Africa! I had dreamed of it since I was a teenager. Like all teens, I knew what I wanted in life. About the time I turned 18 I decided I would wait till I was 21, go to nursing school and then do mission work in Africa. There is something romantic about Africa. Poor, sick children. Hot desert sun. Exotic animals. Wild colors. Yes, it was what I wanted! To help people in that culture would be an adventure! But...
 Life happened, just before my 19th birthday I started dating and Africa got set on the back burner. Fast forward about ten years. We were attending a church where several of the members were involved in a new mission. Palm Ministries. In Ghana, Africa. Of course it caught my attention. But life was busy, we had a lot going on. But we couldn't deny the tug every time they announced the need for someone to serve. Through a series of events and conversations, we were asked to move to Ghana. Kenny would teach mechanics at New Hope School. We couldn't help being excited! What an adventure! In Africa! But then we settled down to do some serious praying and considering. We looked for reasons not to go. We asked our parents opinions. We were going to ask our ministers blessing next, and then we got thrown a curve ball.
  Kenny was arrested on child abuse charges for letting our (at the time) 3 year old unattended for 20 minutes in a public place. Suddenly our brains switched gears! I had prayed just shortly before that if God didn't want us going to Africa, He would shut the door with a bang. The day I got the phone call that Kenny was arrested, I heard it bang. I struggled to release that dream. And it took months of laying it down over and over again. But then summer came, we had court dates and legal matters to worry about, life was busy and we moved on. We didn't need to go on a foreign mission field, there were plenty of opportunities here.
  And then came the small nudges. I read things about Africa. Kenny and I both heard things in sermons about serving. And I struggled. Why, when I had lay it down, was God giving it back? But we had one more court date. At that court date we were told we need to appear in court again in one year. We left the court house and looked at each other. The door was closed again.
  The Palm Ministries board had a meeting the next day and they agreed to fly us home for the court date if we were willing to go. Suddenly it was decision time. For real! Not tossing it around, not just praying, it was time to listen carefully to God and prayerfully make a decision. The last week in July 2018 we made a 3 year commitment to serving the people of Ghana.


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