That's how we felt this weekend, as we spent time with one of our biggest superheroes in life, George Achibra from Ghana. George is the "man behind it all", who spends day after day on Lake Volta, rescuing children from the horrific life of slavery.
I have never met anyone like him. He has truly been chosen by the Lord to do GREAT and NECESSARY work, and he does it with all of his heart and soul, giving all glory and all credit to God.
To have this great man in our own city, was surreal. Every time I saw him, I just kept thinking "George is really HERE!" And, every time I saw him, I was greeted with the same huge grin and cheerful hug. I love this man!
This was his first trip to the United States, and he has had a busy few days for sure. We were honored to join our friends, the Grieges, in their beautiful home, as we hosted a meet-and-greet for George and the Touch a Life staff in an evening together with friends. (You might recognize the Griege family from Charlie's Bike-a-Thon for His Chase!! He's another superhero!)
The Grieges planned every detail and did such a great job of welcoming George to the US. I was so glad that so many of YOU could be there, and it means the world to Mark and me to share this sweet friend of ours with you, as well as all the people at Touch a Life who we love so much.
After our fun party, we also got to worship with George at church the next morning, as well as listen to him share his ministry and calling with everyone there. Every time he speaks, I am so moved by his heart. He shares of his passion and love for these kids, and how much we must come together as ONE family on behalf of those who are "voiceless". Amen, Super George!
By far, my favorite moment of the entire weekend was when my girls got to meet him. As my friend Amy said, all we could think of was Jesus as we watched him. "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to children like these!"
Every child was scooped up.
Every child was joyfully greeted.
Every child was loved from his heart.
Every single child who came to greet George was lifted up immediately to his face, and with a huge smile, and laughing the whole time, George would greet them and tell them how wonderful it was to see them.
His heart just overflows with love for kids. And, I know my girls' love was pouring out right back at him. They were so excited to meet the George they had heard so much about! It was a precious gift and a day none of us will ever forget.
We continue to pray for God's power to be shown in the life of George Achibra, as he continues to fight for justice and for freedom for the trafficked children. We pray that as George spends his life on behalf of the hungry and satisfies the needs of the oppressed, the Lord will guide Him always, satisfying his needs and strengthening his frame...that George may be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:10-12
I have alot to blog about for our birthday celebrations, but here is a sneak peek of our family birthday party this week:
A hippy birthday party at the skating rink. :) It was so much fun, and I was surprised at how the roller skating thing came back to me after all this time. And, Kendyll was a pro, of course!
Kendyll got a second celebration the next day with some church friends as they surprised her at her ice skating lessons and joined her for the afternoon!
Even more skating fun!
But, those updates are coming soon...
Right now, I just want to share one special thing about Kendyll from this week that I don't want to forget. As anyone who knows her already sees, she has a sweet, compassionate heart that is growing bigger by the year. She loves deeply, gives freely, and lives joyfully.
And, she really loves Africa. :)
The other morning, she bounces downstairs in her usual early morning cheery mood, and told me she had the coolest dream.
LISTEN TO THIS...in Kendyll's words.
"We were all in Africa, like the whole Branch (our church) and everyone who goes to Africa on your trips. It was really sad because it was all brown everywhere and there was, like, a famine. Even the waterfall had dried up and everything was dead. Mr. Jaron (our worship leader) was leading everyone in Chris Tomlin's song "God of This City" (see video below) and we were all singing loud. Then, Jaron said "We love you Jesus!" And, as we all started saying it, everything started turning to green! Everything started blooming again and the waterfall started pouring new water out!"
I sat there with my jaw on the ground, as she described new life coming to Africa. And, then I proceeded to tell Kendyll just how AMAZING this dream was! I told her that so often God speaks to us in our dreams, and that I think He just spoke in hers! Oh, how her eyes lit up at the thought. And, so did mine.
And, to know that Kendyll was dreaming about this song! "You're the God of this city, You're the King of these people, You're the Lord of this nation...You're the light in this darkness, You're the hope to the hopeless, You're the peace to the restless. There is no one like our God!"
I haven't shared completely about what God spoke to me on my retreat a couple of weeks ago, but one thing He clearly said to me is that "Chase is a seed planted for My glory. But, he's not the only one. All four of your children are seeds that will be harvested. I have plans for My glory to be revealed in each one in such different and amazing ways. Just watch, Chelsea."
Not that I didn't already know this. But, He clearly reminded me through my quiet time and a few other lessons that what He's doing through Chase's life is only part of the bigger story. He has big things planned for all of my children! And, I am so excited to watch Kendyll's seed grow. She is a planting for the Lord, and He is revealing His heart to her, even in her dreams.
