St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School

Pastor George's Ghana Update-2011

 

 

 

Saturday, October 15, 2011

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

It is now 8:00 a.m. local time in Accra on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2011. This is Africa! You will recall from my last email that I was scheduled to leave Accra at 6:30 a.m. today because the flight scheduled to leave last night at 9:30 pm never showed up! I had a 3:15 a.m. wake up call so I would not miss the 4:00 a.m. shuttle to the Kotoka Airport in Accra. No, I did not fall back to sleep after my wakeup call and miss my flight home. This is Africa!

 

At 3:15 a.m. the desk clerk called to inform me that a Delta Airlines rep will be at the hotel at 4:00 a.m. to discuss the new developments with me. She told me that the flight had been delayed and I would hear about it at 4:00 a.m. That was the time the Delta rep said he would be here.

 

Silly me, I figured she meant 4:00 a.m. British time. At 5:25 a.m. guess who comes in the hotel lobby doors? The grim reaper, I mean, the agent from Delta arrived. He met with me and four other passengers who stayed here at the Holiday Inn. The flight was delayed because the plane that was to fly here from Atlanta had mechanic troubles three hours out over the Atlantic Ocean and flew back to Atlanta.  A plane is scheduled to land here at 2:30 pm this afternoon. We are to be at the airport at 2:30 pm. We will immediately board the plane and it will take off promptly at 4:00 pm British time.

 

It is scheduled to land in Atlanta at 11:55 pm tonight! The wise folks at Delta booked on a flight to BWI from Atlanta that will leave Atlanta at 4:15 pm and arrive in BWI at 6:15 pm Sunday night. Nothing like a sixteen (16) hour layover in the Atlanta airport! This is NOT Africa! Thanks to the good people at Verizon Wireless, my Blackberry has been programed to make calls from Ghana. Guess who I called?

 

The Delta travel agent who assisted me over the phone was a most delightful and efficient helper. Now I am scheduled to leave Atlanta Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. I will arrive at BWI at 9:24 a.m. Right! I am becoming a member of the “seeing is believing” club! So sorry, but I will not able to worship with you Sunday in the flesh. I will be there in spirit!

 

Mad at Delta? No! This is happening because they are concerned with my safety and welfare. They want to provide me with a sound aircraft that will get me home to Julie and to you alive! How can you fault Delta for that??? It is all part of God’s plan to get me home safely.

 

I am going to try to take a nap this morning so I will say “Good bye for now from Ghana!”

 

Keep me and Julie in your prayers, as you are in mine!

 

Blessings,

 

Pastor George

 

P.S. Let us pray that this epistle will be my last from Ghana! But remember: THIS IS AFRICA!  

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Late Friday, October 14, 2011

 

Greetings from Ghana!

 

It is now FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011. What have I told you many times in my emails these last three weeks? This is Africa!

 

It means in a round-about way that things don’t always work out in Africa like they do elsewhere. It is sort of like our “Murphy’s Law:” “If anything can go wrong it probably will!” Well, this is Africa!

 

As I prepared to leave the Triple Crown for the airport, I thought that the only thing that can keep me from flying home tonight would be if there was a coup here in Ghana. What are the chances of that happening in peaceful Ghana? Pretty slim! But there was one thing that I forgot about as I unloaded my suitcase from Dr. Fynn’s SUV at the entrance to the Kotoka International Airport in Accra. There could be mechanical problems with the aircraft. Poor Julie! She was so eager to see me late tomorrow morning. But alas, this is Africa!

 

Apparently there was some sort of mechanical trouble with one of the restrooms on the Delta jet. Do you know how many lavatories there are on an Airbus 330-200? Plenty of them! But the flight was full and the airline has to abide by international human right standards for aircraft lavatories or something like that! Truthful, I do not really mind other than it is delaying me eight more hours from seeing my wonderful and beautiful wife. Besides, with my luck it could the lavatory closest to my seat was the broken one. Or worse yet, my seat could be close to a functioning lavatory and there would be a continuous line of chatty people squeezing their legs together! (All I can figure is that one of you back home has not been praying hard enough for me! Ha! Ha!)

 

So Delta has rescheduled our flight from leaving Accra at 9:30 pm to leaving Accra at 6:30 a.m. So to make this work, Delta graciously has booked me a room at the Holiday Inn which is very close to the airport. The room and dinner are on them. (Let me see if there is a small bottle of Merlot in the room’s refrigerator bar!) It is a wonderful hotel and a great PR move on Delta’s part. One problem: Holiday Inn knew nothing about Delta picking up the tab, or so they claimed. Could this have been the first time something like this has happened with Delta in Ghana?  This is Africa! So after a few phone calls Holiday Inn’s front desk clerk checked me into a wonderful room.

 

So, I have a 3:15 wakeup call so I can make the 4:00 a.m. hotel shuttle and be at the airport by the required 4:30 a.m. check-in time. There was one thing I did do before I left the Delta ticket counter for the Holiday Inn. I asked, “This 4:30 a.m check-in time: is that British time or African time?” This is Africa!

