Revelations and Tears

Well, tonight we had a long conversation with our oldest daughter. One that began with tears, was full of accusations and misconceptions when it ended there were more tears but most important "a revelation". No, I am not about to replay an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond! I am talking about life in the Phillips household. Lest you get the wrong idea, this is not a regular occurrence in our home but ever since we announced that God was calling us to Africa we have had a few conversations similar to the one I mentioned above. These other conversations were similar in that they were full of tears, accusations and misconceptions but none of them held any revelations. What was the topic of these conversations, you ask? I think I have mentioned in a previous post that my oldest daughter had not been able to make up her mind about going on the trip, o.k. now you can guess what we were discussing in these tearful conversations. Yep, you got it, myself, my wife or both of us had been trying to convince our daughter that she should go with us, let me tell you that was no easy task. I finally gave up as it seemed every time I tried I just drove a wedge between us deeper and deeper. I decided that if God wanted her to go He would have to convince her, just as he had convinced my wife she should go. So I turned it over to Him and I did my best not to mention it to her again. Well tonight was another story, I didn't bring it up it was my wife and she had good reason to. She had also up until this point tried to just let Taylor work it out with the Lord. Tonight however, Taylor was wanting us to sign some school related papers and it was something that would possibly interfere with the trip to Africa, so it was a quick slide down a very slippery slope that was by far the most tearful confrontation that we had had up to this point. After all was said and we had told her to just go to her room and pray about it more, she stopped us and said that she had just had a revelation and said that she would go with us. We were dumbstruck, after all that she had said, she just changed her mind in less than a second. I asked her had she been praying and she shared that she had but that she was still not sure what to do. So after her revelation we told her to just go to bed and pray about it and let us know tomorrow what she wanted to do. She then told me that she would but that she was pretty sure she was going to go with us. My wife and I had succeeded in wiping away some misconceptions that Satan had planted in her mind. It was a good night in the Phillips household, I know that my wife will sleep better tonight.

Gary Phillips

Keepin You Up To Date

I really felt like writing so I decided to let everyone know what we are up to at this time. We are currently in the stage of raising support. I have been busy making calls to churches and trying to set up appointments to visit and share our ministry. This is unfortunately a slow process but it is necessary. I have also been talking with some Christian business owners and sharing with them as well. I currently have 3 business owners who are praying about what they should do to help us and feel confident that if God brought them to me that He will show them what they can do to help us, be it financially or through prayer. I have not yet been able to get into any churches to share our ministry with them but have had many good conversations. I truly believe that God has already prepared the hearts of certain people and churches for our ministry and that He will direct me to them in His time.

Gary

Togo

I have had a couple pf people ask me today what type of ministry the missionaries in Togo have. While I was trying to learn more about the ministry I came across this web page that explains the ministry quite well. If you would like to know more about the ministry in Togo please have a look at this website http://www.togo.abwe.org/home-page. Our ministry will likely be in Adeta or Mango.

Gary Phillips

The Latest Scoop!

I was able to make contact yesterday with the missionary from Togo (where we hope to spend some time serving) and we had a good conversation. I am still not 100% sure what it is that we will be doing in Togo but I can at least say, it looks like we will be working in both Ghana and Togo. There is a huge need in Togo for those with the skills and abilities that God has blessed us with. I say, it looks like we may be going, as there are still a couple of issues that need to be worked out. But unless the Lord keeps them from being worked out, Sharon (the missionary) would love to have us come to Togo. Adeta, which is in the Southern part of Togo has many needs. Sharon works in a mission run hospital and says there is a need for a full time maintenance worker, as well as construction workers for the new maternity ward that will soon be under construction. I, can fit into either of these roles easily, there is also a few roles at the hospital in Adeta that my wife could easily fill. There is also a possibility that they could have us go to Mango in the northern part of Togo. In Mango they are just about to break ground on a brand new hospital, so there will be plenty of construction work that needs done there. There is also a guest house where those who come for short term trips can stay. Kelly would be able to assist in the day to day operations of the guest house as the lady who currently runs it has her hands full. Sharon works with a team of missionaries in Adeta and Mango and is contacting them and explaining to them that we are interested in coming along side them and helping in any way that God so leads us. She wants to let her team mates know about our skills and abilities so that they can decide as a team where we would fit best in there ministry.

That is the latest news I have in regards to where we will be going, the latest on when we go still depends on our visas. I recently made airline reservations for Jan 29th to leave for Africa and a return flight on July 27th. It is truly exciting to think that if all goes well we will be leaving for Africa in just 3 months. As I said these dates are target dates as this is when the missionaries in Ghana would like us to arrive. The dates are dependent on when we are able to get our visas and also on the length of the visas the Embassies will give us. Our friends who are currently in Ghana applied for a 90 day visa and only received a 60 day visa. We hope to be able to spend 90 days in both Ghana and Togo but at this time only the Lord knows how long we will be there. The flight reservations are just reservations, they are also able to be changed at any time with no cost to us. Once we book the flights that all changes but God has opened so many doors, some that I thought would never be open, that I am confident that this trip is exactly what He wants us to be doing at this time in our lives.

