Thursday, 13 September 2012

Impact Assessment of MLI Projects in the Asuogyaman District


MLI runs a system of three months periodic checks on all projects to assess the impact of the project on the community and take progress reports from the various management committees setup in the various communities. Following this, the MLI projects team and some partners embarked on a usual periodic visit to selected operational areas in the Eastern region.

Areas visited included; Apegusu, Aboasa and Akwamufie. The team was met at Akosombo by Rev. Wontomi, the district pastor of the Assemblies of God Church who led the team to these communities.



The main purpose of the visit was to find out the state of the projects (Boreholes and Church) provided by MLI and its partners and also to sensitize these communities ahead of a massive Jesus Film outreach in September.

IN APEGUSU


The first community visited was Apegusu. Apegusu is a commercial community located in the Asuogyaman district of the Eastern Region of Ghana. There were two old boreholes serving the over 13,000 people in Apegusu and its environs (Asempa-Neye and Quarters). With support from Cornerstone Fellowship, we drilled this borehole for them. They were very appreciative of the project. 

Although our visit was impromptu, the people were very welcoming. We noticed that the environment where the borehole was sited was not being kept clean enough by the people and the plaque on the borehole had also been damaged. However, the people were very happy with the borehole and they gave very good testimonies of how the borehole had eased their living. The community members who were around at the time of the visit were full of praise for the provision of the well. They enumerated a lot of benefits which includes; Women and children did not have to travel long distances for water any more and lateness to school by the children had also been curtailed.







IN ABOASA


The team’s next point of call was Aboasa. Aboasa is also located in the same district as Apegusu and has a population of about 11,000 people. As a result of the borehole MLI provided them about 4 years ago, they invited MLI to plant a church there. The church has survived challenge of inconsistent membership grow because they've had to change meeting places several times. It is doing well by God's grace and we hope to get more resources to support the efforts of the selfless men of God who are in charge of the church.





In assessing the borehole in this community, we realized that the committee that was assigned to manage the project was more organized, and the surroundings of the borehole was also very clean. We were informed by the caretaker who was a woman that, it costs 5 pesewas to fetch a 34cm bucket or an equivalent size from the borehole which was the money being levied for the maintenance of the borehole. According to the her, the maximum amount she collects daily is 3.00 cedis and the minimum is 1 cedi 50 pesewes. The committee accounts to the people through periodic meetings every three months. The people however complained that the water was a bit salty.





AKWAMUFIE

Akwamufie simply means "Home of Akwamu". According to a woman from the royal family, Okomfo Anokye (a very powerful fetish priest who existed many years ago and founded the city of Kumasi) hails from Akwamu. This, he said contributes to the inhabitants of the town being predominantly traditional worshipers. MLI planted a Church in this community some 4 years ago. Our visit was to do an assessment on the Church, assess some of the needs of the community and also sensitize the community ahead of a Jesus Film outreach in September.

In an interview with the pastor, this is what he had to say,... "The church is doing well by God's grace because our current membership is 32, but we're facing a few challenges. Our current place of worship was given to us temporarily but is now being demanded back by the owner’s son. The church made an attempt to purchase a land to put up a permanent structure, but its going for GH¢1,500 which we can't afford. We also don't have musical instrument, thus our services are not lively enough to attract people to fellowship with us."





Friday, 13 July 2012

Getting Ready to "Be A Blessing"

"I want to know Christ — yes, to know the power of his resurrection... Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:10a &11,13-14

We give God so much praise for His continual love towards us.

The third quarter has already began and the Beebes are also settling in gradually. The projects team is working hard with Reid Beebe to put together a two year program which is going to focus on reaching out to rural communities and Senior High Schools in Ghana through Jesus Film Shows. We're 95% through the preparation of both the schedule and budget, and they will be ready for approval soon. This program is projected to take effect from the 20th of July 2012

We are currently helping Reid get his work permit in Ghana which will enable him start carrying out fully some official duties. We're about 85% through and we pray that he gets his permit soon. 
Reid Beebe has however started working with us in our office in Tema. He started on the 28th of June 2012, and its been so much fun working with / learning from him.

On the 9th of July 2012, the management of MLI sponsored five (5) of its staff members to be part of a Leadership Training workshop organized by Economic Development Services International in Accra. The workshop was dubbed "Train the Trainer", and it was targeted at equipping Christian employers, employees and entrepreneurs with knowledge in doing business and challenging them on how to translate their Christian values into the marketplace.