 

Good night. I have an early wakeup call. Keep me in your prayers and you are in mine!

 

God bless,

 

Pastor George 

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Friday, October 14, 2011

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

This morning, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011, I began my last early morning “walk about” of my mission trip. I said “Good-bye” to Charles, the stroke victim who is trying hard to regain full use of his right side; to Frank and Somewhere, the two television repair men; and to the young man who sells me my newspaper every day. There is a bit of sadness in my step knowing that it will be a long time if and when I see them again.

 

It rained last night. It rained so hard that I woke up thinking the air conditioner was on the fritz! But it was good for the morning commuters and walkers that it rained. The rains dampened the roads so that there is no dust this morning. However, by noon, the hot sun will change that.

 

I reflected on all that happened on this mission trip: the things I saw, the things I did, the places I visited, and the people I met. It was great having Ron Crouse with me the first week. His dry sense of humor and compassion for the poor were very uplifting. Has he told you about his favorite Ghanaian television program “Who Wants to be Rich?” It is a Ghanaian television imitation of the American show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” Top prize was 500,000 Cedi’s. Most contestants stopped at 200,000 Cedi’s. Ron shared with me one of the tough questions. Which of the following animals barks? A. a cow; B. a fish; C. a dog; or D. a cockroach?  Believe it or not, the contestant had to ask for help!

 

I enjoyed teaching the seminary students, despite it being for five hours of class time for four days in the heat and humidity. The students were all eager to learn. Each had a story to tell about his call, his family that he left behind while studying, and his hopes he has for the future. They shared a common thread in that they were all very poor, but most eager to serve our LORD. I really felt that I accomplished something good in helping them to understand the prophecies of Isaiah, and then how to write a detailed outline for their sermons based on parts of Isaiah. They even taught me something on courage, or perhaps it was more on the line of stupidity. The fan that is fastened to a stand about four feet high that is used to circulate the air in the classroom has no plug. There is no plug at the end of the cord! So, someone spliced the wires and about 3 inches of bare wire is exposed at the end of the cord. The guys then stick those wires into a live 220 volt power strip that is turned on! Bingo: the fan blows! Someday someone is going to fry!

 

The week teaching the pastors and evangelists along with Bob Roegner and Jerry Lancour, was also very challenging and rewarding. The guys asked a lot of interesting questions relevant to the topics we were teaching. And they asked a lot of questions that had absolutely nothing to do with our topic. That was good, too! It was a treat to have the other two men to share in the teaching duties. It wasn’t any cooler nor was it any less humid, but being able to sit for a while was refreshing. I sure pray that they will begin to understand Biblical Stewardship and put what they learned into practice in their congregations.

 

Other things that have warmed my heart this week include the Lutheran schools and the learning conditions of the children in the Northern Region. How many people can say that they met the Chief of Gbintiri? The work of the Lutheran Bible Translators is awesome! It was good to see that PLI is having an influence on the pastors, too. And it was nice dining with them. Seeing my old friend, Evangelist John Donkoh, and encouraging him as he applies to our LCMS seminaries to further his education and become a pastor was great. Hopefully, we at St. Paul’s can assist him with part of his seminary expenses through Synod’s Missionary Support program of which we are already a part of and doing now. And finally, my very good friend, Paul Kofi Fynn: what can I say? He’s the man! What a visionary, leader, entrepreneur, and dedicated and faithful servant to our LORD! Let’s keep him in our prayers!

 

And now for the big question: Will I come back to Ghana? Certainly I can justify doing so for the needs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana, her pastors, and her congregations are many. While I must realize that I cannot change or solve all their problems alone, I can be a help. It depends on a lot of things: Julie, St. Paul’s support, volunteers from St. Paul’s coming along, my health (diabetes), and the financial backing that is needed. In the final analysis, it is not my call: it is our LORD’S. He has the knowledge of the future; His will is good and gracious; and He understands the big and broad picture! Who can challenge Him? Who dares to have the audacity to tell Him what one will or won’t do today, tomorrow, or in the future? I know that it is always God’s will and not mine, and I have learned to trust and believe in God’s promises and direction. So, until God speaks, I will continue to strive to be the best I can be where our LORD places me now, at this moment in time!

 

I would hope that some Sunday evening very soon we could together have a potluck supper and I could show all my pictures and give you a full report on my trip. I would be glad to answer any questions about the trip. I would even be glad to sign you up for coming along on my next trip, if there is one!

 

I want to thank all of you for your encouragement. Many were generous in your financial support: thank you very much! The prayer support from you is most appreciated. Those who sent me an email, thank you for lifting me up when I was tired and sweaty. I pray that in the end, my coming here will make a difference in the lives of the pastors, evangelists, and laity. If my being here results in the saving of at least one soul, then my coming was well worth the time, effort, and money. Thank you, Julie! Thank you St. Paul’s! Thank you, one and all!

