With your support and through our partners, ‘Make A Life Foundation’ in Ghana; Alabaster Heart Missions International Canada has been able to donate an amount of GHC 9,500 ( Equivalent to $2,102.00) to support the treatment of our little girl suffering from cancer.

“Little” Lois is a three-year-old girl from Ghana who is suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Cancer of the Blood).

She has been in intensive care at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana for the past 4 months after her issue started surfacing in 2020.

Dr. Kamal, one of the doctors in charge of little Lois’ explained to the team that she is a high-risk patient and as such will take two and half years for her to go through the treatment.

According to the doctor, this categorization (high-risk) of Lois means she needs aggressive treatment and more support to keep her going.

Currently, in her consolidation stage, Dr. Kamal explained little Lois’ treatment will be in series. From here, she will be moved to the maintenance stage where she will be on lighter medications.

In the face of all these, little Lois will need a lot of support as treatment at this stage is also critical.

We are grateful for your continuous support at all times. You have contributed immensely to the survival of Lois Quayson and her family and they are very grateful.

God bless you!

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Little Eunice, a 2 and half months old baby girl living in Kumasi would have wished to have a normal childhood like any other child. She has however been denied this as she suffers from biliary Atresia.

Biliary atresia is a blockage in the tubes (ducts) that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. This congenital condition occurs when the bile ducts inside or outside the liver do not develop normally.

It is not known why the biliary system fails to develop normally. In babies with biliary atresia, bile flow from the liver to the gallbladder is blocked. This can lead to liver damage and cirrhosis of the liver, which is deadly if not treated.

For the fourth time she needed help for surgery in a bid to treat the complications which later developed in to Jaundice and Liver problems, Alabaster Heart International with the help of donors was able to extend a helping hand for her to undergo this surgery.

The benevolent support helped her as well to get other items like diapers and food to help sustain her in the treatment period. The family is happy you came to their aid.

You have been a blessing once again! You can keep on supporting us to reach out to those who need help.

For further information and support, contact us. Lets put smiles on the faces of the vulnerable together.

The post Little Eunice Can Smile Because Of Your Support appeared first on alabasterheartinternational.

For the many challenges in 2020 that characterized 2020 on a global scale, 2021 rather started with a great relief for some vulnerable and aged residents within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in Ghana, Western Region thanks to Alabaster Heart International and its donors.

The ‘Love In Action’ project was the foundation’s way of reaching out to the vulnerable and aged with food and other relief items after quite a harsh year.

Moved by the thought that these individuals do not have families to celebrate the festive season with or have enough the enjoy it, we sought to fill in that void by sharing with them them the joy of the gift of Christ and being their family that cares.

Also Read: God Cares All About You

Cut out in two phases, the first phase saw volunteers for AHI go round the hill-top settlement of New Takoradi distributing packages to aged individuals within the community.

In the second phase, homeless and destitute individuals who rely on the store-fronts and pavilions of the Sekondi-Takoradi Market Circle were given food and bags of water to help them satisfy this basic need that comes at a heavy price to many of them.

Once again, with your support, we have been able to restore hope and happiness, bringing back the joy we share because of God’s gift of Christ which we celebrate in the season. These people needed it the most at such critical time. God bless you.

Read Also: A PANICKING PANDEMIC; IN THE FACE OF DANGER AND HUMAN LIMITATION WHOM DO YOU CALL

Special acknowledgements goes to the Alabaster team in Ghana and Canada, Rev. and Mrs. Donkor; our president Mrs. Nana Adjoa Afari Boateng as well as all our benevolent donors in Ghana, Canada and across the world.

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3 John 1:2 says; “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth“

In John’s epistles of first, second and third John, he talks thoroughly about the love of God and encourages us to express this love to all and sundry.

Infact, he is clear of the fact that without this love, we cannot call ourselves children of God because we do not know Him (1 John 4:8).

