Chicago, IL – Joel and Abigail Gratcyk, a married couple involved with the Christian missions ministry Fuel International, are planning an outreach trip to Ghana, West Africa from October 8-19, 2009. They are asking for small donations from individuals and organizations to help bring their plan to fruition.
The Gratcyks will travel with a small team from Fuel International and spend 11 days volunteering their time at an orphanage and a children’s ward in a Ghanaian hospital. While there, they will also take their evangelism and volunteer work efforts to local churches and groups in the poverty-stricken areas of Ghana.
Fuel International was launched in Crown Point, Indiana in 1996 as a nonprofit organization specializing in reaching people around the globe through mission trips. Today the group is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma and regularly sends its volunteers to places such as Cameroon, El Salvador and India. “Fuel International does whatever a local church thinks would be the most effective in reaching a community,” said Joel Gratcyk. “Those sorts of events include: youth conferences, school visits, business meetings, pastor training, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, medical clinics and church planting in addition to drama evangelism.”
Joel Gratcyk had volunteered in Ghana before. In 1999, he worked with the team that created a separate, Ghana-based Fuel International. That year, they brought their drama presentations to local villages, schools, and churches and donated a speaker box so the local Ghanaians could continue with evangelism. Since then, the outreach programs in the region have flourished, as the locals develop new performances and spread their influence to neighboring nations.
This year, Joel will be returning to West Africa with his wife in time for the tenth anniversary of Fuel International Ghana. In addition to volunteering, the Gratcyks look forward to celebrating the organization’
The total cost of the trip is $2,995 per person, including airfare, transportation in Ghana, food and lodging, and outreach supplies. Tax-deductible donations can be made via their website: http://helpsend.us
