Cont’d pg. 2 Vol. 16 Issue. 02 US: African Mission Evangelism Attn. Scott Danner 7343 Ridge Rd. Lexington, NC 27295 336-764-1900 sdanner@ameghana.org Africa: African Mission Evangelism P.O. Box DD142 Dodowa, Ghana 828-398-0637 (Skype: pcnghana) patrickcline@ameghana.org pc@beaconhouseusa.org hc@beaconhouseusa.org In US, at Last. 1 Heather’s Happenings 2 Beads for Playground 2 Gone Before They Are Found 3 Prayers and Praises 4 Inside this issue: In The US at Last, Now to Work Summer ‘09 African Mission Evangelism One would think the article title would be “Home at Last” but the reality is that after so many years in Ghana doing the Lord’s work and raising a fam- ily the US seems like a strange land. Still, we are happy to be here for now but cannot shake the longing to return to Ghana. We have a lot to accomplish dur- ing our long furlough and time is not on our side. The most critical thing we need to accomplish while in the US is to replace the lost support that provided for our medical insurance. At a minimum we need to find $670.00/mth to purchase a policy while in the US. Health insurance that covers you in foreign countries usu- ally runs about $200 more so the long term need is to replace $1000/mth that we lost. The other, or I should say primary, fundraising effort is Beacon House, the children’s home in Accra. We have cre- ated Beacon House USA, a US non- profit, that will be a funding organiza- tion for the children’s home in Ghana. Here our intention is to write for federal and private grants that address children and family issues. More about this pro- ject can be found on the Beacon House website as well as throughout this newsletter. These are formidable tasks in the current economic environment and it will most defi- antly be a “God-thing” if we can do it within 12 months. Like all such endeavors it will be the saints that make this happen so let me give you some ideas on how we can accom- plish this task together with God’s children. To all the ministers, elders, deacons, mis- sion’s chairs, and mission-minded folk that read this newsletter we need you to help us network. Print copies of this newsletter and forward on to friends and acquaintances. Of course you can email them with the newslet- ter as an attachment and even direct them to our website but a printed letter speaks more profoundly and is not easily discarded as an email. Or, you can call or write me with con- tact information and I will follow up. How- ever, please let the person know that you are giving their contact information to me so they can approve its dissemination. As always, we desire to speak to our sup- porters face-to-face so we can more fully ex- plain where our ministry is and what the fu- ture holds. Please call me at 336-376-5530 or 336-745-1198 to schedule a date. We do ask that you assist with the travel expenses so that we are not creating a massive furlough debt while in the US. http://newsletter.clinefamily.us http://beaconhouseusa.org Heather’s Happenings Romana, director of Beacon House Ghana, and I made Bolgatanga home for a week where we headed out early each day and returned well after dark. During this time we were able to secure documents of 10 children that have lost one or both of their birth parents. There were also several children that are eligible for Beacon House school scholarships. One of the primary reasons for this trip was to meet with four village chiefs wanting to help the families in their areas. These families are under unimaginable difficulty due to abject poverty and cannot possibly care for the abandoned or lost children in their charge. They can hardly find food to feed themselves one meal a day. While counseling the families of their options we shared Christ’s message of love and redemption. Hope- fully we can plant a seed that will grow over the next several months through the local NOTE: Our new website is up and running, both of them! There are more pictures, videos, and expanded articles. Please check them out often for updated mate- rial such as PowerPoints with scripts so mission’s committees can keep the church informed. http://beaconhouseusa.org http://clinefamily.us 1
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- 1. African Mission Evangelism Vol. 16 Issue. 02 http://newsletter.clinefamily.us http://beaconhouseusa.org Summer 09 In The US at Last, Now to Work US: African Mission Evangelism Attn. Scott Danner 7343 Ridge Rd. Lexington, NC 27295 336-764-1900 sdanner@ameghana.org Africa: African Mission Evangelism P.O. Box DD142 Dodowa, Ghana 828-398-0637 (Skype: pcnghana) patrickcline@ameghana.org pc@beaconhouseusa.org hc@beaconhouseusa.org Inside this issue: In US, at Last. 1 Heathers Happenings 2 Beads for Playground 2 Gone Before They Are Found 3 Prayers and Praises 4 website as well as throughout this newsletter. One would think the article title would be Home at Last but the reality is that after so many years in Ghana doing the Lords work and raising a family the US seems like a strange land. Still, we are happy to be here for now but cannot shake the longing to return to Ghana. We have a lot to accomplish during our long furlough and time is not on our side. These are formidable tasks in the current economic environment and it will most defiantly be a God-thing if we can do it within 12 months. Like all such endeavors it will be the saints that make this happen so let me give you some ideas on how we can accomplish this task together with Gods children. The most critical thing we need to accomplish while in the US is to replace the lost support that provided for our medical insurance. At a minimum we need to find $670.00/mth to purchase a policy while in the US. Health insurance that covers you in foreign countries usually runs about $200 more so the long term need is to replace $1000/mth that we lost. The other, or I should say primary, fundraising effort is Beacon House, the childrens home in Accra. We have created Beacon House USA, a US nonprofit, that will be a funding organization for the childrens home in Ghana. Here our intention is to write for federal and private grants that address children and family issues. More about this