The Special Annual Christmas Outreaches

SACO!! SACO!! SACO!!

The spirit of kindness and generosity permeates communities everywhere as the holiday season draws near. It’s a time when people come together to celebrate, share, and make a positive impact on the lives of others.

In the heart of this tradition lies the Special Annual Christmas Outreach, a heartwarming initiative birthed by Meaningful Life International that exemplifies the true meaning of Christmas.

A wonderful time with the kids

This picture tell tales of the fun times Meaningful Life International brings to the life of these young ones during our outreaches

A beautiful team work with the Ochs Family
A beautiful team work with the Ochs Family
Team members dishing food food for the community
Members of the community sitting in anticipation
Children from the community waiting with gleam and joyA beautiful team work with the Ochs Family
A beautiful team work with the Ochs Family
Interaction with the community
A beautiful team work with the Ochs Family
A beautiful team work with the Ochs Family
Children from the community
Members of the community in joy as they are been served
A beautiful "dance around the chair" with the members of the community
A beautiful "dance around the chair" with the members of the community
A tug of peace game with the members of the community
A tug of peace game with the members of the community
Team members joining in sharing the food for the community
A cultural display by the community in appreciation
A child with her portion of food
A child with her portion of food
Children with their portion of food
A cultural display by the community in appreciation
A cross section of the community
A cultural display by the community in appreciation
A cross section of the community
A cross section of the children in the community
A cross section of the children in the community
A cross section of the children in the community
Packed food to be served
A cross section of the children in the community
Candy ready to be served
Children the hope of the future
What a joy to be a part of this outreach
The Team Leader, Dr. Godwin Kofi Ahlijah
A child happy with his food
Food sharing - what an awesome experience
Preparation for the Bible Quiz
Preparation for the Bible Quiz
Bible Quiz in section
Bible Quiz in section
Food sharing in section
The Community in anticipation for the program ahead
A child enjoying her meal
The community leaders with the team leader
Joy in anticipation
Joy in anticipation
A cross section of the community
Joy in anticipation
Joy in anticipation
Joy in anticipation
A community leader
Joy in anticipation
Joy in anticipation
Joy in anticipation
20201225_114746
A cross section of the community
Joy in anticipation

MINISTRY UPDATES

MINSITRY Updates

NORNYIKPO COMMUNITY FINALLY HAS ACCESS TO FRESH WATER!!!

Access to clean and reliable sources of water is a fundamental human right, essential for sustenance, health, and development. Unfortunately, the people of Nornyikpo have had to leave without this essentail basic need for many years. Nestled between rolling hills and lush forests, Nornyikpo was a picturesque community that had been grappling with water scarcity for generations. Its only water source, a small and heavily polluted stream, was even inadequate to meet the needs of its growing population.

The people of this community had to travel long distances to access water, often carrying heavy loads back to their homes. The lack of clean water led to health issues, particularly among children, women and the elderly, who are more susceptible to waterborne diseases. The absence of a reliable source of clean water had far-reaching consequences for daily life in Nornyikpo. Basic activities such as cooking, cleaning, and hygiene became arduous tasks.

A beacon of hope emerged in early 2023 when the Mission Church, USA through Meaningful Life International donated a borehole that would provide fresh water for the over 500 population in the community. The joy and excitement that greeted the commencement of the project clearly demonstrates how so dear this gesture is to the hearts of the people.  

By providing clean water for Nornyikpo community, we have not only addressed a basic necessity but also ignited a ripple effect of health, empowerment, and prosperity. Above all, the grounds are now fertile for the penetration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The legacy of the partnership between MLI and the Mission Church stands as a testament to the enduring power of human compassion and innovation in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Your contribution and all you do, supporting us in prayers helps us to fulfill our mission of creating a brighter and safer future for all and above all bringing them the gospel of Christ.

Excited to see the next life-changing and community-impacting mandate we will embark on?

We just wraped up a life transforming missions trip with the Friends of Africa Organisation this August, bringing hope to the hopeless and helping all who are in need. We spent close to a month doing missions in the Akatsi South district of the Volta region. We organized free medical outrreachs in 2 deprived communities, organized leadership seminars for the pastors, church leaders, women and the youth. We also organized marriage seminars, donated to the prisons, orphanages and the widows/aged.

There are many more of ministry opportunities and such communities who are waiting to have a taste of fresh water for the first time in their lives.

Would you be part of this history making?

We would be glad to partner with you.

