We are Going to Ghana!

In six short weeks Andover will be going to Ghana! Sure, not everyone will be physically going, but we hope that everyone will make the journey along with us in spirit.

This trip has many purposes. One of those purposes is to obey Christ’s command in the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19). As we continue to grow in our faith and enter into the story of Christ we as a church recognize the need to spread Christ’s message far and wide, close to home and in nations around the world.

But we also recognize Christ is already at work around the world. Christ is already at work in Ghana and has been for some time. Another reason for this trip is to learn what the church is doing in other nations. We pray that as we learn about the church in Ghana we might enter into a mutual relationship where we can learn from each other and share in God’s work and blessing.

The purpose of this blog is to connect all of those in our First Church family with the team as we prepare to leave and while we are on the ground in Ghana. We hope through sharing our stories this will truly be a church-wide trip!

Here are some of the details. In Kumasi, Ghana, our own Manny Otsin's father runs a Methodist Guest House. We have the privilege of being able to visit, learn, and serve there in March!

Manny flies out on March 4th and Pastor Todd, Vicki Lanham, Jason & Mary Aycock join him on the 12th.

We are going to be spend our days hosting vision clinics and our nights participating in tent evangelism meetings with Mr. Otsin's group in two rural villages near Kumasi, Ghana.

We are leaving after church on March 11 and arriving in Accra, Ghana on March 12. From then we will take a short plane ride to Kumasi where we will spend 8 nights with the Methodist guest house as a home base.

We are taking with us a couple of thousand pairs of glasses and equipment to be able to do eye exams in these two rural villages. You can pray for Mary and Vicki as they will be training on how to use the equipment next month! At night, Pastor Todd (and maybe Jason) will be preaching at tent evangelism meetings set up by Mr. Otsin's group. Pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire the speakers, move among the people, and change all of our hearts.

One verse that seems to encapsulate what we hope for this trip comes from Colossians. Paul writes, "I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself." Colossians 2:2 (NLT)

We ask that you pray for us as we travel across the globe to the center of the earth (literally - Ghana is practically at the point where the equator and prime meridian cross) and try to weave our stories with those of the Ghanaians in order to better see the body of Christ and understand our role in God's mission.