Cont’d pg. 2
Vol. 16 Issue. 02
US:
African Mission Evangelism
Attn. Scott Danner
7343 Ridge Rd.
Lexington, NC 27295
336-764-1900
Africa:
African Mission Evangelism P.O. Box DD142
Dodowa, Ghana
828-398-0637 (Skype: pcnghana)
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
PAGE 2 VOL. 16 ISSUE. 02
evangelist’s efforts while we process the children’s pa-
perwork. We felt a deep sense of blessing through the
sharing of Christ while coming to understand the local’s
circumstances. They have so little and yet some are so
gracious in their poverty they are willing to take in an-
other lost little one. I tell you, it is truly a humbling ex-
perience.
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 com-
munity 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 war-
rior are the children of one's youth.” PS 127:3-4. If you
want to learn more about these poor children please lis-
ten to my radio interview on our website.
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 Ladie’s foster home where we
have formula, bottles, and diapers. Once the child is offi-
cially designated an orphan we can begin the process of
placing the child in a home. Children that will be diffi-
cult to place we plan to educate them in Christ within a
loving atmosphere where God can sculpt them to His
plan.
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 Mon-
tessori-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 ca-
pable of handling 100-150 children of various ages up to
14 yrs.
I am very much looking forward to meeting with Sun-
day school classes, women’s groups, and anyone I can to
share this vision. Our years in Ghana have placed this
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.
Mama Laddi (in white) is standing with a grandmother that is forced to raise
her son’s children because he and his wife died due to some unknown ill-
ness. We could take the children in but there simply isn’t any room or fund-
ing 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
Heather’s Happening cont’d
The Beacon House compound is quite small and many
times the little ones will be outside playing while the la-
dies 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.
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.
The idea is this; that you can purchase a bracelet for a
$25 minimum suggested donation and the money will go
2
PAGE 3 VOL. 16 ISSUE. 02
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.
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!
The beads are designed by Florence Asare of TK
Beads, a friend of Beacon House. She has do-
nated 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.
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
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 me-
tered 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 de-
serving, due to a lack of funds I understand their frustrations
and tendency to be distant.
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, medi-
cines 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.
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
Cont’d page 4
3
US Forwarding Agent: Scott Danner
7343 Ridge Rd. Lexington, NC 27295 Ph. 336-764-1900
AFRICAN M ISSION E VANGELISM
If we are successful in raising funds to build a new fa-
cility we are seriously considering making one wing a hos-
pice 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 emo-
tionally affected the staff. We will need someone trained in
hospice care to come and train the staff to deal with such
circumstances.
Furlough Address: Patrick & Heather
1053 Quakenbush Rd. Snow Camp, NC 27349 Ph. 336-376-5530
PC— 336-745-1198 Heather— 336-745-1200
Skype: pcnghana hcnghana [email protected]
Establishing Christian Education in Ghana
http:\\clinefamily.us
http:\\beaconhouseusa.org
As part of Kayla’s 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 after-
school bible lessons, reading, math, social studies program for chil-
dren . 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!
Prayer Requests
1. 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 con-
tinue in our ministry.
3. Health insurance
4. Our children can adjust to America. Hmm…, on second
thought, pray we all can adjust!
5. 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.
Gone… cont’d
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