Ministry Updates

MINISTRY UPDATES
MINISTRY UPDATES

HIGH SCHOOL OUTREACH

Meaningful Life International trains, mentors, and equips tomorrow’s leaders today. We have been working to teach young people, particularly those in high schools, fundamental leadership skills and biblical principles that will improve their lives and improve the communities in which they live. We believe that every individual is endowed with the capacity to be successful when given the right opportunities, direction, and support.

 

During the period under review, we organized a career guidance and counseling session for the students of Okuapemman Senior High School in Akropong, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. A total of about 1,000 students were in attendance.

 

These students received guidance from our facilitator team, who also assisted them in creating a future vision. The group allayed the concerns, apprehensions, and anxieties common to young people in this age range. The students were spoken to on the importance of venturing into a career that does not become a burden to them but a source of joy. They were also advised to brandish their talents and skills as secondary support for the career they have in mind.

 

It was a beautiful experience to be a voice of hope and encouragement for these young ones.  Most of the questions the students asked had to do with parental consent to their career choices and the bridge between education and skills like sewing, hairdressing, and soccer, among others.  The students were thrilled and cannot wait for yet another opportunity of this kind.

 

As we express our gratitude to the partners who supported us financially and in any other way, we  want to encourage you, our faithful partners, to continue to help us reach out to many more of these young generations to help shape their lives for a better future.

Team members with the Chaplain of the School
Team members in front of the School
Team members in front of the School
Team members with a section of the students
Team members with a section of the students
A section of the students
Team members listening and advising a student
Ms. Irene Ampoty (SPHR) with a section of the student during the presentation
Ms. Irene Ampoty (SPHR) with a section of the student during the presentation
Ms. Irene Ampoty (SPHR) with a section of the student during the presentation
A section of the students
Mr. Wahab of the Meaningful Life International team with a section of the student
A section of the students
A section of the students
A section of the students
Ms. Irene Ampoty (SPHR) with a section of the student during the presentation
A section of the students
A student asking a question

JESUS FILM SHOW

A very high percentage of Ghana’s population still remains unevangelized and unreached, and the Great Commission lies largely unfulfilled. According to statistics from the Ghana Evangelism Committee, only in Ghana are there 14,000 towns and villages without churches. The heart desire of Meaningful Life International, therefore, is to see churches planted in these areas that have been neglected for so long and have services and film shows with some already established churches to strengthen them.

In line with our vision, we partnered with the Shiloh Christ Life Church in Afienya in the Greater Accra Region to show the film “War Room”, a compelling drama with humor and heart that explores the power that prayer can have on marriages, parenting, careers, friendships, and every other area of our lives. At the end of the movie, we had a discussion session, and the impact was amazing.

 

These types of programs are necessary for strengthening rural churches and evangelizing more people for the kingdom of God. Rural communities and churches are numerous and need them. Please partner with us to spread the gospel through our film show project.

AFATSAGBLEVE COOMMUNITY NOW HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER!

Meaningful Life International has taken up the challenge to provide safe drinking water for deprived communities by drilling boreholes in such communities. Currently, Meaningful Life International has drilled over fifty (50) boreholes for deprived communities across the country. The latest community to benefit from our borehole projects is Afatsagbleve in the Volta region of Ghana. This community now have access to clean drinking water after more than 100 years of drinking from unwholesome water sources. Today, the women and children do not have to travel long distances to fetch water from ponds and rivers for household usage. This is a huge relief! The joy and excitements on the faces of the people tells it all.

The Community at the inauguration of the borehole
The Community at the inauguration of the borehole
Some dignitaries at the Inauguration
The Community at the inauguration of the borehole
The Community at the inauguration of the borehole

There are many more of such communities who are waiting to have a taste of fresh water for the first time in their lives. Would you be part of this history making? We would be glad to partner with you.

MAY NEWSLETTER

MAY NEWSLETTER

Meaningful Life International, in partnership with Rev. Steve Madsen, the founder of Cornerstone Fellowship USA, successfully organized a leadership conference dubbed RESTORE CONFERENCE 2023. The main goal of the conference was to empower and reenergize church and community leaders for efficient service.

 

The conference, which had over a hundred (100) people drawn from different churches and organizations attending, was organized in two parts.  The first one was held at the Eli Beach Resort in Keta, in the Volta region of Ghana, from April 20 through April 22, 2023. About 50 participants were present at this conference. The second part of the conference took place from April 24th through April 26th, 2023, at the Noda Hotel in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region. Over 50 people also attended this event. Rev. Steve Madsen and his associates fully underwrote the cost of lodging and food for the six [6] day conference.

 

Rev. Madsen, who was the main conference speaker, taught participants using Bible characters like Moses, David, and the Three Marys. Participants were grouped into smaller numbers of five [5] people during focus group discussions after each presentation.

