Trip to the Waterfalls – Part 2

So I have a question for my blog readers: Is littering wrong?

As we were preparing to leave the falls, I began to pick up all the trash our group had strewn around the pavilion. One man observing me asked the single word, “Why?” The first retort that came to mind – which I didn’t give =D – was, “Because I’m OCD.” As I thought about it later, I realized it’s because I’m American, and know we are to “Keep America Beautiful.” Now that I’m in Ghana, I want to keep Ghana beautiful too! As we drove back, teens and adults kept throwing plastic wrappers out the windows, and I sat there wondering whether I should be bothered by this, or embrace it as part-and-parcel of my new culture. Should I start throwing my wrappers out the window? ;) Right now I’m having the children in my Sunday school class pick up their litter, but should I?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. =)

One guy was very thoughtful and kept me entertained the whole way back. He sang English worship songs with me the first half of the trip, then pulled out his laptop – the same one that had belted out the music at the picnic grounds – and we played Monopoly the second half. How’s that for an African pastime?

Do you realize what a blessing it is to praise God with others in a tongue you understand? I had never before personally understood what Paul meant in 1 Corinthians 14, when he’s discussing tongues; but now I do! He says, “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?” There’s been a lot of singing with my spirit in my life recently, and I praise God when I can sing to Him with my mind as well. =)

Don't forget to leave a comment with your opinion on the ethics of littering. =D

Trip to the Waterfalls – Part 1

We’d been asked to gather at 6:00 so we could load the bus and be off by 7:00. It was a quarter past six when we were finished with family devotions, and Pastor Tirumbu said, “Yaro will take you after you have had your breakfast.” Then he added reassuringly that we were on African time; so although we didn’t even leave the house until 7:00, I wasn’t at all stressed. As soon as I arrived, we boarded, so everything worked out perfectly. =)

There were 51 of us, plus three percussion instruments and a squawking trumpet, crammed into a 34-seat bus (these weren’t luxury-sized seats, either!). The instruments and most of the voices were at top volume for most of the trip: I joined in with the songs I knew, and praised God in spirit when I didn’t.

The waterfalls were beautiful! After growing up with waterfalls that flowed from melted snow water, I found this water very mild! But some of the poor Africans grew quite chilled, especially when it began to rain. Of course, the fact that most of them went swimming while I merely waded might have had something to do with it.

No one’s spirits were too dampened by the rain: we simply took a lunch break. At first I thought that I should eat last since I wasn’t very hungry; but in the end I was relieved to be among the first to eat, because the dishes were all reused without washing in between!

Since we hadn’t had enough music on the way over ;), someone set up his laptop with speakers, turning our pavilion into a dance floor. There was lots of clapping and some pretty amazing dancing going on.

Alas, this was the day my camera broke, so I have very few pictures to share. =(

Questions and Answers – 4

What is the most unusual experience you’ve had? First off, there have been many, many things happening that I’ve simply not had the time to blog about. Here’s a sampling:

- Attending a Muslim wedding reception
- Visiting a house in mourning for its 25-year-old son who had just died
- Attending (part of) a Christian wedding ceremony
- Going to a pizza party
- Being sick for a day (but NOT, thankfully, with malaria)
- Taking motorbike rides behind some of my fellow staff members
- Being serenaded by an African man under a starry sky

…and so much more! But probably the most uncomfortable new experience occurred in connection with that first item – the Muslim wedding reception. We visited the groom (where he was hanging out with the male guests), then rode with him to see his bride: a heavily-adorned woman sequestered with other women in a stuffy little fly-ridden room. I felt so sorry for her, and wasn’t sure what to tell her other than “God bless you” on the way out. A bevy of drumming men waited outside the door, and immediately surrounded me as soon as I exited. The din ringing in my ears, I shouted to Pastor Tirumbu for an explanation, and found that the men wanted me to dance, and it would be best if I did so.

Well, if you have seen Africans dancing, you know that I can’t! But the noise was so loud and alarming that I was ready to do just about anything to stop it. So I wiggled a little, and was greeted with shouts, and someone thrust a headdress on my head. Figuring I’d done my duty, I returned the headdress and was allowed to pass. Even if I wasn’t biased to begin with, I can tell you from personal experience that I prefer Ghanaian Christian weddings to Muslim ones!

