Grace Baptist Mission-Ghana
Noah forwarded this message below to me today. I first started as a volunteer Secretary/Treasurer for Grace Baptist Mission-Ghana in 2007. I’m not sure how many years before but every year since the Mission has shipped a container of goods to Ghana except 2021 (due to Covid).
Every year when the container is shipped. Mission Central at 5 Pleasant View Dr in Mechanicsburg, PA has donated the use of their facilities to load the container. They have donated Health Kits, School kits, donated clothing, household goods, Etc. They also refurbish computers and this past year we were able to get both desktops and laptops. We also received walkers, canes and other medical supplies. We ship items donated to Grace Baptist Mission-Ghana and any remaining space in the container Mission Central helps fill.
When the container was being loaded this year one of the workers from Mission Central (Ruth Ward) was talking to Noah and Adelaide that she was planning to go to Ghana to attend a friend’s wedding. Noah invited her to spend a few days with them. After Ruth arrived in Ghana she was notified that the wedding plans were changed. She spent the three weeks she was in Ghana at Noah’s and it happened to be at exactly the time that the container arrived. This letter below was her observations.
I have had people ask me if the container was really worth shipping. I think the letter below from Ruth answers that question. A lot of these items are not available to purchase in Ghana and these donated items are being used in an effort to give God the Glory and reach people with the Gospel. People that have donated for the shipping of the container, people that have donated all kinds of items either would not or could not afford to give the money to buy these things in Ghana.
Ralph Kemrer Secretary/Treasurer
Grace Baptist Mission-Ghana PO Box 275
Hummelswharf, PA 17831 570-974-1741
I received the following Prayer request from Noah this Morning.
We have to postpone our trip to the North because three men were killed near the village where we will be dedicating the new Church building. We have been advised by the Security Officials to make it in January since they are now conducting an investigation. Be in prayer with us and the brethren in Brai Nkwanta, Nothern Ghana.
Mission Connections
When I sit at the back door each week at Mission Central, I have the privilege of watching containers being loaded, some bound nationally and others traveling overseas. The trucks drive away and we often receive photos of the resources being distributed. I’ve had the rare privilege of helping unload a container in Accra, Ghana.
Held at port for over five days, with higher and higher demands for more money, Rev. Dr. Noah Quarshie despaired that it would never be released. Tuesday, October 25, 2022 was the day that all the resources from Mission Central and the ministry’s supporting churches left the Tema port.
Twelve men arrived after 5:00 a.m. Before the truck could back into the yard, they had to move rocks that were dumped just up the road to help improve the road’s surface. They made quick work of that task and the driver backed the 40’ container through the gate. The teamwork was amazing to see. As they carried boxes upstairs, the young men initially took two steps at a time. As the morning wore on, their steps slowed considerably.
My task was to count the cartons of Care, School, and Baby Kits from Mission Central. I also counted the number of monitors, computers, and boxes holding laptops and tablets (compliments of Computer Ministry). We started at 6 a.m. and finished unloading just after 9 a.m. A water break was necessary half-way through.
Pastor Noah is well organized and had different rooms for kits, computers, and other resources. The suitcases, all marked as to their contents, were stacked in the living room. He began unloading them as the week progressed.
One of the suitcases held a new teapot for Mrs. Quarshie. Adelaide was so thrilled that she sang and danced around the room with her new teapot in her arms, a huge smile filling her face. What we take for granted is a precious gift for others.
The First Delivery
Dr. Bennette, the family G.P., is Australian by birth and training and on staff at a local Accra hospital. He came by to look at an IV pole and examination table that arrived in the container. He was thrilled with both and said the table will help him deliver babies. When he returned the next day for the “official presentation” from Pastor Noah, some baby and health kits, along with sanitizing lotion and other supplies (from our medical resources), were stacked on the table. His face lit up when he saw all that was being donated to the hospital.
I learned from Pastor Noah that when a person comes to the hospital to have surgery and needs crutches or a walker for recovery, they must purchase them before they can have the operation. Some crutches and a couple of walkers for lending make life-enhancing surgery possible.