 

The conference provided participants with the chance to mingle, unwind, recharge, and revitalize for effective ministry.

All participants were left wanting more after this conference because of its impact. Every participant left the conference with maximum satisfaction. It is not surprising that they are already looking forward to the next Restore conference!

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Meaningful Life International would like to thank Rev. Madsen and his faithful partners and friends for facilitating this important Restore conference 2023. On behalf of the over 100 participants who turned up for this conference, we say God richly bless you. 

Partner with us today to bring meaning to the lives of people especially the less privileged in society.

LOOKING BACK AT THE YEAR 2021

 

2021 YEAR IN REVIEW 

We began 2021 with seven days of fasting and prayer (from the 11th to the 17th of January) with the intention of moving forward to the next level of achievement and to prepare ourselves spiritually for the year ahead. Staff of MLI, and some of our volunteers, met each day for fellowship and to seek God’s guidance. We were confident and hopeful for a successful year.  However, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt our plans and had a negative impact financially on all of our missions.

As an organization that relies heavily on donor support to carry out our activities, we suffered a major setback in our ability to provide the support and services so desperately needed in our community. We could not implement many of the activities as planned, however, some modest gains were made through the grace and mercy of God! We remain grateful to God and our faithful partners who stood firmly with us in the mist of these difficult times.

 Water Project (Boreholes)

Access to clean water still remains a huge challenge in most of the rural communities in Ghana. Many of these communities still drink from an unclean stream which eventually dries up during the dry season. Others compete with cattle and other wild animals for water from the same source.

During the year under review, we constructed one borehole for the people of Asuboi-Maase. The progress of the project is about 85% complete.                           

Medical Outreach

In partnership with the Doron Medical Center, we were able to embark on several community medical outreach missions. In the mist of financial and logistical challenges, we were able to mobilize resources to distribute hand sanitizer and face masks to the people of Dedukorpe and Asikasu-Odumase. We are grateful for our partnership with the Church at Rancho Bernardo, in San Diego, U.S.A who helped us accomplish this. This outreach has equipped the members of these communities with some safety equipment and measures to help curb the spread of the virus, as well as encouraging them with the Word of God. There has also been a positive impact on their lives through the show of love and compassion and the feeling that someone out there is thinking about, not only their spiritual growth, but also their physical well-being.

Special Emergency Covid-19 Relief Project

We were blessed to receive support from the Church at Rancho Bernardo (CRB) to embark on our Emergency Covid-19 Relief Project in the Dedukorpe and Asikasu-Odumase communities. We provided food packages to about 200 families, which consisted of 5 kilo bags of rice, tin fish, tin tomatoes and 5-liter bottles of oil, for the two communities. Most of the beneficiaries of these food packages are widows, orphans, and the very poor and needy in the community. We also distributed hand sanitizer and face masks to over 1,000 people in these two communities.

  Jesus Film Show / Evangelism

Meaningful Life International continues to reach out to many Communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ; preaching salvation and preparing souls for the second Coming of our Lord and Savior. Our Jesus Film Show outreaches have laid the foundation for Church planting in some of these communities.

During the year under review, we organized one film show in partnership with the Hill Top Church International at Newland Taxi rank, and also embarked on a door to door evangelism campaign with the Ochs team in the Ada community and surrounding areas. A number of gospel tracts were shared and the sick prayed for. Through the film show project, many lives have been impacted with the Gospel and many souls encountered the healing power of God as they experience Jesus healing the sick.    

Church Planting              

MLI, in partnership with the Harvest Missions Chapel Assemblies of God International, and the Ochs team, planted a new church at Agorkpo, a suburb of Big Ada. The Church is doing well, and the congregation is growing by God’s Grace! We recently donated a number of plastic chairs to this church, as well as donating chairs to the church in Angornya.

Community Education

MLI works hard to combine our humanitarian aid-driven projects (the borehole projects) with an equally important empowerment component. We seek to stifle dependency and promote personal development through a meaningful relationship with God. So, in addition to going into the communities to drill boreholes, our organization also ensures that the community members are well trained on how to properly care for and maintain the boreholes. This training stresses the importance of community ownership, basic hygiene, and accountability.

This year, we embarked on community education in Asuboi-Maase and Asikasu-Odumaase in the Eastern Region of Ghana.        
 Summer Teams

The impact of summer teams to the Missions field over the years has been life transforming. During the year under review, we received some incredible summer teams who came to serve in missions with us. We hosted the Oches family and friends from the U.S.A who came to serve with us in June 2021. Together, we ministered in orphanages and special needs schools, engaged in community outreach, provided free medical care, evangelized, and planted a new church in the village of Agorkpo. Over 900 lives were positively impacted as a result of this outreach.

