Team Reports

Girl Talk: Ghana-Style

by Monique Zackery

The Sweetwater House has impacted my life in more ways than I can recount in these short paragraphs. Many team members would agree that meeting the girls and hearing their stories of struggle, victory, healing and redemption has a beautiful way of strengthening closer to the heart of God. I must say that giving of our time and resources to these precious young ladies brings to life Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Seeing the fruit of each of your prayers and contributions was not only a gift for the girls, but for our whole team.

We had the privilege of taking the Girl Talk Conference to the Sweetwater girls in the form of a four-day, young women’s vacation Bible school. Girl Talk is a weekend event that started in Tennessee; it was created to encourage young women with God’s Word. During our daily teaching sessions, I realized that we weren’t just there to teach the girls. We were there to learn along side them. Each team member brought something valuable to the table that we all gleaned from.

Through the vacation Bible School we learned, with the girls, about how to believe the voice of God over the opinions of man. We learned that each of us has a significant purpose and we can all make a difference for the Kingdom. We learned what it means to walk the road of forgiveness and we gained a greater understanding of redemption and the work of the cross. As the girls responded to each of the lessons by sharing their stories and applying Biblical truths to their lives, I was reminded of our commonalities. Regardless of our background, economic status, life experience, or culture, we are all in need of the same thing: Truth. That Truth is Jesus. Being at the Sweetwater House was a beautiful time of linking hearts with the girls to point each other to the Son, then sit back and watch the Spirit move - molding all of us and changing us forever. Thank you for taking part in that special miracle by supporting this incredible ministry.

Photos:
- Debbie Brew and Monique
- Monique and the Sweetwater Girls

Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Nov 17, 2011
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Jesus Changes Lives

by Melanie Carter

It is truly impossible to describe how  amazing the week was! I will honestly say that my experiences with “American projects or ministries” in other countries and cultures hasn’t always been the best. I have discovered that while many of them were built with wonderfully good intentions, many of them are sadly ineffective because they were built out of some effective in that culture.

So I have to be honest in saying that I unfortunately went to Ghana wondering if Sweetwater might be another one of those experiences. It wasn’t that I questioned its effectiveness; it’s just that I had never seen it, so I wasn’t sure. And I have to tell you that I was just completely blown away by what I witnessed there. I know I don’t have to tell you, but it was just amazing to see lives LITERALLY being changed from the inside out because of the power of Christ in that place. I saw girls being discipled and growing in their walk with Jesus while also being set free from innumerable strongholds in their lives. I saw older, wise, GODLY women pouring into the lives of those girls. And I was just so blown away by it all.

I can only imagine the time, the energy, the tears, the money, the HEART that has been poured into that ministry, but from all that I witnessed during my time there, not ONE BIT of it all has been wasted. Lives are being changed and the gates of hell are being attacked there in that place.

I just want to thank you for all that you did to allow God to use you in building that ministry. It is effective and it is powerful, and I can’t wait to see how God is going to CONTINUE to use it for the changing of many lives. It was an absolute honor and privilege to go and see all that He is doing there.
Photos:
- Melanie and the Sweetwater Girls
- Melanie and a friend

Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Nov 17, 2011
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ISABELA: My Redeemer Lives

by Margaret Callahan

On Wednesday, as Isabela stood up in front of all of the Sweetwater House girls, the staff, and our team from Nashville, TN to share her story, no one had any idea of the impact she would have on us. She shared about how her father and mother had both died in 2002 when she was in Junior High School, leaving her and her siblings alone to care for themselves. One of her sisters also suffered from a stroke and blindness, eventually dying. Each of these events, she shared, could have caused her not to believe in God but an inner voice always spoke to her saying, “God knows all the why’s in this life.”

The tears she had been holding back as she shared her story were now freely flowing. She shared how she pressed on and found a job selling soup on the streets so that she could buy the basic necessities for herself. She moved in with some extended family that treated her like the maid in exchange for one meal a day and a place to sleep. While she had all she needed for survival, her life was hopeless and she could never have imagined the wonderful plan He had in store for her.

