God's Love.

"Love, we're supposed to love, just like Jesus says in the Fruits of the Spirit," exclaimed Brooke as her older brother Will stood baffled at the idea of me leaving them for two weeks. He did not understand why I would leave him who has everything to hang out with a bunch of children I did not know who had nothing. That day was the beginning of something new, and for Brooke and Will it was going to be the idea of love. It just so happened my trip to Ghana was the spark. As I began to explain to them where and why I was going and what I was doing there, they began to have a look of worry in their eyes. Questions were coming from everywhere because their little minds could not grasp the idea that a child would have to work all day while they stayed home and played. While Brooke's main worry for the kids of Ghana was that they had no toys, Will's worry was that the boys had no life jackets to wear. Individually, they both wanted to do everything they could to help out, as they remembered to love. For me, it was a wake-up call. Here, these kids were trying to give me all of their special toys to give to children in Ghana while not even thinking about holding back. As I was going home that day, the conversations I had with Brooke and Will never left my mind. I realized how I could not hold back when I went to Ghana, no matter how nervous I was going to be. Brooke and Will, two young elementary school children, reminded me of how I needed to love and that without Christ's love in me, I could do nothing. Although they did not fully understand the things they did or said, they made an impact on me: reminding me first and foremost to always love.

Our God.

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.” -Revelation 4:9-11 (NIV)

So, as you most likely observed from reading the big bold letter directly above this sentence, I’ve been reading through Revelation. Besides the descriptions of things that I can’t even comprehend, like creatures with far too many appendages, what I’ve noticed the most is how often the book keeps coming back to simply proclaiming the glory of God. I think God has been using this book to simply show me how wrong I can be about him. Too often, I live with only a head knowledge of how great the God we serve is. I define God by what I think, and I make him far too small.

5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! -Revelation 10:5-6 (NIV) ((emphasis added by Sam))

This is the God we serve: the God that lives forever, the God who created the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. We, as a team, have been praying and thinking over what we want the goal of Ghana Rock 2013 to be. These passages have really been a great reminder to me that no matter what we decide, our God is big enough to do it. Ok, maybe more than a reminder. A rebuke. Yahweh is he who was and who is and who is to come. And my picture of him is often flawed, but HE is worthy to receive glory and honor and power. So my prayer is that we as a team (and especially me) will keep that in mind as we go about attempting to plan this concert.

Excuse my ramblings,

Sam

Serving the Lord

Hey everybody!
​From year to year Ghana Rock has been one miracle after another; God has been working in awesome ways with this group of teenagers. I know, without a doubt, it was solely because of Him that we’ve had success 2 years in a row (going on 3!). I know what some of you may have been thinking, “Gosh, this group of teenagers is outstanding! Look at what they have done!” I am not denying that this group of teenagers is a great group of people; however, we cannot take the credit for our success, it’s the Lord’s. Let’s face it ya’ll, I am on the team! Even with this deadweight (this blog was due two days ago…), our heavenly Father has granted us huge success! In Philippians 2:13, it is written, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” And in Romans 11:36, “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” I just wanted to remind myself and everyone that our God is great and it is through him that every good work comes. So let’s remember to praise him:

Psalm 29 -
“Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion[b] like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c]
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.”

This is the God we serve. Let’s remember that throughout our days. Only through him can we do all that is good.
-Micah Levinson

“9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”- Philippians 1:9-11

Rescue, Redeem, Revive.

"Over 7,000 children, right at this very moment, are in bondage. They have no hope, no future, and certainly no peace in their souls. I can picture little children with tears streaming down their faces because they have been worked harder than any human being. I can hear the bittersweet cry of a child simply desiring to be loved or even just cuddled. I can smell the stench of uncaring masters who only utilize these sweet, young souls for their own financial gain and don't even dare consider the spiritual and physical pain they’re inflicting. I have never stepped foot on Ghana’s soil, but I already care deeply for each and every one of those innocent children of God. I know that until every single child slave is brought to freedom, my heart will still yearn to help those still trapped. WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN when the rescuing of children lies within our grasp. We will do all that we can do, and do all of it through Christ. We pray He will guide us in the correct footsteps. We believe these children need a massive voice and Ghana Rock can be a part of that voice. We shout to Rescue, Redeem and Revive.