Kendyll, you are my precious big girl and God is doing AMAZING things already through you. I pray He continues to ignite your passion for His calling on your life. You are a seed planted for His harvest, and He has such a HUGE plan for you, my sweet girl. Happy 9th birthday! I love you SO much, missy moo!
Coming home from Africa is usually hard. Part of your heart (or most of your heart) stays there.
But, this week has been GOOD. We are feeling giddy about what lies ahead, and can already see some clear direction from here. And, it has been so good to be back with my girls and Mark.
In His goodness, every single day has involved Africa in some way. Whether it be through conversations with others, lunch with some VO teammates, or long dinners with friends, we have been so encouraged by how many are walking this journey with us. Some amazing teams are already being formed for the summer trips. Some plans are already being formed for new His Chase projects. And, God has given us some wonderful friends who share a love for Africa.
Our sweet Mrs. Suzanne brought these cookies by earlier this week:
And, it was the perfect way to celebrate what God is doing in our lives, and in our family.
She brought a little cookie decorating kit for the girls, complete with icing and directions on how to make a heart for Rwanda, "because part of our heart lives there". How precious.
The girls had SO much fun decorating these...and so did I!
Of course, we had to show our Ghana love a little too! We had Rwanda hearts...
And Ghana hearts...
And a whole lotta icing bites. :)
Thank you, Suzanne, for the perfect "welcome home" surprise!
And, then, to continue the {heart} for Africa theme, we got to have dinner with a group of friends, who are all adopting from Ethiopia. Angie had the CUTEST decorations on the table, showing our LOVE for this continent:
It was SO cute and it just might inspire some new Valentine decorations around our house.
It was such a fun night, and I can't wait 'til this group of families has expanded by five beautiful children!!
We {heart} Africa.
We {heart} our little one.
And, we {heart} our many friends and family who share our love for Africa.
Since I'm now only 15 days away from leaving for Rwanda, I figure I better do my last post about Ghana. :)
As I referred to in past posts, one of the main goals for this trip was to complete the surgeries for the children who needed them. The surgery team ended up being able to complete 11 of the most necessary surgeries in two days, and we were all able to watch as God brought the most amazing team together for this to happen. As I already mentioned, Mark and I, being non-medical members, got the privilege of playing, cuddling, painting, and loving on the kids for these few days. It was a wonderful time with them, and we were so proud of how each of them handled their surgery. Here they are showing their bandages with their awesome team of doctors and nurses!
After the surgeries were complete, we began the other part of this trip: visiting Lake Volta, where thousands of children are still in slavery.
I knew it would be hard to see. I expected it to feel really dark and I had been told many times that you can almost sense the "evil" when you're there.
We did have a really hard time seeing what these children were going through.
And, it was truly surreal to be experiencing firsthand what I had only seen in pictures.
We literally floated up next to canoes of children who were working as slave fisherman.
We held their hands, gave them candy, learned their names and ages, and saw them smile.
We listened as George, Jr. spoke to the masters in their own tribal language, telling them that these children deserve to have a childhood, to have an education, to be free. I marveled as he would tell us details about these children. He knows them so well. He knows how long they have been slaves. They know who lives on which island, and with which master's family. And, they spend hours and hours tracking the kids and looking for opportunities to free them.
Many of you have asked when and how a child becomes free. And, it is a complicated process to explain. Because it isn't "American" in any way. But, George Achibra and his family does an amazing job at talking with these masters, educating them on what they are doing that is wrong (since many have done this for generations), and then spend time earning their trust and developing a relationship with them. Many masters are still unapproachable, and some are unwilling to cooperate. But, many are eventually willing to release children from time to time.
We are praying for open hearts for these masters. We are also praying that there will be a way to help them too. I loved that we got an opportunity to do exactly this while we were there.
We landed on the first island, where the masters reside, and therefore, so do hundreds of children. Some of the very children we are praying to be released, were the ones who rowed us in close to the shore of their island. I was in a boat with a child in slavery. It is still so hard for me to take that in. These are the sweet boys who gave me a ride to the shore. :)
We were greeted so warmly, and were given places to sit under the shade of the huge mango tree in the center of the village.
And, on the second island we went to, they greeted us and gathered under the big central hut...both times, we were honored and welcomed to their homes.
The medical team asked them questions about what diseases they experience on their island, what water they drink (lake water!), and in what ways we could most help them. I loved watching as gratitude just flowed from them all, as we offered hundreds of mosquito nets for their families and for the children.
They were SO excited to be receiving this gift of life, and it was amazing to listen to them chant "NO MORE MALARIA, NO MORE MALARIA" with us, and then giggle and laugh as we fit as many people under a mosquito net as we could.
