A Little Bit of Comfort

One of the most common questions I've gotten leading up to the move is "where will you live?" Anna and I are blessed enough to have an incredibly nice Mission Center that will house us for the next year. In August of last year, Kingdom Cares International finished building and held the grand opening for the beautiful center. The mission center provides a home in Ghana where vulnerable, neglected, voiceless, orphaned children can be cared for, educated, and given opportunities they otherwise would not receive. Anna and I will be staying in bedrooms designated for long term visitors. 

Outside of Mission Center

Bedroom

Bathroom

Since it's opening, the mission center has housed a wide range of kids and served in some capacity many, many others. None of this would be possible without the incredible housemother who lives and breathes to help and support these kids. We would like to introduce you the one who make this all possible, meet Comfort! 

Comfort Aveyo is an amazing woman! She is a loving, caring mother of two and serves as the housemoth­er of our children in the Asikuma Mission Center. Comfort has received training and been awarded a certificate through the Department of Social Welfare in Ghana. We were first connected to Comfort when the Sullivan family pursued the adoption of their now two daughters. With over eight years of social work experience and a personal mission similar to that of Kingdom Cares International, we knew that having Comfort on our international team was a necessity. Proverbs 31:25-26 describes her perfectly; “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tounge”. Being with children can be intimidating sometimes, especially if they are not of your bloodline. The rejected, the outcast, and the vulnerable are sent to Comfort and she nourishes them to be a good instrument for the society. Every­ one who knows Comfort can testify she is a blessing to both the children and the Kingdom Cares Mission Center. 

Anna and I are looking forward to getting to know Comfort as well as the approximate 20 orphan children that will also be living in the center while we're there. Although our main focus will remain on the school, teachers, and students, we both know ourselves well enough to know that we will be spending copious amounts of time with our newest roommates! I cannot wait to read to these kids, play with these kids, and love these kids. 

 Thanks for your continued love and support!

~Mary~

How Can I Help?

It's impossible to express just how overwhelmed we have been with the amount of love and support we have received from family, friends, and strangers. We truly are blessed to be surrounded by such an incredible support system and for that we are incredibly grateful!

With that being said, we have a long way to go to reach our fundraising goal. We are working hard so that when we arrive in Asikuma in 5 weeks we have funds to fully furnish the school, as well as, ensure all of the children have the necessary uniform and school supplies. Additionally, we will be working to guarantee that all of the children are receiving at least one meal at school per day. We will also will be using funds to work with the existing teachers at the school to promote effective and sustainable teaching. Our needs range from small to large and therefore every donation, no matter the size, can have a huge impact on the children of Asikuma. It's incredible to think that $30 dollars can make sure a child has at one meal every day at school. For many of them, it's the only meal they'll get all day.

We are doing everything we can on our end, but need your help! Please consider helping in a way that works best for you.


1. Buy A T-Shirt

For the next two weeks, we will be selling t-shirts with all proceeds going toward education development at the Kingdom Cares Community School. Visit the link below to get one of these one of a kind t-shirts!

https://www.bonfirefunds.com/kingdom-cares-international-school




2. Buy A Bag

Thanks to a very generous donation we have authentic Ghana should bags that we are selling for $20 a piece. All of the profit will be put directly toward the school. Please email, comment, or message us if you are interested in a bag. Supplies are limited.










3. Make a Donation 

Even after three trips to Africa, it blows my mind how far the American dollar can go. What I can spend in one night out to dinner, can feed a kid for an entire month. A single cup of coffee at Starbucks can provide an entire classroom with pencils. Please consider making a tax deductible donation that we can put toward developing the KCC school. 

https://kingdomcaresinternational.cloverdonations.com/sponsor-a-project/

4. Share Our Story 

Our friends and family are incredible, but our circles are only so big. Please don't underestimate the power of word of mouth. Share our links on your social media accounts. Wear your new shirt with pride and share our story when people ask about it. Send us the name of contacts that you think would be helpful. Tell your friends and families. Follow our blog. The more people that know about what we are doing, the more of an impact we'll be able to make on this village.   

5. Keep Us In Your Thoughts & Prayers

Although, we are both confident in the commitment we have made there are still plenty of unknowns and challenges that we will face. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Help give us courage, strength, and knowledge to get through the hard times and find joy in the good times!


There are truly no words to convey how much we appreciate everything that everyone has done and continues to do! This is not something that we could do alone and for everyone who has supported us in any way we will forever be grateful to you!

With love,

*Anna & Mary *

There's Something About Mary

It's hard to believe but Anna and I are only six weeks away from leaving for Ghana.  As the preparations continue we are working hard to fundraise and spread awareness for the school and work we will be doing.  With that being said, not everyone reading the blog may know both of us. Therefore, Anna and I are going to take the opportunity to introduce ourselves and share a little bit about why this is what we have chosen to dedicate the next year of our life to.  

