There are several steps involved in going on a short-term missions trip. First thing is to understand what a short-term mission trip really is. Well, it is defined as those experiences that are cross-cultural missionary assignments into another country ranging from one week to up to two years. Having now decided to go on a short-term mission trip, one must decide the destination. For me, it was Ghana West Africa.Passport ProcessMy husband encouraged me to obtain my passport for my birthday in 2007. The process was an easy one, but I did not know where I was going. However, within two weeks, God revealed by his Holy Spirit the ministry I would connect with and the destination.Connect with MinistryThe ministry I connected to was Charlene Crossley International Ministry (CCIM) of Chicago, IL. CCIM has been going to Ghana West Africa since 2000. I am the website designer for the ministry's website and was very familiar with various aspects of the ministry through that association. The president, Apostle Charlene Crossley, is building a school in a town named Assesswa. She is also over a group of pastors and ministers in the surrounding areas of Accra, the capital city of Ghana.Begin the fund raising ProjectAfter connecting with the ministry and obtaining the associated cost, the work of fund raising began. This was a tedious yet rewarding project to speak to persons about what I believed God was sending me to do. And, along those lines it is important to know upfront what your specific role will be, to the extend possible. My Lead Missionary encouraged the team with these words "a missionary is always flexible" as anything is subject to change when one is going on a short term mission trip in this case to Africa. Additionally, my spouse admonished me to go with the "flow". For me, these words were key to my having a God-driven experience in Ghana West Africa.Immunizations and MedicationsA very crucial part of the preparation for the short term mission trip is that of Immunizations and Medications. For Ghana, there were several shots to be taken. One day I remember taking 5 at one time- I wont do that again. I later discovered that I could have spread them over several weeks. Then, there are the malaria pills and the other pills (antibotics) one must bring just in case there is a need. What about insurance? My plan actually had doctors listed. However, I spoke with one of my doctors who had a contact in Accra should I have need of one. It is also good to have a doctor whom you can call should you have to - I experienced that first hand.Read more here:http://hubpages.com/hub/Short-Term-Mission-TripRead more…
Missions Ghana West Africa International missions can be scary. In 2007, I experienced my first short-term missions trip to Ghana, West. Africa. It was an extremely challenging yet rewarding experience for me. There were some physical and emotional challenges (i.e. Jet lag, sleepless nights, not drinking enough water, dry eye syndrome, anxiety, all kinds of stressors, etc. . .) as well as cultural ones (shock). Join me as I take you on an awesome and scary journey into an amazing place and time - Ghana West Africa - through the lens of this novice. Below is a photo of one of the jets of the flight (there were 2), there was so much excitement in our team of short-term missionaries. Following are reflections from this experience.
Reflections The highlight of the 2007 trip, for me, was the visit to the hospital. As background, it is a custom and practice, at that particular hospital, for women who cannot pay their bills to be detained until their bills are paid. The hospital does not feed them, but the women rely upon family and friends to provide their food. On this trip, there was a woman, who lost her child, that had been there for 218 days. The other six (6) women and their babies had been there well over one hundred (100) days each. Can you imagine a child being raised in that type of hospital environment? You should have seen their faces as they did not know that we were coming, let alone that they would be going home to their families! I captured some of their expressions, but it was heart wrenching to say the least. There was not a dry eye in the entire room! It was truly a blessing to be apart of the plan of God in the lives of the seven(7) women and six(6) babies (one transitioned) who went home to their families as a result of our paying their bills (~$4K USD) and providing them with monies for transportation. I praise God for the team and the people who gave specifically for that cause. As I went with the other team members to one of the maternity floors of the hospital, I was truly overwhelmed with the level of condition of the facility and that of the women. However, the expressions on the faces of those women spoke very loud and clear to me! The compassion and comfort of God came forth in me like never before. All that I have experienced in my life and ministry (interceding for family and friends, chaplaincy at Good Samaritan, pasturing, etc.) was for that day. Jesus was glorified in me that day! We gave personal hygiene gifts to the new mothers and an outfit for their babies that were donated by the team and other persons. We prayed for each of them including those who were awaiting delivery and those who had lost their babies. My other experiences were so very enlightening and included seeing the places and faces as we traveled from destination to destination, being on the Ghana soil and ocean shores, interacting with the people such as the ladies at the conference, hotel staff, bus driver, and the African staff of the ministry, going to the market and shopping at the Art Center (a type of outdoor/indoor composite of shops). The latter was an interesting experience of negotiating - I had fun. In addition, the African ministry team was so welcoming and supportive. Read more here: http://hubpages.com/hub/MissionInGhanaRead more…