project can be found on the Beacon House To all the ministers, elders, deacons, missions chairs, and mission-minded folk that read this newsletter we need you to help us network. Print copies of this newsletter and forward on to friends and acquaintances. Of course you can email them with the newsletter as an attachment and even direct them to our website but a printed letter speaks more profoundly and is not easily discarded as an email. Or, you can call or write me with contact information and I will follow up. However, please let the person know that you are giving their contact information to me so they can approve its dissemination. As always, we desire to speak to our supporters face-to-face so we can more fully explain where our ministry is and what the future holds. Please call me at 336-376-5530 or 336-745-1198 to schedule a date. We do ask that you assist with the travel expenses so that we are not creating a massive furlough debt while in the US. Heathers Happenings NOTE: Our new website is up and running, both of them! There are more pictures, videos, and expanded articles. Please check them out often for updated material such as PowerPoints with scripts so missions committees can keep the church informed. http://beaconhouseusa.org http://clinefamily.us Romana, director of Beacon House Ghana, and I made Bolgatanga home for a week where we headed out early each day and returned well after dark. During this time we were able to secure documents of 10 children that have lost one or both of their birth parents. There were also several children that are eligible for Beacon House school scholarships. One of the primary reasons for this trip was to meet with four village chiefs wanting to help the families in their areas. These families are under unimaginable difficulty due to abject poverty and cannot possibly care for the abandoned or lost children in their charge. They can hardly find food to feed themselves one meal a day. While counseling the families of their options we shared Christs message of love and redemption. Hopefully we can plant a seed that will grow over the next several months through the local Contd pg. 2 1
- 2. Heathers Happening contd V O L. 1 6 I S S U E . 0 2 PAGE 2 evangelists efforts while we process the childrens paperwork. We felt a deep sense of blessing through the sharing of Christ while coming to understand the locals circumstances. They have so little and yet some are so gracious in their poverty they are willing to take in another lost little one. I tell you, it is truly a humbling experience. burden on our hearts and we cannot continue to sit idly by while children are being killed, or worse. Please help us make connections with churches and/or organizations that might be able to assist. Unfortunately, not all are gracious in their poverty and are so quick to use evil to lessen their uncomfortable predicament. We had opportunity to talk with one chief boldly about the killing of babies often referred to as spirit children. Especially, among the Muslim clans in this part of the north, so-called spiritual leaders can proclaim a child as a spirit child, condemning them to death. These spiritual leaders are well protected by many and even the police will never speak against them. The mindset of the people are that spirit children are not murdered but are removed to protect the family and community. In their eyes, killing a child would be no different than removing a cancerous tumor from the body. They are not seen as a part of the family or community body, they are spirit. However, we know them to be children of God waiting to be trained in His ways. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. PS 127:3-4. If you want to learn more about these poor children please listen to my radio interview on our website. Mama Laddi (in white) is standing with a grandmother that is forced to raise her sons children because he and his wife died due to some unknown illness. We could take the children in but there simply isnt any room or funding at Beacon House. The oldest child can go to a Christian boarding school if we can find a sponsor. Beacon House Beads for Playground Project One chief, who believes that Jesus is his Lord and savior, agreed among the community leaders, including the Muslim leaders, to make a safe haven for any baby in the boulders near his home. Any baby can be placed there in secret and the chief will make sure that the baby is taken to Mama Ladies foster home where we have formula, bottles, and diapers. Once the child is officially designated an orphan we can begin the process of placing the child in a home. Children that will be difficult to place we plan to educate them in Christ within a loving atmosphere where God can sculpt them to His plan. The Beacon House compound is quite small and many times the little ones will be outside playing while the ladies are washing the clothes. Being a busy place with kids and visitors it is quite easy to get distracted. The problem is it only takes a few minutes for a toddler to fall in a bucket. Our ever observant daughter, while watching the toddlers, noticed the looming danger as Romeo, the watchdog, made a mad dash out the gate and everyone was in hot pursuit. She said the toddlers and dorm mothers cannot share the same work area as a play area because of the danger of a child drowning in a bucket. Not only this, but there is nothing in the toddler area but rocks an old tree. They need a proper play area with padded flooring and some toddler-sized equipment. A little research turned up the necessary costs for such a project but how to pay for it was the question that needed some further research. However, there is one small problem, we do not have any more room at our present location in Accra. We have been operating out of a leased house and there is simply no more room. The garage, that has been used as a Montessori-style classroom, cannot hold any more children. The house is full with 35 children and we find ourselves in the uncomfortable position of rejecting children. Some, like the HIV babies, will die due to being starved by the family because resources are already limited. We have land (approx. 3 acres) on the outskirts of Accra in a village called Bawaleshi. We want to build a facility capable of handling 100-150 children of various ages up to 14 yrs. A dear friend Florence that lives near us and she runs a bead factory where they make genuine African glass beads for various jewelry designers. Some of the beads are even sold to New York designers! Heather and Kayla hatched an idea to bring back to America some beads for bracelets and necklaces to sell for the playground project. I am very much looking forward to meeting with Sunday school classes, womens groups, and anyone I can to share this vision. Our years in Ghana have placed this The idea is this; that you can purchase a bracelet for a $25 minimum suggested donation and the money will go 2
