Our Story
Our story began in 2002 with Michael, a young man forgotten and struggling with alcoholism. One afternoon, after praying for over five hours for lost souls, Daniel NB Lamptey felt guided to evangelize to locals. While at the city center, he saw Michael, weak and wearing dirty clothes, washing a minibus taxi. With the unction of the Holy Spirit, Daniel invited Michael home, taking his hand. On the way, local children mocked Michael, making him feel worthless. Though initially hesitant, Michael’s heart softened through kindness. When they arrived, the landlady objected to Michael’s stench, but Daniel ignored her complaints, feeling a strong inner call.
After overcoming these challenges, the Holy Spirit told Daniel to give up his room, bath towel, and some clothes. With Michael clean, the next step was to feed him. Michael, touched by the kindness, only ate a few spoonfuls. Afterwards, Daniel took him to the bedroom to rest and sober up before the next morning’s Bible lesson and invitation to accept Jesus as Lord. At midnight, the Holy Spirit woke Daniel and asked, "If Michael dies, what will you do?" This troubled Daniel and made him worry if Michael had died. He checked on him and found blood clots splattered on the wall and pillow from coughing all night. This showed the damage his drinking had done to his body. Daniel could only give him first aid.
Worse was coming. When Daniel held Michael, his fingers sank into Michael’s flesh, and fluid came out of his body. It was heartbreaking to see a 24-year-old, who could have had a bright future wasting away. After stabilising him, Daniel prayed through the night.
At dawn, Daniel shared God’s Word with Michael, who accepted Jesus as his Saviour. After this experience, Michael requested to return to his spot at the city centre, and Daniel had no choice but to see him off that day. Two days later, Daniel went to town to evangelise again but was met by frantic taxi drivers. They told him they saw a visible change in Michael when he returned. He went to sleep in his usual spot and later died.
Shocked, Daniel went home, and at midnight, the Holy Spirit urged him to rise and reveal a ministry the Church had missed. A calling God had given him, to follow the example of Joseph of Arimathea in Mark 15:42-46 when Jesus was buried.
Our Call
Jesus’ crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection show a deep and unique love. Joseph of Arimathea’s courage to take Jesus down, clean, dress, and bury Him sums up God’s love. This act also shows God’s heart for healing and restoring broken lives, giving us a model to help the people rejected by society today. To truly understand this, we must explore the meaning of Jesus’ journey to the Cross and how it relates to the struggles of social outcasts.
1. The Place of Crucifixion (outside the city) shows deep feelings of rejection, being left alone, loneliness, and having nowhere to belong, separated from friends and family.
2. Crucified in public – this shows the daily shame, mockery, and abuse these outcasts face, often making them feel worthless and distrustful of others.
3. He was crucified high above the ground – a symbol of being high, like when someone uses drugs.
4. He was nailed to the Cross, showing complete helplessness, like being trapped by addictions to drugs, alcohol, or prostitution.
5. They took his clothes off, showing his weakness and poverty; he faced abuse, illness, and hunger.
6. His Death shows how these outcasts are trapped in sin and numb to real life.
7. He was buried in a tomb – this shows the fear many feel when dealing with them, mostly because they are often found in poor and unsafe places like ghettos and hideouts.
Inspired by Joseph’s bravery and kindness (Mark 15:42-46), The Cross on Wheels Mission has received the tools and plan to reach out to those forgotten by society. We intend to help and support them because we believe everyone deserves a second chance.
In doing so, we intend to adhere to the following steps:
1. He courageously went to Pilate to request the body of Jesus - C.W.M. relies on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who leads us to where these social outcasts are.
2. He released the body from the Cross - C.W.M. boldly rescues these social outcasts from the streets.
3. He washed Jesus - We cleanse them through providing sanitary items, counselling, preaching and teaching the Word of God.
4. He anointed Jesus - Through prayer, the anointing (power of God) is released by the Holy Spirit to deliver these social outcasts.
5. He wrapped Jesus in fine linen - C.W.M. clothes and provided them with needed essentials, inclusive of: clothing, feeding, recreational activities, etc.
6. He placed Jesus in his own new tomb - We house these social outcasts in a comfortable home; providing all the necessities of life and comfort that goes with it.
7. He seals the tomb - We isolate them in a conducive environment; ensuring their safety and protection.
8. Jesus resurrects - Their great potential, which the enemy saw and sought to destroy, is revived with newness of life, joy & peace. As Jesus triumphantly rose and the eyes of those who crucified Him could no longer see Him, we ensure they do not return back to where they suffered abuse and shame by incorporating them into the organisation as workers.
We believe there is hope for all, and just as king Solomon captured it, 'A living dog is better than a dead lion'.