On the 10th of July, wahab and steve were at the Tema Port to help the Beebes clear their container. Thanks to the strength and grace of the Lord, their belongings were safely transported to their new home.

We want to thank all of you for your prayer support so far. We really appreciate how amazing you've all been towards us.

PRAYER SUPPORT

1) Continue praying for the Beebe Family, that God will keep and protect them. That the Good Lord will grant them supernatural strength and divine health.
2) Pray for God to send us resources for our film show project; that the Lord will give us strength and endurance to carry it out faithfully to the Glory of His name.
3) Pray for all our partners and donors worldwide and ask that God will bless them for their immense contribution towards work in His vineyard
.
If you want to donate to support any of our ministries (Digging a well, Medical Outreach, Church Planting, Donations to Orphanages... please contact MLI on: +233-244-644-331, +233-244-644-332 and
+233-540-909-311
OR E-mail us on: gahlijah@yahoo.com and meaningfulifemissions@gmail.com OR visit our website on www.mlighana.org
YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW US ON http://mlimissions.blogspot.com/ OR check out our FACEBOOK page:

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Maiden edition of MLI's weekly Blog:



This is to announce to you our precious partners worldwide, that we will be blogging twice every month, beginning from this first edition, with interesting tit bits for you and updates of what is happening down here in Meaningful Life International. We bless the Lord for your lives and we know you are praying with us.


AKWAABA (WELCOME) TO THE BEEBES

 The Beebes, a wonderful family of seven (7) from Knoxville, Tennessee in the United States, made a two-year commitment to work with Meaningful Life International, to bring the gospel to the rural communities of Ghana and to reach out to the orphans and high school students in Ghana.

This family works with Feeding the Orphans, a Non-Profit in the USA, and their Mission is to follow Jesus in caring for orphaned children. Whiles in Ghana, the family will be staying in Tema and visiting some of our projects sites in the Volta, Ashanti, Eastern, Northern, Upper West and Greater Accra Regions of Ghana.

The team arrived in the country on Wednesday, 13th of June to a rousing welcome by the Meaningful Life family.





 We thank God that, since their arrival, things have gone on well. They are still settling down and we pray that the Lord will strengthen each and every one of them for the task ahead of us, and also grant them the favor to have a blessed stay in Ghana.

We need you all to be praying with us for a fruitful time together!

If you want to donate to support any of our ministries (Digging a well, Medical Outreach, Church Planting, Donations to Orphanages... please contact MLI on: +233-244-644-331, +233-244-644-332 and +233-540-909-311
OR E-mail us on: gahlijah@yahoo.com and meaningfulifemissions@gmail.com OR visit our website on www.mlighana.org

Tuesday, 8 May 2012


PROFILE OF DETI


Deti is a farming village situated about 500 meters from the main Akatsi – Aflao road. The village is a small farming village in the Akatsi District of the Volta Region and has a population of about 1500 people. They grow mainly cereal and tuber crops like maize, beans, groundnut and yam.

The village is also known for the cultivation of a popular Ghanaian dessert which has a hard outer black shell and a sweet powdery soft fruit inside.


Because of the dry nature of the landscape in Deti, the inhabitants do not have any river or stream flowing through their village. Due to this, they have to dig small holes in the ground until they find water.

 These wells do not have consistent yields and they have to sometimes wait for the water to surface before fetching. It normally takes one to two hours to fetch a bucket of water accompanied with its many health risks and diseases.



The District provided them with one standing pipe that was connected from an overhead tank in the Akatsi District Hospital, but this tap is opened once a week because of the needs of the hospital. This therefore does not adequately satisfy the water needs of the inhabitants of Deti. DANIDA (The Danish International Development Agency), a local Non-Profit made promises to come and provide them with a borehole, but that project was since not heard of again.

Friday, 13 January 2012

YEAR 2011 UNDER REVIEW

MLI by the grace of God executed the following activities, projects and events in the year under review (2011)


MLI 5TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION


One of the major events that made headlines in Meaningful Life International this year, which crowned the impact of our ministry in the light of our vision and mission since the inception of Meaningful Life International, was our 5th Anniversary Celebration, which was from the 10th of September to the 18th of September 2011.

