Filling in the Holes

So as you have guessed we are State Side!!

I am sure I speak for the whole team when I say that we are thankful to be back home and around our families.

I feel that even though we are back we should finish the blog because I'm sure a few of you will not get to see us or hear about our trips from our very mouths. So the next few blogs will be all the missing days we didn't get to talk about filled and also things from this trip that most impacted us.

Again thank you for all of your support and your love!

Last post until state-side!

We are here at the airport. Things are on time as scheduled. Please pray for safe travels!

We love you all and thank you so much for following the blog!
Seth

Looking Back and Soaking It All In

Hello Hello!

This is Jordan Stineman here, soaking up the last few days we have here in Africa. It has been a wildly successful trip thus far, but I must admit, it is hard to focus these last few days we have here. Being in a place like this is such a blessing and an adventure, so the fact the the end is near steals a lot of my thoughts.

The team is in good spirits, no one has been too sick for a while, with the exception of Seth on Sunday morning (but we are all convinced that was God's will...read Amy's post). The relationship we have formed here are irreplaceable and I'm sure there will be many tears our last day here. Let me tell you what has happened since my last post...wait, there is no time. Let me sum up. (princess bride reference, anyone?)

Our time at school has come a long way from nervous lesson plans to easy going time with the kids. While we still teach, things are much more comfortable now that we have relationships with more or less everyone we work with. The kids are becoming a little too relaxed around me; when I denied them candy yesterday in class one child picked up his table and another tried to take charge with his chair. They're a lovable group. My lesson plans have gotten more in depth, and I actually got to teach them about place digits in math class! I was excited for it.

Outreach continues to go well. We are all coming out of our shells and getting more bold for the Lord. I have seen every person on this team make leaps and bounds from day 1. So exciting!

Last night we had the opportunity to surprise momma (pastor daniel's wife) with a birthday cake and ice cream. Though we missed it by a few days and I'm sure she thought we had no clue, it turned out great. We were all so happy to see ice cream. Amy Morrison and Emily Konrade were the most ecstatic though. All the guys have heard for the last 10 days is how they can't live another day without chocolate covered this or that, so we were glad to see them be satisfied just a little.

The guys in our group continue to find time each day to bond. Everyday is a golden experience. That's all I have to say about that.

Keep praying for us to stay focused on the work at hand, and to God to keep blessing us with His Holy Spirit! Also, keep team Thailand in your thoughts; we find time each day to pray for them as a team and if you could join us that would be all the better.

I think that is all for now, We'll be home soon! And would anyone like an African child? They're real cute and all under 50 lbs, so checking them in my luggage shouldn't be an issue. Let me know!

thanks for reading!

Our Last Sunday

By Amy (Newman) Morrison

Sunday is a day I will remember forever. God put me in a situation where I had to fully rely on Him and blindly trust Him to lead me in what I was called to do. Our team was put into pairs for preaching at four different churches. I was dropped off at the doorstep of my church alone because Seth had become very sick that morning. without any preparation I preached to 25 Ghanains. I trusted God and He gave me the words to speak and peace despite my nerves. For those who do not know me, I am the furthest thing from a public speaker. I was truly challenged.

Sunday evening our team was invited to be a part of Youth Variety Night. It was a time of praise and worship, games, and encouragement. Our team performed some humorous entertainment, but also recreated the skit from Lifehouse's song 'everything'.

To top the night, Zack gave us all oreos during devotions. If there is one thing that I miss from the USA it's chocolate!

Variety Night!

Yesterday was amazing! We broke into pairs yesterday to maximize the number of churches visited. Everyone did so well. I got sick on the bus and had to go back to the house. Amy was my partner. She gave her testimony, preached, and sang all by herself in a church in Africa! Amazing step of faith and courage! She will post more on that tomorrow!

Yester-eve we had a variety night with the Grace and Faith youth group. It was a ton of fun. They did some singing and dancing, and Amy and Emily sang after that. Then we performed a couple skits. The first was a silly sickness skit that got everyone laughing. The next was a blindfolded chugging contest with different sized water bottles. Lots of fun. The third was the EVERYTHING skit. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a silent skit portraying a relationship with God, and being taken away from that and struggling with different sins. Then fighting through the those sins and still getting beat down. Then Jesus comes and takes the burden off of us. Pastor Daniel joined us for Devos that night and spoke very highly of that skit, and told us how much it had ministered to several people in his congregation, and how he plans to use that skit in his message this coming Sunday.

