This statement encapsulates the vision and work of Smyrna’s Ghana ministry partner, “Pastor Mbarra.” Over the next few months, I hope to outline some of his ministries for you and tell you of the impact they are having on local people.
 
We’ll start with the first ministry he showed me: village schools. Although most western countries are used to compulsory publicly-funded education available to all children through eighth grade or high school, the situation is quite different in northern Ghana. Most village children learn traditional manual skills with their parents (farming, cooking, etc.) but never get the chance to learn reading, writing, math, and so on. Without a basic education, they have little hope of rising above their parents’ living conditions (mud huts, no running water, no hygiene – all of which result in much disease and a 50% mortality rate in children six and under). Those who know no English – Ghana’s trade language – will not be able to communicate with those outside their tribe. More importantly to us as Christians, people who cannot read will never be able to read God’s Word for themselves.
 
In such a setting, imagine the impact that a village school will have on people. The parents will see that there is hope for their children, while the children themselves will have something constructive to do with their time, much of which would otherwise be idle.
 
There is a Western foundation that has provided funding for schools in the area, and they partner with Pastor Mbarra in meeting this need. While they supply the money, Pastor Mbarra's ministry identifies the places of greatest need and provides oversight and accountability in how they are being run. As a result, his ministry name is listed right along with the foundation’s name on plaques at various schools. The Muslims in these regions know that the ministry is providing a good service to their children, and even though the parents are not directly evangelized (the children are taught Bible truths and songs), their hearts are opened to build relationships with people from the ministry.
 
Please pray that as a result of these village schools, many families will come to a personal faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.