The apostle John goes on to give deeper revelations on the love of God and in the second verse of his letter to Gaius and says that he wishes above all things that he (Gaius) will;

1. Prosper
2. Be in health and
3. As his soul prospers

Ultimately, as a Christian who is doing well with the church he as been assigned to of whom a good report had been received by the apostle John, one is easily inclined to think that like the apostle John indicated, his life is all spiritual, the point where God cares about.

But here, we get to see that God actually cares beyond that. He actually wishes that you and I prosper in other critical things; prosperity (financial) as well as health.

The Church has always and will always need resources of Christians not just in the form of time and commitment but also some money to get things going. When Jesus Christ told Peter that what belongs to Caesar must go to Caesar and that of God’s to God (Mark 12:12-17) , it was in relation to the payment of tax, something he made sure Peter paid for by giving him a direction on where to get the money.

It tells us that God cares about our financial lives and wishes that we will fulfill the financial obligations of our lives such that we will not be under any undue suffering.

Read Also: A PANICKING PANDEMIC; IN THE FACE OF DANGER AND HUMAN LIMITATION WHOM DO YOU CALL

Again, we see an instance of money come up in the parable Jesus tells of a master who travelled and gave some talents to his stewards. Upon his return and seeking report on the talents, the master was happy with the servants who were able to invest and multiply their and was displeased with the one who did nothing with the money.  

In his prayer that Gaius will “be in health”, the apostle John is essentially saying that he wishes for Gaius to be healthy at all times. Indeed, in the said scripture of 3^rd John, the apostle John commends Gaius for the good things he does of which he had received reports of and admonishes him to continue. The point here is that a sick Gaius will rather need visiting and not be able to do what he does for the Lord fully. Imagine that he is sick and bed-ridden; he would not be able either to get up, come to church and meet someone at the gate with a smile and say “welcome to church” or tell someone with a smile “God loves you”.

Good health; the prayer of Apostle John can therefore be regarded as a possession of the sons and daughters of God.

Christ teaches that He is the true vine and that all the branches that do not bear fruit (unhealthy) will be cut-off by his father (John 15:1-2). This implies that our health generally affects our Christian walk and may be a key propellant in how vibrantly we carry out our duties as followers of the cross. This does not however mean that anyone who is not in the best of  health is despised by God and unimportant; this is just a reinforcement that as Christians we should pay close attention to our health because our bodies are the temple of God. Hence, as much as we can, we should do our best to ensure that our bodies, hearts and minds are hospitable to the Holy Spirit just as we strive for our earthly homes to be.

What you have to do?

Firstly and most importantly, surrender wholly every aspect  of your life to the Lord. One thing we must take note of as Christians is that we not only have the opportunity to surrender our souls to Christ because He cares about everything of ours. We need thus to present everything pertaining to us to even as  He leads us to live lives that are always a blessing to others and will bring them to the saving knowledge of Him. .

Lastly, do our parts as humans to maintain a healthy body and mind. There are so many resources nowadays which provide adequate information on how to achieve this goal and as the Bible clearly tells us “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge my people perish”[Hosea 4:6]. Let us enrich ourselves with wisdom while praying to God for discernment while we decide on which of the various options work best for us. The key to living a healthy life is not a once size fits all approach; learn about yourself and apply what best works for you with guidance from the holy spirit.

Once again beloved, give your all to Christ today; Body, Spirit and Soul.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The post GOD CARES ABOUT YOU appeared first on alabasterheartinternational.

A quick survey of recent history suggests that sudden outbreaks such as COVID-19 are not very new, i.e. Ebola, SARS, Flu, etc. Whilst their causes have varying views, their effects on everything human – domestic, economic, educational, social, communal, personal are known to all of us. As Christian and non-Christian alike, it should be wise for us to respond holistically and from the point of view of God’s promises as we relate to the fact on the ground.

Will Graham has noted that, “It’s not just the virus people are afraid of – (mine: it is the impact/ implications it brings to our securities – economic, social, domestic and their derivatives). What about my job? Who will watch my kids if their school closes? Will my retirement funds ever come back?