~ Lauren Blakey"

Ghana Rock 2013!

Welcome all! We are back! If you can believe it, Ghana Rock is now entering its third year; planning sessions are starting back up, dates are being plotted, and artists are being called. Last year was a huge success: God blessed us even in our weakest moments, and His blessings- in one sense you all, your prayers and support- led to the freeing and housing of 17 kids on the lake (the money to save the 18th is there, but the child hasn’t been identified yet. But for those saved; please scroll down to read more about them and our trip!). Seeing their smiling faces made the entire struggle worth it, and it’s a struggle we’re about to step right back into, hopeful of what God has in store for us, and the others still on the lake.

So, to update you guys, our team has changed a bit! A few members from last year-Madi, Katie, and Katy- have graduated, and are off in college, and a few new faces have entered to fill the gaps. So, it’s difficult to imagine Ghana Rock without Madi’s leadership. Her dream, her mission, started this, but here’s the thing: we know God’s purpose carried it through. And now, we believe God’s purpose is with us, a similar group of teens with the same mission and certainly the same purpose. There are nine of us, and over the course of the next few months, we hope that through this blog, and through local events, you all will get a feel for each of our hearts. John, Sam, Micah, Kelsey, Randy, Lexi, Lauren, Harrison, Helen, and Andrew; that’s us, and we’re oh so excited.

As we begin, and as this excitement pulls us forward, you guys need to know that both in Ghana and here there are so many things to pray for; here are a few:

-That 18th kid! He/she is out there! Pray that they would be brought in to City of Refuge soon, quickly, and safely.
-The kids are back in school, but it’s tough to acclimate after a life on the lake. Pray for their peace and comfort in City of Refuge.
-Health over there is always a concern, just as it is over here whenever so many little kids are running around. Pray that they would stay healthy!
-The school run by City of Refuge is open to the local village kids as well, but they can’t go without the help of a sponsor. Pray that sponsors would be found so that those kids can be put in school, and not end up stuck in the same cycle that put other kids on the lake.
-Pray for a new Ghanain house-parent. It takes a special person to look after so many crazy lil’uns, but without one, life is much more difficult on the home. Pray for that search!

But, let’s close with this: though we start meeting, though we try our best, this ministry is NOTHING without the power of Christ. Whether we’re freed or enslaved physically, neither us nor those kids will have ANYTHING without the spiritual freedom that the power of Christ offers. Again, pray for us if you can, because we’re simply a rag-tag group of stressed our highschoolers; pray that Christ would prepare all of us for a night of praise and prayer for a purpose- to Rescue, Redeem, and Revive.

We’re so excited to be a part of this!
In Christ!

Your 2013 Ghana Rock Team.

ghanarock.org
facebook.com/ghanarock
twitter.com/ghanarock

Meet Florence

This is Florence, she is 7 years old. After she was born, both of her parents abandoned her leaving Florence to live with her grandmother. She has been fishing for her grandmother instead of going to school for awhile. Her grandmother sells the fish that Florence catches.

Florence is very skinny and frail, which you can tell by the pictures. She has been drinking a nutrition drink daily to help her gain some weight or "tea" depending on what you'd like to call it. Florence will be going to Faith Roots International Academy in September with the other rescued kids. She is currently working on learning English, which I have no doubt she will pick up quickly.

Florence, as well as the other kids is such a blessing to all of us. Her life has been saved because of what God did through 9 teenagers and a room full of people at Ghana Rock... that is insane! I feel strongly the Ghana Rock community has the responsibility to keep Florence and the other (eventually) 17 kids in their prayers. We can't just rescue them and that be it. So, pray for Florence in all the same ways you have been praying for Sammy, Rapheal, & Benard. Also pray for her to find peace in Jesus Christ. That she will experience His love, compassion and the unending joy found in His freedom.   

-Mads

Meet Sammy!!

I don't know why, but there is something about this child that makes me want to hug and kiss him all over his face.  He is precious. This is Sammy, he is 8 years old. His father passed away a few years ago, and after his father's death Sammy’s mother married another man. Since then Sammy’s mom has been hiring Sammy out to work for fishermen on the lake. Sammy hasn’t been going to school and has been working long hours on the lake fishing. 

