After much prayer and counsel there are several among us that have realized Gods Will to carry out a Missons trip to Ghana.

The missionary outreach to Africa, led by Pastor Don Sauter of the Christian Hope Center of Corning, N.Y., will take place over approximately two weeks in February, 2010. More than a dozen parishioners aspire to make what will likely turn out to be a life-changing journey. "Everyone who goes on these trips comes back changed," said twenty-seven-year-old Pastor Sauter, who despite his youth has been to Ghana nine times.

The Ghana outreach began as a medical missionary effort in 1999, according to Pastor Sauter, starting out as a few suitcases full of medical supplies carried by hand. "Since then we've sent more than thirty 40-foot shipping containers full of millions of dollars worth of medical equipment-from bandages and medical tape to kidney dialysis machines and heart monitors, anything you can imagine," he said. "From there we started leading groups of people to Ghana regularly."

The initiative has since spawned, among other things, a pig farm called Pigs for Kids which raises and sells livestock to help children. An orphanage is also being built. "Missionaries may work in one of several orphanages we are involved with, help work on the new one we're building, or help deliver medical and other supplies to local clinics and villages," added Pastor Sauter. There is also a nearby leper colony; outreach to smaller communities who have never heard about Christ may also occur. "It depends on a lot of things, and we usually don't know exactly what we'll be doing until we get there." The missionary group will be based in a village near Cape Coast, Ghana, which is near most places they may go.

Although considered one of the more stable, peaceful nations in Africa, Ghana is still a country filled with need. Some children cannot attend school for lack of the $2 to pay for it, and many starve. "The poorest of the poor in America have it better than so many do in Ghana," Pastor Sauter explained. "In orphanages, for example, many children aren't even orphans, they're simply abandoned by their parents who cannot afford to support them. It's powerful to watch them, the unloved, learn about love and reach out to us as we reach back. It changes lives."

"I think it's important for everybody to go to a third world country in their Christian life," said Brian Lynch, Pastor of ALCC in Camden. "This is especially true for those who are new to the faith but goes for anyone: It's going to change their Christianity, to help them grow and learn what it means to serve Christ. Seeing the way others in the world live also provides a stark contrast to the blessings we often take for granted in this country. It's a life-changing experience."

From ALCC's humble beginnings in the early 1990s as a small group of evangelical Christians regularly meeting in a local restaurant, the church was based on Biblical teachings and community outreach, exemplified in the annual free community picnic held each summer, as well as the Eli Parker Community Youth Center of Camden, which provides a safe, fun environment for 150-200 local youths every Friday night. Although community service has been a foundational hallmark of ALCC, Pastor Lynch sees the value of a worldwide perspective. "As a whole I think we all need to look beyond what's in front of us and what we feel comfortable doing. Community outreach is very important, but we must think globally as well. Serving others in a third world country is a great way to do that," he said. In the past church members have gone on missions to the Ukraine, Mexico, and India.

Sixteen-year-old Mikaela Panucci, a junior at Camden High School who will be going to Ghana with the group, has been longing to go to Africa for a long time. "I've been dreaming about serving God in Africa ever since I gave my life to Christ," she said. "It's always been on my heart and I'm psyched to get a chance to go." So psyched, she explained, that she gave up a prominent role in the spring drama production at her school so she could make the trip. "I'm especially excited to see the orphanages and the children who need love. It's going to be amazing."