MOPS Africa: August 2021

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand" - Proverbs 19:21

What an answer to prayer the last few weeks have been.

After Covid cancelled plans for a Ghana MOPS conference in May 2020, the MOPS Ghana team watched a lot of planning, efforts, and funding go down the drain. But God had even bigger plans than we could have dreamed, and when an opportunity opened up to try again in August 2021, we decided to go all-in.

Chioma Obasi (Cohort Leader and Mentor Mom from Nigeria) and I flew into the capital city of Accra on Thursday, August 19 to kick off the opening ceremony of the MOPS conference. There was singing, performances, and a lot of excitement about the days to come. We also had the opportunity to meet Bishop Dr. Abban, the President of the National Clergy Association of Ghana, who is a big cheerleader of MOPS in the country.

Bishop Dr. Abban, President of National Clergy Association of Ghana

On Friday, we met with the leadership of Ghana's 41 MOPS groups for encouragement, training, and goal setting for the year ahead. I spoke about growth and how to thrive as a leader. We looked at what God might be telling us in our MOPS leadership, and we set tangible goals for how to lean into God this next year.

50 leaders were present for training day

Small group discussions on goal setting

Saturday, August 21 kicked off Ghana's National MOMCon, where 387 leaders, moms, and pastors from around Ghana joined us to celebrate the official recognition of MOPS by the government of Ghana within their list of country-wide organizations. Myself, Bishop Dr. Abban, and Rev. Dr. Joyce Roselind Aryee spoke. There was singing and dancing and cultural performances, as well. It was a truly impressive event, with so much planning by the local MOPS leaders. Church leaders in Ghana are extremely supportive of MOPS and after this week, I believe the growth will be stronger than ever. MOPS Ghana started its first group in 2019 and is now 41 groups strong all across the country.

Rev. Dr. Aryee speaking to the crowd

Chioma, me, and Harriet

In early August, we also had a continent-wide MOPS Africa training session with Sherri Crandall. We had the privilege of hearing her story, and we received some wonderful encouragement, as well.

An additional praise is the growth happening in French-speaking Africa. As a direct result of the training session from last month, there are 11 new MOPS groups in Ivory Coast and Mali. This is amazing.