We also successfully hosted Dr. Ken Lenz, the board chairman of MLI, U.S.A and his wife who were here to serve our ministry and spread the Good News with us.

Special Annual Christmas Outreach

This year’s special Annual Christmas outreach (SACO) will be held in Asikasu-Odumase, a deprived community in the Upper West Akim District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. On the 25th of December, a Christmas party will be organized for the entire community. We will serve food, drinks, snacks, candies, and water to about 800 people. We will also distribute used clothing and footwear to those who are in need. The widows and pastors are especially included at this event. About 30 widows and 10 pastors will receive gift packs from our ministry. The school children of the village are also provided with school supplies to help them in their education.

SACO – 2021

Dear Ministry Partner,

HELP US TO ORGANIZE OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS OUTREACH AT ASIKASU-ODUMASE

 Christmas is here again and as part of our annual activities, we intend to put smiles on the faces of the children and people of Asikasu-Odumase, a deprived community in the Eastern part of Ghana by sharing the love of Christ with them. We are aware of your passion to reach out to deprived people. We, therefore, invite you to partner with us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those living in the rural community of Asikasu-Odumase.

The outreach has been scheduled to take place on the 25th December, 2021. Our activities during this outreach would include donation of items (clothing & shoes, toys, educational materials etc.) and a Christmas Party on Christmas day. The estimated budget for this outreach is a total of GHC 67,360 (Sixty-seven Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty  Ghana Cedis ) (USD 10,948.00) . This budget includes the cost of a plate of warm meal for about 1,100 people in this community, a piece of cloth for about 100 widows, transportation to the community, purchasing of gift items etc.

You may donate a Christmas gift to a child or give your widow’s mite to one of the 100 widows by buying a piece of cloth for a widow at the cost of $25. An amount of $3 will provide a warm Christmas day meal for a child, and make this year’s Christmas memorable for them.

We are counting on your partnership, and trusting that together we can bring joy of Christmas to the people of Asikasu-Odumase. We know that God is going to use your gifts to draw many souls to Himself this Christmas.

Please find attached the budget for the entire outreach.

Thank You for your support and God richly Bless you!

Yours in-His service

Godwin Kofi Ahlijah (Ph.D.)

(Executive Director)

REPORT ON THE EMERGENCY COVID-19 RELIEF PROJECT AT ASIKASU-ODUMASI

REPORT ON THE EMERGENCY COVID-19 RELIEF PROJECT AT ASIKASU-ODUMASI ON THE 21ST OF AUGUST,, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging health systems across the world. Rapidly increasing demand for care of people with COVID-19 is compounded by fear, misinformation and limitations on the movement of people and supplies that disrupt the delivery of front line health care for all people. When health systems are overwhelmed and people fail to access needed services, both direct mortality and indirect mortality from preventable and treatable conditions increase.

This research called for an urgent need to partner with The Church at Rancho Bernardo, San Diego again to reach out to the people of Asikasu-Odumasi in the Eastern region of Ghana.

On the 21st of August, 2021, our team together with some partners including the Board Chairman of Meaningful Life U.S.A, Dr. and Mrs Ken Lens embarked on this important outreach at the community of Asikasu-Odumasi. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by the natives who were all excited for the day’s activities. The program commenced with an opening prayer, praises and worship by the local Assemblies of God church and the welcome address was done by the pastor, Rev. John Osei.  Rev. Godwin Ahlijah (Ph.D.), the C.E.O of Meaningful Life International in his address explained the purpose of the outreach and encouraged the people to keep their trust in the Lord in these difficult times. He was full of praise to the Church at Rancho Bernardo for heeding to the call to come on board to partner MLI to organize this outreach. He thanked the leadership and members of the Church for their generosity and love towards God and humanity.

Dr. Lenusia Ahlijah educated the community on the Covid-19 pandemic and its preventive measures. She encouraged them to observe the covid-19 protocols by observing social distancing, regular hand washing and personal hygiene among others.

We provided food packages to over 100 families which consist of 5 kilo bags of rice, a 5-liter bottle of oil, hand sanitizers, and face masks. We also distributed hand sanitizers and face masks to over 400 people who gathered for the program. It was heart-warming to see the joy on their faces as we distributed the items to them.

A total of over 400 individuals directly benefited from this outreach to the glory of God. Programs such as this are a great way to bring people together, to serve and share blessings and to give hope. Through these outreaches, we know that in our own way, we are providing hope and new opportunities for our less-fortunate brethren.

