Pray with Ghana, January 10, 2021
Lectionary Selection: Mark 1:4-11
Prayers for Ghana:
Heavenly Father, you are loving and gracious. You alone are worthy of our praises and adoration. John the Baptist baptized and preached about forgiveness of sin. Father, we ask that you forgive us of our sins. Thank you for our families, friends, health, homes, work, churches. Today we lift up Ghana and its people who love and serve you in many ways.
We especially ask for prayers for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Ghana as it works through changes and new leadership. May its leaders always keep your word in their hearts as they move forward. We pray for the Evangelical Presbyterian Theological Seminary as it seeks new partners for development to continue your work. All around the world, there have been changes in leadership, especially in the countries closest to us, the United States and Ghana. Please continue to guide the leaders and your people. In your Holy name, we pray. Amen.
Mission Stewardship Moment from Ghana:
Ghana is not a wealthy country. There is a wide range of economic differences. In the capital city of Accra, there are modern homes, conveniences, museums, theaters, shopping malls, grocery stores, and nice cars. As you leave the city and drive out to the villages such as Peki (where we live) there are drastic changes. Roads are in great need of repair, houses range from cement block to wood and stick, to shipping crates, to mud huts. Jobs are mostly farming, trading, and healthcare. Healthcare is very minimal, with small community clinics offering limited services. There are some hospitals, but they are far apart.
In Peki, we are blessed to have Dzake Community Health Center and Peki Government Hospital (I work at both). Both facilities lack funding from the government to purchase needed equipment or supplies needed to run properly. Oxygen tanks, glucometers, nebulizers, and suction machines, as well as the supplies or medication that go along with them, are always in short supply or completely out. These are things that we in the USA take for granted, here the healthcare workers do the best they can with what they have at the time. This is an ongoing problem that has only become worse since the pandemic has hit our world. I have seen and heard of people dying because of the lack of oxygen. It saddens me when a physician has to make a decision about which patient needs the oxygen more than another because there is only one tank available. Since a lot of people have very little money they often put off seeking medical attention due to the cost of transportation or the cost of the medical treatment. Here you pay for your treatment or medication in cash BEFORE you receive it. Unfortunately, this leads to very sick patients coming in when it is literally too late for any treatment to help them.
Prayer and Mission Moment by Debbie Colvin
Mission Partners in Ghana:
More about Ghana: https://www.globalministries.org/ghana
Global Ministries Mission Co-worker in Ghana:
Debbie Colvin serves with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. Her appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Church’s Wider Mission, OGHS, and your special gifts.