City of Refuge first found Sammy over two years ago during their first community entry event at Ada Kope, The village where he was living. Since living at CORM Children's Village Sammy has been working on learning english. He will be starting school in September at Faith Roots International Academy with Rapheal and Benard! 

Please pray for Sammy's transition into his new family. Rescuing them is only the beginning of healing and there is still a long road ahead. 

-Madi 

We're going to Africa!

With less than three weeks to go, the Ghana Rock team is counting down the minutes until we head to Doryum, Ghana! We all feel honored and blessed to get to be the representation of Ghana Rock in Africa for a week. While we are there we will get to serve with City of Refuge staff, meet some of the newly rescued kids, distribute 200 pairs of shoes courtesy of Samaritans Feet, and venture to Lake Volta to witness child slavery first hand and by Gods grace bring kids to safety and freedom!

We would love your support as we prepare for the trip and while we are there. For a lot of the team this is their first trip either out of the country or to a third world country. I am pretty certain there will be some culture shock! ;) I asked a sweet sweet man I love and respect so much how we even begin to prepare your heart for the poverty and hurt we are going to see, his response? You pray God wont ever let you forget it, you'll be more significantly changed that way. So pray with us, that we never forget what we see and come home significantly changed.  Pray for good attitudes in any situation (after all, it is Africa and it's hot... all the time). Pray every opportunity we have to share God's love, grace, and compassion we take... without hesitation, and that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak God's word with boldness.

Also, pray we can miraculously pack all 200 pairs of shoes... look at all these boxes! 

- Madi 

P.S. Going to Africa is really expensive, if you would like to support the team in monetary or physical expenses please email ghanarockteam@gmail.com and we'll give you more details. 

Pictures!

Hello All! This is my very first blog post this year, and I've come to bring you all the first few official pictures of the Ghana Rock 2012!

A lot of work went into this concert, and God came through in such an amazing way! We were able to raise money for such an incredible cause, and I cannot wait until all eighteen of those kids have been rescued. 

Enjoy the pictures! 

This is the sound booth during Shawn McDonald's sound check.

During the show, the work never stopped. 

Before the concert, people were encouraged to write notes to the children at the City of Refuge in Ghana, where we will deliver them ourselves when we go to Ghana in July.

Shawn McDonald doing work! It was so incredible to hear his story and his music!

Kristian Stanfill. 

By the end of the night, hundreds of notes had been written, collected, and hung up by our volunteers as tangible evidence of the impact that Ghana Rock 2012 had. 

I cannot WAIT to deliver these incredible messages expressing God's love and simple words of encouragement.

Thank you all for your participation in Ghana Rock 2012, and we can't wait to see you next year!

-Katy

Benard & Rapheal. What cuties!

Meet the first two boys City of Refuge Ministries has been able to rescue because of the support they've received from Ghana Rock. These two boys lives have been rocked because of every person who has given finically or prayed for them over the last few months. I am already head over heels in love with these two cuties, and God is going to use them big someday! We cannot wait to see who else God brings into CORM, but for right now... let's brag on Benard and Rapheal a moment :) 


Meet Benard!! 
He is around 8 years old. Benard has been living at Lake Volta for the past 5 years where his responsibilities were to fish and maintain the nets. He went to work for the fisherman after his parents passed away. A few months ago Benard's older sister went to visit him at the lake. She saw the harsh conditions he was living in so she decided to bring him back to live with her in her village near Lalonya (this area is a large supplier of children to the lake, sending communities). Due to lack of money Bernard's sister wasn't able to put him into school after bringing him back to live with her, so he was sent to fish in the lagoon near their village.

City of Refuge knew Benard needed help. When they first saw him, his body showed all the signs of malnourishment. Benard and his sister came back to the CORM Children's Village she signed guardianship rights over to CORM.Since being with City of Refuge he has been to the clinic for a complete physical. He is receiving a daily nutrition supplement and his doing very well. Benard doesn't speak English or Twi (only Adangme - the local language in our area). Benard will be starting school next year, as the school year is almost over in Ghana. He will be a part of a special classroom where all of the newly rescued kids will be learning in a self paced environment so that they can work towards transitioning into new classrooms with the other students at the school.