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Mary Stang. 

I am from Sycamore, IL and just graduated from Drake University with a degree in elementary education and endorsements in special education, English as a second language, reading and math. While at Drake I had the privilege of studying abroad five different times in Uganda, Ghana (twice), Northern Ireland, and Finland. The summer after my freshman year I spent three weeks studying sustainable development in Uganda. This really sparked my love for not only traveling, but also spending time in third world countries. The following January my life was forever changed as I embarked on a 10 day J-term trip to Ghana. It was during this trip that I absolutely fell in love with the community of Asikuma and my life was forever changed. A year later I returned to Ghana on another Drake led trip and confirmed that this was something I wanted to pursue. 

If you had told me three years ago that this would be what I was doing with my life after graduation, I would have looked at you like you had three heads. I had no intention of traveling to or falling in love with Africa. I lived in my bubble, first Sycamore then Drake, and was unaware of what was going on in the world around me.  This didn’t bother me. I didn’t know any different. The thought of teaching abroad was not even in the back of my mind, but once I started traveling and started thinking about it I couldn’t stop. 

I don’t know why my mind constantly wanders to the red dirt roads. I don’t know why when other people think about their families my thoughts are somewhere in the village thinking about all the families who fight day in and day out to stay together as a family. I don’t know why when people complain about going to school I think about the kids who are fighting for the right to go to school and those who never had the right to an education. I don’t know why when people complain about cafeteria food I think about all the people who would do just about anything for a chicken bone let alone a full plate of subpar food. I don’t know why when people complain about how hot it is I think about those who walk miles to have water regardless if it’s clean. I don’t know why when people talk about being home sick I think about all those who don’t have a place to call home or a family who loves them. I don’t know why it’s the last place I think about before going to sleep at night and the first thing that crosses my mind in the morning.

But what I do know is that regardless of how hard of a decision it was to make and the sacrifices I will be making, I am truly looking forward to this next journey and seeing what is in store for me. I'm looking forward to growing as an educator and a person. I'm looking forward to getting to know the incredible kids and watch them make a difference in my life. And I'm looking forward to watching all of you make a difference in the lives of these incredible kids.

Please continue to follow us on this journey and share what we are doing. We are always more than willing to answer questions or give more information. If you feel compelled to make a donation or support the school in some other capacity please either email us at kccschool15@gmail.com or visit Kingdom Cares International.

~Mary~

A little Wisdom along the way

Mary mentioned in our last post we have a great support system of friends and family here in the US! We also have an excited support system in Ghana filled with loving and hard working people. One man that stands out is Wisdom Kojo Agbana. 

When I met Wisdom his warmth and passion stood out immediately. He is such a caring and hard working individual. He has done a great job of communicating with Mary and I about our up coming trip to Asikuma, Ghana. I take great comfort in the fact that Wisdom will be working side by side with us to help improve the education experience and the lives of the children in Asikuma. He is a great person to have on our journey and I know we, both Mary and I, look forward to working with such an extraordinary man.

As I am sure you can tell Mary and I have already developed strong bonds with the individuals in Ghana who we will be working with, but we want you to get to know some of them too! We are going to be blogging about some of the incredible people that we have the pleasure of working with!

Wisdom Kojo Agbana has been a part of the King­dom Cares International team for over 2 years and serves as our Operations Coordinator in Ghana. He was born in Asikuma and after finishing high school, pursued training in graphic design. Wisdom’s passion for his work allowed for many years of success in this industry.

A mutual friend in Ghana connected Kingdom Cares International (KCI) with Wisdom, which lead to relationships being built and them working with him on various projects. Simultaneously, God began a great work in his heart. “As I heard Kingdom Cares International’s mission of Isaiah 1:17, tears dropped down my face”, said Wisdom. He began by caring for the medical needs of adults and children with HIV in Asikuma and would spend hours at the hospital making sure they had all the right medication. Wisdom has a special passion for the children; he loves when they are around him and feels like he can be a voice that advocates for them.

KCIs relationship with Wisdom grew and so did their vision for what God was calling them to do in Asikuma. As the vision for building a mission center developed, Wisdom simply asked what he could do to support this great vision. Thereafter, he began taking courses on NGO operations and project management. Wisdom worked to sell KCIs vision to chiefs and other stake­holders in Asikuma, manage the construction of the mission center all the way to its completion, and ensure that the orphans they were already caring for had everything they needed. According to Wisdom, “It brings me great joy when people come to me and I am able to meet their physical needs and share the gospel with them.

Please continue to follow out journey on www.facebook.com/KCCSchool or email kccschool15@gmail.com to get more information on how you can support us!

With love, 

| Anna |  

Pre-Trip Thoughts

As Anna and I get ready to leave in August, we have been spending a lot of time working to get all of our ducks in a row. We've been working on fundraising for the school, gathering supplies, and coming up with a game plan for when we arrive in Asikuma. However, on top of all this we are both working multiple jobs this summer and trying to spend time with our family and friends that we are going to be saying goodbye to in less than two months.

