How It All Started by Reverend Meridith T. Graham

There are those who have always dreamt of traveling the world and meeting people of other nationalities. Although I have always been awed at God’s rainbow of humanity with its multifaceted hues and cultures, it was not my ambition to visit the global community. I remember my father saying, “You need to see the world, and not be trapped in one place.” Maybe it was these words that motivated me to choose a global mission trip to the Dominican Republic as my cross-cultural assignment at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in 2008. I was amazed with the experience of learning how others live, and partnering with them on community projects, and providing humanitarian relief. I entered this initial mission journey with little expectations, and surely did not believe it will impact the rest of my life. It was an assignment like any other that was a requisite for matriculation, or so I thought. Maybe it was the faces of children, and them reaching for bread; or it could have been seeing homes without indoor plumbing. It could have been the young boys willing to clean up my sneakers for some money to eat, or for certain the young girls being exploited seeking to support their families. I cannot tell you which of these experiences, may it was all of them that struck a chord in me that I was in some way called to be a part of the solution to help minimize or alleviate these hardships. 

I went on to graduate from seminary, and later was accepted in the Master’s Social Work Program at Loyola University Chicago. It was not until a couple of years later when I embarked on my second mission trip to Lesotho, Southern Africa that a vision was birth. I had for years sponsored a child in Lesotho through World Vision, and so when an opportunity came to join a mission team heading to Lesotho, I was on board. Therefore, with support from my church, family, and friends I returned to the land from whence my ancestors came, Africa. As I shared in ministry with others in clinics, orphanages, schools, and local villages, this kind of service for others with compassion which engenders hope ignited a flame in my heart. As I reflected in prayer, God inspired me to “Go and be a helper in the world,” and my response… “Yes I’ll go.” 

At that time, I had no idea about this process of “going," and as a couple of years past that burning flame would not let up. Thus, I began fundraising for my third humanitarian voyage which led me to the Republic of Ghana. It has been an amazing experience meeting others, making friends, and helping so many. To date I have been blessed to embark on eight humanitarian trips six of which have been to the Republic of Ghana (2013, 2015-2019). On these journeys, I have served orphanages, hospitals, community health centers, schools, and local villages. These experiences have been phenomenal! Henceforth I will continue these humbled efforts commission by Ambassadors of Hope Global Ministries, Inc. to bring messages of hope, with compassion, and service to others.