Some of the activities that made this week long celebration a memorable one were a clean-up exercise at the Tema General Hospital, a donation of some items like toiletries, fruit drinks and surgical equipments to the children’s ward of the Tema General Hospital, the dedication of the MLI 5th Anniversary Borehole, a medical outreach, a Leadership Seminar for church leaders and pastors, a musical concert and a thanksgiving service.

For us, the impact of our ministry in this part of our world has not been attained on a silver platter; but we give thanks to the Almighty God that we have been able to count all our blessings these five (5) years with smiles and laughter, to the Glory of God.


DORON MEDICAL CENTER



The ever awaiting Doron Medical Center (MLI’s Missions Hospital) which is going to serve over 17,000 inhabitants from surrounding communities and also equip our mobile clinics to deprived communities, commenced in July 2010 and saw the successful completion of its first phase to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in December 2010.

Thankfully by the middle of 2011, July to be specific, the second phase started and is already 75% complete with the casting of the Columns for the ground floor and building of the site office. What is left now is the casting of the beams on top of the pillars, flowing of the first floor and the brick work for the ground floor. We are anticipating the total completion of the ground floor by 2014 to the Glory of God.


 BOREHOLES


This year (2011), two (2) boreholes were drilled in Wusuta-Sakakyere and Deheta, located in the Kpando District and Akatsi District of the Volta Region respectively. The two boreholes were drilled in August and November 2011 respectively.

The Wusuta-Sakakyere Borehole, which was the first to be drilled, has already been dedicated. A 14 member team made up of a delegation from Cornerstone Fellowship in California and the Just-Dig-It team (who raised funds for the borehole) came to dedicate the borehole on the 8th of August, 2011. The Deheta borehole is yet to be dedicated. A commissioning ceremony has being planned for January 2012.

   MEDICAL OUTREACHES


Six (6) Medical outreaches were organized in the year 2011. The inhabitants of the following communities; Sirigu-Gunwoko, Navrongo, Afariwa, Ziave-Dzogbe, Amlakpo and Ashaiman Lebanon were blessed to be the benefactors of the six medical outreaches organized in the year 2011.

 The communities of Sirigu-Gunwoko and Navrongo, which are located in the Kassena-Nankana West district of the upper east region were the first to receive medical teams from MLI in 2011. The two outreaches which were organized in April 2011 saw 95 and 220 patients respectively receiving treatment and medication from our team of doctors and nurses. The second outreach was held in the community of Afariwa at the Freedom Life Chapel. The outreach saw a total number of 284 patients, mostly children and women, also receiving treatment from the joint medical team from Creighton University in USA and Meaningful Life International.

In Ziave-Dzogbe, a community in the Ho district of the Volta Region, the team of doctors from MLI attended to about 216 patients in all with help from Grant Perryman’s team of missionaries from the USA.


 
The medical team from MLI teamed up with Cornerstone Fellowship in USA in August 2011, and had a mega medical outreach in the community of Amlakpo, which is located in the Krobo Odumase district of the Eastern Region. The outreach saw about 284 people coming to receive free medication, treatment and counseling in the word of God. On the 16th of September 2011, Meaningful Life International also organized a 5th Anniversary medical outreach in collaboration with the Central Assemblies of God Church in the community of Ashaiman. In all, about 300 patients were attended to that day to the Glory of God.




LEADERSHIP TRAINING


 In 2011, Meaningful Life International organized a total of two Leadership Training Seminars. One was a presentation in Leadership Empowerment and the second one was a Capacity Building Seminar for Church Leaders and Pastors.

The first of the two seminars held in 2011 was in the month of August. It was facilitated by Meaningful Life International’s Executive Director, Rev. Godwin Ahlijah at the Cedar Mountain Chapel in East Legon, Accra. The topic for this Seminar was centered on the “Habits and Qualities of a Great Leader”. The event saw a total of about 150 participants.

The second, which was organized during our 5th Anniversary celebration in September, was targeted at empowering Church Leaders, Elders and pastors with tools that will equip them for effective ministerial work. The Seminar, which was facilitated by Pastor Chris Sonksen, centered on the topic “What the Great do that others don’t”, a book written by Pastor Sonksen. More than 200 participants were in attendance and their lives were really impacted.




