Standing on the Promised Land

Okay, so this might be a little bit different than the Promised Land of the Bible. But to our team, it has many parallels. The Promised Land that Moses led his people to was given after years of slavery in Egypt. It was given to a people the Lord longed to redeem and bless. And, it flowed with milk and honey. It was a beautiful land...a complete contrast to what they had known before: desert wasteland.

These children in Ghana deserve the same "promised land" in exchange for the desert wasteland of slavery.

And, I think God just might have shown us the Promised Land during this trip. :)

Let me back up a bit. A few weeks ago, Pam Cope left me a voicemail asking me if Mark and I ever dreamed of a house on the beach. She proceeds to tell me that, thanks to Garret, their director who lives in Ghana, they may have found a new land option with a beachfront view for Chase's Place and the village it will be a part of!

Mark and I both were amazed at the news. But, were also cautious, because we weren't sure how "certain" this would be. For many months, we have joined the Touch A Life staff in praying for God's direction, as the land for the new village was being sought. Two or three times, they have been very close to having the land settled, and every time it fell through for one reason or another.

But, as I listened to Pam excitedly say "We are claiming this land. This is going to be OURS!", we joined her in the excitement and immediately began praying that God would make this happen--and if possible--allow us to see it while we were there.

I believe the months of delay were because the Lord knew the PERFECT place, and was just wanting us to "travel steadily along His path" to find it.

Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along His path. He will honor you by giving you the land." Psalm 37:34.

The first day I was in Ghana, we stood on the land that we have all dreamed about, prayed about, and asked the Lord for. And, it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL, with rolling green hills, and a view of the ocean!

As we walked up the hill toward the top of where the houses would be built, Lisa walked alongside me, reading scripture the whole way.

As she read, I cried. Because there was NO way for her to know the scriptures I had claimed as my prayer for the children who would live here. But, she was reading the same scriptures in Isaiah, word for word. Sometimes God is just too much for me. :)

Here are some of the words we read:

"I will restore the land and reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives "Come out" and to those in darkness, "Be FREE!"

"Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts His people and will have compassion on His afflicted ones!"

"The Lord will look with compassion on all Zion's ruins...He will make her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing!"

"The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting JOY will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

As we reached the top of the hill, we were all just overcome with how beautiful it was. There was a strong breeze (which is QUITE nice when it's a hot day in Ghana) and it just felt so peaceful.

We gathered as a group, read more scripture, sang "Lord, You're Beautiful", and prayed over the land and the future.

It was probably one of the most powerful prayer times I've been a part of, as we asked the Lord's favor on this place.

Before we left the land, each of us wrote the initials of our loved one, who we will be building in honor of. Pam wrote a "J" for Jantsen. Nan wrote a "C" for Connor. Lisa wrote a "C" for her sister, Connie. And, I wrote a "baby C" for sweet Chase.

The next day, as soon as Mark arrived, I took him back to see the land. He, of course, agreed, that this HAD to be the place.

And now, we're all dreaming of what it will be like for this to be HOME for these kids. It's gonna be amazing. So many of you have joined us specifically in praying for the land. And, we appreciate it so much. Will you continue to pray, please?

Pam met with the village chief and all is looking really good. But, we would love to cover it continually in prayer until the foundation is laid!

And here is a passage I found after we came home, that has now become precious to me:

"My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." Isaiah 32:18