More Mundane Matters

* Ghanaians like to eat their beef tough. They’ve cooked it too long for their taste a couple of times, so I know it can come out tender; but the people are really into chewing their meat!

* When I arrived, I was taking cold showers each day: a bit chilly, but I kept comforting myself with the thought that I would really appreciate the coolness when the famed heat arrived in March and April. Well, guess what? The showers these days are hot (as is everything else…have I mentioned that?).

* Americans are big on bottled water, but Ghanaians drink “sachet water” – two-cup servings of allegedly filtered water that come in sealed plastic bags. The sachets sell for five pesewas each, or about 3-½ cents. (Ghanaians call the water filtered, but online sources beg to differ; Pastor Tirumbu has also told me I shouldn’t drink the sachet water, making it all the more suspect.) The empty plastic sachets litter the landscape.

* Africans can carry amazing loads on their heads. Abba, for instance, can carry 50 kilograms (110 pounds) on his head. “You could learn to carry on your head too,” Pastor Tirumbu tells me; but the problem is that no one can teach me how. Africans learn so young that they can’t tell me how to balance. They’ve just always known how: hasn’t everyone?

Little girl casually carrying breakfast drinks on her head in a market strewn with empty water sachets

Mundane Matters

This morning I stood in the still, cool shade (it was probably only about 85 degrees) and contemplated the snapshot of the life I’m living right now: not the ministry, but the raw existence in Africa at present. In no particular order, here are some random observations.

* It’s very hot these days. The daily temperatures soar into the 40s (Celsius – meaning in the 100s Fahrenheit), with hardly any breeze to temper the heat. God is very gracious to me, because my office has working air conditioning, so during the day there’s a little oasis of coolness…when the electricity is working. ;)

* But it’s not unusual for the electricity to be off. Two nights ago there was no power, so I turned off my flashlight and went to bed with no fan to mitigate the warmth of the night (when temperatures are usually in the 80s). Right now I’m composing this blog post with generator power, unsure of when the power will come back on, let alone the internet – which doesn’t work without the regular electricity, since the current from the generator is different and shuts down the so-called Uninterrupted Power Supply.

* Even when there is “regular power,” the internet connection is temperamental. Each morning I arrive uncertain whether the internet will be up or not; I’ve gotten quite adept at resetting our connection, but if that doesn’t work, then our Internet Service Provider is probably at fault. Generally the internet will be available 2-3 hours out of the workday, and I find myself composing emails and blog posts that are sent and posted when there’s actually internet. Sometimes I want to include a picture with my post, but find the connection is too slow; in such a case I need to leave the picture off or choose another topic to report on.

* The first little mangos have been ripe for about ten days: the locals say sweeter ones are on the way, but I’m reveling in the ones I’m eating now. As I walk along, I see children sucking on mangos; mango pits are strewn everywhere. Last week a group of boys hailed me and pointed out a companion of theirs about thirty feet up in a mango tree. “Look how high you are: good job!” I praised him, and they instantly offered me three of the fruits they’d been harvesting. =) Last night I had five little mangos for supper – that’s all I wanted after the delicious and filling rice ball with groundnut soup that I’d had for lunch.

* Sweat is a part of life this time of year. It’s spontaneously generated all over the body, trickling and pouring down, waiting to be mopped away with the handkerchief Africans have taught me by example to carry around for that purpose.

* The people love me and I love them! Last week one of the fellows announced that he would be giving the staff devotion in English, and I would do the translation. Everyone knew me well enough to recognize that I’ve been working hard to learn the language – and to laugh because they all knew I wasn’t nearly that adept! My African friends laugh just as easily now as when I was first getting to know them; but as I know them better, I realize their lives are far more complex than is apparent at first glance. Life is just a struggle here. Period. The more my friends know me, the more they tease me, spoil me in little ways, hold my hand, put their arms around me, and in so many ways demonstrate that they love me – as I do them!

The list of little aspects of current circumstances could go on and on. There will be some things I won’t miss at all when I return to the States…and some things I will miss oh-so-much!

Written Monday…but the internet never came up to post. ;)

The Banku Song

OK, so I’m not such a huge fan of banku itself; but I can’t get enough of the Banku Song that the schoolchildren sing for me. =D

I put my pot on fire
I put the dough inside
I stir and stir and stir it
Now it’s turned to banKU
Now it’s turned to banKU

When interest rates are high…

…people don’t take out mortgages. At nearly 40%, Ghana’s interest rates are the second highest in the world, so borrowing toward a home is pretty much a non-option. Saving for a home is out of the question as well: as has previously been mentioned, extended family members and friends make a number of demands on one’s finances, and if money isn’t immediately spent, it’s generally claimed by others.