JESUS FILM CRUSADES AND CHURCH PLANTING

 
There was no Church planting activity in 2011, but it has been amazing and totally awesome, what the Lord did through us, in the lives of the hundreds of people that were ministered to by our Jesus Film Crusades. There were five (5) Jesus film crusades in four communities in the year 2011. Our Jesus Crusade team was in Navrongo, Afariwa, Amlakpo and Mensahkrom to do massive and life changing Jesus Film Crusades with our newly acquired Jesus Film equipments and we can’t thank God enough for the testimonies and the souls that have been won to Jesus in 2011.

In Navrongo, it was really an experience, seeing children and adults standing and sitting on every available space to catch a glimpse of the movie “JESUS”. In all, about 400 people including Muslims, came to watch the movie and at the end, an alter call was made by the Pastor from the Light House Chapel. About 150 people prayed the believer’s prayer that night and accepted Jesus as their Lord and personal savior.


The story was no different in Amlakpo and Mensahkrom. More than 130 inhabitants came to watch the Jesus Film in Amlakpo and it was so amazing when all of them raised their hands to pray the believer’s prayer that night. In Mensahkrom where we had our 2011 Special Annual Christmas Outreach, the entire village including the Chief and elders were there to watch the movie. During the alter call, the whole village came forward to pray a prayer of repentance unto Jesus. There was so much joy in the village after the Crusade!!!


SUMMER TEAMS


Three (3) Teams visited us from the United States of America in the year 2011. We hosted a team of eight Medical Students from Creighton University in Nebraska and a joint team of fourteen (14) members from Cornerstone Fellowship and “Just-Dig-It” in California. We also hosted a four Member team from California led by Grant Perryman, the Executive Director of Meaningful Life USA.

We embarked on so many outreaches together and the teams also had the opportunity to visit interesting places in Ghana like the Kakum National Park, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Pacific Farms and the Come C’ Beach Resort.



 SPECIAL OUTREACHES
 
There were also visitations and donation of clothing and shoes to the Save Them Young Orphanage, Kinder Paradise Orphanage at Adenta and Prampram, the State School for the Death at Ashaiman, New Life Orphanage at Nungua and the Mother of Mercies Babies’ home at Sirigu-Gunwoko during the year under review.

In May 2011, MLI undertook a massive distribution of clothing and shoes to three villages in the Kpando district of the Volta Region. The three villages that benefited from this distribution were Adzakro-Aveti, Denui and Ando. More than 750 people were given clothes that day.

 We have also donated thousands of clothes and shoes to inhabitants of all the communities where we did our medical outreaches this year.

As part of our 5th Anniversary in 2011, MLI donated some items like toiletries, fruit drinks and surgical equipments in valued at about GH¢ 50,000 (USD$ 31,847.13) to the children’s ward of the Tema General Hospital.




IMPACT ASSESSMENT

A two days survey trip was made to Deheta, Deti, Wusuta-Sakakyere and Botoku in the Akatsi and North Dayi Districts of the Volta Region from the 12th to 13th February 2011.

During the trip, it was discovered that the communities of Wusuta-Sakakyere and Deheta needed an urgent intervention with regards to their source of drinking water. After the trip, funds were quickly mobilized, and a borehole has been drilled for the inhabitants of Wusuta-Sakakyere and Deheta. The chiefs and inhabitants of the respective villages are very happy for the boreholes that have been provided for them.

Unfortunately, not long after the borehole in Wusuta Sakakyere was commissioned in August, it has developed a fault, making it difficult for the inhabitants to use it. We alerted the engineers and the borehole is been attended to at the moment. The borehole will be in use again by the end of January.

The borehole in Attakrom has also developed a fault which the local mechanics could not rectify. The Assemblyman has confirmed that the community is ready to fund the repairs, so we have contacted Mr. Agbesi, the contractor for the borehole, and he has agreed to go and resolve the fault. The borehole will be in working condition by the end of the first week in January.

All the other 20 boreholes are in good shape and they are serving their respective communities very well.

SPECIAL ANNUAL CHRSISTMAS OUTREACH (SACO)



As part of our activities every year, MLI’s 2011 Special Christmas Outreach was targeted at Mensahkrom, a farming community in the West Akyem District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. This Special Christmas Outreach (SACO) brought great smiles to the inhabitants of Mensahkrom for the three days that our team was with them, fellowshipping and encouraging the inhabitants of the community. The MLI team was in the village from the 23rd of December to Sunday, 25th December 2011 (the Christmas day).