Meet Rapheal!! 

He appears to be  approx. 10 years old (although he really wants to be 12 :) Rapheal's parents passed away and he was left to live with his VERY elderly relatives. Rapheal was brought to CORM during a community education event - he had been living on the streets for the past 6 months because his elderly relatives were unable to care for him. After further investigations and interviewing Rapheal's guardians we concluded that he was very vulnerable to being trafficked as the community as a whole is a sending community and he was easily accessible to being sold. Before Rapheal's parents died he was living with his mother in Ashaiman and attending school. He is able to speak Twi, Adangme and some English. He is a very bright child and will be able to attend school next year without the help of the special classroom - although extra help will be made available to him if he needs it. Rapheal's physical went well - he is getting some extra vitamin supplements as he is low on iron.

In the pictures Benard and Raphel are holding SAVE A CHILD WATER. These bags of water have a message about the issues of trafficking and the importance of our children having a childhood and a future. SAVE A CHILD WATER company only hires single mothers. Through their upcoming marketing campaign, CORM will be able to educate the people in our area about the issues of child trafficking through local media. How cool is that?


Keep Benard and Rapheal in your prayers as they start to adjust to their new life! Also, continue to pray for the ongoing investigations. CORM is working on the immediate release of 5 children all working under one fisherman. There are also 2 boys working for a fisherman they have been in negotiations with for over a year. Slavery is a huge problem, but thankfully we serve a God who is bigger! 


And in the words of Paul, "To God be the glory, forever, and ever. Amen"


I will keep everyone updated as we get more information!
-Mads 

To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Ghana Rock has a large goal this year. We want to rescue 18 child slaves and put them safely into the City of Refuge safe house for one year. Amazing, right? What continues to stress me out and be on my mind is the cost of doing that. $50,400. Seriously. I can’t even comprehend that number, or visualize that much money. I am someone who thinks I’m rich when I have a full tank of gas, and enough money for Starbucks. 

  

Then I think about how big God is. In Romans 11:33-35 Paul sings, “Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?” I say sing, because Paul wrote a doxology which basically means words of glory. I can’t even read this without some sort of melody going with it. I would like to think Paul had vocals like Kristian Stanfill's to go along with these lyrics. It is a beautiful passage because when you look closely at what Paul is saying your mind is blown by who our God is. Paul is saying, no one can tell God what He can do, no one can help God, and no one is going to understand God, because He is that big and that powerful. Crazy, right? Suddenly my riches of Starbucks and gas seem really small, and my life and my accomplishments appear itty-bitty compared to our God.

But Paul isn't even done. At the end of this passage in verse 36 he says, “For from Him, and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”  From God is where that $50,400 is going to come from, and through God is how we’re going to raise it and rescue 18 child slaves. and the glory is going to go to Him. Forever. I love how Paul ends that statement with an “amen” it’s like he is telling us, you can’t argue with this, so I am going to go ahead and stop you now. Amen. 

So with that, I am going to keep trusting Him to provide the money for those kids. 

To Him be the glory forever. Amen. 

 -Mads 

What we have to give (Easter 2012)

Behind every big mission, there is an even bigger purpose and motive.  So what really is the purpose in saving 18 boys from a life of slavery on Lake Volta, over 3,000 miles away on a continent most of us will never visit?   What do nine teenagers feel that they really have to offer those kids?

As I get wrapped up in the current state of my life, I often forget to remember the reality of my life before Christ.  However, when I consciously step outside of my bubble of daily activities, web of friends and family, and anything else that has come to constitute my safenet of security other than God, I can vividly recall a time when there was little I could think to do to escape the grasp of bondage. Whether captivity has presented itself in a physical, mental, or emotional way in our lives, we have all experienced some form of slavery. Scripture affirms this idea -

 

In the words of Paul, "Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, THOUGH YOU USED TO BE SLAVES to sin... YOU HAVE BEEN SET FREE and have become slaves to God.  The benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 6:20-23)

 

Before we discovered freedom in Christ, we were every bit as defenseless as a little boy sold into servitude by his parents in Ghana. Galatians 2:13 says that we were "brought near" when we "were far away". Romans 5:6 says that "when we were utterly powerless, Christ died". Clearly, we had no power of our own to escape our situation of bondage.  Aside from the physcial concept of slavery, it cannot be denied that each one of us has experienced enslavement.  That is, until God sent His perfect Son to save us from that enslavement, to "transfer us from the kingdom of darkness... purchasing our freedom with His blood and forgiving our sins" (Colossians 1:13). 

