We just returned from another successful mission trip to Ghana. As we shared our experience with friends and well-wishers, one comment that was shared was “It's only a drop in the bucket; the problems of the people in Ghana are so huge that we may not have made that big an impact”.
While this is largely true, it also gives us an opportunity to reflect on our experience and comment on the full meaning and the effect on society. Remember that we feel called to serve and be difference makers. We are being obedient to this calling.
A drop of water is not enough to quench a thirst. However, if drops fall several times into a bucket, a reasonable volume of water could be collected—enough to quench a thirst. Our medical mission efforts have great similarities to a drop of water. We have been making little efforts repeatedly to improve the livelihood of the people of Agbozume-Klikor, a small rural community in Ghana . We have been consistent and sponsored 9 mission trips since 1996. Over this period of time, we have made some impact on the community. Each year, the people eagerly look forward to our next visit. In this newsletter, we share aspects of our November 2005 trip to Ghana . Despite these successes, we recognize that they are very temporary and not eternal.
When the Lord Jesus Christ met the Samaritan woman at the well, he asked her for water (a “no-no” for a Jewish man). While talking with her, Jesus described a living water that makes a person never be thirsty again. Before I gave my life to Christ, I wondered what a drop of that living water will taste like. I wondered how I could collect many drops from that living water. I imagined how much I could be filled when I drank that water. Not anymore. Jesus Christ declared to the Samaritan woman that He was the Living water (John 4:7-26).
As we celebrate the Christmas season, we are thankful to God for everything we have been able to accomplish through IHDN. We are thankful to all who supported and prayed with us. Though our efforts may seem like a drop in the bucket, we have brought hope to some disadvantaged people. With your support, we intend to continue to make small, repeated efforts for His glory. It is our hope and prayer that these little drops would someday grow into a mighty ocean. Yet this is nothing comparable to the thirst and hunger that is satisfied by the Lord Jesus Christ, the living water, whose birthday we celebrate.
We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a blessed Happy New Year.
