African Hope Update | Natalie’s Mission Trip

Dear Friends and Family,

As most of you know, Operation Hope has sponsored an African boy named Wisdom. Wisdom Amanquandoh is a ten year old boy from the village of Gomoa Fetteh in Ghana, West Africa. Wisdom was a deaf mute for nine years and then God opened his right ear! Wisdom has been in the United States for ten months. He has had heart surgery, speech therapy, home schooling, dental work, and a cataract removed. We thank God that He has provided for all of this and for a hearing aid too. He will be returning to his momma, Cynthia, and his older brother Dominic at the beginning of March.

I have the opportunity to travel to Ghana, with a team, to return Wisdom to his mother. While there, we will register Wisdom for school at Hope Academy, a Christian school that has been ranked the number one academic school in Ghana. His brother also attends Hope Academy so the two boys can travel together on their bikes. The team will also be buying Wisdom a bicycle. We will be staying at the Village of Hope which runs Hope Academy. The Village of Hope is an orphanage. Our goal is to serve in whatever way the ministry asks of us. We will also be contacting the nurse at the orphanage and asking her to store Wisdom’s hearing aid batteries.

The team will be in Ghana March 1st thru March 10th. I will be traveling to Accra on the 10th and staying until April 8th. My mission in Accra is as follows:

* Volunteering with Christian School in East Legon
* Working with local church in Accra
* Assisting with Youth group in West Legon
* Aiding Beacon House Orphanage
* Visiting Friends in the Greater Accra Area

Please pray for me and my traveling companions. Also, if you are able to support me financially on my trip, the cost will be approximately $2,000.

Tax deductible donations can be made payable to African Hope and sent to:

African Hope
P.O. Box 1123
Lancaster, Ohio 43130

Online secured Paypal at http://africanhope.com/involvement/giving-financial.aspx

Thanks so much for your prayers and support!

Love,

Natalie Budd

African Hope Update | January 31, 2010

February Prayer and Praise List

This list is sent monthly to all the prayer partners and financial supporters.

We would appreciate your prayers and if you desire to support this ministry we have a secure website using Paypal http://africanhope.com/involvement/giving-financial.aspx

Praise

* Pastor Sampson has vision of adopting several children in Ghana
* Pastor Joseph began evangelizing Ashongman Village
* March Outreach Team logistics finalized
* Outreach to Liberia on track
* June GO Team developing in Southern Ohio
* Pastor Sampson and Pastor Charlie holding Easter Conference in Winneba Ghana April 1-5
* Pastor Charlie and Pastor Joseph presenting a Youth Evangelism School in Accra this August
* Pastor Sampson prepared for June Team and awaits signs, wonders and miracles of this outreach
* Youth Rally 2010 in development (over 10,000 attendance expected)
* New partner in ministry with Africa Public Radio
* Wisdom cleared by cardiologist and optometrist to return to his family in Ghana

Prayer

* Outreach team ministering at Village of Hope Orphanage departs March 1
* Wisdom returning with March Team
* Natalie Budd also ministering with team then volunteering at American International School until April 8
* Travel and Health mercies for all team members
* Children who may be adopted by pastor Sampson and his wife
* Bernice needs sponsorship for school fees for next school term
* Outreach to Liberia and Sierra Leon with Pastor Conference
* Upcoming New church plants
* Youth Rally 2010, to reach thousands in this one day event in Accra Ghana
* Ghana Vehicle needs many repairs and new tires

African Hope Update | Update from Joseph

The following is an update from Pastor Joseph Jackpong in Ghana:

Pastor Charlie

It’s been a week of great possibilities. Weekly report, include,

Sunday 24-1-2010 church attendance was 93 in number thus 50 adults and 43 kids.

SERMON TOPIC: I am empowered For Possibilities John 4: 4

SALVATION one soul saved.

Name: Patience Tawiah

Baptisms: No Baptism

Travels:  visited Ashongman Village on Monday 18-01-2010 with Pastor Francis Afflo on church Planting Mission.

Also visited Ashongman Village after church services with Pastor Charlie Budd on mission for church Planting. Met with the indigenous GA citizens to tell them our mission. It was a funeral day and many lost souls had been drinking all day. The group we spoke with said they were Presbyterians. This is strong traditional village. We were told that many churches have come and failed.

Prayer Needs:

1. Meeting place for Church Plant in Ashongman village

2. Growth of church in Ashongman Estate and and the Establishment of new and Backsledding souls.

Victories: Tsama Godwin Healed of chronic Stomach pain. Patience Tawiah joined church.

Pictures include, Pastor Charlie Budd of African Hope Encouraging Church to share gospel with others.

Group picture of Adult church with Pastor Charlie Budd, Mama Elizabeth encouraging church to win souls for Christ and Belinda and Rhoda ministering in songs.

Pastor Joseph Jackpong

Shaking it up in Ghana

Praying that your week begins uneventful.  :-).