One day, Isabela’s uncle heard about Sweetwater House and encouraged her to apply… and she was accepted! Her tears were full of pain from the past and joy at how her life had changed… and then… each person in the room practically gasped as she fell to her knees and began worshiping God singing the Nicole C. Mullen song “Redeemer”. Her words were all but impossible to understand because of the intense level of emotion. She was in the throne room kneeling at HIS feet, and we all got to be there with her. Slowly, one person, then another joined in singing, “Now I know my Redeemer lives, I know my Redeemer lives, Let all creation testify, Let this life within me cry, I know my Redeemer lives.” It was a sacred time of worship that we can all carry with us wherever we go.

Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Nov 17, 2011
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Forgiveness: The True Path to Healing

by Shayna Hobbs

Job 42:2 says “I know that YOU can do all things; no plan of YOURS can be thwarted.” I want to testify that this is the truth. Before our trip to Ghana, Monique asked if anyone would want to speak on Forgiveness. I felt the Holy Spirit pounding on my heart and I spoke up immediately and said “I’m supposed to give that talk.” I was scared stiff. This is the topic that has been a continual, deeply rooted theme in my life. But I knew I could not ignore this calling. I knew that God wanted to use me in a powerful way and I truly desire to be obedient to Him.

The day of my talk I could barely function. I was nauseous, and overcome with worry. Praise God, again, He was my strength and I was able to push through. All I can say is that it felt like a power surge going through me, like a bolt of lightning channeled through me as I spoke. God completely took over, and thank goodness because I was a mess! He spoke through me, and I was in awe at the details, structure, flow and deliverance of the entire talk. I was an open book, and shared many difficult details about my testimony and the week leading up to the trip. I told the girls that I was not up there teaching or preaching, but actually learning with them as I spoke. God said some powerful things through me about forgiveness.

After the talk, I thought I was done, but the Spirit nudged me to keep going in a new direction. I asked everyone to close their eyes and think about the person who has hurt them the deepest, and to go to that place and feel that pain. It was a very intense moment, heavy with tears. Many of these girls have been abused, abandoned, and hurt beyond measure. This was an extremely difficult thing for them, but a very necessary thing for the process of healing in their lives. I then told them to release it to God, and start the process of forgiveness. BE SET FREE.

I later heard stories that THIS was the breaking point for many of the girls. They were opening up now, talking about deeper things in their lives, choosing to forgive. This talk was used to bring deliverance and healing. I even heard that many people on the team experienced the same thing! I give all the glory to God. It definitely wasn’t me, because I felt like I was falling apart, like my life was falling apart. But I thank Jesus; He uses broken vessels. I was a vessel for the Lord in my brokenness, used to bring deliverance to these precious Sweetwater girls and through the process I, myself, was healed.


Photos:
- Shayna Hobbs (center) with Sweetwater Girls
- Ghana Team 2011 (Back L to R): Dante Williamson, Melanie Carter, Karen Walker, Pastor Chris Williamson; (Front L to R): Monique Zackery, Margaret Callahan, Stefani Johns, Shayna Hobbs, Alisa Malone, Doris McMillan

Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Nov 17, 2011
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Sweetwater Orientation - September 2010

It is always astonishing to watch God’s mercy and grace to fall on an individual and grant the gift of ETERNAL LIFE of knowing Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

As I shared my story of His grace and redemption on the first day of Orientation at Sweetwater, and then proclaimed His gospel of resurrected life, I watched as one girl, Betty, stood to her feet to receive His gift of LIFE for her. Then….another stood…and another, until eleven beautiful young girls all came forward in humility to receive Christ as their Savior. “AMAZING GRACE….How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found….was blind but now I see”.

As we prayed together, confessing our sins and acknowledging our need of a savior, He was faithful to reveal Himself at SWEETWATER HOUSE and pour out the gift of His Holy Spirit to these precious young girls.

The day of salvation came on Monday, September 20, 2010, and as I watched the week unfold, I saw eleven young girls hungry for the Word of God and to know his plan for their lives. I saw their faces turn from sadness and hopelessness to joy and expectation of what God has in store for their life. They were beginning to understand that it was not by accident that they came to SWEETWATER HOUSE…..but that they were CHOSEN, by the King of Kings, and that HE had adopted them as his BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS and their lives would never be the same. There is nothing more amazing than to watch a life transformed by the Grace of God. The angels were rejoicing on September 20 as they witnessed eleven girls step from darkness into the light of His Presence!