How, then, can one ever hope to own one’s own home? The preferred method is to buy building materials as money becomes available and build a house piece by piece. It can take years from when a foundation is laid to when a house becomes habitable: as an example, the Tirumbus just completed their second house (which they constructed to generate rental income which can help to support them in retirement) after seven years of construction.

Ghana’s economic conditions have therefore resulted in a landscape that is cluttered with unfinished houses. No wonder new homes can already be full of cracks!

Church Meetings in Africa

My church family in the States has small groups, which provide a more intimate setting for Bible study and prayer. However, since the church I attend here is already small, Bible study and prayer are done corporately on two separate weeknights.

We begin our Bible Study evening by reading a chapter aloud, and then the leader (we take turns) asks a series of questions to help us think about what we’ve read and understand it better. The discussion always keeps me on my mental toes, as I never know what people will bring to the table! The “health, wealth, and prosperity” gospel is more widespread in Africa than in America – ironic, because there’s less of all three in the former than in the latter – and people’s interpretations and expectations of what we’ve read amazes me at times. Additionally, because Africans are so in tune with spiritual forces, they are intrigued with miracles, tongues, and other supernatural manifestations. Sometimes it’s hard to encourage people to contribute to the discussion, but at other times it’s hard to keep up with all that is being said. =D

The prayer meeting also has a rotating leader, who comes prepared with a list of various praises and requests. A praise or request will be mentioned, and then everyone in the room will start to softly pray aloud, so that the room is full of the murmur of prayer. As the murmur subsides, another praise or request is mentioned. After three or four items have been prayed over, the leader will call on one person to pray aloud and summarize all the requests that have just been shared. Every ten to fifteen minutes, someone breaks out in song, and we all sing together worshipfully. Approximately ten minutes before the session ends, the leader invites others to contribute requests that are on their hearts, and we corporately lift these requests up to God.

I think I’m looking forward to returning to Bible Studies in the States…but I’ll miss African prayer meetings. We have a lot we could learn from them!

Compound Houses

Each family grouping in a village has its own compound of mud huts: a man will live in one of the huts, and his wives and children will occupy the others. The huts are arranged in a circle, with walls closing the spaces between them. A courtyard is thus created – the common family area, where cooking and laundering take place. The main gate can be boarded at night, creating a pen in which the household animals can be kept safe from plunder and, in the past, predators. (“Wait, the animal pen and kitchen and laundry room are all one…?” Yep!)

Compound house in the village

The traditional structure for homes in the villages has been copied in the towns, with concrete taking the place of mud. These are the city’s apartment buildings, with several households occupying the various rooms and living as one family in the shared space. Africans value community and relationship over privacy and individuality, so doing their cooking and washing in public doesn’t faze them as it would Americans. Neither does sharing their space with animals. ;)

Goat in the kitchen

Dreams and Visions

Around the world God is speaking to Muslims and former Muslims through dreams…and God has visited Fatawu, our enthusiastic translator for classes 1-3, with two such dreams.

In the first dream, Fatawu found himself praying amid a great crowd of people. Daniel, Daniel’s friend, Amos, Mr. Joe, and I were with him, and as we prayed, a Man in white clothes appeared in our midst and addressed Himself directly to Fatawu. “Son,” said the great shining One, “I am the Alpha and Omega. Your sins have been forgiven because of your faith.”

At these words, Fatawu awoke trembling; it was 12:30 a.m., but in his fright he called Daniel and told him about the dream. Daniel reassured Fatawu that Jesus Christ had personally appeared to him to confirm his salvation. “What do the words ‘alpha’ and ‘omega’ mean?” Fatawu asked – and Daniel was able to tell Fatawu all about the One Who is the First and the Last!

Fatawu’s enemies carried him to the top of a very high mountain in his second dream, leaving him alone in a desolate forest. He was weeping, when the same Man clothed in white appeared to him and said, “My peace I give to you – not as the world gives, but as I give. I am with you forever.”

Praise God for revealing Himself to His new son. May God continue to reveal Himself around the world to those who need salvation and encouragement!

Just back of the frontline workers

(and more important in fulfilling the actual work) are the frontline prayer warriors. So many people have been praying for me while I’ve been in Ghana, but none as much as my family, I think. My constant absence is a continual reminder to them to pray for me. Almost every email from home ends, “We are praying for your –” and then follows a long list of such things as health, relationships with Ghanaians, different current ministries, wisdom to make a particular decision, even such mundane items such as lost sandals to be found or a cool night so I can catch up on sleep (once it was “grace to endure the heat” – we can’t pray for cooler temperatures all the time ;) ). Sometimes I read through the list in amazement – “Wow, they’re even praying that I’ll have good material for blog posts, or that God will bless tonight’s prayer meeting.” They pray for anything and everything, and God is working through their prayers!