The more I think about the true mission of Ghana Rock, the more I am convinced of the necessity of this message through FAITH.  If we were on a mission merely to free children from physical slavery, would we be answering God's primary purpose and call?   If City of Refuge was an organization that rescued slaves only to "reintegrate" them back into a life filled with spiritual bondage, would they really be succeeding in their objective to "free slaves"?  The reality is this - slavery cannot be ended if ALL forms of slavery are not put to death in Christ.  Imagine the disappointment and confusion of a boy, having been rescued from Lake Volta and housed in a safe home. turned out into the world to face the unexpected trials and trauma of an unfamiliar and equally debilitating kind of slavery.  Imagine the anguish of a young man who, believing he had conquered the greatest hurdle of his life and had done away with bondage forever, finds himself susceptible to sin and in fear of death.  What kind of freedom would that be?

 

The City of Refuge Ministries is committed to introducing rescued boys to Jesus Christ and nurturing their relationships with Him.  Former child slaves rescued with the very dollars raised and the very prayers lifted to God through Ghana Rock, will not only know freedom from slavery on Lake Volta but also the incredible freedom of the Lord.  This means that at the concert in May, we will not only get the opportunity to celebrate the freedom of 18 African boys but also the freedom that we ourselves have experienced in Jesus Christ.  Until then, let us wholly rejoice in our complete release from every kind of bondage. We are no longer slaves to fear, slaves at the hands of men, slaves to our sinful nature, slaves to the inevitability of death or the brevity of life, or anything else that this life can bring. In every possible sense of the word, we can have FREEDOM in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Happy Easter, He is risen indeed!

 

- Katie Hensel

Living Sacrifices

"And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:2

When Christ sacrificed himself for us, he gave us a gift. He expected nothing in return, for we have nothing to give. He gave humbly and quietly, not drawing attention to himself, but to his heavenly father.

When we give sacrifices in our lives, we should follow Christ's example. The credit that we might get from the sacrifice should be directly given to the Father. When our hearts are right for the sacrifice we are giving, the fruit from it will be all the more bountiful.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:23-24

While no sacrifice can ever compare to the magnitude and love of Christ's sacrifice, we can strive to be like him and sacrifice things in our lives for his sake. I challenge you, live out your faith. Sacrifice yourself for Jesus and be vulnerable. This is how faith grows in the Lord.

Romans 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."


-John Dockery

Why worry?

Worry. So much time in my life is spent in worry. Why do we worry? We worry because we try to pin all of our problems on ourselves. What can we do about these problems? Nothing.
What about this; what if there was someone that could take all of our problems and conquer them no matter what? What if there is a creator who loves us unconditionally and shows his mercy and grace in our lives daily? What if there was a God who gave his ONLY son so that we could spend eternity with him?
Christ says in his word," Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:25-26.
Stop right there. God cares about our problems? God doesn't just care about our problems, he wants to solve them and show his power in our lives.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.
"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved." Psalm 55:22.
"So we can confidently say,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6.
Trust in the Lord. Give up your worries to God and he will surely bring peace that passes all understanding into your life. My life is definitely not an example of this concept, but the more I give up to God, the more I find he blesses me and uses his power to show how mighty he is. I am constantly humbled by how infinite His majesty is.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all." 2 Thessalonians 3:16

-John Dockery

Ghana Rock 2012: fundraising goal!

I spoke with the City of Refuge Ministries yesterday, and finalized our fundraising goal for Ghana Rock 2012. To rescue eighteen children from Lake Volta and house them at CORM for one year we will need to raise (drum roll please) $50,400. Now, if you're anything like me you probably have a big knot in your stomach wondering how on earth we are going to do that... but here is the wonderful part, we aren't. God is. 

James 1 talks about hearers vs. doers. How those who hear the word but forget are like a man who looks intently in a mirror only to walk away and forget what he looks like.  Then he switches gears to talk about the doers who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being no hearer who forgets but they do something crazy... they act. The end of verse 25 is so beautiful because it says that those doers who act and don't forget will be bless in their doing. 