 

Pray for my safe trip home. Keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.

 

Blessings,

 

Pastor George

 

 

 

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

It is TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2011! Yesterday as we toured the Northern Region churches, two things became very obvious to me. First was the love and zeal that the Lutheran members have for the LORD and His Church. The second is the devastation of their corn crop.

 

I know that today, among many Lutherans in America, doctrine (the teachings of Scripture) is not important. Perhaps except for defending the practice of Infant Baptism in the Doctrine of Holy Baptism, when is the last time you had a deep theological exchange over the Doctrines of the Real Presence in Holy Communion, the Holy Trinity, the two natures of Christ, Creation, the Resurrection, the Third Use of the Law, the Proper Distinction of Law and Gospel, or even the most basic and most fundamental Christian Doctrine of all, Justification by Faith Alone?

 

To the Lutherans in Ghana, these are important. Most “Christian” congregations preach a “prosperity gospel.” If you only believe and do this or that, then God will make you rich (in the worldly sense). So, people worship thinking that God will make them rich like Americans if they give more, do more, attend more, and believe more. There is also the presence of Pentecostals, whose message is a blend of speaking in tongues and the prosperity gospel. Add to this, many who claim to be Christians, continue to hold on to their tribal gods, religious customs, and sacred rituals and practices. There is also a strong influence of animalism among the people in the villages and bush areas. It is important to the Lutherans here to confess the Apostles’ Creed as a statement of their faith in the one true God, and a rejection of their former beliefs.

 

The people of Ghana need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is such a comfort to know that God forgives and promises to provide and protect them considering all the struggles they face-- the medical issues, disease and death, the political, economic, and social crises and challenges that face them. They know that by becoming a believer they will not become rich monetarily. What they long to hear, what they need to hear, is that whether they are rich or poor, God still loves them and forgives them. They long for the assurance that as they face life and all of its hardships, trials, and tribulations, God will never forsake them, will continue to guide them, and will provide for them. It is in the true Christian message that they find grace, love, assurance, comfort, and hope. Hey, they are very much like us! The true Christian message brings to them and us true and eternal blessings from God, both now and in the life to come.

 

The corn crop was a failure this year in the north. Corn is a cash crop for many. And since most of the population is engaged in agriculture, most of the people will be hurting. This financial disaster was caused by the combination of a long continuous dry season with extremely high temperatures, mixed with an early and unusually heavy rainy season. The draught so damaged the crop that when the rain waters finally arrived, the only thing the corn stalks could do was turn green. But the crop was lost! Now the poor of Ghana are going to become even poorer!

 

It rained all night Monday. The power went out throughout the area. I could not sleep. I think I heard the sound of every animal in the area is either snorting, moaning, chirping, or slithering during the night. I even heard the night watchman trample through the concrete area outside my door. With all the wild animals living in Ghana, snakes included, so far the wildest animal I have seen in my eight visits is a flying cockroach! I have been pleased and thankful, believe me!

 

We left Gbintiri today at 5:00 a.m. This meant that I was up at 4:15 a.m. Unfortunately I did not inquire if this was to be African time or British time. It was African time and it was almost 8:00 a.m. when we pulled out and headed south for Kumasi. We traveled over the same terrible dirt and black-topped roads down to Kumasi that we traveled on up from Kumasi. We traveled in the same non-functioning, air-conditioned SUV down to Kumasi that we rode in up from Kumasi. It was just as hot and humid going down there as it was coming up from the south. The only difference was that we were trying to make it to Kumasi in one day rather than two days. We succeeded!

 

About the only thing usually different about the trip home was that somewhere around the village of Nalerigu a naked man (stark naked) was wondering around the middle of road chasing cars like a wild dog! We made a quick, drive-by diagnosis of his problem and unanimously concluded that the evidence shows that he is, in local terms, crazy! (In political correctness terminology, he was very mentally challenged!)

 

We made it to Kumasi just before darkness engulfed the city. We visited in old friend of mine, Mr. Seth Larbisaw. Seth was the vice-president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana when I first came to Ghana, almost seventeen years ago. About eight years ago he introduced me to the queen mother of the Ashanti King. She has “adopted” Seth as her “son.” Now he has retired from his furniture manufacturing business and at 74, enjoys his time in retirement. By 10:00 pm I was in bed and asleep. Dr. Fynn wanted us up and on the road by 5:30 a.m. Before turning in, I confirmed twice that this was 5:30 a.m. British time! It was! Good Night.

 

I woke up on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011 at 5:00 a.m. to leave Kumasi for Accra by 5:30 a.m. British time. I ate breakfast in the car: water, a tangerine, and a granola bar. The weather was overcast and much cooler. Well, it was in the 80’s instead of the 90’s!