Ghana is so lost…last night there was a major scare in this country. The phones at the Baptist Guest House were ringing at 3 AM and all the staff here was in panic. Someone had started a rumor that an earthquake was coming…

Many Ghanaians believed it. There were stories that the Gov’t wanted everyone outside…outside of what was not clear. But it has been confirmed that people all over the country followed this order from the Gov’t…even though there was no actual order. In Takoradi there were reports that the city park was full of people at 3 AM. There was a panic and you could hear people outside our gate in the middle of the night.. I was awakened by the phones, but kept awake by the commotion in the streets. People are still in fear of an earthquake. The TV and newspaper images of Haiti have touched the people here in a deep way. Many organizations are doing fundraisers for the people in Haiti. There is a huge awareness of how this could indeed happen in Ghana. There are no building codes to speak of, there are no emergency plans for such a tragedy, and the superstitious people believe that it is coming. This fear is still growing on the streets. I was drawn to these passages this morning.

Luke 21:11  And great earthquakes shall be in different places, and famines and plagues. And there shall be terrors and great signs from Heaven.

Mark 13:8  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be earthquakes in different places, and there shall be famines and troubles. These things are the beginnings of sorrows.

The End Times are upon us, but are we in the final days? I shudder to think this is true but upon reading further in these passages you find Jesus Christ saying

Mark 13:10  And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.

This very statement from Christ takes me to the nations. Firstly to share the Good News that Jesus is alive and secondly to be part of the “proclaiming to all nations” so that the Bride of Christ is prepared for the return of Jesus.

 Luke 21:36  Watch therefore, praying in every season that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things which shall occur, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Keep Praying

Pastor Charlie

African Hope Update | January 7, 2010

As I was growing up it was a treat to have my grandparent place a call to our home phone. Now it sounds funny to call it the home phone. Long distance calls were expensive and rarely were any made from our phone. O.K., that was 40 years ago and communication with telephones has drastically changed. I would have never imagined that my mother would have a home phone with unlimited long distance and a cell (mobile) phone for when she is not at home. These changes are also making a huge impact on Kingdom Building and foreign missions. Praise God!

As the Director of African Hope I am responsible for ministry and the overseeing of projects on two continents. This has been simplified through Internet technology (email IM chat, Facebook, etc.) and telephony advancements (texting, phone internet and international calling card). Technology is our friend.

Yesterday I called the Director of Village of Hope in Gomoa Fetteh, Ghana, for some scheduling. Three others are returning to Ghana when Wisdom has his family reunion. These three will be ministering at the orphanage after returning Wisdom to his mother, Cynthia. Director Asare is very excited that these three have ministered in this area in 2008. They will also be training others to change batteries in Wisdom’s hearing aids, then enrolling him in Hope Academy with his brother Dominic. Do you want to go with us March 1st?

I also sent text messages and received a phone call from Pastor Joseph. He is Ministering in two areas of Ghana and is experiencing a tremendous amount of spiritual battle. I join him in a few weeks to work on this church plant. Do you want to go with me?

Email is a wonderful tool also. I am in contact with pastors in many nations trying to put together conferences for March and youth rallies in June/July. Many of the pastors are also Facebook friends who I can chat with daily.

As I set here at my desk there are 2 phone cards for calls to Africa, 3 different telephones, my computer which is on Yahoo Instant Messenger, and Facebook. I have used all of these today to communicate to and from Africa. It is all coming together!

Orphanage outreach, church plants, returning Wisdom, planning conferences, youth rallies and putting together another outreach in June. Do you want to go with me in June?

I will be speaking in Pomeroy Ohio this Sunday.

Keep Praying,

Pastor Charlie

Sacrifice

Below are pictures of Pastor Joseph’s church plant in Ashongman. It is now officially 2 years old. God has put it on our heart to plant another church in Ephenia. As Joseph travels he is relinquishing his salary to others who are pastoring the church in his absence. He called again today to say he need food and water. Please pray for him. We will be transferring funds to him tomorrow. Keep up the GOOD WORK! Keep praying. Pastor Charlie

African Hope Update | A Note from Joseph

“Thanks for prayers encouragements and support.I am priveledged to have you as a spiritual father.I have sent you laters pictures of me, childrens church and adults church wif elder Jonathan and Agyeman encouraging the church.INDEED WE must plant a church this year.have many bills to pay please do send me a relief this week.THANKS“

African Hope Update | December 30, 2009

I have met with the African Hope Board Members several times over the last month for many reasons. Primarily we are attempting to operate the ministries of African Hope in a more efficient manner. We are also attempting to fund more schools, orphanages, churches and events to better serve more students, teachers, orphans, pastors and new believers. Ministry is growing in Africa and in the USA. Our prayers have been for God to grant the wisdom and discernment needed to do all of this efficiently. We are believing God to deliver on His vision to come to fruition in 2010. We accept that His answers to these prayers may seem backwards/upside down/contrary to what we might accept as the norm. So we continue to pray for greater wisdom in operating multiple ministries on multiple continents.

