Eight La Sierra University students and Lawrence T. Geraty, LSU president, traveled for three weeks during August and September to Ghana, Africa, to take part in an evangelistic project.

Each person who went to Ghana preached a sermon daily and were driven to and from the sites by the pastor of their assigned church district. The La Sierra students who participated in the Ghana evangelism project included Yara Gomez, Manuel Arteaga, Daniel Estey, Chris Famisarian, Mark Tatum, Emmanuel Nelson, Stacy Gurgil and Lorena Salto.

“It was Robert Folkenberg’s Global Evangelism program that provided the equipment, site, organization, supervision (through Benny Moore) and some of the travel money,” says Geraty. “Funds were also supplied from Bill Tucker’s Quiet Hour and the Pacific Union Conference evangelism fund. The students were responsible to raise the rest of the money.”

“It was a life changing experience. It opened my eyes religiously and socially,” says Emmanuel Nelson, senior psychology major. “I studied my Bible every morning to fortify myself. The forces of Satan are more apparent there. I preached in a Catholic schoolyard to about 120 people. There were about five other denominations preaching near me and most people came to up to watch ours because we had the big screens and videos.”

“The arrival of the president of La Sierra University in Kumasi was news,” says P.O. Mensah, president of the Ghana Union Adventist Conference. “Geraty’s sermons and manner of presentations each night were unique and undiluted. Those of us who visited his site learned a lot from his varied experiences and methods. We praise God for his ministry.”

“I preached to about 400-500 people each night,” says Geraty. He chose the site of Ghana while Jodi Cahill, director of Homebase Missions at La Sierra, identified and helped train the students who went on the trip. The church where Geraty preached was under construction.

“It was the first time I did something like this,” says Geraty. “This was valuable spiritually, to me personally. I was really proud of the La Sierra University students. They come back transformed. It was also great to learn about another part of this diverse world.”

“If God can use an ignorant, unqualified person [like me] because he said, ‘Yes, I will go,’ then He can use anybody,” says Manuel Arteaga, junior business/pre-seminary major. “In Ghana, life is simple, less artificial. People are extremely happy for the gospel. It was amazing to see how much they love God and Jesus.”

“I am surprised that Geraty was not an evangelist but a teacher,” says Adu Boateng Kwasi, the organist for Geraty’s campaign in Ghana. “His delivery was fantastic. I am sure that is what the Holy Spirit is capable of doing.”

“Overall, I am more aware of the tactics that Satan uses to get me down,” says Yara Gomez, senior business administration major. “I was lucky to be used as God’s vessel to help spread his word.”

“La Sierra University is my new mission field,” adds Arteaga. “I plan to start an evangelism team here on campus. I am more aware of the urgency to preach the gospel.”

“The union president gave beliefs and 1,200 people shouted back an answer to the baptismal questions,” says Geraty, who held baptismal classes for around 100 people toward the end of his series. “When we baptized the people, they had no robes and it was pouring rain. I prayed by name for each person that I baptized and told them to hold my arm. Some of them were terrified of the water and I had them face land.” More than 500 people were baptized as a result of God working through the La Sierra University evangelistic efforts.