Say Yes!
Three years ago, under a tree in the little rural town of Yawpare, Ghana, we were singing worship songs with the villagers that gathered to check out the obroni. Amidst the crowd was a hunched over grandma that was excitedly tapping her walking stick along with the beat and hopping all over with a toothless grin stretched across her face. It struck me how she radiated joy dancing for God. After we finished the songs, the grandma invited us to go speak with her son who had turned away from God.
I stared at this middle-aged, serious-looking man standing before me in the sandy yard. I prayed to God to soften his heart and I asked, “what do you want to say to him? I don’t know what to say, how am I supposed to relate to him?” Moments later, a curious toddler peeked out at us from the house and then came running over and attached herself to her dad’s leg. A gentle smile spread across his face as he looked down at his daughter and patted her on the head.
“Tell him, he is my son and I am his father and I just want him by my side, that is what gives me joy.”
As the translator relayed the message, I saw a look in his eyes, like he had been caught off guard. Then he smiled and nodded.
The joyful grandma from Yawpare that I will always remember fondly.
A spontaneous opportunity to share songs and stories with the locals.
I don’t know if that man ended up returning to God’s side. But this memory often stands out to me as one of the notable moments of my trip. Being in Ghana, we never seemed to know what each day would hold or who we would meet so
we had to rely on God to lead us in every situation.
It also stripped everything away - our daily goal was to visit as many people as we could to share testimonies of God’s grace. Everything else was secondary. There was a real sense of urgency; we were unlikely to see any of the people a second time, so we had to be bold and say whatever God had placed on our hearts immediately.
That trip changed me and I’d like to think it gave me the courage to say yes to God more often and value the power of sharing the truth of how God is working in my life, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Even before the trip was over, I was already thinking about when I may return in the future. Along with subscribing to the newsletters, I would hear updates about CIM from time to time since I attend the same church as Pastor Doug (current chairman of the board of directors) and Jessica On (the previous administrative assistant) and our church regularly sends teams to Ghana, so CIM was frequently on my mind. Around February when my work contract was ending, I found out that CIM was hiring. I applied almost immediately and while there was a hiring process, in my heart, I felt like I was already a part of the CIM family. Thankfully Pastor Issac did also officially send me a job offer.
The past month went by like a whirlwind. There is still a lot that I am learning. Part of the job that I am most excited about is helping teams prepare for their trips. I cannot wait to hear their testimonies and continue to witness how God encourages and loves on people. Unfortunately all CIM trips have been canceled this year in light of the pandemic, but I know that even though we are not going anywhere this year, God hasn’t stopped working; He has gone ahead and is preparing the path.
So if you are reading this right now, I hope you will take a moment to pray and open your eyes to what or who God is nudging you towards. Trust and rely on Him. If you are being called to missions, send us a message! I would love to walk alongside you and help you get ready for 2021!
CIM Canada is very happy to have Joanne on board and we look forward to serving with her in the years ahead. If you would like more information about our organization, please do not hesitate to email us.
Rev. Isaac Quan
Executive Director
Financial Highlights
May 2020