Thanks for all of your prayers.
Prayer concerns:
Continued courage for outreach
Healthy stomachs
Homesickness

In Christ
Bro Swi

We can't wait to share so many more personel stories with each of you following!

School Today

Chris Penner

Hey everyone just wanted to let you know about some prayer requests that we have. This morning when we went to the school we found out that many of the students' parents have not paid there graduation fee and maybe some other fees to depending on the child. This means that our group of 40-60 kids has gone down to about 10. Please be fervent prayer that these kids' parents will send in the money or they will not get to move on to the next year of school. We were sad to hear this. Personally I had force myself to hold back tears so the kids wouldn't see me cry in front of them. Please keep them all in your prayers we want them all to be able to move on and to continue the education and growth in the Lord. I want to thank all of you who have been praying for us on this trip. I want to encourage you to continue to pray. Thank you so much for your support. God Bless!!!!

Teaching!

Amy


Emily


Salima with the wild children


Scott:


Chris


Jordan : Addition flash cards

We got some more time to blog, so I figured I would say hello, and let the parentals state-side know that everyone is doing well. We are all enjoying the time here. Only the people who have been on trips like this one can relate, but it still blows me away how close a team gets when you go over seas together as a family. Our team has bonded well. The memories made have been golden! Papa Swi, thanks for introducing the snuffie in Peru. It has helped with team bond.

The ministry side of the trip has been good. We had a tough night Tuesday night. Everyone was really down about outreach. As team leaders, this really bothered us. We prayed as leaders for guidance and we talked about possible solutions. We pressed the team to really take a leap of faith and share with some, rather then settling for less then they are capable of. They all responded wonderfully. Watching the team step out has been an encouragement to everyone. There is a reason for each member of this team. Every parent should be very proud of their child!

Those who folled the blog last year:
The team that came in April '09 did a lot of the same things we are doing now. Talking with the Outreach Coordinator of Grace and Faith was extremely encouraging to me. She noted that the church has grown directly do to our outreach. Each Church in the different villages has grown as well.
Pastor George, from last year, has left the ministry by his own choosing, yet still good friends with pastor Daniel.
The school is growing, but Chris has more to add to that.
Pastor Ben and his family are doing very well.
Pastor Daniel has done lots of work on his house, and it has been very much a blessing to our team.

Thank you all so much for your prayers.
We are begining to miss American food. Our Eyes lit up to see mac and Cheese on the table!
We leave in one week, so we would ask for prayers for an amazing week of ministry and teaching while we are here.
Personally, I would alsp appriciate prayers for my stomach. Things still aren't right inside me! :)

In Christ
Bro Swi

Hey everybody. It's Scott here.

The past few days have been amazing, we have been teaching students in the morning and preaching in the villages, slums, and streets of Ghana in the evening. The people are so welcoming and the kids yell "ABRUNI" (white man) whenever they see us. Last night we had an amazing worship session for a few hours just the 8 of us. It was so refreshing after growing tired over the past few days. God has been so good on this trip. I can't begin to describe any of it. So for now I will just leave it at that and give God the glory for all he is doing through us here. I am amazed at how perfectly he put this team together for HIS trip to Ghana. Thank you for reading our blog and for your continued prayers.

"How great it is the love the father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

Emily with Priscila, a student who fell asleep

Crossing the makeshift bridge to and from class

A village outside Takoradi, where most of our street ministry happens
A street in Takoradi, Ghana
Downtown Takoradi
Emily speaking at a women's bible study
Madame Marylnn with Seth in a classroom at Grace and Faith School
Jordan and Hebzebeh, one of the pastor's daughters
Crossing the muddy schoolyard is quite a scene everytime
THE TEAM! this is one of the better ones...
Woman in downtown Takoradi
A page from a child's textbook. No stereotypes here...And below, an awesome rainbow we saw our 1st day!

More pictures!!!

Salima teaching a handshake
No girls allowed
The kids are so cute!
Cute again...
A church service at Grace and Faith Church
A little girl, Abby, playing one day
Hanging out after church
Teaching them frisbee, they had never seen one before!
Amy and Emily with new friends; And below, kids in their school uniforms during break time

School? But its summer.....