Beth Moore summarizes that section of James 1 by saying, "It's not until the hearing turns into doing that believing leads to blessing." She goes on to say that the "doing" James talks about can look vastly different. For some, it can be planning a concert, for others it can be attending said concert. For Abraham the "doing" was unwavering in belief and still giving glory to God. I don't know what the "doing" looks like in your life, for Ghana Rock the doing right now is fiercely relying and believing in Jesus to bless us in our act. And believing leads to blessing, right? 

Continue to pray for Ghana Rock, we definitely appreciate it! 

See you May 18th (eep!), 

Madi 

God's Abundant Grace.

      Grace. An undeserved gift. What did we ever do to deserve the grace of Christ? Nothing. The thing is, it is all we need to be saved. No amount of good works can purify a mans sins in God's eyes. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-, Paul writes, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." I was spending time reading the word this week and stumbled upon this verse. It took my breath away. God uses weakness to showcase his abundant grace in our lives. 

       Lately the Ghana Rock team has been plagued by hardships in the way of funding. Were we not working hard enough to get our name out? Were we not making connections with the community well enough? No. It has nothing to do with that. We were thinking too much about what we had to do, rather than what God can do. This is our weakness. Through this weakness, God showcased his abundant grace by giving us blessings. Completely undeserved. 

       The whole idea behind the Ghana Rock organization is grace. If our Lord and Savior came and died for us, then the least we could do is show some compassion and grace in others lives, whether it be saving child slaves in Africa or helping a friend. No act of grace is too small to go unnoticed. 

“Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

Go forth and spread the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-John Dockery

Salt of the earth.

This past summer a man named Louie Giglio told the story of Ghana Rock at a summer camp. Thousands of high school students heard the way God used nine teenagers to help end child slavery. Louie saw what God did through Ghana Rock and how sharing it would only enhance God’s greatness and inspire people to do something they perceive as hard to make a difference. 

The ironic thing about this is that talking about Ghana Rock makes me uncomfortable. The story of Ghana Rock is so much of who I am, that I’m afraid by telling it I’m coming across as arrogant or self glorifying. What I never realized is maybe by not sharing this story, I’m doing exactly what I was trying to not do. Putting too much emphasis on me, and not enough on the amazing thing God did. I didn’t understand that if I told the story with my heart, in the right place, it had no possibility of coming off as anything except how it was meant to; glorifying God. 

A few weeks ago I experienced how Ghana Rock’s story inspired a complete stranger. I had the opportunity to go to the Passion Conference this year. Passion focused on one cause; freedom. Their goal was to be part of the abolition of the 27 million slaves in the world. With over 44,000 college students there, it seemed like a miracle to even find the group you came with. Some how in the sea of people I managed to meet a girl who came to Passion because she heard Louie speak at a summer camp. She said he talked about a girl who planned a concert to raise money to end child slavery (seriously, this happened). She was so inspired by the story she wanted to come to Passion and be part of the freedom movement. I mean, honestly, could anything be more humbling than God using this story to begin a new one? 

I’m certain God could use the story of Ghana Rock for His glory despite if I share it or not. In fact, He already has.The question I’m asking myself though, is if we are supposed to bring glory to God... why am I not sharing it? A few weeks ago our Pastor talked about being salt and light from Matthew 5:13-16. He talked about how salt does nothing if it’s still in the salt shaker. Tim Keller put it this way, “I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand corn on the cob without salt on it. When I have eaten a piece of corn on the cob that I really like, I put it down, and what do I say? ‘That was great salt.’ No, I say, ‘That was great corn on the cob.’ Why? Because the job of the salt is not to make you think how great the salt is, but how great the thing is with which it’s involved.” 

The point of me tell the story of Ghana Rock isn’t so people think how great I am, but they think how great my God is. 

So, I will... 

Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all peoples. 1 Chronicles 16: 24 

-Madi 

We are His instruments of grace!