And a really quick explanation on that last “Wait, what?” point: the night watchman, who doesn’t speak much English, whistled “What a friend we have in Jesus” one evening. The next night, as I was coming in, I told him I really liked the song he’d whistled, and hummed a few bars to remind him. “Ah!” he exclaimed, excited, and sang the whole hymn to me in his local dialect, as I stood under the mango tree thinking “This is kind of a strange experience, but isn’t it sweet how we can worship the Lord together even though we can’t understand each other very well, and I do hope the mosquitoes aren’t biting!”

Note: this post was written about two weeks ago, and I’ve simply not had the opportunity to publish it before now…meaning that even more no-time-to-blog-about-them random incidents have occurred! =D

Smiling on the outside

Thinking “Get me out of this situation!” on the inside

Please Pray

- Mama Esther experienced some health struggles last year which are recurring. Right now she and her husband are in Accra, filling out Visa paperwork for a trip they’ll take later this year, and taking her to a specialist to see whether anything can be done regarding the pain she’s experiencing. Please pray that the Visa application will be successful, and that the doctor will be able to help her find relief.

- My camera isn’t working. =( When I asked Yaro this morning whether there was a place to fix it in town, he said we might need to take it to Accra for repair!! Please pray that God will give me wisdom in figuring out what to do from here…or that He would miraculously heal the camera, which is far less complicated than the human bodies He possesses the power to fix!

- Pastor Tirumbu asked me to ask my readers to pray for “Noah,” a young man who needs $750 for his second year of college. In a recent letter, Pastor Tirumbu described Noah as one who “loves the Lord. He is very gently, humble and hardworking. He is deeply involved in evangelism and church planting.” I have met Noah – as has my mom =D – and I can attest that he is a very servant-hearted young man: Christ shines through his life!

- Please pray for me personally: that I would find everything I need in God alone, and that I would unconditionally and unreservedly love everyone around me, and know how to express that love.

Thanks for praying! =)

Spending a Morning in Another Village

So, what did I learn from my first experience? Pack a sheet, a small pillow, an eyeshade, and earplugs. The result? A good night’s sleep!

As I was falling asleep the previous night, I had this unreasonable fear that men from the village would come slaughter us in our sleep. We had given them the whole Gospel, and there had been quite a bit of discussion when certain parts were translated, especially when we mentioned Christ’s resurrection. What if they rejected the God we’d preached, and us in the process? What if a demon-possessed individual incited the rest of the crowd…?

Demons, hmm? Was it likely that this ridiculous dread was a spiritual attack? Very, for it vanished as soon as I brought it to the Lord and asked His forgiveness for listening to such thoughts. But the experience gave me a little insight into the fear these people must struggle with. Please pray for their courage to accept the truth, for them to understand that a God Who has conquered death is far more powerful than their evil spirits.

The first thing we did was to join the village Christians for a morning devotion, and before that was quite over it had begun to rain. By the time we were back at our van, it was pouring: we piled in, drenched, and sloshed our way through the swiftly growing puddles, praising God for His goodness.

Spending a Night in Another Village

My favorite kind of mission work is being surrounded by children: holding one on my lap, having one on either side of me (and then one on either side of those, reaching around to touch me), having young ones behind me and in front of me, crowding in and each wanting a little piece of me.

Men definitely hold the preeminent place in Ghanaian society, followed by teen boys; down at the very bottom of the social scale are the women and children. It is a joy to be able to spoil African children with some attention: to look around and give this one a smile, this one a pat, this one a nod – to deliberately make each one feel s/he is significant and special to me and, by extension, to God.

Since we arrived at the village at 4:00, I was able to enjoy two solid hours of this kind of ministry: we all laughed and babbled at and about each other, went to fetch water together, and told each other that “Jesus loves you.” We rubbed each others’ heads, and four or five of them held my hands at a time, and we clapped and cuddled and waved, and ended up with filthy clothes and grimy hands, and we could have continued for hours more.