 

The trip was most uneventful. Half of it was on black topped roads. The second half was on imaginary roads, places soon to become roads. Jacob, our driver, made great time. And with the cloud-covered skies keeping the temperatures down below 90 most of the trip, the lack of a working air conditioner was no problem...for the first hour, maybe! But remember, this is Africa!

 

As I am continually and torturously tossed around in the car over the bumps, potholes, ruts, and canyon size washed out areas, I have come up with the fool proof platform to be elected to a seat in Parliament. Roads! Promise them that if elected you will do all you can to build wide roads, solid roads, safe roads, modern roads throughout your district! Roads! You will win!

 

Pastor Fynn and I had a great conversation about the future of the Lutheran Church in Ghana. We talked about its present and future needs, and ways to overcome those needs. Just as the problems are many, so are the ways to solve those problems. Nothing will be done if nothing is started. We talked about the long-term vision, the next steps to take to fulfill the vision, and ways to create ownership of the vision on the part of the congregations and pastors. This church body has a lot of challenges, but it also has a lot of potential. Ironically, Paul and I came to pretty much the same conclusions. These I will discuss with you at a later time.

 

The challenge for you, the members of St. Paul’s Glen Burnie, is this. Do you want to be part of the solution in helping to make this young church blossom and win souls to God’s glory? If so, to what extent are you willing to help?

 

I returned to my room at the Triple Crown covered with sweat, dust, dirt, and the smell of oil smoke from the trucks and buses. It will take days for all of this stuff to get out of my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth! I am so looking forward to getting into my room, taking a cold shower, and then taking a long nap in my, YES!, air-conditioned room. But, alas, this is Africa. I enter my room to discover a frustrated workman trying to fix my air conditioner!

 

It did finally get fixed. I had my shower and nap. Dr. Fynn called and asked where would I like to go to dinner? I have been here three weeks and am craving for a fresh salad. Paul knew just the place the salads are safe for foreigners. It was delicious! Good night!

 

Please pray for me as I am praying for you.

 

God bless,

 

Pastor George

 

 

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011, I woke up to discover that I had a couple of roommates last night and did not even know it! You might know their cousin; the Gecko on the Geico Insurance commercials! These little creatures look like tiny dinosaurs. While they are harmless to us, they do us a great favor: they eat mosquitoes! I guess it is the thought of them crawling up and down the walls, across the ceiling, and scampering over the floor as one sleeps that can get to a person.

 

When I got up to “shower” or rather “pour” cups of water over my body, I discovered one of those little reptiles swimming in the storage tank of bath water. He saw me and swam for “shore” and scampered up the inside of the tank, under the lid, and out of sight!

 

After a good breakfast, LBT missionaries David and Chris took me to visit the LBT linguist center right on the compound grounds. Actually it was very close to where I had slept that night. There I met two Ghanaian men who were working hard to translate the New Testament into their local language. They explained the difficulties and challenges in writing the Bible in a language that has only existed in written form for the past eight years. Then I was humbled as I have never been so humbled in my entire ministry, if not my entire life. And at the same time, I was quite honored in a Biblical way. They told me that they were beginning to translate The Book of Revelation. The Lutheran pastor who was serving as their theological advisor on this project was an old friend of mine whom I have seen on each of my eight trips to Ghana. He had been in the seminary class in which I had taught The Book of Revelation. He was using my notes as his guide as he advised the translators! (Attention all St. Paul’s members: I am teaching the class on Revelation now on Sunday mornings!!!)

 

From there we were joined with Jabong, the lay leader of the Lutheran Church in the local village of Gbintiri. His father had been chief of Gbintiri when the first Lutheran Missionary (LCMS) came to Gbintiri and gave the Lutherans the land for the missionary’s home. He was going to show me the Lutheran church building which doubles as a Lutheran School, and then take me to make a call on the current chief. He is known simply as “Chief.” This is Africa!

 

The church is a large block structure with a solid, sturdy roof. The school children are on break when we arrive. As I prepare to take a picture of the building, I am suddenly overwhelmed by an avalanche of dozens of school children all rushing to be in the picture. I met the headmaster and his faculty of six. I was told that the woman cooking a large tub of local soup at the end of parade field was their ‘hot lunch program.” Inside, the pew benches are arranged in six areas, each spread out from the others. Each area is where each of the six levels (not grades) is taught. (Student and Principal Colross please note: the older students were given switches to keep the younger students in line! Apparently no one cares that corporal punishment is politically incorrect in the rest of the world! It is very much in vogue here. This is Africa!)

 

Now we head over to see the Chief. It was a most interesting experience in protocol. First you have to ask the chief’s aid if you can see the Chief. There is a sitting area outside the chief’s compound where you sit and wait to see if the Chief will see you today. The sitting area is a “bench” that is made up of five or six wooded planks about six feet in length, and sits under a wooden canopy. After waiting close to thirty minutes, the chief’s aid came out and told us the Chief would be glad to welcome us.