“Jesus looked at them and said, with man this is impossible, but with God all

things are possible.” Mathew 19:26

The number of child slaves may seem incredibly large or even an impossibility

to man. However, through this journey of Ghana Rock, we all must continue to

remember that God has a purpose and NO number is too massive for him. We all

must remember that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”

(Philippians 4:13). As human beings, we can't end child slavery in Africa or even

just on Lake Volta in Ghana. But the Lord can through us! We are His instruments

of grace! Everyday, we must remember to, “trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and

he will make your paths straight” (Psalms 3:5, 6). Help Ghana Rock to be an

instrument of grace to the Lord. Through God, we can make a difference and 

impact a life of a child slave in Ghana!

~ Lauren Blakey

What can I do to help?

Hey Friends!

Lots of you have asked us what you can do right now to

 help with preparations for Ghana Rock! So, here you have it...

We are looking for glass bottles!

 If you recycle any kind of glass bottles, we would be more 

than happy to take them off your hands! 

Also, we are looking for MAPS! We're talking old school, 

before we had GPS' kind of maps. If you have old ones that have been collecting dusts since you got a tom-tom, they don't need to be anymore :) 

If you have either of those, email ghanarockteam@gmail.com so we can arrange to take them off your hands! That's all... for now! We have lots of exciting things coming up, but more on that later :) 

Thank you all for your incredible support, we can't put into words how much we appreciate it. 

encouraged by this today. 

It's not another feather in my cap.

There has always been much confusion about how to fill life. When I tell people about Ghana Rock, many react almost as though they were responding to a clever joke... “Oh. That was good. Nice! You must be funny.” Similarly, I can almost hear their silent thought, “Wow. How cool! You must be such a good person.” When, following the concert, I listened to some say, “Congratulations,” it struck me as odd. They were impressed because they viewed Ghana Rock merely as my discovery of a means of fulfillment that was not harmful to me and provided a real sense of accomplishment and joy. They believed I had somehow maneuvered life to construct for myself a niche of gratification in Ghana Rock, much as words, ideas, emotions, and stereotypes might be manipulated to craft a humorous remark. Perhaps they had been relying on substitute fulfillment through any number of the harmful products and vices encouraged by the clueless society in which we live. Perhaps they had been searching high and low for security and contentment, only to be let down time and again. (Those feelings were at one time all too familiar to me. That they could even see the peace of Christ in me is testimony in itself to the grace of God.) But whatever their past experience, they had tragically missed the point.

What a shame that this amazing opportunity to witness God’s hand at work is overlooked merely as a good way to “fill” life. The concert and the cause behind it is NOT and has never been a means of fulfillment. And the joy that I have experienced as a result of Ghana Rock I know I never would have felt had I been searching for my life’s purpose, rather than responding to and leaning upon God throughout the process. I will gladly testify to such a joy because I realize it was the product of grace that seemed unlikely to me at the time, of love that seemed absurd, of God’s overwhelming and glorious display of sovereignty and steadfastness as He brought light out of darkness and loveliness out of hopelessness before my very eyes.

As the Ghana Rock team is planning and praying for the concert, we are incessantly reminded about the reason for Ghana Rock 2012 – to watch a miracle unfold, to see God move in ground-shaking, faith-building, unforgettable ways. Thank You Lord for lavishing all that You are on the undeserving. Thank You for giving us true fulfillment and purpose, for allowing us to find our identity and our sustenance, in You.

-Katie Hensel 

Oh, Oprah.

Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Upon reading articles about Human Trafficking, someone shared a story Oprah did a few years ago about Lake Volta. When reading it, I started to cry... The story itself is heartbreaking and informative but that wasn’t what really bothered me. What bothered me was that someone with as much influence and fame as Oprah could not make a significant dent in ending child slavery.

Oprah did this story in 2007-- five years ago and child slavery on Lake Volta is still going on, in fact all the statistics are the same. Not necessarily an encouragement for us.  Ghana Rock has way less influence, fame, connections, and funding than her. Can we make even difference? I was forgetting one major difference though. What's different about Oprah and Ghana Rock is we have one super power much stronger than anything Oprah does. 

His name is Jesus. 

My encouragement? This would all be lame, worthless, and a complete waste of time if we are  trying to bring awareness by ourselves... but we're not. Jesus is right here, constantly providing for us. We have the unity of the body of Christ praying for us. We are a force, and we are a strong one at that. 

(to read the whole article Oprah did, click here)