But at last we were called away to supper, prepared by our amazing friend/driver/chef extraordinaire, who kept urging us to “Eat more!” And after every last bit had been eaten, we unrolled sleeping mats, pulled up benches, and lay on our backs, marveling anew at the night sky, singing songs from the American “Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name: You are amazing, God!” to the African “All other gods: they are the works of men. You are the most high God: there is none like You!” I saw three shooting stars, and lay perched on my bench thinking, “Thank You, Lord: this is where You have me, and there is nowhere else on earth I would rather be right now.”

We had just finished singing “O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining!” when the national missionary who has brought twenty of these villagers to Christ, and who had introduced us to the chief, fetched us for evening service, where we had an opportunity to share the good news of the Gospel of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And then back to set up camp. As I helped assemble the tent, turning bent rods into straight ones, I felt like a magician, and laughed aloud with the villagers at the astounding sight. Maybe they’ve had foreigners sleep in their midst before ;), for after we crawled into bed, they left pretty quickly.

Sweet little warm bodies: making funny faces, and loved by Jesus!

Questions and Answers – 3

Well, many of you appear to be fascinated with the food here! =D No, I haven't been having any cravings for American foods (as I was asked by one of the American university students). And yes, I really, really do like the food here!!


What’s the Strangest Thing You’ve Eaten? Would you believe that the only really odd thing I’ve eaten thus far has been octopus? Rather a random thing to eat in Africa, don’t you think? But apparently they catch them at the coast and ship them up, and octopus is considered a great treat. Have any of you ever eaten it? Octopus has a very strong seafood flavor, and I think the reason I personally find it hard to like is that it has a tough rubbery texture. I keep chewing and chewing, and it’s still not pulverized, and I finally get tired of the taste and just swallow the thing whole. So give me points for trying, but octopus is not among my favorites.

I did narrowly avoid eating fish head. One evening we were each served a whole fish, and as I saw the children breaking off the heads and giving them to Mama Esther, I asked her whether she wanted mine as well. “No, you have to eat it,” she insisted. “It’s part of your orientation.” So I was gingerly working my way up the fish, wondering how much of a fish head was supposed to be eaten, and the children were laughing and chattering – “We’re teaching you to speak Twi!” one of the daughters interjected in English – and to my great relief, before I got too close to the head, Mama Esther asked me to give it to her: she had only been teasing. Whew! But please pray about my silly squeamishness in such situations. I certainly don’t want to be ungrateful for anything people here are so kindly fixing for me!

What’s the Nicest Thing You’ve Eaten? Easy – mango! Much of the fresh fruit here isn’t safe for my consumption, but once or twice a week I eat orange (good), pineapple (great), or mango (marvelous!). We don’t have dessert, so fresh fruit is a nice way to finish a meal. We did have one dessert, called “Mango sticky rice,” that was fixed by a friend: it consists of cooked white rice mixed with coconut milk and sugar and topped with diced mango. Mmm-mmm! Oh – I should also mention that there are single servings of ice cream in the freezer, to which I am always welcome. However, it’s a definite extra, and as the children aren’t allowed to have any, I have had ice cream only 3-4 times, when it’s been served to honored guests.

And finally, I would like to give you a visual demonstration of how to eat the African way - "Look, Ma, all hands!"

I start with a pile of plantain, sauce, and fish…

…and end with saucy fingers and a pile of skin-and-bones. =)

Spending a Morning in the Village

Did you know that goats and sheep baa during the night? I now do! I also know that even in Africa, it can actually get cool if you sleep out-of-doors, and that sleeping without a pillow when you’re accustomed to one makes for a rather uncomfortable night. There were all sorts of comings-and-goings, I heard “It’s 2:00” from a neighboring tent, presumably at 2:00, and the long and the short of it is that if I got more than an hour’s sleep, I’d be surprised! =D

Never mind, I actually felt rested, and we were all in good humor when 5:30 rolled around; as I type this nearly six hours later, the joviality has not diminished. Whether it’s adrenaline or grace or a mixture of both that keeps me going, I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be an encouragement to new brothers and sisters in Christ. We found out that the shade tree under which we slept is where the church services are being held. The congregation is praying that they would be able to erect their own church building in response to the mosque that currently holds a central place in the village – also so they can still have services when it rains.