My friends, THEY are the ones standing in need of prayer right now. Since I’ve been in Ghana, so many freaky occurrences have happened that have made it obvious they are under spiritual attack. This last week has been chock-full of very challenging circumstances for them, including two auto accidents and a relational misunderstanding that has broken my heart.

Please be praying for my family at this critical time: may God give them the divine protection and encouragement they need at this moment!

“I was sick, and you visited Me”

One of the new ministries God’s added to my schedule recently (I love how life is getting busier and busier as I’m racing toward the last quarter of my time in Ghana) is hospital visitation. I’m one of two Africans and two Americans who are banding together once a week to visit the sick and pray with them.

On our first day, Amos took us first directly to ICU, past sign after sign reading “No Visitors Allowed” and “Silence Please,” right up to the nurses’ station where he announced, “We are Christians come to pray with the sick,” and before anything could be said about visitors and silence, he continued, “Those in ICU are in the most critical condition, so they need our prayers the most. We need to come in and pray with them.” The staff all obliged, and in we went.

Throughout the hospital we saw people in various stages of undress due to the heat; we saw a boy who was skin and bones; we saw a baby who burst out crying at our approach and screamed at the top of his lungs for the duration of our visit; we saw vacant eyes and listless bodies and hopelessness. One man we visited said that he used to go to church, but had ceased for many years, and was sure God no longer cared for him. We assured him that such was not the case, and led him in a prayer to make his peace with God.

May God lead many more in the hospital to make their peace with Him in the days ahead!

Alit’s Story

“What did you think when you first heard us talking about Jesus in your classroom?” I asked Alit earlier this week. The answer from this formerly Muslim boy was so revealing. “My heart was touched,” he said, “and as I heard what you said, I recognized that it was the truth. I thought about it a lot to make sure, and knew you were speaking the words of God. But if you had never come to tell me, I would have never known.”

Wow – what a visible demonstration of Romans 10:15, where Paul says that faith comes from hearing God’s Word, which people will never hear unless someone goes to share it with them. All Alit needed was to hear the truth, and God’s Spirit took care of the rest. What other people come across our paths who just need us to open our mouths about the treasure in our possession?

Although Alit’s brother, in whose house he lives, knows about Alit’s new faith, and has said “You’re old enough to make your own choices,” Alit knows that his father back in the village will not be pleased to hear of his son’s conversion, and will cut off all support once he does know. “Right now, I’m hiding the news from my father. I don’t want to tell him until I have my own business established so I can support myself.”

In other news, I went to the first session with the nursery classes (ages 3-6), where Rahama counted 96 little ones in attendance! We sang songs, and I related the creation account, while two new teachers took turns translating. At the end, I asked the children why, if God said everything He created was very good, NOT everything is very good today – why are some of them coughing? Why do they cry? Why is there death? “Come back next week to find out,” I smiled. “Oh,” the teachers immediately appealed, “Can’t we go just a little further today?” “No, I have to go. Next week,” I laughed; but please be praying for these teachers, whose interest seems to be piqued. The other teachers have been in their late teens or early twenties, but these two are older women. God’s work in hearts certainly isn’t limited by age, however. May He draw many in this new classroom to Himself, even as He’s been at work in other classrooms at the school!

Doors Wide Open

Last week we brought ten Bibles into the school and presented them to the Muslim headmistress – “Anda” – to use as textbooks for our classes. At this point it’s pretty obvious to everyone in the school that we’re blatantly evangelizing, and we’ve been praying that if God means for us to continue working in the school, HE will keep the doors open for us. It’s been amazing to observe that far from closing the ones already opened, He has opened new ones.

When we arrived to teach grades 4-6 last week, Anda told us of a change of plans: we would actually be assigned to one of the junior high classes that morning. We had been praying for an opening into these classes, but hadn’t been expecting such a sudden invitation. Well – we went for it, and seven of the nine students in the class raised their hands to indicate a commitment to Christ after the gospel presentation! Afterward, Anda asked me whether I would be willing to come teach the preschool classes on a third morning each week; so this week starts the new schedule. Please pray for me as my days are increasingly full. =)

Meanwhile, a few days ago Alit’s friend Saka brought a friend of his, “Kenneth,” to hear about Christ, and Kenneth accepted Jesus! These young teachers and their friends are on fire to spread the good news. May God give them wisdom regarding whom to share with, and boldness when the right openings come.

A Ghanaian Recipe

My friend Sara asked whether I could post a Ghanaian recipe. First of all, there is no such thing as convenience food in Ghana. Africans simply have much more patience than Americans in every area of their lives, and that extends to the kitchen.