As we entered the compound, I was told that when I meet the Chief that I was to squat in front of him and slightly clap my hands when he speaks. I was to speak to Jabong, who would translate my language into their dialect to the aid. The aid would then tell the Chief what I had asked or said. The Chief would nod and mumble a few words. The aid would tell Jabong what the Chief had said. Then Jabong would tell me. Hey, this is Africa!

 

Basically, I gave the Chief my greetings, thanked him for his generosity and help that he has given the Lutherans. He smiled, spoke a few words, and we all clapped. I told him how beautiful his village is and asked about this year’s corn crop. He nodded, smiled, spoke, and we clapped. He asked me to come and sit next to him on his left side. Missionary Dave advised me not to sit on the animal skin on which the Chief was sitting, and to be sure to duck when I bent down to sit under the canopy over his hut. On his right were all his little tribal gods and images. Obviously he was not a Christian.

 

When I sat down he said something to the aid and they together with Jabong started to laugh. We clapped. Jabong told me, “Chief says that you are an old man but in great physical shape.” We all clapped. This was a complement by their customs. I asked the Chief if he had worshipped in the Lutheran Church in his village. He nodded that he had not. I asked if I came back would he come to hear me preach.  He smiled hearing the translation. He agreed to come to the church, should we both live that long. Just think, it could be that hearing the Gospel the Spirit might ignite a spark of faith in his heart. He could toss away all those dust collecting idols. We talked a little more and it was time to leave. At Missionary Dave’s suggestion, I asked the Chief if I could pray for him. He smiled and we clapped.

 

I prayed for the true God to touch the Chief’s life and to bless his village with good weather and an abundant harvest. I prayed that our LORD, Who alone has all power and grace, would bless the village’s Lutheran church and school. May our LORD make it that our church would be a blessing to all the villagers as it proclaims the Gospel of Jesus who died for our sins and rose again, just as it taught the children of the village how to learn, to apply their learning, and grow in their faith. I prayed that the Chief would know the love and forgiveness of our LORD, and be granted a long, healthy life. When the aid translated my prayer to the Chief, the Chief clapped! Amen!

 

The sun was beginning to climb in the skies. The temperatures also began to rise as eight of us pile into a Toyota SUV to travel to the Northern Region. As we squeezed together, I commented to Missionary Chris who was one of the eight, “Aren’t glad you use Dial; don’t you wish everyone did!” He laughed. (Remember me telling you that on Saturday the air conditioning went out on our Toyota SUV? Guess what? It is still not working!) Now, I am not making fun of the situation in a bad way. The truth is, most people in Ghana, especially those who live in the farm villages, do not use deodorant. Why? They simply cannot afford it. When you are struggling to buy food, clothing, clean water, medicine, and seed for your fields, somehow the need to smell like roses is just not high on your  “must have” priority list!

 

The rest of the day was very enlightening, although somewhat like a broken CD player that kept repeating the same song over and over again. We basically did three things the rest of the day: we would stop at the next village and get out of the SUV. We would walk to the village’s Lutheran church building and visit with the local congregational leaders and members. Then we would walk back to the SUV with the broken air conditioner, pile in, and head to the next village. The temperatures kept rising. The humidity kept pace. And the sweat kept pouring. This is Africa!

As I said, each stop was very enlightening. At one stop, almost all of the members were waiting for us. As Dr. Fynn, LBT Missionary Chris, and I were introduced to them, they smiled and applauded. It always makes people laugh and a bit curious when Dr. Fynn introduces me as, “The Rev. Dr. George Black who is really white!” Each of us was expected to make a little speech. A couple of them addressed Dr. Fynn with their concerns or shared their successes in ministry, outreach, and growth. The members then all stood up and broke out into two or three of their Ghanaian Christian hymns and songs. I was asked to close with a prayer. At every stop, at least a handful of local church leaders and lay men and women greeted us. To all of them, it was important that their Bishop, their national church leader, Rev. Dr. Fynn, greet and visit with them.

 

It was wonderful to see that almost every little village in this part of the Northern and Upper Eastern Regions had either a Lutheran church or preaching station in it. For some villages, this was the only Christian church, the only voice of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that was present. Please say a prayer and thank God for the growth of the Lutheran Church and the hard work of the laity, church leaders, evangelists, and pastors in this part of Ghana.

 

At Bunkpurugu (boonk poo roo goo) we saw the compound where Rev. Walter DeMoss did the initial work for LBT in Ghana. He is still revered in the hearts of the local Lutherans and remembered for his hard work in establishing a written language in their local dialect, Bawku, translating the Scriptures, and bringing the saving message of Jesus Christ to them. Not only did his work bring to these people the love of Jesus, but it helped to improve the literacy of the people, too. Hence, his work had spiritual, and temporary, immediate, and eternal blessings for them.

