The beginning

June 10, 2012

Hello Friends,

As I have shared with many of you, I am going to Ghana this November on a 10-day mission trip.  Ghana is, from my understanding, a pretty modern country in West Africa.  However, outside of the cities of Ghana, in the remote villages there is a system called Trokosi.  Trokosi is a practice in which young, virgin girls are taken as sexual slaves to atone for the "sins" of the people in their villages.  These girls act as slaves to the priests that serve the fetish gods.

Thirteen members of my church are traveling to Ghana to work with an organization called the IN Network.  IN Network travels to the remote villages and negotiates with the high priests of these villages to end the practice of Trokosi slavery.  (I am fairly certain I won't be doing this.)  Once the girls have been freed, they are taken into the International Needs Vocational Center where they are provided education, counseling and vocational training.  (I'll be at the Vocational Center helping out anywhere they need help.) They are also permitted to attend church.  When the girls leave the Vocational Center, they are given tools to continue working and are able to apply for small business loans.

I thought I would create this blog to keep you guys up to speed with all of the details of the trip.  Right now I am in the beginning stages...i.e. working up my nerve to start the immunization process before June 18th.  The thought of the shots terrifies me.  I am also half way through the process of selecting prayer partners for the trip...please feel free to volunteer to pray with me.

I am anxious to share the story of my trip and the Trokosi women with many; so, please feel free to share my blog with others.  I'll update you all soon...

Love,

Kendall