Thankful...

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thankful for all my beautiful children!  I have the complete joy of sending them off to school each morning with hugs!  And when they coming running off the bus after school, I have the joy of greeting each smiling face with another big hug!  I have the amazing privilege of loving some of God’s most precious children!!! 

I am also thankful for my restored health after being sick with malaria for the last 2 and half weeks!  I am so thankful for all my family and friends in the states that were daily lifting me up in prayer!  His faithfulness reaches the skies...God provided strength, peace, encouragement, and rest in His perfect timing!  

It was so cute!  One of the little girls named Doris came up to me with such enthusiasm and excitement and said, “Jesus has raised you up and now we can have art!”  This was the first thing she said to me after not seeing me while I had been in bed so sick. 

Doris

Most of all, I am thankful for the Lord’s constant care and His daily presence during these last 2 months in Ghana.  He has reminded me of this verse that I love...“In quietness and trust is your strength.”  Isaiah 30:15

Humphrey Parker the "Artist"

Humphrey Parker is my buddy! He is a sweet, smart, and loving 13-year old boy who loves art. If art is involved, he is right there, ready and excited to give it a try. Humphrey is extremely talented and creative. He once showed me a 10-inch guitar that he constructed out of an empty soap bottle, a stick, rubber bands, and a little tape. He is in class 6, and when he grows up he would like to be an architect.

He said, “I want to be an architect in future. I want to design and draw buildings for people to build. I will one day want to decorate a Legos building. I will be very happy when I achieve my goals one day. And by the grace of God I know I will achieve in Jesus name. Amen.”

Humphrey’s future was once not that hopeful as a trafficked child on Lake Volta. He was forced to fish all day with maybe one small meal to sustain him. Life for Humphrey and all of his friends here at Touch A Life Care Center had no hope they would even live to see another day on the lake.

TAL Care Center is the children’s “Promised Land”, a permanent and secure home for them to grow, learn, play, and heal with all their friends. Humphrey has hope now and goals for his future like to be an architect (Jeremiah 29:11). He referred to his time on the lake as his “Egypt” and Pam Cope who rescued him as his “Moses.”

God has great plans for each of these young rescued lives. They are His kids and very special at that. These children are the future leaders of Ghana, and they are the ones who will end slavery in their country. Humphrey is just one of these kids chosen by God for great things!

One day while Humphrey and I were spending time together I asked him this question, “ When you are older and have finished University to be an architect will you design a nice house for me to live in here in Ghana? He seemed to chuckle at the possibility to design my home and just had a huge smile on his face. I think he loved the thought of that idea!

I want with all my heart for Humphrey and all the children to know that they can dream big and that nothing is impossible with God. He holds their bright futures in His Almighty hands, and they can believe He will be faithful to His amazing plan for their lives! We have doctors, nurses, pastors, lawyers, police officers, footballers, pilots, and architects like Humphrey among these children!

Take a look at some more fun creations by Humphrey!!!

Fingerprint Animals

American Flag Coil Pot

      

Humphrey's Double Decker bus that he created from homemade clay by his house and materials he found around the campus!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Albert

Last week in art class I shared Psalm 139:14 with all the children as we began our lesson on coil pots.  It is my heart and prayer for each child to know that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by God.  Being trafficked children, they were stripped of their identity and taken to a new village with a new language and forced to work as slaves.  However, over the last few years that I have known all the children, I have seen God restoring their identity and bringing healing to these broken places.  One of the ways God is restoring their identities is through the therapeutic process of creating art.  The kids loved using the clay to create a coil pot with their hands.  Just as they molded the clay to create their own unique creation, I explained how God has purposefully and carefully molded each of them with unique gifts, talents, and personalities.  Take a look at some of God’s fearfully and wonderfully made children with their beautiful creations!!!

Teiko

Mary

Abigail with her coil basket and fruit!

Samuel with a person sitting on the edge of his pot!

William

Gershon



Jacob with his Ghana flag coil pot!

Wisdom painted a flamingo on the bottom of his pot
because he likes the way the word sounds!