For all of you who donated to the mosquito net drive, I can't begin to tell you how significant your gift was. We got to watch as these were distributed to families, and as nets were hung in homes as an example. We got to see as the chief shook our hands and said "Thank you for helping our village" with the biggest grin I've ever seen.
YOU made this difference, and it was one of the most emotional moments I had on the trip.
In fact, in the middle of all of this activity, Brad Gautney, who organized the mosquito net drive, hugged Mark and said "I can't help but think about your son right now."
Mark and I both had tears streaming down our faces. And, once again, I asked God "What if I had missed this, Lord?" Chase was a part of all of this, and I felt it really strongly this day. A few minutes after this moment, as I was walking with Brad, he asked if I was okay. All I could get out was "It's just overwhelming." And, I didn't mean the surroundings. I meant that I was here, doing this, experiencing this, after all that has happened. And, it just felt so right. And, like such a blessing I didn't deserve.
As we walked around the islands, this is what we saw.
We saw primitive mud huts where the families live, we met children who were malnourished, with hollow eyes and desperate for our touch. We saw a school building shell that was not being used, with the desks pushed against the wall and the chalkboard in the floor, with goat droppings on top.
We saw groups of children cleaning fish, mending nets, rowing boats...working as slaves ALL AROUND US!
It was shocking that I was watching it happen right in front of my eyes! I still remember faces and names, and I pray I never forget them, because I pray for them by name every day. I want them to be free. I want them to be able to be children. I want them to know how much they are treasured.
But, something weird was happening while I was there on the first island. At the same time as I was feeling this sadness and shock--for some strange reason--I was full of hope too. I don't know WHY this was. There were so many reasons NOT to have hope. Everywhere I looked was a reason to be sad. But, as I watched our team interact with these beautiful people and sweet children, I just kept sensing that something BIG was beginning here.
And I loved meeting these families! (And especially the babies and kids!) And, I could easily see how relationships could be formed here and changes could be made over time.
As I listened to the Vanderpools already making a plan for a water filtration system, and medical clinic in this area, and as I watched them set up a mobile clinic right there in the middle of the village, treating everything from wounds to worms...I was giddy with the thought of what could still be done here!
I still don't know exactly what it will look like, but I know for sure we're not done visiting the lake, or ministering to the people on the islands there.
There is so much to be done. And, sure, that can be overwhelming. But, so much of it is really "do-able". These people need hope. They need clean water. They need education. They need other ways to support their families besides fishing. Or, they need a better way to fish. They need vaccines and medication and doctors and nurses who will visit them.
And, ALL of that is totally do-able! I felt so encouraged by what I experienced, and that took me completely by surprise.
Sure, I had tears. There were moments when I had to catch my breath, and realize that I was in the middle of nowhere, in Africa, with people who were living in very primitive conditions.
But, even with the sadness, and the sickness, and the slavery, I believe the Lord allowed me to peek in on what He sees. I believe He is MOVING boldly on behalf of these children, and even on behalf of these masters....to offer them HOPE and NEW LIFE. When He looks at them, He sees beauty. And, how could you not? Look at these faces!!
I believe He sees a BEAUTIFUL group of people who are lost, and just need direction. They have been overlooked, and He's not letting us do that anymore. They need to know a different way of doing things. And, sure, it could take a long time to get there. But, why shouldn't we try all that we can, especially considering all that we've been given?
They need water. We can give them water.
They need vaccines. We can give them vaccines.
They need education. We can arrange for them to have teachers.
They need new sources of business and income. We can train them to do so many other things.
I left the lake with images of children branded in my mind. I also left the lake with an intense desire to come back again. (I honestly wasn't sure if that feeling would be there!) And, I left the lake with a hope I didn't expect.
I pray that the Lord will allow me to return to see Hagar. And, Ebenezer.
And, Eche.
And, Forever. And, Echoo and Achoo. (twins that are named like sneezes. :)
And, I pray that I see the day when they are free and running around, healthy and strong.
I pray that I can return to visit these beautiful girls and teach them more songs.
They learned "God is so Good", and it was the most beautiful experience. Me, a lone white woman, surrounded by beautiful teenage girls, who were so timid to sing out loud. (By the way, I found that I was very drawn to the teenage girls all week. It just seemed as if God drew me to them...they just seemed to be the most lost of all.) There was noise everywhere from the medical clinic and the children running around us. But slowly, as I sang a line, and they repeated it, our voices became louder, as they became more confident of the words and the new song. Even after I had finished singing and had begun talking to one or another of them, many of them continued to sing "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me." I hope I never forget that moment in my whole life.
And, I pray that I see the day when they are free and singing at the top of their lungs.
May we all see the day when they each sing a New Hallelujah..."breaking out from the children of freedom"!!