The only preparation I made for the day was to apply fresh sunscreen and mosquito repellent. No tooth brushing or showering last night or this morning! We packed up our nets and sleeping pads, had a short group devotion, and ate breakfast (hot drinks – remember, boiled water is safe to drink – bread, and peanut butter), all under the careful observation of curious villagers who slowly assembled. The children all laugh when we talk to them in their local tongue: partly because it’s so unexpected to hear their language on the lips of a foreigner, and partly because our accent is so thick.

We were told over breakfast that we are the first foreigners to ever spend the night in that village, as far back as their traditional history carries them. This explained why they were so excited to watch our preparations, and confirm for themselves that yes! we were actually spending the night on their land! They were so warm and hospitable, and I pray that their congenial feelings toward us will extend to the message that was brought to them the previous night and to our fellow Christians in the village.

On to the football field for a rousing game of soccer! As we made our way, I noticed a child, perhaps two years old, trailing tiredly behind the rest. Anna asked him whether I could carry him, and the poor little boy, possibly ill, assented – to my surprise, for most of the very young children are frightened of our foreign appearance. Anyway, while others on the team engaged in a very competitive game, I cuddled this precious little one.

All too soon we were called back to the van to return to the center. After thinking that sleeping in the village would be a strange, hard experience, I found leaving the people behind the hardest part of the excursion. Please join me in praying for the small cadre of new believers in this little village that hasn’t been forgotten by God!

P.S. The morning after writing the above, I slept in until 6:00. I never dreamed that I would call arising at 6:00 “sleeping in,” but being able to do so is great fun!

P.P.S. Tonight (Monday, when I'm posting this) we go to another village – please pray again with us for effectiveness and safety. =)

Blowing bubbles with the children

Football Field

Spending a Night in the Village

It was dark when we rolled into the village: we stepped out of the van and marveled at the multitude of visible stars sparkling across the equatorial sky. There lay the Southern Cross, indicated by the bright stars of the Centaur; there was the familiar dipper, pointing to a north star that was obscured by the outlines of huts; and over there was a satellite making its slow faint way among the galaxies.

As soon as we turned our faces back to earth – but wait, who were “we”? “We” were African Christians who’ve brought the Gospel to this small village within the past three months, winning approximately 30 converts from the Muslim population, joined by American Christians (except for me, the Americans are a short-term team from a Christian university). The Americans handed out glow sticks to the children while the Africans set up a generator, a laptop, a projector, and a screen. Then everyone was seated while portions of two Christian films were played: an African praise production, followed by excerpts from “The Passion of the Christ,” with translation services compliments of one of our brothers and a microphone. =)

(Quick aside: do you realize that at any point Jesus could have given up? He had the power to command legions of angels to fight, but He chose to drink the cup to its bitter dregs for YOU! For ME! And do you realize in your heart that no further expiation for sin is necessary? He completely paid the price on our behalf through His sufferings. Wow! Please pray that the hearts of the others watching would be similarly impressed!)

One young woman who has been involved in this church plant agreed with me that it seemed more than 100 people were in attendance. The audience gave the films rapt attention, then got up and sang and danced for a little while, not at all in a hurry. (Africans rarely are.) I was able to sing along with one of the songs I’d learned in their language, and a woman nearby overheard me, and came closer to make sure that yes indeed, the words were coming from me. Then she burst out laughing and called the attention of several other women, until I was laughing so hard I could no longer sing. =D

At last it was time to prepare for bed; but this was a village-wide activity! Our group was to spend the night under a tree – the locals simply call it a “shade tree” – and the whole crowd followed along to surround us while we set up our mosquito net protection, laid out our sleeping pads, etc. They were laughing, pointing, chattering, full of curiosity and good humor, though it was past 11:00. Eventually we crawled fully clothed into the tents (I got to share a tent with my African sister, “Anna”), feeling very much like fish on display in an aquarium; but if everyone was happy, why fret? At long last people realized there would be nothing new to see, and began to fade into the night.

Picture of our hotel, taken the next morning

Inside our hotel: mosquito nets hang from tree branches (though mine is a stand-alone tent)

Questions and Answers – 2

How is shopping done? Is that daily? Truth to tell, I’ve not really been involved in any shopping yet. Pastor Tirumbu does have a relative with a small supermarket in town, and once we stopped there for eggs. They were out of eggs; but we waited while an employee headed across the street to the open-air market and returned ten minutes later with several dozen eggs. I know that there is a meat market where fish and beef (and occasionally poultry) are procured, and every few days I see a new bunch of plantains appear on the back porch, which I assume were purchased from the market along with the other fresh fruits and vegetables we consume. The canned things would all come from the afore-mentioned supermarket. If I ever find out more about the shopping here, I’ll let you all know.

