Many of us still remember “twenty-something” year old Vida Mensah of Connecticut Ghana SDA Church in Hartford, Connecticut. About a year and half a ago, I reported how this young pre-nursing student dropped out of college to work, saved money and bought an air ticket for an African-American evangelist from Northeastern Conference of SDA and herself to fly to Ghana. In Ghana they planted a church in an unentered place near Kumasi Airport. By the time they finished the three weeks crusade, Vida had spent over $15,000.00 of her own meager savings to pay for the entire expenses to make the crusade a success.
Last year Vida did not go to Ghana for another crusade as anticipated. Instead, she worked hard doing two jobs in addition to studying at college to buy choir robes and a piece of land for the new church. She immediately began building a beautiful church building for the new believers who have now grown to be over 100 with a strong church choir. I still feel humbled and challenged by the dedicated spirit of this girl who is wired for evangelism. May the Lord increase her tribe.
Well, Vida is on the move again planning to go to Ghana to open two churches in an unentered place. She is paying for Evangelist Walcott from Northeastern Conference and herself to go to Ghana to do two evangelistic meetings in two towns in Ghana this summer. I asked the motivation for this ambitious church planting plans and she answered, “Time is short. Jesus is coming soon. We must invest in things that will bring eternal dividends into the kingdom of God.”
As part of the preparation for her trip to Ghana, Vida has already paid $5000.00 for a 40 foot container dedicated to shipping evangelistic supplies to Ghana ahead of her trip. She has used her own money to buy bales of clothes and shoes from a second hand dealer in Worcester, Massachusetts. They will be given to poor people in Ghana during the crusade. She has also purchased some bed sheets, blankets and other supplies for shipment. Again I asked Vida why all these items to Ghana. She quickly quoted from the Spirit of Prophecy, “We are debtors to the world for the grace given us of God, for the light which has shone upon us and for discovered beauty and power of the truth” 4 Testimonies, 53.
Can we all lend a hand to Vida? Yes, absolutely yes. In our garages and closets, we have clothes, books, pens, pencils, and other items that we can give to help Vida. There is plenty of room in the container which will leave early July 2008. We must fill it to the brim in toto. That is why Vida is appealing for donations of whatever you can give toward the Ghana crusade--books, adult and children clothes and shoes, towels, pens, pencils, sheets, blankets, portable musical keyboard and others things. She will also need cash donations to help pay for any willing Ghanaian pastor to fly with them to Ghana to conduct the other crusade.
We must help this worthy project. Yes, we can. I would like to suggest this: Any individual or any Ghanaian church in North America can pick up any of the following to help Vida in her “Mission for Ghana 2008.”
i. pay for the ticket of a Ghanaian pastor to accompany Vida and Pastor Wolcott to Ghana and conduct the second crusade
ii. give a cash donation to help pay for some of the crusade expenses
iii. give clothes, shoes, pens, pencils, laptop, keyboard, pads, toothpaste and brush, etc
iv. read this email in your church and help spread the news of this “Macedonian call”
Also can we have people who will commit themselves to pray for the success of this missionary work? All those wanting to help this young girl can reach her at (cell) 860-794-6345 and (home) 860-216-1161. Or you can call me through my phone of (cell) 718-790-8897 (Home) 718-471-6352. Those who cannot give anything are encouraged to call Vida and wish her success at least. Can we call her today? Then pick up the phone NOW. It might be the most important call you ever made. Would you? Try it. Thanks.