 

Dr. Fynn told a story about a time when he and Rev. Walter De Moss were traveling together. Between villages, they accidently killed a fair sized Python that was on the road. Dr. Fynn has no patience, love, use, or tolerance for snakes. Apparently, Walter had a great taste for them and found them to be a delicacy beyond one’s culinary imagination. He threw the dead snake into the trunk of his car, and off they went. A few miles down the road they stopped at an army barricade. A rather arrogant officer, eager to show that he has the power, told them to get out of the car while he searched it. Finding nothing, he ordered Walter to open the trunk. (Here Dr. Fynn cannot contain himself and begins to laugh loud and gregariously.) “You should have been the soldier’s eyes pop out his head when he looked in and saw that snake. He jumped back and ordered them to close the trunk and get moving!”    

 

By late afternoon, I mentioned that I was feeling tired. Actually, the heat and humidity, in addition to the burning sun, drained my energy. Add to that, being tossed and bounced around for six hours on a rocky, rut filled dirt road, and well, my “get up and go got up and went!” Now Dr. Fynn is very protective of me for many reasons. One is that I have been very supportive of the ministry of the Lutheran Church in Ghana and his leadership. He does want to see this support end. So, at the first mention of not feeling well, he immediately imagines that the worst case scenario is happening. Shall we say that he overreacted on the safe side? (I think we all know people in the States who immediately go to the most extreme possible position and refuse to listen to reason or any other information!) Immediately he asked about the location of the nearest hospital. Let’s go back so I can rest. When I finally convinced him I was neither in any grave danger nor dying. He said, “Okay then, let’s go on!” For the rest of the trip, every ten minutes, he asked if I was okay?!!! We continued for another two hours before I finally returned to LBT compound in Gbintiri where Missionaries David and Valerie Federwitz live.

 

Another thing that I saw on my trip was the wonderful water project that our LCMS World Relief and Human Care did throughout northern Ghana. It is called the Northern Ghana Well Drilling Project. In every small village or town that I passed through, I saw the cement base and hand pumps for the wells that our Synod dug and secured. These wells insure that the villagers have access to good, safe, clean drinking water. These wells are over two hundred feet in depth. The people are most grateful to the Lutherans for our support.

 

One final note about life in the Northern Region: the calendar. While the rest of the entire world follows a seven day week calendar, here in the Northern Region they follow a six day week! Others, including the French during the French Revolution and the Russian Bolsheviks tried to revise the week into a ten day week, and all failed miserably. But here in the Northern Region, since the days when the waters of the great Flood receded, they have followed a six day week calendar. Why, you ask? It is built around their market day schedule. Villages in groups of six rotate hosting market day. It is a grand day where people from the farms bring their harvested crops to sell. Local craftsmen and seamstresses’ bring their wares and clothes to sell. There are a variety of foods and drinks to purchase. Bands play songs and everyone has a good time. Each of the six villages takes a day of the week and enjoys being the host. What about the seventh day of the week, you ask? Silly Americans, there is no seventh day; there are only six days in the week!

 

Of course this gave the British colonialists fits, and not just them. The rest of Ghana, foreign investors, and educator have learned to work off of the combination the two calendars: the six day and the seven day calendars. It is really quite simple: market day is on the same day of the week according to their six day calendar, but it rotates days of the week on our seven day calendar. (Don’t ask about what happens in Leap Year! They would have no idea and could care less!)    

 

As I nestle down for my last night in Gbintiri, I am looking forward to returning to Kumasi tomorrow. Please say a special prayer the people here in the Northern Region, and thank God for the work of the LCMS and LBT missionaries in this area. Say one for the Chief, too! Let’s pray that he comes to know Jesus as his Savior, too!

 

Pray for me and I am praying for you. God bless!

 

Pastor George

 

PICTURES

 

One: My quarters in Gbntiri.

Two: The village Chief and me.

Three: A village Lutheran church in Northern Region

Four: One the wells built by LCMS World Relief and Human Care

Five: A tired Bishop Fynn

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Monday, October 10, 2011

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

Yesterday, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011, began with the sound of Indiana Jones’s theme song. The alarm clock on my cell phone is playing. It is 5:00 a.m. We must be on the road by six to get to the church in Nakpaduri. As we pulled out of Tamale, I gave thanks for the hospitality of LBT missionaries Paul and Ali. I had to chuckle as I recalled a “Kodak moment” from last night. After supper and Dr. Fynn’s departure, the Federwitz’s and I were talking in their living room. We were discussing of all things, flying bugs in Tamale. No sooner did Ali say that she was used to the mosquitoes and other bugs, did a big, dark reddish bug fly into the room. Ali screamed! She said, “That’s the one bug I will not go near!” It was a flying cockroach; a big flying cockroach. But her husband Paul came to the rescue, and it was no longer a flying roach!

 

The road is great as we leave Tamale: blacktop. We drive almost an hour through land that is becoming grassier and less bush. Sections of the lands are farmed. Corn and maize are struggling to grow in the red soil. When we get to WaleWale, we made a right turn at the round-about. Don’t ask me how the driver knew to turn right. There are no road signs giving directions or distances to the next town. The driver just knew.

