At the risk of sounding a little cliche- I am constantly amazed how God works in what we see as hopeless situations.  I am consistently being reminded that my God is far bigger and greater than I give Him credit for, and has better plans than I could ever come up with.  Not long after the above picture was taken, George Achibra negotiated Emmanuel's (yes, his name literally means "God is with us") release.  The picture below is one I took during his first semester of school (just 5 months later), while he was waiting for the bus in his new school uniform.  I can't wait to watch this little one grow up- He has a lot to teach me!

Want to get involved? Contact the Touch A Life foundation.  

Confession up front- as I sit down to write this, I am completely overwhelmed as my feeble attempts to write could never do this topic or this man justice, but here goes...

I listened to a sermon this past week, where the preacher mentioned a "holy discomfort".  Basically, God created you in His image.  If you see a need and are uncomfortable with leaving it the way it is, He may just be calling you to do something about it.  My mind immediately flashed to my friend George Achibra.  A humble, wise, joy-filled teacher in Kete Krachi (a town located at the north western part of the Volta Region, in Ghana), George, noticed a young boy walking by his home one day.  The boy looked tired, discouraged, overworked and underfed (as most of the trafficked children in the area do), so George started walking with him and asking questions.  He found out that John Arthur had been sold by his father to a fisherman in the area.  The two easily became friends, as John would walk by George's often.  Late one night the Achibra Family was awakened by the sound of a child crying.  They went outside to find John beaten, bruised and covered in blood.  George took him to the police who documented the case, and allowed him to care for the child until his family could be located.  George pursued finding John's family and was able to return him to his mother.  Unfortunately, a few months later on a follow-up visit, he found that John had been re-sold to another master in the fishing industry.  Immediately, George began renting a boat several times a week to find him.  On his search, he found countless other children in the same condition John was in... working each day on the lake for a master 12-16 hours with only one meal and no pay.

George eventually found John and was able to place him and six others at the Village of Hope, where food, clothing, shelter, and education are provided and family surrounds him.  That was 2 years ago now.  Today, George, with the help of Pam Cope and the Touch a Life Foundation, has been able to place 21 more children at the Village of Hope, 12 at the Village of Life (a vocational training program in Kete Krachi started by George and Touch a Life), and 24 children in an orphanage in Tema (started by Touch a Life as a home for children from Lake Volta).  

May all of our eyes be as open to see the needs around us, and our bodies, minds and hearts  as willing to work to fulfill them.  

Left: George with John Arthur in 2005 (photo courtesy of George Archibra).  Right:  John Arthur with George in 2009 at the Village of Hope.  

Want to know more about George and the work he is doing? Check out Emily George, who recently spent months with George gathering information for the Touch a Life Foundation, or visit PACODEP's website.