Are your meals the same each day? Each supper tends to be different from the one eaten the night before, although they rotate between a few basic dishes. There’s always a starch – yam, plantain, rice, maize (which is served in a fermented, gelatinous form, a description which makes you think the stuff will be horrid, but which sets your expectations so low that when you try it, it’s surprisingly palatable) – with a tomato-based sauce and a protein – usually fish, sometimes beef or poultry, occasionally egg. God is very good in allowing me to take pleasure in what I’m eating. No one’s served me grubs, snake, monkey, etc., as was the case in one missionary story I read before coming to Ghana. =D

Do people in Ghana like your hair? OK, so nobody asked me this question; but I made it up because it will have an interesting answer. The surprising reply is: Yes!! I have always thought Africans’ hair has a fun texture – haven’t you? Imagine my astonishment to discover that they think the same thing of ours! After church on Sunday, I was surrounded by little children, and reached out to brush down a shock of hair that was standing upright on a little girl’s head. Immediately a number of them motioned that they wanted me to rub their heads too; and when I’d rubbed a few, and then asked them whether they wanted to touch my hair – well, suffice to say that that was the right question to ask them, and little hands were all over my head in an instant. “Will you cut me a piece of your hair?” several little voices asked. And the children are not the only ones fascinated. My mom was with me when we were visiting a village, and an interpreter asked me to bow my head to one man. I did so, wondering why, as he was not the chief. “He likes your hair,” the interpreter explained as we passed on. Another day, several women surrounded me, chattering in their own tongue and fingering my hair. I’m sure they’d love yours too – just come for a visit. =) These friendly people make me very thankful that God’s given me tough hair that can withstand an onslaught of grasping and pulling. =)

Please Pray

- For Pastor Tirumbu, who is out of town, spending time with his dying parents. He needs great wisdom as he determines how to balance his desire to spend time with them with the sense of obligation he feels toward his responsibilities here.

- For his family, still here in town, to get healthy and stay healthy! Since the children’s summer break began at the end of June, malaria has been traveling throughout the household, recurring in some instances. Right now Mama Esther, Yaro, and daughter “Tina” are all sick, Mama Esther particularly so. They all took a field trip to the hospital last night and are still feeling poorly this morning. =(

- For the co-workers at the ministry here, many of whom are down with malaria. It is so sad to see the debilitating effects of widespread disease within a culture. Don’t forget to thank God that mosquito-borne and waterborne illnesses are not a scourge in America!

Thanks for your prayers.

P.S. By the way, be sure to read my comment on the last post; I knew I was speaking too soon regarding bugs. ;)

Questions and Answers – 1

Do you like the food? Thank the Lord, I do! It’s pretty basic stuff (rice, cabbage, their potato-like yam, cooked plantain, and fish, poultry, or beef), and typical spices include hot pepper, onion, and ginger. Plantain – like a banana-flavored potato – is a definite favorite, and to my surprise I didn’t even mind the fermented corn pudding dish that’s a staple for many in the villages around here. But I’m sure I haven’t tried everything yet. =)

I took this picture before the chunk of fish was added to the plate, but it gives you a basic idea of the portion sizes - large! - I just wish I could transmit the full flavor to you ;)

How are the bugs? Ask me in a few months and the answer might be different; but so far they and I haven’t seen much of each other. Mosquitoes are pretty ubiquitous in the shade, in the morning, and at dusk, and there are flies around food outside; but most of the insects I’ve seen are small and seemingly harmless. I have spotted several brilliant red centipedes in the patch of ground behind my office, but if they stay outside, they’re welcome. The house at which I’m staying has mosquito netting at each window, so we’re pretty protected within the house. I’ve seen a large spider in my room twice now, and a couple of small lizards have taken up residence in my bathroom, but we all know the spider is in kings’ palaces, and lizards are much better to have around than – well, a lot of things. OK, a quick funny – soon after my mom left, the youngest daughter in the family knocked at my door, walked in at my invitation, and said “I brought you a spider!” as she threw something black and stringy at me, which did indeed turn out to be black string. Anyway, she made me feel right at home. ;)

What is your favorite moment in each day? Oh, this is a hard one – there are a lot of good moments throughout the day! Maybe someday 5:00 a.m. will rank up there – wouldn’t that sound nice and spiritual? ;) – but for right now, I would have to admit that 5:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. are pretty special…as you might guess if you refer back to the “typical day” posts. Times with the family when there’s laughter all around are special as well.