A Sewing Machine
Teaching teens (and some younger children) how to use a sewing machine is a challenge when all you have is one yard of fabric, a dozen straight pins, three spools of thread and a pair of paper scissors. The container held resources. A sewing machine in its own cabinet was one of the things I spied coming off the container. Spools of thread were discovered in a suitcase, then seven partial bolts of fabric, and finally a pair of fabric scissors and a pair of pinking shears were added to the resources. Three young women learned quickly and later in the week taught some younger children to sew as well. One of the important lessons was teaching kiddos the safe way to hand someone a pair of scissors or a knife. Light bulbs of understanding lit their faces.
Gifts for a Clinic
On Friday, we went at a rural clinic/hospital in the Eastern Region of Ghana. They see an average of fifty patients each day. We made presentations to their staff of health and baby kits, along with other supplies from Mission Central. Official presentations are important to the facility as well as documenting the work that Pastor Noah does.
On my way to use the facilities, I noticed a forlorn hospital bed in the hallway, clearly used to the point of no return. Bereft of any padding or cover, the springs were testimony to a resource that might yet be returned to usefulness, if not as a bed, then perhaps in another capacity.
On the way back from this trip, a police stop slowed us down momentarily. Pastor Noah gave a box of peanuts to the officers working that post.
Pastors Bible Study and Prayer Breakfast
Over the years, the Rev. Dr. Quarshie has trained many pastors for ministry. He received a B.A., MDiv, and ThD in the U.S. and has faithfully utilized his training as a springboard to educate others. During the four months this summer that Pastor and Mrs. Quarshie were in the States meeting with supporting churches and raising funds for ministry, a number of pastors filled in for him. One of his friends in PA gave him Study Bibles to present to these men and they were thrilled with the Bibles and additional study books.
On Sunday Morning
Following Sunday worship, adults lined up and were given two packages of Hot and Spicy Peanuts (compliments of Bethesda Mission Outreach) and a container of hand lotion. The children received one package of nuts and a tube of toothpaste. I heard children singing about getting up in the morning and brushing their teeth. Smiles filled every face.
Breakfast
Pastor Noah’s favorite breakfast is banana pancakes with bananas and pineapple in the batter. Yummy. The pancake mix was compliments of Bethesda Mission Outreach.
Computers
The upstairs porch is computer central. It is adjacent to the room where the computers are stored until distributed. One man checking the machines has worked with Pastor Noah for 26 years. His responsibility, assisted by two other men, was to match the computer, keyboard and mouse so that all were compatible. Staff have received their computers and others will receive them soon.
A Special School
The government funds residential schools across Ghana for the deaf, the blind, and the cognitively impaired. Most of the residents of these facilities have been abandoned by their parents, who feel ashamed and stigmatized by their children’s challenges. We visited the Specialized School for youngsters with autism, low IQs, and Downes Syndrome. Care, Activity, and Hygiene kits, sanitizer, Bibles, peanuts, clothing, and rice were presented to them. The youth clapped and one girl said they hadn’t had rice in a long time. Staff confirmed that comment. How far will 50 pounds of rice go in feeding the 200 residents? The director said that the government doesn’t fulfill its commitment to these youth and the staff is constantly struggling to meet their needs.
It took a while to high-five, shake hands, or simply hug these young people. One girl circled me from behind and laid her head on my shoulder.
Dresses for Girls
A friend of the Quarshie’s ministry sews dresses for girls and Sunday following worship, each of the girls received a new cotton dress. The smiles that filled their faces were bright. Someone in the U.S. made this dress for this child and it makes them feel so special.
Connecting God’s Resources With Human Need came alive in a new way on this trip. Rev. Noah and Adelaide Quarshie are so sensitive and aware of the needs of the people of Ghana. For fifteen days I worked, witnessed, and worshiped with them. I watched them tenderly reach out and care for others. They know the needs of their community and their country and they have already shared items from that container far and wide. What we have often been tempted to discard, folks here hold gratefully.
What a privilege for me to be here when the container was unloaded and see how carefully the resources are connected with people in Ghana. What a blessing!
