new songs of praise and worship. My heart felt like it had done back flips when I heard the children began to sing as loud as they could “How Great is our God”. There was no reservation or timidity, it didn’t matter if they had heard the song for the first time or even if they knew the language they just wanted to praise the Lord, AMEN! I’m reminded of the passage in Luke 19 where Jesus’ disciples are crying out praises to Him and the Pharisees tell Jesus to rebuke His disciples for doing so. But He says to them,

”if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

These children were NOT going to let the rocks cry out in their place.

In addition to the worship time, each group told the children a story about the power and Authority of Jesus. The kids were then encouraged to tell the story they had just heard to each one of their classmates. They were a little shy at first to stand up in front of theirs, but with a little encouragement beamed this opportunity.

The children were then told the gospel in their language, “fante” and given the opportunity to accept Jesus into their hearts. Hands were raised at all the schools today and many children came to know the Lord as their personal savior. It is amazing that people who don’t even access to a Bible (especially in their own language) have such a hunger to know the Lord. I believe we can learn from the children at these schools to return to a childlike faith and desire for Christ.

As a special treat one of the schools shared with the team a traditional Ghanaian worship song. As voices rang out loud, the choirs joined in dancing with the children. The once classroom was beginning to look more like a party!

We all piled back on the bus and headed to the coast. There the two choirs were able to see a unique blend of Ghanaian culture. the shore was sandwiched between the ruins of a slave trade castle and an fishing community working hard to make a living. In the shadows of the castle, men, women and children gathered at the shore to bring in fish to sell and trade.

As we watched the culture work together, the Spirit began to move. The choirs began to sing as the crowds formed around. And pretty soon we were having praise and worship right on the shores of Ghana. EYOMM’s director, John, shared the gospel with the group of people that had gathered around, and gave them an opportunity to accept Jesus into their hearts. People of all ages raised their hands, with the desire to know have Jesus in their hearts. What a blessing to see God move in mysterious ways.

We go on the bus and drove a long way to the awesome Canopy viewing in Kakum. We lathered ourselves in not only suntan lotion, but in bug spray. We walked up a long ways before we came to the tree tops and found out what we were made of. We walked all around the area. It was an adventure of a life time. We were suspended hundreds of feet above the the ground in a forest that span as far as the eyes can see. It was such a great experience that we all might never have again. It also gave the choirs from BRH and EYOMM to bond together other than their time spend singing in rehearsal.

Tomorrow will be the first day of recording in the studio. Please pray for the choirs to be well reseted and and planned attacks from the enemy.

Hallelujah! Amen.