In 1998 I came to Ghana to do a short term trip for 5 months. I kind of came as a nanny. I split my time between 2 families. One of them was the Moon family. I helped with the house, homeschooling the kids and just giving the mom a chance to get out and learn language and be with the people in the community. One of the kids in the Moon family is a girl named Emily.Emily is now grown up and has co founded a non profit organization called By Grace. She started working with a woman named Lamisi. Lamisi is a seamstress in Tamale and Emily can help her sell her goods in America. Lamisi is even able to train women to be seamstresses and Emily has helped towards that. This has been a process over at least 3 years. Now that I am in Tamale, Emily asked if I could be a middle person/quality control person for her. I am cool to do that.
For the past couple months I would visit Lamisi and her apprentices. I would interview them so Emily could get a feel for who they are and their backgrounds. Maybe in the future I can pray with some of the girls or lead a Bible study.Emily has been here this week. She needed to work out details, talk face to face with Lamisi, and look at cloth and products here in Ghana. She is with her dad Jay and his friend Ed and daughter Katie. Ed and his family were also missionaries in Ghana in the 90s. Emily has a friend-photographer who has also come to take photos and make a video of what By Grace is trying to do with women in Ghana and her name is Tara.Jay and Ed made plans to come back to Ghana and I think when Emily found about it she joined in with Katie. Jay and Ed worked in the Upper East Region of Ghana in towns called Sandema and Fumbisi. While they are here this week they are doing a course for Good News Bible Churches in those areas talking about bitterness/reconciliation and also entrepreneurship/finances and saving.I am so glad Emily is here because though, I am just the middle person, I have so many questions about business (I know nothing). It has been good to see her joy about the work God has given her to do and made me proud to work with this organization. Emily has helped them to put up a shelter where they can sew because right now they are under trees. She also had a little dedication party for it and gave the girls certificates for what they have accomplished so far. She and Tara have done interviews. One of the questions she asked to a girl was, "What does the word grace mean to you?" The girl did not answer. Then the translator said to Emily, "She is M*slim. She does not know what grace is." That was very powerful to us who believe in Christ. Grace is favor, undeserved favor. God loves us and saved us by his grace, not by anything of our own works. As if our good things could be good enough...oh, we silly little humans. What an amazing merciful, loving God we have to love us just because He is Love!! WOOOO HOOOOO!
For the past couple months I would visit Lamisi and her apprentices. I would interview them so Emily could get a feel for who they are and their backgrounds. Maybe in the future I can pray with some of the girls or lead a Bible study.Emily has been here this week. She needed to work out details, talk face to face with Lamisi, and look at cloth and products here in Ghana. She is with her dad Jay and his friend Ed and daughter Katie. Ed and his family were also missionaries in Ghana in the 90s. Emily has a friend-photographer who has also come to take photos and make a video of what By Grace is trying to do with women in Ghana and her name is Tara.Jay and Ed made plans to come back to Ghana and I think when Emily found about it she joined in with Katie. Jay and Ed worked in the Upper East Region of Ghana in towns called Sandema and Fumbisi. While they are here this week they are doing a course for Good News Bible Churches in those areas talking about bitterness/reconciliation and also entrepreneurship/finances and saving.I am so glad Emily is here because though, I am just the middle person, I have so many questions about business (I know nothing). It has been good to see her joy about the work God has given her to do and made me proud to work with this organization. Emily has helped them to put up a shelter where they can sew because right now they are under trees. She also had a little dedication party for it and gave the girls certificates for what they have accomplished so far. She and Tara have done interviews. One of the questions she asked to a girl was, "What does the word grace mean to you?" The girl did not answer. Then the translator said to Emily, "She is M*slim. She does not know what grace is." That was very powerful to us who believe in Christ. Grace is favor, undeserved favor. God loves us and saved us by his grace, not by anything of our own works. As if our good things could be good enough...oh, we silly little humans. What an amazing merciful, loving God we have to love us just because He is Love!! WOOOO HOOOOO!
We still have some people to see in the UE region and then in Tamale so I still have some full days ahead but again, I have really been encouraged to hear Emily's story and how God is working in her life. Last year, her and her co founder won a national competition run by Forbes or something big like that...and they WON!! They won $20,000.00! So, this is not a small girl doing some little thing. They also have organizations in India and in America. I am really honored to have a way to help By Grace help women in Ghana. Check out her website http://thebygracefoundation.com/This is all of us. (Emily is the blonde.)
One totally different subject-- my wound where the cyst was removed...it was bleeding the other day. Thankfully, near Sandema we have a nurse named Pat. I quickly went to visit her. She said it is not infected but there are 2 little openings yet. It is still not healed. It is in a hard place to heal. Somehow I need to keep it dry. Easier said than done!! You can be praying it would heal and let's hope infection stays away.Love you!
One totally different subject-- my wound where the cyst was removed...it was bleeding the other day. Thankfully, near Sandema we have a nurse named Pat. I quickly went to visit her. She said it is not infected but there are 2 little openings yet. It is still not healed. It is in a hard place to heal. Somehow I need to keep it dry. Easier said than done!! You can be praying it would heal and let's hope infection stays away.Love you!