Debbie French, September 2010
Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Oct 02, 2010
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Shhhh… Learning in Progress

As many of you know, in 2007 we transformed the garage at Sweetwater Ministries in Ghana into a beautiful Library and study room for the girls and staff at Sweetwater. It was dedicated in the name of Pam Hawkins, one of two founders of the ministry. This was a labor and vision of love for Pam and her service, as well as a gift for Sweetwater.

However, there was a small problem. There were no books. Over the course of the next couple of years, we began to collect books here in the U.S. and take them over when teams visited. This was a slow process.

Then in September of 2009, Brian and Troy Waugh, a father and son, took a trip to Sweetwater. They wanted to see what God was doing in Ghana. And while they were there, they caught a vision and they have run with it. Over the last year, Brian and Troy have sent three large shipments of the donated books to Sweetwater. Our library has been radically transformed through their efforts and vision. Thank you Brian and Troy for your service and action!

Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Oct 02, 2010
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The Gathering Place

In Ghana, West Africa, the community HAIR SALON is a “gathering place” for women! Just like women in the U.S. and around the world, they come to get a “hair-do”, visit with friends, talk about the daily events of life, and leave with their heads held a little higher and relationships a little stronger.

SWEETWATER HOUSE is so excited to announce that we now have a BEAUTY SALON where 12 young women will be trained in Cosmetology for 3 years and receive a certificate after graduation, so that they can become hair dressers in Ghana. It has already become a “gathering place” for our students and the women on our staff who love to come at the end of the day and let Bernice, our new instructor, wash their hair and decide on which style they will choose for the week.

Not only is it a place to learn, but it will provide a source of revenue in the future for SWEETWATER HOUSE, as we open it up to the women in the community. As women come to have a small luxury in the midst of the poverty, they will SEE with their eyes what our GREAT GOD is doing at SWEETWATER HOUSE and in the lives of 24 beautiful young women who live there each day.

It was such a joy for me to see this place become a reality and watch the smiles on the faces of the students as they walked through the door the first time. We want to THANK all of YOU for helping this VSION become a REALITY for our girls in Ghana.  It truly is an amazing facility where girls will be trained and lives will be transformed.

Debbie French, September 2010
Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Oct 02, 2010
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The Gift of Giving

“In everything I show you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35

Never before have I had God speak more directly to me. In February of 2008, I was fortunate to join a Strong Tower Bible Church women’s team in Ghana. This was my second trip to Sweetwater House and I knew the blessings that would unfold for me. On my first trip I had a wonderful relationship with Hayford and Janet. They were so helpful in directing me to many places in Accra to purchase the new furnishings for Sweetwater House. My respect and admiration for their family was bountiful as I saw how they worked hard, loved their family and loved God.

Today’s Choices has not only helped the girls that live in the Sweetwater House, but they have extended their support to the staff in making sure that they can provide for their families. And provide they did – purchasing land and building a home for Hayford’s family, debt free. My task was easy – laying out a plan for furniture and appliances and in three days it was complete. They had everything that they needed for their 6 children. As an Interior Designer, I have never been more blessed as I saw this house become a home where God will watch over them. God’s words have never been clearer –“ it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Marcia Ledford
Ledford Interior Design

Photos: top left: Hayford, Abigail (oldest daughter and Sweetwater student), & Janet

bottom right: Abigail jokes with her mother, Janet, on moving day

Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Dec 30, 2008
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Garments of Praise - Team Reports - 2007

The Lord blesses me with many opportunities to teach, learn and worship through the art of dance. I went to Ghana in the summer of 2007 with a great team of people. One of my responsibilities was to teach two dances to a group of incredible young ladies. While I was teaching them, I was being taught and blessed by their attitude, their smiles and most importantly by their desire to learn. I saw so much determination and joy in the beautiful faces of the girls. During one of our practices, I gave each girl a new dance skirt to wear and their excitement for one purple skirt was astounding. I went to Ghana to give, but I actually received more than I gave. I learned how to be stronger, how to be more appreciative and how to be more faithful to my God.

Forever changed
Stephanie Fitzgerald

Posted in Team Reports by Sweetwater Ministries | Oct 31, 2008
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