 

A mile or two outside of WaleWale the nice paved road disappeared. You guessed it: the hard packed red dirt path reappeared. The road is populated by small groups of goats. Goats in Ghana appear to be about a 1/3 of the size of goats in America. And their babies are even smaller. The babies remind me of my two miniature Dachshunds, Tillie and Tootsie, in the way that their little legs run as they follow behind their mommies.

 

What is this on the road ahead, lying comfortably in the dead center, munching on its morning breakfast? Is it a relative of yours? Oops! It’s a donkey! (Sorry, but I could not resist!) Donkeys here are not as tall or as husky as the breeds in the States. They are used to pull little carts. Perhaps this is Africa’s version of “Amish Country” back home. The roads in the Amish areas of the U.S. are filled with horse-drawn buggies. Here they use donkey-drawn carts!

 

To give you an idea of what it is like to ride inside a vehicle traveling on a Ghanaian dirt road, just visualize yourself on a unique amusement ride. You are strapped into the car and it immediately sways and bumps. It jostles you vigorously as you bounce up and down. Suddenly you drop a foot or two. Then you are bounced up to the ceiling. All the time you are being tossed and thrown back and forth and sideways! Praise the LORD for Ibuprofen 800!

 

Speaking of “Praising the LORD,” how was your LWML Sunday? While it was not LWML Sunday here in Ghana, we did have a ladies choir sing.  A number of ladies got up and danced African style during most of the songs at the Lutheran Church in Nakpaduri. For me, the highlight was the sermon translator or translators! A couple of minutes into my proclamation of the Gospel, the translator appeared to be stuck on a word or two. Suddenly, a man yelled something in the local dialect. People broke out in laughter and jeered the translator. Another man got up and said, “You can’t translate well. Sit down and let me translate!” After that brief interruption, it was back to my message.

Attending the service, along with about seventy local worshippers, was the LBT missionary who would host me tonight and Monday. His name is David Federwitz. You are right: same last name as Saturday’s host LBT missionary. They are brothers. After service, the ladies of the congregation prepared lunch for me. It was rice cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and my choice of chicken or goat. Since my lower intestinal “thing” was gone and not wanting to disturb matters again, I chose the chicken. They were happy because they wanted the goat meat.

 

Here are a couple of tips about eating in Ghana, especially outside the cities. Don’t join the clean plate club! Always leave some food on your plate. If you don’t, you will hurt your host’s feelings and give the impression that he or she did not feed you enough. (I should be able to master this custom, all things considered!) Second, they love eating animal fat, and prefer it over eating the meat of the animal. So, thinking you too love the fat, they will make a great sacrifice and give you the fat while they force themselves to eat the meat. So, if you are served family style, take the meat and leave the fat! Then, everyone is happy! This is Africa!

 

Between worship and lunch, I was invited to sit down and meet with their church council. They made a request for funds to make some necessary improvements on their church, parsonage, and property. Dr. Fynn told them to put their requests in writing and give the list to him. That way there will be a paper trail, and it will reduce the temptation of chopping (skimming) the money, should it be sent to them. Pastor Fynn also told them of a pilot program involving one American congregation adopting one Ghanaian congregation. The sponsoring American congregation will then assist the Ghanaian congregation with its financial and facility needs. When the discussion switched to a plea for a pastor to be assigned to the vacant church in Tamale, I was notified that the women had my lunch prepared.

 

We left this town and headed to the Federwitz’s home two hours’ drive away. We traveled with a third LBT missionary, Chris LaBoube, and three Ghanaian men. About half way “home,” one of the Ghanaian churchmen wanted us to stop so he could show me his church building. He had actually called ahead and by the time we arrived, the church council was waiting to meet me. Well, actually they presented me with a written list of needed projects and their estimated costs! Now this guy listened and learned quickly!

 

Missionary Dave Federwitz and his family actually live in compound where the LCMS once had a missionary stationed. It is about three acres of land with a large range house on a slab and a couple other small buildings built around a cement court yard there was a guest house about 100 yards away in a grassy field. About 300 yards away is another guest house which is in a large U-shaped structure.  It includes a large class room and other offices and storage space.

 

Dave and his wife Valarie have four children; all are under eight. Three of them are recovering from Malaria. Without proper medicine, Malaria is a killer, especially of small children. They were doing fine and responding to medication, although they were tired. They also have a missionary volunteer named Christina Riddle. She is a young American woman who helps Valarie with the cooking and the home schooling of their four children. (I think there is a “thing” developing between her and the third LBT missionary, Chris. Chris is single, too.)