As a result, I often times don't know how to respond when people ask me if I'm excited. The straightforward, easy answer is "yes, of course!" However, when it all boils down the answer isn't quite so simple. Some days I'm excited, but other days I'm overwhelmed, anxious, or I barely even think about the upcoming move. At this point in time, it hardly seems real that in two months I'll be living in Ghana.

But luckily for me, I have an incredible support system that has been with me every step of the way. From making the decision to fundraising to preparing for the move to listening to me, I couldn't ask for better family and friends. They have listened to me panic and helped calm my nerves. They have listened to me gush about this experience and never once told me to stop talking. They have bought t-shirts and donated financially. They have given advice. They are the best and I know Anna feels the same way! We are truly blessed.

This is only the beginning. Anna and I will continue to have our ups and downs, but I know that both of us are anxiously looking forward to this experience. I couldn't ask to have a better friend or educator taking this risk with me. All we ask is for your continued love and support. Follow our journey. Support the school financially. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are looking forward to sharing our journey with you!

Please continue following our journey at www.facebook.com/KCCSchool or email kccschool15@gmail.com to get more information as to how you can support us!

~Mary~

The Start of a Journey!

After graduating from Drake University, we'll be embarking on a year-long adventure to improve education in Ghana, Africa. When sharing this decision with people, many people have asked why Africa and what exactly we will be doing. Please allow us to elaborate.

Why Ghana? We have both had the opportunity to take two incredible, life-changing trips to this developing country in Western Africa. While there, we spent a good portion of our time in a rural village called Asikuma. Here we not only learned a lot about ourselves, but the world we live in.  We fell in love with the people, the way of life, and the country. We are now compelled to go and give back to a place that has given us so much.

When reflecting back on our time spent in Ghana, there is not one specific moment when we knew that moving there was going to be our next step in life. However, we both have had the opportunity to teach in the schools and experience firsthand the disparity and need that hinders learning there. Picture 30 students gathered under a large tree sitting on broken benches huddled around a single cracked chalkboard trying to learn. Picture a small classroom filled with over 60 kindergarten age students trying to gain the attention of a single teacher. Picture five year olds running over their classmates trying to get to the front of the room only to ask to go next door to get the family’s only pencil from their older brother or sister. Picture the children who are not fortunate enough to be enrolled in school hiding behind the trees that line the school grounds, standing for hours on end to try and hear what their friends are learning. This is the environment, which we’ve taught in and experienced, but more importantly these are the realities of education and everyday life in rural Ghana.

While in Asikuma we will be working for Kingdom Cares International, a non-profit organization that works sustainably in Ghana to improve the lives of many through education, community outreach, and the development of transferable skills. The primary focus of our work will be to help develop the primary school that Kingdom Cares opened earlier this year. Our goal is to create a curriculum for children that allows them to learn everything necessary to pass the high school entrance exam that is necessary for them to further their education. We will be working very closely with a team of teachers there to ensure that the students are being taught effectively, and that the school is running smoothly.

This is an extremely exciting, yet nerve wracking time for both of us. We would like to invite you to join us on our journey. Many people have asked what they can do to help and support us as the departure approaches! 

How you can partner with us:

Give: We are going to be working in a school and community that has a lot of expected and unexpected needs. Our goal is to raise significant funds to help cover the needs of the school and students. Some possible uses for the funds include feeding 200 school children on a daily basis ($200 per day), student uniforms ($13-14), teacher salaries ($100 per month per teacher), student transportation ($150 per week), and educational materials.

Donations can be made in two forms.

• Become a part of the 1200 club! To help meet the needs as they arise on a monthly basis, we are asking you to consider a recurring donation of $100.00 or more a month. In return, you will receive a monthly newsletter with project updates and have your name displayed in the Kingdom building and on the website.
• kingdomcaresinternational.cloverdonations.com/1200-club/

·      Make a one-time donation to Kingdom Cares International toward Education Development in Ghana:  

• kingdomcaresinternational.cloverdonations.com/sponsor-a-project/

Follow Us:

Like the Kingdom Cares Community School Facebook Page and/or follow our blog: Here you will find more information about the school, projects, and we will also post updates and pictures throughout our endeavors so you can follow the journey.

·      https://www.facebook.com/KCCSchool

·      http://kccschool.blogspot.com 

Information about donating:

1.     All donations are tax-deductible.

2.     Please label all donations

3.     Checks can be made out and mailed to:

          Kingdom Cares International at 6095 NE Industry Drive Des Moines, IA 50313

4.     Give online by visiting the corresponding link above.

If you have questions or would like more information about the work we will be doing in Ghana, please do not hesitate to email us at kccschool15@gmail.com.

Thank you in advance for your love and support!

*Anna & Mary*