As part of Grace and Faith Ministries, there is Elementary Academy that we have been working in. It has been wonderful. There are 8 grade levels being taught, so we each have our own class. I am with the oldest class. They are 8-9 year olds. I have had a wonderful time bringing excitement into the learning experience. The students have been enthralled with the gadgets we have brought to aide in learning. Aww, the tools used for the kinesthetic learner, for all you education majors out there!! This lasts from 9-11:30. From 11:30 to noon, we get to work with the teachers. Salima and I organise stuff to teach the indigenous teachers every night. Zach and Konrade help with the teaching of it all, adding tidbits here in there adding to the discussion. The teachers are finding it very useful being instructed on how to effectively use the supplies we brought them. (Props to the donors of our supplies, they are very much a blessing o the people Grace and Faith Academy.)

Thank you all who have been praying for us as well as the people who helped send us. You are just as much a part of the blessing as we are, and we are all very thankful and appreciative of you.

Prayer Requests:

Continued team bonding
Healthy stomaches
Biblical Knowledge as well as Courage and Boldness for Street Evangilsm/Outreach Mission

In Christ
Brother Swi

Preaching, Teaching, and Praying for poop

By Jordan Stineman

Hello from Ghana!

First off I just want to say thank you for your prayers. They are felt by the entire team, especially in those times when we rely on the Spirit completely. We have had a lot of those moments already, as this trip is forcing every one of us out of our comfort zones.

Today was our first full day of work. We woke up to eat breakfast (delicious) at 8am and headed off to the church/school that our host Pastor Daniel heads up. We were surprised to learn a few days ago that we would be teaching children for the next two weeks, and some of us felt more capable than others right off the bat. Getting to the school and seeing the kids for the first time was a mixture of excitement, and nervousness, and left us all wishing we knew more Fonti (the native language of the region we are living in). We jumped in with a few songs and a puppet show and we were off and rolling. The schedule is set up so that after group time we all have three 30 minutes class periods with our students. We all have different age groups, and most of us have between 5 and 9 kids. I have a class of 9 students, they are probably first graders in the US. My kids were slow to come out of their shells during the grammar lesson, but once we started adding and subtracting suckers they mysteriously became more enthused. I had a blast teaching and everyone felt accomplished by the time we left our first teaching encounter.

The second major task of the day was to go out into the outskirts of town to the village areas and do street evangelism. These areas house the poorest of the poor and are for the most part very hard to take in. We each broke up into groups of either 2 or 3 (plus a translator) and set out in different directions searching for people to talk to. I think that we were all nervous to start, but by the time we met back at the van an hour later we all had smiles. The group i was in consisted of Zack Yarbrough, our translator Dorothy, and myself. We had 4 or 5 conversations before our time was up, and I feel like we did a lot of good. One boy of about 16 gave his life to Christ and it seemed genuine; I am anxious to see if he comes to the church service we invited him to on Sunday. Our most incredible encounter came when we spotted a woman named Aggie. She was slouched on her porch and said that her leg hurt. When we approached both Zack and I could detect an almost hateful presence about her. The look on her face was telling us to leave. What was incredible was that by the time we had prayed for her, her appearance had changed dramatically and she almost seemed to be a new person. Praise God!

The tie that bonds this team is the frequency of our bowel movements. Strange? Yes. But we all share the common cause of digestion issues in a foreign country. Some are constipated and others only wish they were (which makes for some awkward prayer requests at evening devos). At dinner they served us the most amazing pineapple (it's white, not yellow) and most of us dug in knowing what awaited us later that evening. Some of us got more sick than other; I saw Seth Swihart waddling around more than anyone else. I actually haven't had it too bad. What is awesome to me is how close this team is; we discuss poop and we don't feel ashamed about it. Some poop conversations are not blog appropriate, but if you want to go down that road Scott Hicks is your man.

Thank you so much for following! Keep praying and we hope to blog again soon! God bless!

Picture!!!

More pics tomorrow...

Chris Penner

Hey everyone it has been anawesome first couple of days here in Ghana. The LORD is doing amazing things I can't wait to get back and tell everything that is happening!!!! Photos are soon to come!

