i have a brother. a friend. a ministry partner. his name is emmanuel awortwe, or emma (pronounced eeeeema). our friendship/partnership started out quite rocky. to be frank, i just did not like him. he always had views that were opposite to mine. his personality is opposite to mine. he would do things i would never do. he is very serious. he is quiet. yet, i knew i needed to work with him. he is very involved in church and has been so i knew our paths would be crossing a lot. i started praying that i would love him, that it would be a joy to work with him.
i don't know how it happened but while he was in college we started meeting. We would meet every week and eat fufu. and we would talk. and we would fight. and we would try to convince the other to listen. and we would try to stay calm thru the whole thing. and sometimes we would laugh. and we would pray. and God being so gracious, brought us to love one another! to work in unity together! and so we have been. side note-- remember in acts when the early church was meeting together? they were also eating together and i think food really breaks down barriers! when i think about this transformation in our relationship i think how important the eating part was...and still is! emma has since graduated from Maranatha University College (top of his class!!!) with a bachelors in theology. he has now been licensed as a pastor and is helping to get a branch up and running in the ashaiman area.
our pastors do not get paid. how do they live you ask? i.have.no.idea. many, if not all, have other jobs, they have to. they all have families and bills etc, etc. it is very difficult for them. but by faith, they move out and watch God take care of them. and that leads me back to pastor emma---
he would like to get his masters in religious studies
which would enable him to teach at a university and be paid while he is leading a church. but, he has no money. would you be willing to help him go to school? he has already been accepted at the University of Legon in Accra. i told him i would make people aware of his need and if you feel God leading you to help him please contact me and we can work out how to go about it. He would need about $4,000.00 and that would cover everything-- classes, books, fees, and transport back and forth for this two year course.