Proverbs 22:9 The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

Giving Back as a Way of Life – July Newsletter

Making Charity the Centerpiece of a Bold Life

 

April Asante had always felt strongly about giving back to others through charity. In fact, she felt it was her own personal mission to succeed so that she would help the less fortunate brethren. Thus, when she met Darrel Annan, it was a match that was perfect. Darrel also believed in acts of generosity as a means of enriching one’s life. With this in mind, when the couple married, both decided to give back a portion of their income to various charities, but their commitment to these acts of generosity was quite profound. Since 2008, April and Darrel have given more than 40 percent of their earnings to others in need.

With April being a civil servant and Darrel being a laboratory technician, their contributions are rather sizable. Over the course of the last decade, their efforts of giving back have touched the lives of many. Organisations such as Meaningful Life International and Doron Medical Center to which they have made donations seek to help individuals develop their minds through leadership training, access quality healthcare and access to potable drinking water. And while this degree of giving might be assumed to cause financial hardships, this is not the case. Darrel and April are doing just fine and they find fulfilment in what they do!

Again, we seek to embark on another outreach in this hard and difficult times amidst this Covid 19 pandemic. The Covid -19 pandemic has been very devastating to many of the communities that we work in. Because of high illiteracy rate in our communities, even the very concept of the viral infection, its spread and prevention are not well understood by many. It’s been predicted that repercussions of the pandemic are likely to cause increased hospitalization, deaths and food shortage. Desperate attempts to mitigate this inexplicable impact have driven many rural dwellers of Ghana to resort to drinking all sort of concoctions, and consulting of idols for protection.

 These are some of the reasons why Meaningful Life International sees the urgent need to intervene by educating, providing basic personal protective equipment (PPE) and donation of some food items to some of the most affected rural communities of Ghana. We have listed ten of these most deprived communities that needs our support in these critical times. These are; Adeheta, Deti, Alege-Akura, Ebitiyie, Yadodo, Kpakplamuni, Jynvuuri, Torgbekorpe and Boasi.

With the same noble act of giving like Darrel and April, we invite you to join us as we embark on this outreach to some of these communities. MLI acknowledges your passion for the welfare of the vulnerable in society and community development, and would therefore like to present a unique opportunity for partnership in reaching these rural communities in Ghana who have been severely hit by the covid-19 pandemic. Our purpose is to provide basic food items, health education, face masks and hand sanitizers to 800 individuals in each community. With your partnership, we can successfully implement this project we anticipate, that will bring great relief and transformation to these deprived communities.

DEFYING THE ODDS FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL

DEFYING THE ODDS FOR THE SAKE OF THE GOSPEL
(THE OCHS FAMILY AND FRIENDS)

Despite the World Health Organization’s declaration of the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the world as a global public health emergency and its associated travel bans and restrictions, the Ochs family and friends found it worthy to embark on missions.  Missionaries are willing to risk danger and opposition to engage unreached peoples with the gospel because they understand the consequences of losing a soul to the world. On 30th May 2021, a ten (10) member missionary team from Tennessee, USA led by pastor Timothy Ochs and Mrs. Beverly Ochs arrived in Ghana for two weeks intensive ministry. Members of the team included; Rebekah Ochs, Madelyn Ochs, Debrah Moriarty, Ashley Philips, James Philips, Sarah Godsey, Mary McClure and Cloudi Bland

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (Rev. 12:11). Christ has again assured us of victory in the mist of danger because of his shed blood. 1 John 5:4 instructs us: “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith,” and that faith is expressed in the testimony we confess. But the ultimate victory comes in not holding on to one’s own life, even unto death!

The team had an incredible time and impact in Ghana. They ministered and made donations to the Nyamedua Orphanage, Great Mission International orphanage, Saviour Children Foundation Orphanage and Save Them Young Orphanage. They also ministered and made donations to the Akuapim School for the deaf and the Dzorwulu special School. The team also visited the Doron Medical Center and prayed for the facility and made special donations to the hospital.  They also embarked on evangelism in Agorkpo, a suburb of Big Ada where we distributed gospel tracts, prayed with the people and planted a church. A free medical outreach was generously sponsored by the team for the people of Agorkpo.

The Ochs family and friends are indeed devoted to the lordship of Christ, the obedience to his call, and the desire to make a difference for eternity. They are not living for their own comfort, safety, and convenience but for the glory of God among the nations.

There is still more work to be done in the Master’s vine yard. We are inviting all of you our cherished partners to support us in prayers, in cash and any other form to reach out to more people with the gospel.