Do you feel as though you are adjusting? For the most part, yes. Living in a third-world country before eliminated much of the culture shock for basic things such as the ubiquitous rubbish, strange smells, different bathroom habits, roaming livestock, and similar aspects of a third-world culture that can take many Westerners a bit aback. I did have one experience my first week on the job where someone who was supposed to be training me basically left me in charge of the responsibility and went elsewhere, so instead of learning new job skills, I was stuck in a position where I didn’t know what I was doing, and felt a little at loose ends. When I tried to explain to Pastor Tirumbu a little later why I didn’t yet feel confident about the job, he graciously said, “It’s OK, you’re just experiencing a little culture shock as you discover the Ghanaian work ethic.” These words were so wise, and immediately put everything back in right perspective for me, eliminating all my confusion and frustration. A few more similar bumps along the road may occur, but overall I’m feeling as adjusted as I can in a place away from my family.

I can't promise that I can always answer every question you may have, but welcome each one nonetheless, and hope this gives you a little glimpse into how gracious God's been. =)

Household Chores

Laundry

How do you wash clothes without a washing machine? There are doubtless a number of ways, but here is how we do it.

We set up three large tubs and fill each with water. We dump a load of dirty laundry in the first tub, then set to with a bar of soap, scrubbing and hand-agitating an item until everything comes clean. The washed item gets transferred to the second tub, where the whole process is repeated, although it doesn’t take quite as long this time because most-to-all of the stains are already gone. Then the item is wrung out and put into the THIRD tub, where it is swished around for rinsing. Finally, it’s wrung out and hung out on the clothesline to dry – inside-out, so that the colors won’t fade in the equatorial sun.

Sound time-consuming? It is, and it seems to use more water and soap than American washing machines. So next time you run a load of laundry – thank God for the little inventions that make your life easier and free your time for other priorities. =)

Random little note on this: I saw a TV commercial the other day for a laundry detergent, and the people in the commercial were using the same process I’ve outlined above and pictured in the previous post. Are you as amused as I was at the fact that people are expected to have TVs for watching the commercial, but not a washing machine? Evidently the commercial-makers are making a very valid assumption.

Sweeping

There is so much dust here that everything gets swept on almost a daily basis: all the floors in the house, the patios and driveway, and even bare patches of ground that are cluttered with blossoms, dead insects, etc. Since the brooms here are about two feet high, the labor that goes into sweeping seems awfully intensive and back-breaking to me; but as usual, folks here do it without too much complaint.

Cooking

The Tirumbu family has two kitchens; one inside, one outside. The cooking is all done outside to keep the house a little cooler, while the inside kitchen is used for storing and drying dishes, the water cooler, and anything – such as a blender – that needs electric power. There’s a gas stovetop inside the outside kitchen, and then there’s a charcoal burner outside the outside kitchen (got that?). When people are actively frying or cooking, they’ll use the gas stove; but when they are setting a pot out to cook for 45 minutes, an hour, or more, they’ll set it on the charcoal burner. The sinks used for dishwashing are located outside as well; so if we’ve eaten inside, we bring our dishes outside to be washed and back inside to dry.



If you have questions about how any other normal household chores are completed, let me know. How does everything get done when it’s so much more labor-intensive? There are two answers to this question: 1) the Tirumbus just don’t own as much stuff, so there’s less to care for, and 2) there is a young woman who lives with the family and assists with all the upkeep. The Tirumbus are paying her school fees (as they do for many young people) and providing her with food and housing, and in exchange she helps with many of the cleaning responsibilities.

