Our Story

Growing Through Relationships

The following year, Two Pennies returned with a team of seventeen volunteers. While part of the team led a Vacation Bible School at Countryside, another group helped build a church for a congregation that had lost its place to worship after the local school could no longer host them. It was also during that trip that the ministry first met Edward Adu Tarbi, who had come from Tema with a volunteer team from his church. At the time, no one realized how significant that meeting would become.

Over the next several years, the ministry continued to grow—not because it followed a carefully designed strategy, but because one relationship naturally led to another. As the team spent more time in Ghana, it became clear that overseeing a large orphanage with more than 125 children from thousands of miles away was not where God was leading. Instead, Two Pennies began investing more deeply in Love & Care Children’s Home in the village of Asebu. Between 2014 and 2015, the ministry partnered with Love & Care to build a new home where children could grow up in a safe, stable environment with room to learn, play, and thrive. Over time, sponsors were found for every child, allowing each one to receive not only practical support but also the encouragement of people committed to walking alongside them throughout their lives. Looking back, those years taught an important lesson that continues to shape the ministry today: lasting impact is measured less by the number of projects completed than by the strength of the relationships that remain.

A New Community

By 2018, those relationships had opened another unexpected door. The ministry was invited to partner with the village of Akim Kwameng in completing a medical clinic, maternity ward, and nurses’ residence—projects that local leaders had envisioned for years. Working alongside the community rather than directing it reinforced a philosophy that had been quietly taking shape since the very beginning: lasting development happens when local leaders are equipped to pursue the vision God has already placed in their own communities.

The following years marked another significant transition. In 2018, Two Pennies became an independent nonprofit organization, allowing the ministry to devote itself fully to the work God was continuing to develop in Ghana. Then, in 2020, Edward shared a vision that would shape the next chapter of the ministry. He believed meaningful employment could transform his hometown through a cassava mill that would provide stable jobs and restore dignity through work. Two Pennies embraced that vision and hired Edward to lead the ministry’s first full-time work in Ghana. What began with a single business gradually expanded into additional sustainable enterprises, a Training Center, an Innovation Lab, pastoral development, and programs for children and families. Although those ministries appear very different on the surface, they all grew from the same conviction: developing people creates opportunities that continue to multiply long after individual projects are complete.

A New Direction

Today, Two Pennies Ministry continues to grow, but not because it follows a detailed master plan. Nearly every opportunity has grown from relationships that have been built over many years and from leaders who have been willing to dream, learn, and serve together. Looking back, it is clear that God was doing far more than opening doors for ministry—He was shaping the ministry itself. What began with orphanages and short-term mission trips has become a long-term commitment to developing people, strengthening local leadership, and creating opportunities that continue to bear fruit for generations. While our story is still being written, our calling remains the same: to walk alongside communities in Ghana as together we honor dignity, discover purpose, and fulfill potential.