A Day of Rest and Fellowship

Unlike any other day we've had here thus far, there was only one brief event scheduled for us this morning.  After group devotions and breakfast, we heard a professor from Legon University in Accra, Dr. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, speak on Contemporary African Pentecostalism.  Originally we were going to the University to hear the lecture, but the students are taking exams now so we met in the conference room at the hotel instead.  The lecture was incredibly informative and the professor was a very intelligent, yet approachable gentleman.  It was a pleasure to meet him.

When the lecture ended at noon we were given free time for the rest of the day.  For the first hour or so I worked on a school assignment using the textbooks I brought on the trip with me.  As soon as someone mentioned lunch, however, I headed out the door!  We walked to the local "mall" to get some snacks from the grocery store before heading over to a local restaurant.  They had galaxy chocolate ice cream bars!  Oh my goodness, it was so good.  The last time I had galaxy chocolate was in Jordan in 2007 so it was a great treat to find it here!  Then came our adventure of a lunch.

While we were deciding whether or not to eat at a restaurant outside the hotel we met Zsofi.  She's a missionary in Ghana who came to assist in planting a church.  She told us she's originally from Hungary, but currently lives in England.  She helped plant several churches there and when this church was being discussed she decided to come here to live, work, and help with the church for six months.  Another church is being planted in Germany in October so she said she might be moving there for a bit.  It was such a blessing to meet her.  She just had this presence about her - she exuded joy and peace!  And that was before we even sat down to eat!  :)

At lunch we had an absolutely wonderful time of fellowship.  We took time to hear each person's testimony and talk about our lives.  It was a really great experience as much of what we were hearing from one another was new.  I think it went a long way to drawing us closer to one another.  After an wonderful, HUGE meal, we walked back to the hotel.  We found out when we returned that we had been invited to the church service at the church of one of my friends from school.  During the few minutes we had before leaving, I met one of Charlma's friends from here, Perpetual.  She was a beautiful, kind woman.  Her sister is a seamstress so we were also able to arrange to have some dresses made for a couple members of our team.  They should be ready by the time we return from Tamale next week.

Next came church at Trinity Baptist Church with Abigail and her parents.  Our bus got stuck in traffic on the way to meet us so we ended up pretty late for service, but what we did hear was wonderful.  And afterwards we were invited into the pastor's office for refreshments and fellowship.  The people here are so hospitable.  They put southern hospitality to shame! 

We were able to debrief on the bus ride home so that when we got back to the hotel we were released for the night. 

Other tidbits:
- Call and response is pretty big here.  So far I've heard three prominent ones.  If some says "hello?" the response is "hi."  This I've found through watching the schools and even at church tonight is a way to regain attention or make sure people are listening.  The others are "amen" with the response "amen!" (Like little Nancy yesterday!) or 'hallelujah" with the response of "amen!"  It was really interesting to hear these responses in church tonight after hearing them at the school yesterday and recognizing that they're pretty common occurrences.
- Another random fact - in order to have hot water for a shower here you have to turn on the hot water heater.  There is a switch on the wall outside the bathroom just like a light switch that turns on the hot water.  You have to turn it on then give it a while so you have enough warm water for your whole shower.

Praises:
- Praise the Lord for the wonderful time of fellowship with some of my team members today.
- Praise God for the chance encounters with people like Zsofi and Perpetual today - two lovely sisters in Christ!

Prayer Requests:
- Pray for Zsofi and her team here in Ghana as they work to build their new church.
- Pray for Perpetual - for blessing, grace, and job opportunities.  She's hoping to move out of Accra, but is waiting for a good job offer to come before she can go.
- We'll be driving to Cape Coast tomorrow.  It's about a 2.5 hour drive to get there so please pray for travel mercies, comfort, and rest for each of us.

Praise the Lord for the great things He has done!  Our Father is so worthy of praise!  Thank you, Jesus, for all you have done in my life and the opportunities You have provided for me to come here and meet these wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is only through you that I am here.  Praise the Lord!
Prayer Requests:

Wubekor Ghana? I am!

Good evening!  Last week we had an awesome training session with a local pastor who was born and raised in the Volta Region of Ghana.  He shared some helpful cultural tips and some language training before we leave in . . . 3 DAYS! :)  Just to give you an idea of what I'm preparing for, I wanted to share some of the information he shared with us:

Ghana was the first African country of the Sahara to gain it's independence in 1957.  Their culture is one of the most peaceful and well-educated cultures in Africa.  (And from my experience with Ghanaian friends so far, they are incredibly hospitable and generous people.)

Their rainy season starts in late June and continues through August.  We'll barely miss this!  March is typically the hottest month of the year so we'll miss the hottest weather as well.  Praise the Lord!  We're expecting approximately 90 degrees each day, but with much lower humidity that Virginia, it hopefully won't feel quite as how as a 90 degree day at the beach here.  Due to the heat, we were advised to bring a handkerchief as the dust will get kicked up and stuck to our sweat . . . what a lovely picture!  :)

We'll also be dealing with a slight time difference during out trip.  Ghana is four hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.  (e.g. If it's 10am here, it's 2pm there.)  Another interesting etiquette lesson - don't use your left hand for anything.  It is incredibly disrespectful.  And if you see are interacting with an adult you immediately remove your hat if you're wearing one.  Finally, we've also been warned about reverse culture shock.  Our awesome trainer said we may deal with some culture shock when we get there, but the biggest hurtle will occur when we return.  He said most people after seeing how people live there and the upbeat attitude and patience they have, it's makes you angry to see how people in America take things for granted and demand immediate response to their wants/needs.  (Please be praying for this on my return.  That I would come back with a healthy perspective, but also able to express my perspective in a kind, gracious manner.)

The main languages of Accra, Ghana (the capital city) are Ga and Twi.  Twi (pronounced Chre) is common in almost all the regions so this is the language we focused on.  The title of the post "Wubekor Ghana?" means - Are you going to Ghana.  We also learned some other very important words and phrases:

insio - water
Wu ca Brofo?  - Do you speak English?
Yesu - Jesus Christ
Nyame - God
derby - no
aiy (nasal) - yes
mipowcheo - please
Casa breo - speak slower
Fre Nyame - call on God

Some of my favorite phrases:
Chre Me - Teach me
Yesu do wu - Jesus loves you

As I mentioned early we leave in 3 days.  Please be praying for safe travels for our team and that all preparations would come together well.  Be praying for any anxiety our team may be feeling as we come down to the time of departure.  Finally, please continue to pray for us while we're there - protection, open hearts and minds, a remembrance of our authority in Christ, and an intense passion for the people we serve.

My intention is to blog approximately every other day while there so please check in for updates!  God bless!