Family's African Mission (From Crewe Guardian)

Sandbach Family Head To West Africa To Help Others

10:22am Tuesday 15th February 2011 in News

A SOUTH Cheshire family is packing its bags to chase its dreams of helping others overseas.

After half a lifetime of planning, the Griffin clan, who are living in Sandbach, will shortly be leaving the comforts of the Cheshire countryside to live in the more challenging climes of Burkina Faso in West Africa.

Since they were in their teens, Ben and wife Liz have wanted to work in this poverty-stricken part of the world.

And finally, along with their three children, Hannah, aged five, Luke, nine, and Josh, 10, they will be leaving on February 24.

Their departure follows a big send off last weekend from more than 50 friends and family from all over the UK.

Now in his mid-30s, Ben explained: “Right from when we first met as youngsters, Liz and I shared a dream after Liz had been stirred by a speaker from Africa to live and work in the Ivory Coast.”

In 1993 the couple became committed Christians, were baptised and they married four years later.

Ben studied Humanities and English Literature at the University of Humberside and likewise Liz attended Liverpool University studying Electronics and Computer Science.

After, they both found jobs, with Ben working for British Airways and Liz, with Marconi-Sonar for the following three years. The pair’s next port of call was a bible college at Bridgend, near Cardiff, then Ben and Liz moved to Dewsbury Evangelical Church where Ben was assistant pastor from 2003 to 2006 and worked with youth.

He then came back to his roots in Winterley as assistant pastor at Wheelock Heath Baptist Church for a year.

Then the whole family moved to Bordeaux in France for two years where they were supported by the church and others to learn French in order to equip themselves with the language spoken in the Ivory Coast where they were headed.

Unfortunately the couple were to face problems due to the growing civil unrest in their planned destination.

“So, we worked one more year in France, hoping the African situation would get safer,” said Ben.

The family returned to the local area and waited for the next seven months not knowing if they would ever achieve their goals.

And then, out of the blue an opportunity came up for the family to live and work in the neighbouring country Burkina Faso for at least two years.

Ben said: “It’s a shame we can’t go to the Ivory Coast because of the political problems.

"But this gives us a fabulous opportunity to serve God in a mission context and practice our French.”

Based in Ouagadougou Ben hopes to teach English in a Christian school.

He said: “We hope to be involved in youth work and bible study as well.”

Ben and Liz are one of many from Wheelock Heath Baptist Church who have gone out recently working on mission both here and abroad, some as young as 17.