- 3. V O L. 1 6 I S S U E . 0 2 PAGE 3 towards building a safer place for the toddlers to play. Kayla needs to raise $4,000.00 to cement and pad a play area then add some toddler safe playground equipment. She really would like to have this money raised by December so she can, during Christmas break, get this built as a Christmas gift to the children. The beads are designed by Florence Asare of TK Beads, a friend of Beacon House. She has donated training to at-risk women for Beacon House in making jewelry, giving women a means to earn an income and keep them off the streets. Some paint, padding, fencing, and age appropriate play items in this area will create a safe place for the toddlers to do what toddlers love to do PLAY! slow agonizing death is a traumatic experience and we have seen it all to often over the years. It is especially frustrating when a child needlessly suffers because of poverty and a metered health system that can spend limited resources on only those who have a higher chance of surviving. It is all to easy to errantly perceive healthcare professionals as being callous to their own people but as someone who is regularly forced to tell students they cannot get an education, even though very deserving, due to a lack of funds I understand their frustrations and tendency to be distant. Heather is feeding a young child suffering from malnutrition . We have several children that are HIV positive but are being managed with anti-retroviral meds provided through the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation. If we had reached this child sooner he could have lived a longer and fuller life. Gone Before They are Found The sad reality is that sometimes Beacon House serves as a hospice for children, easing their pain until they go home to be with our Lord. As you can imagine, watching a child die a A recent case where a baby was suffering from tonic-clonic seizures illustrates some of the frustrations. We took the child to the doctor and while his touches were compassionate his approach to a diagnosis seemed detached. It was apparent he was not acting with the determined approach we see in the US but was reticent. However, being long-term residents of Ghana we knew the realities of the situation. We knew the doctor was constrained by a lack of equipment to scan the brain while the seizures occurred to isolate the area affected. The only MRI unit in the country was down. Even if the scan was available neurosurgeons are rare and well booked. Furthermore, medicines like Tegretol and Carbatrol (used in treating epilepsy) are also very limited and often cost prohibitive for the state to prescribe. Even something as simple as the feeding tube Heather is using (picture to left) had to be flown in from South Africa after Romana spent 3 days searching Accra. Contd page 4 3
- 4. R E AD O N L IN E : H T T P : / / N E W S LE T T E R . C L IN E F A M IL Y . U S A FRICAN M ISSION E VANGELISM US Forwarding Agent: Scott Danner 7343 Ridge Rd. Lexington, NC 27295 Ph. 336-764-1900 sdanner@ameghana.org Furlough Address: Patrick & Heather 1053 Quakenbush Rd. Snow Camp, NC 27349 Ph. 336-376-5530 PAGE 4 Prayer Requests We need contacts with mission-minded churches to tell them about the work of the university and Beacon House. 2. We must replace lost support or we will not be able to continue in our ministry. 3. Health insurance 4. Our children can adjust to America. Hmm, on second thought, pray we all can adjust! 5. PC 336-745-1198 Heather 336-745-1200 Skype: pcnghana hcnghana patrickcline@ameghana.org 1. Please keep Romana Testa in your prayers as she is severely stressed by all the work and our absence is not helping. Praises to our Lord Jesus 1. God cleared our path and we arrived in the US with no hassle and have settled down at Siloam Missionary Homes. Praise God for them too! 2. For our home congregation, Burlington Christian Church, for their unwavering love for our family and what we are doing in Ghana. 3. Praise God for our supporters that continue to believe in us and our ministry in Ghana, they are simply wonderful. Establishing Christian Education in Ghana http:clinefamily.us http:beaconhouseusa.org Gone contd If we are successful in raising funds to build a new facility we are seriously considering making one wing a hospice for children diagnosed with terminal illnesses. Still, this is something that requires some serious prayer. Just the few children that have died at Beacon House has emotionally affected the staff. We will need someone trained in hospice care to come and train the staff to deal with such circumstances. As part of Kaylas Christian service to the children of Ghana she worked with Children of the Light, a small NGO started by our dear Christian sister Jeanette Opoku in Abrui area that offers an afterschool bible lessons, reading, math, social studies program for children . Here, Kayla is on Awards Day, The kids were so excited to have their projects and awards presented. The flag in the background is that of Ghana. One of our children, Tenni accepted Jesus as Lord and was observant to the example given by Christ by being baptized. Tenni lived with us for many years before going to help her family up north. She recently finished high school and came to visit. The truth touched her and she was obedient. Look at the smile on her face! 4
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