At first, the plan was to take a cruise. It sounded like the perfect 40th birthday celebration for Maranatha Ihekoronye and his wife, but that was before God got involved in the conversation.
You see, that conversation actually started more than a decade ago, with a promise, a promise God had not forgotten. Instead of Maranatha celebrating his birthday on himself, God was telling Maranatha to celebrate by giving honor to others, a specific group of others.
Hearing God’s Voice
“God ministered to me,” Maranatha Ihekoronye said. “He said to me, do you remember, several years ago, you made a covenant with me. He said, I would love for you to take all the money you have saved for the cruise; I need you to trade it and then I need you to go and bless the life of the policeman.”
And that’s how Restoring Honor began. First, a husband and wife; and then, a growing group of individuals, wanting to join together to impact the lives of area law enforcement.
Pastor Jim Swihart of Kalida Family Outreach is part of that growing group. “To me, Romans 13 does say we are to submit to those in authority over us, and those who bear arms, bear them for our protection. We’re grateful for what they’re doing and we want to let them know that.”
Showing Appreciation
This was the second Restoring Honor outreach at the Lima Police Department. This Christmas appreciation party was held December 7, 2016. A third outreach at the LPD has taken place since, as well as events for other agencies.
At this festive event, LPD employees and officers were treated to a made from scratch dinner, as well as a keepsake zip up, with the words, “Oh Lord, protect our protectors.”
Maranatha addressed the group with positive encouragement and faith based comments. This took just two hours out of one afternoon, but included a message designed to boost these officers day in and day out.
The LPD Chief recognized the importance of this event. “We’re only people; we can’t do it alone.” He said. “If we don’t have support from the community, and whether that support is in the form of prayer, showing appreciation, or in the form of stepping up to be a witness when criminal activity occurs, if we don’t have that kind of support from the community, we can’t be effective in what we do. So, this means a lot to us.”
Maranatha Ihekoronye and his wife, Favour, are in the United States to purse their medical education in Lima. They attend Kalida Family Outreach, and continue to ask God to show them ways to be His Hands and Feet throughout the region.
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