Answers to questions will continue in future posts. =)

A pot of stew on the charcoal burner outside the outside kitchen

A Typical Day – Evening

The streets along which we drive each day are congested – not with lots of cars (most people are too poor to own such high-end transportation), although there are a few, generally carrying more passengers than seatbelts – but with motorcyclists and bicyclists and pedestrians, sheep and goats and chickens. Although the most I’ve yet seen on a motorcycle is five people, it’s not unusual to see two or three. Last week I saw a motorcyclist with a goat tied behind him, and two on his lap!

The first order of business once we get home is to go to my room and change into houseshoes. I might wander out and visit/play games with some of the family, or catch up on journaling, or do a little reading. We’re playing a lot of “Memory” these days, and the kids are a whiz: I’m thankful that most of the time I don’t do abysmally, but I do have to exult in the fact that yesterday I WON!! OK, only by a pair, but still: me against three preteens (and Africans tend to have better memories than westerners anyway, even if you take the age factor out), and I won. Just thought you would all like to know. ;)

After I get home is the time to stay indoors, because mosquitoes come out at dusk, and my repellent is fading. Of course, I reapply it if we’re going out for the evening, as we do twice a week: once for a Bible Study, once for a prayer meeting. If we stay in the house, there’s not much to do beyond the previously mentioned visiting, writing, and reading – and, of course, eating a Ghanaian supper with my fingers. I might do some language practice if some in the family feel patient enough to quiz me and correct me. At 9:00 or so I retire and take a cold shower (showers MUST take place at night here; otherwise the sheets would quickly be filthy!). The disco bar down the street is churning out the music, but I have no problem falling quickly asleep. =)

Next up: answers to some of your questions. Can you believe I haven’t been able to comment on my own blog?! (I changed a setting this morning, and hope this will make it easier for all of you as well. This is my first blog, so bear with me as I figure things out, and if any of you blogging whizzes out there have hints – let me know. =) )

Just a random picture of me "helping" with the laundry.

I'll explain the whole process in a later post. =)

A Typical Day – Midday

As soon as we arrive at the center, Yaro heads off to his job at the front desk while Pastor Tirumbu and I go to our offices. I set up my laptop and see whether there’s any internet availability before heading to 8 a.m. staff devotions. If I’m early, I can help set up chairs; if the chairs are set up already, the first-comers are filling the room with music as I walk in. One young man brings his drum, another his accordion, and songs alternate between Twi, English, and the local tribal language. Perhaps two-thirds of the time, I can follow along with the clapping, which sometimes follows an odd (to me as a Westerner) rhythmic pattern. They all seem to know what’s right, so I smile and tap my feet when I can’t clap…and I never cross my legs, which is culturally disrespectful. One or more staff members might be so full of joy that he rises from his seat and praises God in the middle of the circle with a shuffling dance.

Somehow they all seem to know when it’s time to wind down, and often end on a very reverent tune. Then a staff member shares a short devotional s/he’s prepared, with a verse and an explanation; a translation is provided from English to Twi or vice versa; and there is a closing prayer. We all rise with uplifted hands and repeat “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever. Amen.” It’s 8:30, and time to go to work!

I retire to my office and spend the day reading and writing, taking a lunch break if the cafeteria is open, or merely snacking throughout the day. Food in the cafeteria is traditional Ghanaian: rice, cabbage, yam, plantain, and chicken or guinea fowl. If I’m getting too fatigued at my desk, I’ll lock my office and go find a staff member to visit with for a bit until we’re rested enough to return to our jobs. After my American job in HR, it’s odd not to have any regulations regarding the number of hours one must put in. Many of these staff members are here for 10 or 12 hours, so I’m fortunate in that I can generally “call it quits” by 5 p.m. Yaro often stays later and takes a taxi home, so Pastor Tirumbu and I load up and head home.

A girl sweeping with a Ghanaian broom - one of the morning chores I mentioned in my last post that I don't do very efficiently. =D

A Typical Day – Morning

“Allah Akhbar!” is wailed from the minaret of a neighborhood mosque – “God is Great.” Pretty soon the reader for the mosque a couple blocks away chimes in with chants from his own loudspeaker. It is the cacophonous start of a new day. “Prayer is better than sleep,” I’m told their Arabic cries mean, and I figured out pretty early on that God was telling me that this line is very true. Yawn! I turn on the light and glance at my watch: sure enough, it’s 5:00: time to start my personal devotions. Water splashes from the faucet outside my window into a pail: the night watchman is preparing to wash the family car. A sweet-voiced bird outside trills out a tune that, if it were in the key of C, would sound “E-C-E-G-C-E” – four long and two short notes, its special early morning song.

