,     Before we moved to Ghana, often times after speaking in churches all over the US (it seemed that way at that time!) about our call, I (Juliana) often wondered what kind of stories we would have to tell our partners on our next visit. I even wondered if there would be any. “You know, life sometimes gets in the routine without much excitement, and we just go on persevering”, I thought.

Well, I gotta tell you: excitement has not been lacking, as well as daily opportunities to share the love of Jesus that brought us here. Let me share with you one of these stories, the one of Akosua’s baby. I must warn you this is not a happy story, but then again many times they aren’t, and neither is it short, but it is a true one, worthy of reading if you want to have a peak into life in this parts. Click to read more

Take a walk with me through the clinic grounds and maybe even Amakom today and, besides the children coming and going to school and the very few sellers on the side of the dirt road, we won’t be able to see many people around – they are all busy farming, since the rainy season has started and the moon is just right. They leave home before sunrise and many times only come back home after dark.

 

Come with me to the clinic and you will see many patients with ‘body pains’, elderly hard working grandparents struggling not to give in to osteoarthritis, various types of skin infections, hypertension, diabetes and many, many children with malaria.

 

But I wish you could see, and maybe even carry, one of our little patients that suffer the most this time of the year: the children that cannot afford a whole season (between March up to August, sometimes September) of hunger, the time following the dry season, when the crops are not yet ready to be eaten. Read the rest...click here

 

When we moved to Amakom, Andrew and I prayed and agreed we should focus on loving the people and getting to know those around us. We did not want to pour our energy into construction projects and get so busy with its details that we would be too tired to be vulnerable and learn the culture of the ones we are serving. Then we moved in and realized the clinic buildings (including staff housing) were in bad shape, worse than we had anticipated. Running water became possible through the purchase of a pump and water storage tanks, and electricity is now a very appreciated commodity through a new generator. Tiles were laid in some of the buildings rough concrete floors and in the ward the old roof has been striped off in order to make room for a new one.

 

As we are having to hire workers to do the construction work, feeding them became an adventure of faith. Specially when buying food means traveling to Kumasi and buying bulk amounts of tomatoes, meat, cassava, eggs, rice… Last week Andrew whispered to me we were running low on cash to buy some of these items for the next day, in order to feed them properly. The following night was filled with activity at the ward and I must say I was not in a good mood in the morning. So when the ward assistant came to me saying I had some people outside wanting to see me at 6AM I didn’t have a lot of disposition to smile. It was a group of women, members of the Methodist Women Fellowship, from the surrounding villages (Dompa, Duase, Ankaase, Amakom and Adjaman) that had brought an offering to the clinic, as a gift of appreciation for our services. There were eggs, fish, cassava, tomatoes, plantain, bananas and so much more!  I cannot describe how my heart was transformed at that very moment, humbled by their sacrifice. They not only sang, but they also prayed for the clinic and each patient.

 

It is true that I have an amazing husband that makes my work at the clinic as smooth as possible, but it seems to me that as we live by faith, without knowing for sure where the resources will come from or when, our eyes have been kept on those around us, as we pray together, as we celebrate every new toilet installed together and as we enjoy painted walls, clean floors and medicines on the shelves. It has been a joy to serve here. Kakra-kakra (little by little), the clinic is being empowered by those who empower us to serve better, one patient at a time. And the best part is that it is all for His glory… Thank you Jesus!

 

 

 

       

 

 

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