Two pastors mentored over the previous two years are planting strong churches in Ghana. These men have been sacrificing for the Kingdom for many years and the fruit of their sacrifice has been growing new churches. Pastor Joseph has traveled several hours from his church in Ashongman to a potential plant in Ephenia. As he is doing the initial research and contacts for this new church he has experienced very intense spiritual battle. He remains standing in this battle and moving forward to do Kingdom Building in this new area. Pastor Joseph sent me this text message three days ago;

Daddy, is not being easy. still struggling financially with hunger n thirst. pls support. Have a joyous n blissful Christmas. Thanks. Joseph

That night I arranged an impromptu African Hope Board Meeting where I made a motion to cut my salary by one third. Money needed to go to ministries has increased, pastors need assistance in outreaches, and we desire to minister to even more needy people in 2010. The motion was passed unanimously; even Kim voted to cut my salary by one third. African Hope is much more than the Budd family and there are many expenses for performing this Ministry of Hope.

As I travel back and forth to Africa this year I will be available for speaking opportunities in the USA. This calendar will be posted soon on the website. Your Pastor needs a day off and we are happy to come and share what God is doing in Ghana, West Africa. The Budds will be doing additional fundraising to raise the ministry to another level in the battle for Kingdom Building. Look for an enhanced website very soon to focus on projects; schools, churches and multipurpose facilities. We will also offering opportunities to sponsor Pastors, teachers, students and events in 2010. It is going to be a banner year as we GO and GROW. Do you want to be part of this exciting ministry?

Keep Praying,

Pastor Charlie

Please prayerfully consider a special year end donation to this ministry. Your tax deductible gift must be post marked by December 31st. You can also use the secure African Hope website that offers PayPal for a simple online donation.

African Hope Update | December 18, 2009

Wisdom has had another milestone in his care. On Monday his congenital cataract was removed from his right eye and a corrective lens implanted in his left eye. After 10 years he has light coming into his right eye. Doctors are not sure what can happen with 10 years of no sight but we believe in another miracle in Wisdom’s life. His foster parents needed to travel to Michigan for the procedure which was donated entirely. There has been very much traveling for the foster parents who go to where the treatments, procedures, care, therapy and doctors are located. All the doctors, hospitals, clinic’s time, treatment and care are donated. Thanks to these special people who love Wisdom and are now making plans on returning him to his family in Ghana. Cynthia, Wisdom’s mother, is truly thankful for all that has been done for her son. Although she misses Wisdom, she is happy he is here in the USA getting the much needed care that could not be acquired in Ghana. Additionally, Wisdom’s foster parents have made it possible for his brother, Dominic, to attend a quality school, Hope Academy, in Gomoa Fetteh. In January Wisdom has follow up appointments with his heart doctor in Cincinnati and the optometrist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We are praying that we can begin the process of returning Wisdom to his home after these doctor visits.

Back in Ghana Pastor Joseph has been having some serious battles. Not so surprising this has begun with his outreach to yet another community. The village of Ephenia is his current area for launching a new church. Just planting would not be enough! We have been planning on this for over a year and now Joseph has reached out to this community and has experienced almost daily setbacks. Some setbacks are in the newly evangelized area, some in the church in Ashongman, some with his health, some with his personal relationships, some financial and other in his traveling. As Pastor Joseph battles for this new church to be established he keeps smiling, he knows that the enemy does not want to give up this territory. A full week of daytime outreach activities and nightly revival meetings is planned for March 2010. Joseph and I will be there… will you?

Keep praying,

Pastor Charlie

African Hope Update | December 11, 2009

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays!

The Budd’s have truly enjoyed the last 6 months as we have traveled extensively to share the testimony of what God is doing through this mission. Over the previous 6 weeks we have also been renovating our old house in an attempt to establish a base here in the USA. With excitement I want to report we have completed both. Last Sunday we spoke at our last scheduled church, then last night Kim and I hung the last set of curtains.

One of the small pleasures for Kim is to retrieve the mail each day. Yesterday was no exception, after lunch she walks to the end of the driveway to fetch the mail. We were just back from speaking to banks about refinancing our home. This will enable us to do ministry on multiple continents. Having no other debt other than the house and with perfect credit there will be no difficulty in doing the refinance. Up until this week there just had been no time to go through this process. Included in the sales fliers, Christmas cards and the utility bill was a letter from a church partner of African Hope. The church has been a long time supporter of African Hope and we have many dear, long time friends attending this local church. Kim read the mail and then asked me to come into the office so we could discuss something. The letter announced that they will continue to prayerfully support this family and ministry but are no longer financially supporting African Hope.

We praise God that through this tough economic time, through all this transition and throughout this year that this is the only set back in monthly donations to African Hope. We recently have had several new partners in monthly finance but this money has already been allocated to additional programs. We also praise God that the fundraising has been very successful this year; ministry in Ghana cannot be suspended while we are away from the country. Pastors are being supported, programs are being funded, children’s school fees are being paid and much more. The planning for 2010 Youth Rally (July) is already underway in Ghana!

If you have been considering a special donation or becoming a monthly financial partner with African Hope we need you to prayerfully consider beginning today. Next year promises to be our greatest year of outreach…we are praying for 10,000 new believers as we go about Kingdom Building in the USA and through out Africa.

Keep Praying,

Pastor Charlie