At 5:30 I dress and join the rest of the household for family devotions. Everyone sleepily sings a song in Twi or English (the two trade languages in Ghana), and then we turn to the day’s chapter and take turns reading it aloud. Pastor Tirumbu will expound the passage to us, and then ask us each to share a verse that stood out to us and explain what we think it means. Once we’ve each contributed something, he lists the prayer requests on his heart for the day, we kneel down, and either the girls pray or the boys pray (we take turns!).

This part is usually over by 6 a.m., giving me an hour to finish up my personal devotions, catch up on any journaling, apply sunscreen and bug repellent for the day, etc. I tried joining in family chores a few times, but Mama Esther pointed out to me that the Pastor and the oldest son (“Yaro,” who also works at the center) don’t do morning chores, and there are plenty in the family to pitch in with the sweeping, cooking, and so on. I think she means that she figured out pretty quickly that I’m not nearly as efficient as the rest of them; but never mind, there’s plenty to do if I can’t help with chores!

At 7 a.m. those of us who will have to leave soon have our breakfast: porridge and/or an egg (fried or hard-boiled), a hot drink (I have the regional hot chocolate nearly every morning!), and perhaps a biscuit or two. By 7:30 Pastor Tirumbu, Yaro, and I load into the truck and are off to work. I’ve been up for two and a half hours, but the day has just begun!

The Story of a Bag that’s gone AWOL – Part 2

Thanks for all your prayers! Yesterday Pastor Tirumbu and I stopped by the bus station and picked up my missing bag. As soon as I opened it and saw packing material, I knew a few items were missing, for we stuffed that bag to the brim, and I had to sit on it to close it. =D Most of the stuff got thru, praise God! What was missing? Flashlights, including one lovely hand-cranked flashlight my mom had gotten me. =( The moral of the story is: when bringing flashlights to Ghana, pack them in your carry-on luggage. And leave them behind when you return to the West, because obviously flashlights are a blessing to the people here. =)

Anyway, praise God that most of the stuff came through! Thanks again for your prayers.

Although I haven’t had much opportunity to sit at the computer this week, apparently I start working from my very own office this Monday. =) This should give more time for resizing and uploading pictures, describing a typical day, and so on.

One quick answer to a quick question I got: “What is the time difference between the east coast and Ghana?” Ghana is four or five hours ahead of ET, depending on the time of year; due to the fact that Ghana is so near the equator, it has no need for daylight savings time, and so right now we’re only four hours apart. Once the east coast switches back to standard time, however, there will be a five-hour difference.

Thanks for all your prayers and love. I appreciate each one of you. =)

This is what you were waiting for, right?

Yay, here are pictures at last!

Here is a schoolroom full of singing children. =) All the schoolchildren in northern Ghana wear uniforms, and smile so sweetly even though, as you can see, they are quite crowded, four to a desk. It’s not uncommon for these classrooms to hold 50 or 60 or more children apiece. (I just counted the children in this picture – not all the children in this particular room by any means – and found there were 56 heads!)

We visited a village one morning – here are a few of the children. Note the ubiquitous goats, and the little child on the right holding her little sister on her back. You might observe that this girl (in a green and gray shirt) has a bare patch on her head. I was told that this is due to roundworm. =(

Pastor Tirumbu had asked me to bring balloons to share with the kids, so I was busily puffing away for a bit. =D Look at how the women are as eager as the kids to get a balloon! The poor little child at my elbow is looking up at the woman by her to see whether the next balloon will go to an adult or a child. The village pastor asked me (after I was besieged by quite a mob, even more than that in the picture) to please save some balloons for him to use in his church. At last, seeing there was no way out, I had to throw the partially empty bag at the pastor over the children’s heads before I could “escape.”

This little girl is one month old.

Aren’t these girls amazing? They are at most eight years old (most likely six or seven), and they are lugging around their younger siblings, trying to keep up with the little walking caravan that always seems to accumulate around us as we go around.


Yay! So glad this has worked at last. =)