If anyone who reads this blog has any questions, please do not hesitate to leave your questions as a comment, I will do my best to answer any questions we receive.

Please pray, that God will direct me to the people and places that I need to be in order to share our vision with those God has already prepared to help us financially to get to Africa. Our church has said that they will be our sending agency and that our funds can be sent to them on our behalf. If you are reading this blog and feel led to give to our trip please check back. As soon as an account has been set up, I will let you know how you can help out.


Thank you for your prayers,
Gary Phillips and family

Our purpose for going

When I tell people that I am planning a missions trip to Africa, I always get the question "What will you be doing when you get there?" So I thought that I would share with those who read this blog what it is that we will be doing in Ghana and Togo. I am not sure exactly what we will be doing in Togo yet as I am still waiting to hear back from the missionaries in Togo as to what they will need me to do while there. I will likely be doing maintenance in the mission hospital as well as in other buildings that is used by the missionaries to minister to the people of Togo. I have recently heard that they are just about to break ground on a new hospital so I may actually get to work on the construction of the new building. My wife and girls will likely work alongside the missionary doctors and nurses as they tend to the needs of the locals. We will all have opportunities to work in the churches as Sunday School teachers and what not. There are any number of ways that we can be used and I am speculating that we will work in the above ways. God may have something totally different waiting for us to do, I can honestly say that regardless of what it is He has for us to do I will be excited and ready to serve. Ghana is a different story as I have had plenty of contact with the missionaries there. The list of need is long and will take a long time to complete (more time than we will be there). The list starts with Preaching and Teaching in 8 churches (not my strong suit);
Maintenance work on our Bible college property
-All the electrical wiring needs to be rewired because of lightning strikes
-fans, lights, electrical sockets, etc. for the main building and the dorms
-Support posts for a canopy need replaced
-guard shack is needed to be built
Construction work on Missionary House
-electrical work,
-floor tile
-plumbing
-cabinets
-windows
-drop ceiling installed
Other projects
-electrical wiring of houses in a nearby village that is in the process of receiving electricity.
House owners pay for their own electrical parts but need to pay electrician to install it.
This would be a free service and an opportunity to share Christ. There is almost
an unlimited # of villages that are in need of an electrician who would install electric
into their homes for free.
Well that is just a touch of what I could be doing for the next who know how many years of my life.
Things that my family will be doing (I also will be doing some of these things)
-teach S.S. and evening services at several of the churches
-teach English to village children and women
-minister to the current missionaries on the field in many different ways
-music ministry in the churches
-work with the Ghanaians side by side and share Christ in the villages
-host backyard Bible clubs
As you can see there are many many opportunities for my family and I to serve the people of Ghana while we are serving Christ. This is becoming a long post and I don't want you to get bored reading it so I am going to share one last thing that the missionaries in Ghana shared with us in relation to the needs in Ghana. "There are many more ministries that could be a part of your life here in Ghana. God is doing some great things and is bringing up some strong young leaders in the churches. We would love to have your family here indefinitely if God would allow." I do not know where this trip will lead but I look forward to what God will teach me and to see how He will work in the lives of my family and myself while we are in Ghana and Togo. Please pray that we will not take anything that happens for granted and that we will give all Glory to God as He sustains us throughout the process of preparing for this trip.

Gary Phillips and family

The Beginning

I am not sure where to start so I will start with who we are. We are the Phillips family and though we all have not been called to full time missions work, I have. I am Gary and my wife and 4 kids have not been called but are supportive. It has been almost 10 years since I made my most recent decision that God is calling me to full time missions work, I say most recent because as a child of 6 or 7 I made a public decision that God was calling me to become a missionary. It wasn't until some time after making the decision as an adult that I remembered this happening as a child. As a child I would relish the times that missionaries would come to our church and share what God was doing through them on the mission field. It was during this time of my life that God put a strong desire in me to some day go to Africa. Though I had forgotten the childhood call to missions work I never overcame my desire to someday go to Africa. I am confident that God gave me this desire as a child and knew that one day as an adult I would remember my childhood promise and be ready to go. I believe that the time has come and that God has been preparing me for this trip ever since. I believe that God is calling us to Ghana and possibly to Togo as well, not for full time at this point but for an extended short term missions trip of 4 to 6 months. I also believe that this is just the beginning and could some day turn into a full time mission for us. Please pray for us as we prepare to leave that we will be open to God's leading, that we will not put our desires above His. Pray that God will us for whatever it is that He has in store for us when we get to Ghana and Togo. Pray that we will be able to raise our support in a timely manner. Pray that through this trip that God will receive glory and honor as we serve Him in humility, putting the people if Ghana and Togo above ourselves. Pray for health, strength and safety while we are home and while in Africa. Pray that God will help us get our passports and visas in a timely manner and that the exact dates and a good budget will be prepared soon. I will post updates soon and hopefully will have a photo to post soon as well.

Gary Phillips