Ed Balut
God put it on my heart a few years ago to visit Ghana. It was my first mission trip ever. I had no idea what awaited me there or how my life was about change forever.
I did some research and knew others who had gone on such trips in the past. I was pretty confident that we were going there with a clear-cut set of goals and objectives as to what we were going to accomplish before we came home. I was scared to go so far from home, but I was bound and determined to go and “help” the people of Atta ne Atta and teach them some of what I know. What transpired over the 10 days of my stay there was truly inspiring and certainly a teaching moment. But it was not just a teaching moment for the people of Atta ne Atta. It was for me.
God had a plan and it wasn’t about me helping them, it truly was about them helping me. You see I have been on a spiritual journey to find God’s truth and God’s love. I found it in the people of Atta ne Atta. They don not want my help in doing things for them, they want my help in teaching and showing them how to help themselves. They don not want a handout, rather a helping hand. They cherish a smile from you. They cherish a crazy hand gesture. They cherish a funny face you make. They cherish a good laugh and they cherish the word of God from you. I went there thinking and believing that I could offer them so much and the truth is that they gave me so much more back.
I want to go back and give them some of what they, and God, has given me. I want to see that they still have clean water to drink. I want to see progress on the school. I want to see how much the children have grown in the past couple of years. I want to see everyone in the village having a better life. I want to see those smiles and hear the laughter again, especially of the children. I want to witness the effects those smiles have on my wife, my granddaughter, and my son who will be coming with me. I want to praise Jesus with the people of Atta ne Atta once again.
God Bless you and thank you for your help.