March 3, 2008
At the beginning of the school year, 6th grader Aidan DeMuth decided to run for class treasurer. In his speech, he wrote that if he were to become treasurer, he’d help raise funds for wells in Africa. The day of the election, he came home, head down. “I didn’t win.”
“It’ll be okay,” his mom said. “I know it’s hard to lose an election.”
“You don’t understand,” he told her. “God has burned in me a desire to dig wells in Africa, and I can’t get it out of my heart.” Aidan equated winning the election with being able to provide clean drinking water.
That night, his parents met with their church’s mission pastor who said he could set up a special fund for Aidan’s YBF (Youth Bible Fellowship) so he could help provide money for wells in Africa.
Aidan talked to a few folks who were providing wells in Africa, and then prayed about which country to help. The answer? Ghana. And it just so happened that what he helped raise is what was needed to complete a well in Northern Ghana.
So, that’s it.
Aidan has been invited by the pastor of the church near Tamale, Ghana, to come to Ghana to help dedicate the well he helped dig. And the rest of his family are coming along for the ride. They’ll be teaching, serving, praying, and learning June 19th-July 1st.
Letter to Aidan from Pastor Paul
Dear Aidan,
It so gladdens my heart that you have identified with our heart desire with that of GOD to work for the spiritual and physical development of GOD’s creation.
The Tarikpaa church is our village church, where I was born a non-Christian. I later started to attend church service at the village and gave my life to Jesus at the secondary school. I have since been zealous for God everywhere I find myself. My desire for God stems out of my personal experience/testimony of God. God is the only BEING who knows how HE took me out in my educational ladder into the University as the first graduate from this humble village.
This is a big plus for GOD in our village that a Christian is the first to climb higher in the academic ladder. I’m 35 years of age and only got married last June. My wife Cynthia is pregnant with our first child which is expected in March/April 2008. We are very expectant of this as our first experience.
As little village boy, I saw in my village church the unmeasurable desire to spread the word of God in a Muslim dominated area. In the northern region of Ghana, the Muslim population is about 95%. Sometimes as we went out in the night for evangelism, we were stoned and hooted at. We came home so delighted even as young as I was. This is still the desire of the village church, but unfortunately, due to the adverse poverty, the village church is not able to embark upon many evangelistic trips of their own, but rather partner with resource mobilzation groups to do a more meaningful evangelism.
Aidan, we so much pray and hope to see you come next year summer (June/July) as may fit. Do not hesitate to share with us any prayer needs regarding your personal challenges, prepartions for your support and coming as well as any other needs, for you can be sure we will certainly be praying with you.
Paul Napari
Real Link: Hope and Heritage