"I wish I could hug Africa but I don't think I'm tall enough"

Hi everybody this is Scott. Our first day in Africa was great! We thank God for safe travel. We attended a church service here and it was incredible. I loved that chickens were running around just outside the door the whole time. I don't think I have ever been to a church service without air conditioning before, much less chickens running by just 10 feet away. It made the service just seem that much more real and honest. After the service we were playing frisbee with a few of the people outside and we noticed a perfect circle rainbow around the sun. It was incedibly beautiful and no one had ever seen a rainbow like this before. Pastor Daniel even said "It is a miracle from God because he is pleased you are here." Later we met with the board member's of the church and they welcomed us. "AKWABA!" (welcome in Fanti) We have been incredibly welcomed and love it already. I can't wait to see what God has in store for the coming two weeks! Check back for more.

I. Love. Ghana.

Hello! I, Emily, will be giving you the low-down of yesterday, July 12th. We were able to visit the school, which is affiliated with the church we are here for, Grace and Faith Ministries. The school is an independant school for children from ages 2-9. This was an amazing experience for all of us to see how the teachers interact with the students, and vice versa. We taught them songs and they taught us songs. It was so much fun for all of us! After we left the school we split up into groups and went throughout a small villiage near Takoradi. This was an amazing experience for us to see how these less fortunate people live, as well as to speak with them about Jesus. After that, we were able to join a women's group called Women's Aglow. This was such a wonderful time for all of us. The three girls were able to speak to these women, and we are all able to worship with them. It was so powerful, and really moved us all to see how beautiful the spirit is here in Ghana. It was a packed day, but it was an amazing day. I feel like it is safe to say we all thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it! Thanks for reading and thanks for praying for us! Pictures are coming soooon! We love you! -Emily

A journey begins...

Today team Ghana is traveling to Africa! We are excited and anxious to get there. Part of the team spent the day in Washington DC on a long layover while other team members (like myself) are still trying to get to DC through various airports. The whole team will finally be together in DC tonight before our flight takes off for distant shores. I (Zack Yarbrough) am ironically sitting in a airplane seat that is a part of a display in the Chicago airport... waiting to sit on the same seat inside an airplane in a few hours...

Also, (and this is for free), there is a dinosaur in the Chicago airport between concourse B and C.

Could you tell that I have a seven hour layover with not much to do...?

I promise, much more interesting posts are to come. Stay tuned.

-Zack

This is It!

So this is the whole team. We leave on July 9th. It is so crazy how fast this summer has went. please comment or ask questions when ever you get that urge! See you in Africa!

His name is Jordan!!!

"I am a Junior at Sterling College. I play tennis. I enjoy the Discovery and History Channels. I like frosted flakes. Sometimes i get on Facebook for long periods of time." -----Jordan

Well that is what he had on his Facebook page but that is not all I'm writing. Jordan too is at camp so I get to write what ever I want.

Jordan is one of the coolest people you might every know and folks I'm not just saying that. There is a line outside his door of people waiting to just hang out with him. But being the laid back, down to earth, slow to speak so that he might take in everything kinda guy he is, he will just trow a party for everyone in his hall way. Though he takes his time with his answers some of the stuff that comes out of his mouth is shocking, profound, and hilarious.

A little fact about Jordan that may or may not be true is that he likes to have PJ dance parties where ever he goes, its his way of saying I am here and I did not forget something to sleep in.
Some of the things he is bring to the trip is a kind heart, a new way of looking at life, and mad dancing skills. Oh and I said that Emily will change Ghana, with Jordan Africa will never be the same. God will truly be known through him and in his wake he will leave Joy (Because he is so funny people will be laughing for years to come).

Emily!!!

Hello everyone. I, Salima will be writing Emily's first post. She is currently at a camp and has not gotten the chance to write anything. So I get to put what ever I want lol.

So Emily is a current student at Sterling college. This is her first time mission trip with Sterling and her first time over seas.

Few facts about Emily:

1. She LOVES GOD and is going after him with her whole heart

2. She has the loudest and most contagious laugh I have ever heard.

3. She is probably the whole reason we never get things accomplished at meetings :)

4. Ants are in her pants?

5. She can out sing anyone one on our team, well kind of I think its a tie between her and Zack

6. If she had to eat Chocolate or a really crazy looking native food Emily would go native all the way.

7. When we have a history question we turn to her first unless it is about the 13 original colony's then you should stop listening and go straight to Chris.

8. She might get lost in the airport but all we have to do is close our eyes and listen for her laugh.

9. If you need to be taught the Ghana handshake Emily is your go to girl

10. Ghana and the people of Ghana will never be the same when she leaves that place.

Oh and if there was one thing she could take home from Africa she said it would be a goat so that she could have cheese when ever she wanted it.