In an ocean of anxiety, only the truth of Christ remains unchanged. People who put their trust in Him know how the story ends. The only real antidote to fear and uncertainty is God’s truth (mine: as revealed in the written, spoken and Incarnate Word).

With coronavirus cases on the rise, it’s tempting to panic. But during times like these, Christians are called to walk by faith. It may be impossible to avoid today’s scary headlines, but they don’t have to define you. God promises peace—no matter the circumstance—to those who trust in Him. Choose to focus on Christ instead of your fears, encourage one another with God’s word and precautionary steps. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus said (John 16:33) NIV.

After thorough reflections and meditations on what is currently happening globally, it suddenly dawned on me that it behoves on every individual; believer or not, to be there if not physically, but mentally for their fellow brothers and sisters. I acknowledge that times like these are unusual and somewhat solitary but at the end of this short piece, I am hoping that you will know that you are not at all by yourself; on the contrary, we are all in this together.

The name “Coronavirus” is one that has over the past few months become the global anthem for us all. It is described as many things including epidemic, pandemic, droplet, deadly virus as the name implies and a variety of other worrying terms which instantly makes us have a rise in our alertness. It is interesting to note humanity’s keenness to self-preservation and as well taking orders given by our healthcare workers and other higher entities.

Initially, I was very attentive to the 20 second rule of washing hands, frequency of hand washing throughout the day, and not stepping out of the house, as well as the other precautionary measures we are supposed to follow to prevent our being infected by the virus. Nevertheless, extracting myself from the situation and analyzing how the world finds itself in it right now, I came to a simple conclusion; one that others have agreed (on) as well. JESUS is the answer to all of this global chaos. This deduction is not based entirely on my religious affiliation; but rather on an objective meditation on the level of attention we alot to follow the rules. I wondered if these rules are indeed the best way of ensuring my safety. A lot of possible scenarios filled my imaginations, making me realize that we can only do so much as mere mortals. We can be vigilant by staying on high alert for a greater part of the time yet, on one occasion, lose ourselves and forget to avoid touching our faces, washing our hands often, or restraining from shaking hands. This made me understand that we are very vulnerable, because even before these rules were broadcasted, we may or may not have been in contact with people with the disease. Even if we got infected, by some divine intervention, we are alive and able to read this piece. Therefore, it is not just because of how cautious we were or how privileged we are, but by GRACE.

In keeping with the recent Easter celebration at such a time when the whole world is at a standstill, it is a privilege to be reminded that the One whom we follow is One who is exceptional in all ways, incomprehensible in His actions and most importantly, All-Powerful. Throughout history, He is the only Messiah whom the one thing we are guarding against now had no authority over; DEATH.

Therefore, if we give ourselves the opportunity to allow ourselves to trust in Him, we will be rest assured that He will come through for us and preserve us and all our loved ones. If we can pause being overly meticulous about staying on guard at all times, we can relax for a bit. We then can realize that the One whom we follow is the person who the clutches of death could not defeat. Thus we have HOPE in His resurrection power: “But God raised Him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:24) NIV.

In conclusion brethren, I will like to admonish you to be steadfast in the Lord. Even as we unitedly join our hearts all over the world to pray for healing, it is key that we remember that we stay planted in our unflinching faith in God, as James says; “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6) NIV.

Also, let us do well to adhere to the advice given by medical experts concerning the virus while we pray. Although I beseech you not to thoroughly conscientize yourselves on do’s and don’ts to be stressed as a result of being overly alert, it is important to still do the best we can to follow rules meted out to us by people with more knowledge on the disease while we add our consistent prayers , “and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7) NIV.

Written by: Josephine Nana Adjoa Afari

April 16, 2020

The post A PANICKING PANDEMIC; IN THE FACE OF DANGER AND HUMAN LIMITATION WHOM DO YOU CALL appeared first on alabasterheartinternational.