Sorry it’s been so long since my last post. I guess the jet lag finally caught up with me. So back to the journey. A great Wednesday ended in Ghana with Pastor Barnabas showing up very late at the Presidental lodge asking to speak to me about something very important. He said that God had put it in his heart to invite the folks from the villages we had visited during the previous three days to come to the community meal the following morning, but they needed transportation. We were very blessed to have been able to take some extra funds for just such an event, so we were able to provide the money to rent a couple of buses to bring many new Christians to Wale Wale for the day of celebration.
Thursday morning got off to a rough start with two of our team members waking up sick. Tammy and Eddie were both under the weather and had to stay behind at the lodge while the rest of us went to the community meal. We arrived at Central Baptist Church and much to our surprise, what we encountered had the feel of an associational gathering with Christians from 7 different villages represented. At the beginning of the meeting, each village had a group come forward and provide some sort of special music. Then our team presented a skit called “Boxes” that we had prepared. The theme of the skit was how Jesus transforms our pains into joys. It was very powerful and the people got the point.
Next on the agenda was break-out sessions led by our team. Ken Warner spoke to the men, Alison Warner spoke to the women, Janet Larson shared with the children, and Todd Pless taught the youth. I spent that time taking pictures and meeting with the pastors present. It was a good 45 minutes of teaching and very similar to Sunday School……except with very large and very attentive classes.
After some prayers of thanksgiving for the day, the churches, and our team, I was asked to bring the Word of God. I shared the life story of Peter, reflecting on all the ups and downs of his life. Then i shared with the Christians there that the most important moment of Peter’s life was when Jesus asked Peter who the people said he was…..and Peter proclaimed “you are the living Christ, the son of God”. I shared with each of them that the most important moment in any of our lives is the moment when we decide who Jesus really is, and choose to either follow him or go our own way.
The meal was next……some of the best spicy rice i have ever eaten. Simply delicious. We also were given some very special chicken……that’s right, the same chicken that our village chief presented the team with just a day before. That poor little fella gave his life for a great cause….our lunch! Of the 250 or so people there, everyone got rice, chicken, and a bottle of soda. It was a good meal. After the meal, our team presented each village with a couple of gifts. We handed out 2 soccer balls and 50 Bibles to be taken back to each village. The people were very happy about the Bibles……..but honestly, the soccer balls made them light up like you have never seen. We tried to give out some candy, but the crowd was just too overwhelming. Several children came away with minor injuries as they trampled on each other trying to get a sucker or piece of gum. The worst injury was a bloody nose, but i am sure many bruises were made in the scramble for sugar filled Americana.
In a very emotional moment, each member of our team was presented with an authentic African tribal garment that included a hat. The people worked hard to make them and we were grateful for this act of love.
The day ended with us getting some time to rest and prepare for the long journey home. It was a good day in Wale Wale for the all the Christian people among the Mamprusi people-group.
