On Tuesday the 20th of August, we made the trip
into Kumasi to obtain supplies and materials needed at the Step By Step
Children’s Orphanage. We acquired plumbing, electrical, paint, and painting
supplies to transport back home. Considering the work at hand, this excursion and the resources we gathered, is helping us keep the momentum going.
With input from the Dept. of Social Welfare, plans have been made to complete necessary attention to detail on the property. But many crucial projects still remain, including kitchen fixturing for sanitation, tiling and plumbing in the children’s baths, 16 triple tier bunkbeds, and baby cots for the nursery. These critical areas require the specialized skills of plumbers, electricians, and carpenters, and must be completed prior to inspection and licensing.
Even though we have a handful of faithful volunteers to help in the cosmetics and detail of the SBS Orphanage grounds, we have an extensive and expensive list of requirements before we can open the doors to the children. The facilities must be equipped to care for up to 58 children including babies 2-under. All preparations and the costs considered, it is the sustainable support we need to assure the children receive the security of care they deserve.
The Dept. of Social
Welfare (D.S.W.) has made it known that for orphanages in Ghana, the lack of ongoing
support is the biggest pitfall of these institutions. This is the main reason
for this update today. With input from the Dept. of Social Welfare, plans have been made to complete necessary attention to detail on the property. But many crucial projects still remain, including kitchen fixturing for sanitation, tiling and plumbing in the children’s baths, 16 triple tier bunkbeds, and baby cots for the nursery. These critical areas require the specialized skills of plumbers, electricians, and carpenters, and must be completed prior to inspection and licensing.
Even though we have a handful of faithful volunteers to help in the cosmetics and detail of the SBS Orphanage grounds, we have an extensive and expensive list of requirements before we can open the doors to the children. The facilities must be equipped to care for up to 58 children including babies 2-under. All preparations and the costs considered, it is the sustainable support we need to assure the children receive the security of care they deserve.
Our plea to you is not only for the funds to open the doors, but for the sustainable funds to help us provide continuous care for the children, and to plan for their future. We invite you to be a part of what God is doing here. This is just the beginning and it is the hands of many that will bring the children home and give them the life and love their Father in heaven has for them. The mission God gave us is simply this, to rescue orphaned, victimized, and exploited children of Ghana and Africa, and to provide for them “A Home, A Hope, A Future.”
When I begin my mission work throughout the regions of Ghana in
a few short months, the children will be waiting. Our wonderful Father has said
He will lead me to the children just as He did back in 2007 on my first trip to
Ghana. See my blog "Leading Me By The Hand" 6/19/2013. He has told me the mission field will bring forth the children, the
children will bring forth the orphanage, and the orphanage will bring forth the
larger Step By Step Worldwide Ministries project. www.stepbystepworldwide.org The first phase of this greater project is our
22+ acre orphanage village, missionary support center, school, and medical
clinic. There are many other phases of this vision God gave me and they are
chronicled on our website. Bottom-line, It
is all about and begins with the children. God has no limitations. He wants us
to yield to His abilities. There are endless possibilities before us.
Even in our ”Quilts of Love For Orphans” project, www.quiltsoflovefororphans.com
, our initial mission of quilting will gift each child who comes, eventually 300+, with their
own personal quilt with stitched in scripture verse. The vision is to
start with 300 quilts for 300 orphans! There is a greater vision here than we realize. God is
going to touch the hearts of many, including those who contribute. Visit Linda Erickson’s website and "Quilts of Love for Orphans" Facebook page to find out more. Be a part of the blessing!
The children who need us are the key. From the beginning, God has said, it is all about the children. We are praying for the faithful to come forth and join along with us as we watch our heavenly Father put His plan together. With this in mind, He can accomplish much through us. We are His fellow workers, His hands, and He is enlisting us to assist. Our greater obligation is that we would be witnesses, to give testimony of His greatness. I can also share that our name implies the process. “Step By Step”. He has measured the steps and set them in place to accomplish His will for His children. I might add, this orphanage is just the beginning, the inaugural site, for the great plan He has ahead. God has so much more in store for the Step By Step children.
The children who need us are the key. From the beginning, God has said, it is all about the children. We are praying for the faithful to come forth and join along with us as we watch our heavenly Father put His plan together. With this in mind, He can accomplish much through us. We are His fellow workers, His hands, and He is enlisting us to assist. Our greater obligation is that we would be witnesses, to give testimony of His greatness. I can also share that our name implies the process. “Step By Step”. He has measured the steps and set them in place to accomplish His will for His children. I might add, this orphanage is just the beginning, the inaugural site, for the great plan He has ahead. God has so much more in store for the Step By Step children.
Right now, we need sustainable support and project funding
to get everything completed. We have able bodies here to work on your behalf, to
bless your contributions toward this purpose. It will not take that much. It
only takes unity. An Akan-Ghana proverb says this,
“Nsa baako nkura adesoa”, which means, “One hand cannot lift a heavy load. Unity is strength.”
Please unite with us. A monthly pledge or generous one-time gift to Step By Step Children’s Orphanage will be multiplied many times toward God’s ultimate plan for Step By Step Worldwide Ministries in Africa. At this time, any funds that go toward construction and property improvement, will also be applied toward our ongoing monthly rent!!!
So as you give know there is a matching benefit that gives twice!!! We have set up a secure donation page on our website, through the online organization Qgiv. www.qgiv.com . Their mission is this: “We serve organizations who serve others and we take that responsibility to heart every day.” All donations and pledges are accounted and secure. Immediate email notifications and receipts are given for your records and a year-end statement for your taxes will be provided. Step By Step Worldwide Ministries is a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Please consider having one of our dedicated SBS support team
members speak before your organization or church to further explain God’s
vision for Step By Step Worldwide Ministries. Contact information, both email and phone numbers, can be found on our
website.
God bless you for your prayers and generous hearts. –
John Michael (Papa John)
So let
each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of
necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
2 Corinthians 9:7
