Rev.Dr Joyce Frimpong Launches Book On Celebral Palsy   

The head pastor of the Assemblies of God, Jehovah Jireh Assembly, Reverend Dr Joyce Frimpong has launched a book on Cerebral Palsy.

RARE REFLECTIONS
The Book with title , Rare Reflections is the account of Reverend Dr Joyce Frimpong who gave birth to her first child with palsy due to the administration of ergot; a medication that fastens the labour process.

In view of that, she was forsaken in church, abandoned by the few friends she had, leading her to questioning the existence of God. A year after her first female child, she took seed, but was very afraid of giving birth to second child with palsy. Holding on to the promise of God, she believed him to undo her thoughts.

John Dewy an American philosopher and educator once said “we don’t learn from experience .we learn from reflecting an experience” in the cause, patience and peace were birthed in her. The pain led her to learning great lessons of life.

In her book “Rare Reflections” contains eight chapters describing the challenges she went through and additional two, a Charge and Prayer of salvation.

From her first chapter, DILEMMA, she describes dazzling sections and patches of her life experience which from onset was dark like dawn. It was the hardest season for her to experience. As she longed for a change in season, she looked to the sky as the sunrays pierced the clouds for a brighter day.

Narrating her story, Rev. Dr Joyce Frimpong said she was born as a victim of circumstances and grew up partly in a pagan family in the far-flung village –AKWAMU-FIE along the Akuapim-Togo range near the Volta River in the Eastern region she lied in a family house with her maternal grandmother ,her sisters and Aunties together .

She was the beloved of all her aunties. The caring and pampered was awesome but that did not get her head, very intelligent and studious second to none in all stages of schooling.

Life for her was pleasing, allowing life to take its cause. Taking up opportunities as they came her way and bore in mind that she was a winner. That consciousness was birthed in her grandmother and aunties.

Her grandfather who lived miles away in Aproku –mase near Aseswa played vital role in her life ensuring her fees are paid for school.

She lost her grand Paa at age 16, which made her at live to the village to join her mother who had settled in marriage with three children at GIMPA .she assumed her position of service to everyone in the house.

As zealous and industrious as her mother was, she sold popcorn at Tudu, Accra station to raise the needed funds to support her mother to pay for her tuition fees and up keeping at school.

Due to hard work and determination, she passed her final exams and got admission to Accra Polytechnic .God works in mysterious ways, she had a good friend in school who made life heaven on earth on campus right from second year till she completed.

She got a job opportunity with a woman not well educated but wealthy who sold clothing materials at the Makola market and kept up to date records of all transactions ,built rich rapport with great people that came her way in society which exposed her to lots of opportunities. That led her to join the Full Gospel Business Men’s fellowship international in the 90s, where she surrendered her life to Christ and fellowshipped with the Assemblies of God, Adenta Branch.

Marriage and child bearing was easy for her she really went through dilemma.

ANGER
Of all the things in her heart ,secretly ,anger was one of the most intense ,destructive and unhealthy emotions she experienced it was a drastic life changing consequences as she did not handle it in the proper way she fulfilled both proverbs 15:18 and 30:33 .anger was caused by the pressures around.

PREDICAMENT
Her experience at the labor ward was between life and death issue, the midwife suggested an induced labour to alleviate the stress, trauma and oedema she was going through. She trusted everything into the hands of midwife rather than God; at the end she was given ergot.it undeniably worked as expected therefore her pregnancy was induced she was in labour pain for two weeks she couldn’t bear the pain any longer until she called on a nurse friend from korle-bu teaching hospital as a midwife ,on her arrival she examined and realized she had dilated 3 centimeters .immediately was rushed to korle-bu for surgery the only option she had in getting the baby is by caesarean section .natural birth was a danger to her health.

FORSAKEN
The spirit of man always sustains his infirmity, but what shall we do when the spirit is wounded? Hers was wounded too. The injustice and cruelty from my friends was nothing to write home about. These friends hated her without cause; she did not do to them the least injury that they should bear her in such ill-will.

FEAR & FAITH
Her knowledge on palsy was limited, rejected the news in fear, fear and pain of already having a child who had a lifelong disability .couldn’t have another child with any kind of palsy. Battled with the unknown. Her only hope was to hold on to the word of God.

ENTREATY
Akin to Jesus parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18, I decided to work with it .even though her challenges keeps increasing every day, prayer cease from her .her prayers was not the “BLESS ME” ” GIVE ME” type as many will do ,she prayed heartfelt prayers . All she expected was for God to prove himself in her life and that of her two children.

PATIENCE
Like gold, she was put through the furnace of trials and temptations to be purified. Fascinatingly, as the heat intensified in the furnace during the melting stage and as scorching as it was, there was a delay in the getting the desired outcome –gold .Patience is a golden virtue.

SOBER THINKING
Amidst the challenges, she desired to understand and to do the will of God. Living ordinary live in the evil days as long as she exercised patience, it was necessary for her to be wise to make the most of every opportunity. Ensured to walk by the Spirit and not to gratify the desires of the flesh. Giving attention to the leading of the Spirit was vital.

CHARGE TO YOU
Believe in the well-being of your children completely, the grace given you as a parent. Proverbs 22.6 says “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”

She is the author of the book ‘RARE REFLECTIONS’. Revd. Dr.Mrs. Joyce Frimpong holds doctorate degree in counselling psychology and research fellow with SAMBO at university Illinois, UC, USA is a clergy at the Assemblies of God, Jehovah Jireh branch at lake side estate. She is a regular panelist of the weekend family review GTV LIFE. She and her husband Mr. Fredrick Frimpong have been married for 25 years and have 2 children.