Ghanaians tend to use fewer and simpler ingredients than do Americans in their cooking, but they mash their ingredients by hand to release the flavors, and simmer their stews carefully so those flavors can meld. As a result, Ghanaian dishes are usually more savory than American meals. (Oh, by the way, have I mentioned that I’m gaining weight? ;) )

Recently a friend let me take notes as she prepared a traditional Ghanaian meal. She didn’t count or measure, but patiently let me count and estimate at each step. The onga and maggi packets are simply seasoning packets that are used here: they remind me of the ramen seasoning packets available in the States. And she said that Americans can blend instead of mashing if desired, even though the results won’t be quite as good. So without further ado, here is a recipe for:

Jollof Rice (serves 16)

19 small tomatoes, washed and chunked
3 onions, peeled and chunked
3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped (optional)
½ small ginger root, scraped and chunked (optional)
14 small dried hot peppers, washed and stemmed
1½ - 2 cups oil
2½ pounds beef, chopped
½ teaspoon all-purpose seasoning powder
Salt to taste
2 medium cans (210 grams each) tomato paste
3 green peppers, washed and cut into small pieces
1 can tuna
1 packet onga stew seasoning
1 packet shrimp maggi
¼ head cabbage, shredded
2½ cups dry rice

Blend tomatoes with water until very smooth; set aside.

Blend onions with water, adding garlic and ginger if desired. Blend a small amount of this mixture with hot peppers; set aside.

Put half of remaining onion/garlic/ginger mixture into large saucepan with 1-1½ cups oil. Simmer on medium heat.

Place beef, all-purpose seasoning powder, remaining onion/garlic/ginger mixture, and 1 tablespoon salt in frying pan; cover until cooked, stirring occasionally.

Add hot pepper mixture to onion/garlic/ginger/oil mixture. Then add blended tomatoes and tomato paste to hot pepper mixture.

Remove beef from frying pan; pour drippings into stew, stirring stew occasionally. Fry beef in ½ cup oil until brown.

Add tuna, onga, and maggi to stew. Add green pepper and meat to stew. Add cabbage to stew. Finally, add rice to stew, adding water and salt as needed, stirring occasionally until rice is soft and has absorbed most of the liquid.

Other optional ingredients that we didn’t have include spring onions, green beans, and carrots. And just as a warning, the 14 hot peppers made the dish VERY peppery! ;)

Questions and Answers – 14

Jason’s family is rejecting him because he is a Christian. What other difficulties do believers face there?

New believers in northern Ghana face all kinds of opposition, from social snubbing all the way to death by poisoning. As you know, Jason was turned out of his father’s house for choosing Christ. A good friend of mine ran away from her family after she was beaten each time she refused to go to the mosque, and after her sister warned her not to eat a poisoned meal. (She recently told me that her grandmother in the village has now become a Christian, but plans to continue to attend the mosque in order to avoid persecution.)

Another friend brought four stepsisters to church a few weeks ago. They haven’t returned, and when we asked after them, we were told that the brothers in the family warned the girls that if they ever go back to church, the brothers will kill the girls. Pastor Tirumbu once led a young man to Christ who was poisoned by his family three weeks later.

So yeah, saying “yes” to Jesus isn’t a step to be taken lightly in this corner of the world. Praise God for each one who has done so!

Quick Updates

A recent comment asked for an update on Jason, Hassan, and Daoud.

Daoud’s holiday ended, and he went back to school in southern Ghana. His mother said that he is doing well and reading his Bible daily, trying to grow in his new faith; but as he is staying with Muslim relatives, he has no opportunity to go to church during the term.

Hassan came every day the week I wrote about him, and then disappeared. We have not seen him since that Friday so many weeks ago. Did he realize that he couldn’t get money from us and thus lose interest? Did he understand that I really couldn’t marry him? Did his father forbid him to have further interaction with us? We’re not sure why we haven’t seen him, but knowing that he has a Christian friend, a Bible, and the Gospel message, we simply continue to pray for him.

Jason found a job that allows him to earn enough to eat, now that his father is no longer providing for him…but the new job doesn’t free him to go to church on Sunday mornings, so he is currently without the support of fellow believers that he needs at this crucial time. Mr. Joe and I have each been visiting with him, however, and we see plenty of evidence that God is at work in his life. Jason continues to read his Bible on his own, but as a new Christian is somewhat confused about what his priorities need to be. “I need to get my financial life in order, and then I can really focus on Christ,” he told me recently. I directed him to Matthew 6:25-34 and he promised to meditate on the verses. May God work in his heart so that he will feel led to return to church as an outward demonstration of the fact that he is choosing to give God priority!

Each of these guys needs lots of prayer – thanks for your concern!