Hello...

Hey everyone! I'm Scott Hicks. I'm a Christian Ministries (youth emphasis) major at Sterling College and I just finished my freshman year. I am from Lincoln Nebraska originally and found a new home at Sterling College and I love it. I originally was unsure whether or not I should go on this trip due to my recent diagnosis of diabetes last August, but God ensured me everything would work out and it has so far and I am trusting fully in him. I am super pumped to go to Ghana in just 1 month from now. I have been on several mission trips before within the United states, but never internationally, so that makes this trip that much more exciting being able to do God's work in a culture completely different from my own. Thank you everyone for your support and I cannot wait to see what awaits our team in Africa!

Hey Guys! My name is Amy, i'm 19 and just finshed my freshman year at Sterling. The start of my first year in college has been surrounded with opportunities to serve God; one opportunity was to be on the Ghana mission team.

Last summer, God greatly laid on my heart the desire to go on a Sterling mission trip, specifically Africa. When Ghana presented itself, I could not say no. My late Uncle Larry was a missionary in Nigeria and started a church, which my family still keeps in contact with. He died before I was born, and i am sad to not receive a chance to meet him personally. I would have greatly enjoyed learning and talking to him about his missionary work in Nigeria, therefore I am eager to experience a similar experience in Ghana; to see God work through myself and the mission team!


Our team recently went through ropes training. We were able to work together in solving tasks to prepare us for situations that may arise when we are in Ghana. I love all my teamates, and i'm very thankful that God put me on a team with such amazing leaders! Love Ya'll :)

Ghana Go Back!

Well Hello Friendly Followers!

I'm Mr. Swihart, a co-leader of the team. I was part of the trip that went to Ghana last year, and I am super excited to return to the warm hearted people of Takarodi, Ghana, West Africa. I hope to reconnect with many people that I met and made connections with during the first trip.

After 5 years here at the college, I believe I'm nearing the halfway point of my Elem. Ed. degree. I love hunting, fishing, and sports. Thank you for supporting our team, whether financially or spiritually, through prayer.

Hello my name is Chris Amazing Penner ...

Hey everyone I'm Chris. I'm the youngen on the trip. I'm only 18, but I have a huge heart for missions. I am a Christian Ministries Major with an emphasis in missions. I have been to Peru twice. The first time I was there I felt God calling me to be a full time missionary. So this will be an awesome experience to gain some knowledge of what it will be like in the mission field. I love everyone on my team and wouldn't trade them for anything. While we are there we will be the body of Christ with the people of Ghana and work with them in different forms of ministry. I know that God will use me in the best way that He sees fit. Well thank you all for your support. Watch out Ghana because here we come with Jesus at our head. :)

Hello. My name is Zack...

First of all, if you are reading this, thank you. Thank you for your support in following our team blog. We truly appreciate your prayers. That being said, my name is Zack and I am one of the leaders of our wonderful team. I am 21 years old and am a junior at Sterling College. I am a Math/Physics Education major and am minoring in christian ministries with an emphasis in worship. I am the president of our Praise Band Association and also lead one of our bands myself. I am involved with a youth group here in Sterling as a counselor of some 9th grade boys. In summary, I'm a busy guy.

This will be my third mission trip at Sterling College. In 2008 I traveled to Nicaragua and in 2009, Peru. I have a passion for missions and I am thrilled about this trip to Africa. I am confident that God has incredible plans for our team in Ghana. Plans that are far beyond my imagination or my expectations. As we continue to prepare and count down the days (72), I look forward to doing God's work for his Kingdom this summer. Stay tuned for more posts/pics/videos to come!


-Zack Yarbrough

Hi my name is....

Salima! I am a co leader for this great team.What is funny is I was not going to be going on this trip at first. But then things changed and I was put on this team. I feel this team is perfect I can really tell that God has hand picked it! I am pumped for this trip and I am ready to do the work that has been planned for us from the beginning!

We have a full team of eight crazy college students and we are ready to be used in Ghana. What I am looking forward to the most is teaching. If you do not know I am an Education Major so anything that involves teaching makes me really happy. When we go over there we will be teaching the students and the teachers! That never happens and I'm not sure about all the details but bring it on.

I am going to the one place I have wanted to go to since I found out there was a world outside of my backyard! We still need your support in every way so we ask that you keep us in mind as you go throughout your day!

Love you all!

Salima