We used the opportunity to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with them and encourage them. We also had a Jesus Film Show & Crusade with them and donated various items (used clothing & shoes, toys, educational materials) to the school children. We had time to play soccer and volley ball matches with the inhabitants of the community, after which the entire outreach was crowned with a Christmas Party on Christmas day.

Volunteers from Cedar Mountain Chapel, Community 4 Assemblies of God Junior Youth Ministry and the Royal Rangers, Jesus-To-The-World Outreach and United Way Ghana Ltd. came to support the whole event.

 


PROJECTIONS FOR 2012


MLI WEBSITE PROJECT - Our main target in 2012 will be to get the MLI Website running by the end of the first quarter. 


HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACHES - Starting from January 2012, we will have high school outreaches in Tema Senior High, Datus Senior High, Ashaiman Senior High, Accra Academy, Nungua Senior High, Wesley Grammar Senior High, Presbyterian Boys Senior High and Accra Girls Senior High. There will be a Jesus Film Show in one of these high schools at least once every month from January to December 2012.


Completion of the DMC basement (ground floor) by December 2012.

FURNISHING OF SITE SUPERVISOR’S OFFICE - By the end of January 2012 with a Desk, Chair and a notice board to enable the site supervisor work comfortably.


BOREHOLES AND CHURCH PLANTING - From January to November 2012, MLI Project department will supervise the drilling of 5 boreholes in 5 unreached communities across the country (Deti, Anowah, Apegusu, Diare, Bonkua No 1 & 2 and Akofokrom). We will plant at least 4 churches in some of these communities.


MEDICAL OUTREACHES - We will embark on a total of four (4) medical outreaches, one of which will be in a community either in the Northern Region or Northern Volta; preferably Yadodo, Ebitiyie or Alege-Akura.


LEADERSHIP TRAINING - There will be 2 Leadership seminars (possibly between June and September 2012) during summer teams which will consist of one Health awareness talk and the other a Capacity Building Seminar for leaders.


QUARTERLY PRAYER AND FASTING There will be 3 days prayer and fasting for MLI staff in the last month of every quarter, during which a day will be set aside for staff members to go to the DMC site to pray.

PLAQUING OF BOREHOLES - The communities of Makyere, Roll Call, Sakakyere and Deheta where MLI has its newest boreholes will also be visited during an impact assessment and Plaques will also be made for all recently dug boreholes (Makyere, Deheta and Wusuta-Sakakyere).


SUMMER TEAMS - We will facilitate at least (3) summer teams from June to September. 


MLI NEWSLETTER & QUARTERLY REPORTS - There will be a quarterly production of newsletters, starting from January 2012. We hope that the 2012 newsletters will be informative enough, covering up for all activities undertaken in 2011 as well. 



PRAYER TOPICS


We Thank God for a successful year; his goodness, mercies, faithfulness, protection, guidance and provisions as MLI hit its 5th anniversary.


We pray and Declare success in all programmes and projects of MLI in 2012.


We pray especially and thank God for the successful completion of the first part of our Second Phase of the Doron Medical Centre. We ask Him to supply all the resources, support and direction needed for the completion of the next part in record time.


Pray with us that God will ordain divine success for all Partners, Board Members, Staff and Donors of MLI. We also pray for Unity among Staff Members, between Staff and Board of directors and between Staff and Partners for the progress of the organization.


We also pray for partnership and direction of the Holy Spirit, so that Meaningful Life International will   be focused on the vision and mission 2012.


We pray for all souls out there who are yet to be touched by Meaningful Life International and pray that God will use MLI to touch their lives and win them for Jesus.


We pray for Greater blessings upon our partners and donors and for more partners to come on board.
APPRECIATION


If we can SMILE for how far we have come then it is because we are standing on your shoulders. Our five years story is only complete when you are mentioned and appreciated. We sincerely and humbly appreciate your partnership and involvement with Meaningful Life International. All of these will not have been possible without you, our wonderful partners, donors, friends and volunteers. By availing yourselves, many who were disadvantaged in society have been reached in various ways by MLI.

God richly bless and multiply your barn. We say God richly bless you in thousand folds. Hallelujah!


NYAME NHIRA MO NYINAA !!!

GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU ALL!!!