 

I am staying in the guest house, which is the furthest building from the main house. It is an interesting walk at night! The accommodations are basic, but comfortable. The shower is interesting. Well, actually it not a shower, but rather a “pouring.” There is a big tank filled with room-temperature water. I fill a bucket with water and then dip a four cup measuring cup into the bucket. Then I pour a cup of water over my head, lather up with soap, and pour another bucket over my head. The key is to refill the bucket before you lather up!

 

We had a great dinner of bread sticks, homemade soup, and chocolate cake. Where we are is beyond the reach of the closest cell tower, so there is no phone service available here. Dave is able to get an Internet connection on his computer because his wireless is connected to a tall antenna. He has a wireless setup in his home, so I can send a message to my home while I am here.

 

It rained and thundered, while lightning flashed on and off all night long. It was very hot, but a fan directly over my bed, moved the air and made it comfortable for sleeping. I kept it set on “warp speed!”

 

Remember the Federwitz’s, Chris and Christin, in your prayers, and ask God to bless their work. Keep me also in your prayers as you are in mine.

 

God bless,

 

Pastor George 

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Sunday, October 9, 2011

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

This was the plan for SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2011: Dr. Fynn will pick me up at 7:00 a.m. We will then head to the Northern Region. I distinctly recall asking him, “African time or British time?” He said, “British!” This meant be ready at 7:00 a.m.! At 8:15a.m., he showed up!

 

According to the map, we would travel northwest to Kumasi and head north to Tamale (Tom-i-lee). “Three hundred miles, six hours: that should be breeze!” You say that over in America; try twelve hours! What the map did not show was the condition of the roads! The roads for the first two hours out of Accra on the road to Kumasi, “The Garden City of Africa,” did not exist! There was no road! It was two hours on hard-packed red dirt covered with an inch or so of red dust. In the good spots, the ground was covered with hard-packed stones. Do not imagine that these are smooth hard packed dirt roads. They’re not! They are filled with bumps, holes, puddles, ruts, and canyons. Cars, lorries, and trucks weave around the holes and bumps like snakes in a serpentine motion. Everyone is racing to get ahead of the vehicle in front of him. Sometimes the road is four lanes across. Then suddenly the four lanes disappear into one lane heading northwest as a truck, car, or bus crests the hill heading southeast! They pass going up a hill; they pass on the right of the car ahead. Heck, once we were passed on both sides simultaneously. Dr. Fynn chuckled, “They drive like that to show who is the strongest!”

 

Of course along with this scene pictured above, the sides of road are packed with little 3’x3’ booths selling everything from cassava, plantains, snails, bread, vegetables, fruits, and hand-sized pies filled with meats like goat, fish, and  grass cutter (ground hogs). I sure am glad that Paul’s wife, Nana, packed us sandwiches and fruit!

 

The further we drove from Accra, the lower the poverty level.  Soon we saw homes made out of mud with thatched roofs. Then out of nowhere appeared the town of Nkawkuw. It was bustling with people scurrying from booth to booth buying food stuffs, toilet paper, brooms, buckets, and clothes. There was even a “shop” next to the road with its merchandise blowing in the wind generated by the passing vehicles. What were they selling? Bras! (Let’s not even go there!) This is Africa!

 

Pastor Fynn did not want to take his SUV being that it is 16 years old! He rented an SUV, which included the driver coming along. (I think it might be a security thing with the car rental agencies. Rent the car and watch it disappear!) The driver is a Christian named Jacob. He is a bit slow at times for Pastor Fynn, but he is safe and knows where he is going. Pastor Fynn is spending most of his time sitting in the back frantically talking on the phone. Nine months ago he and I agreed on my itinerary. Nine months to plan the route, the accommodations, and so forth. Paul is desperately trying to find a place for me to sleep tonight! Yep, this is Africa!

 

The second half of the trip to Kumasi is on a paved road that includes lane markings, double lines when going up a hill, a slow vehicle lane ascending big hills, and do not pass signs. (Why, I do not know??? Nobody obeys them anyway!!!) It was a smoother ride. Every village we passed had three or four speed bumps across the two lane road. I believe this served two purposes: one, to slow down traffic so residents can cross the street without getting run over; and two, to give drivers the opportunity to support local businesses that line both sides of the road selling…you guessed it… everything from killed and dressed miniature antelope and rats to suitcases and washing tubs.

 

The skies were overcast and more than once a drizzle turned the dust on our windshield into mud. Every couple of miles from Accra to Kumasi we would see trucks off the road either on their side or lying upside down. They didn’t make it! Also, every few miles we would come upon a truck that had broken down. They were always smack dab in the lane, and most often on a hill. Now, to warn you that there is danger on the road ahead, the driver will put out a triangular shaped red reflector. Or, if he cannot afford a reflector, he will space clumps of grass and dirt every ten yards for about fifty yards in length.

 

In Kumasi we came upon extremely heavy traffic. It took us over two hours to get through the city. I mentioned in one of my first emails that the lorries (buses) often had sayings written on them. The best one I have seen to date said on the front, “Jesus is coming!”  Across the back it read, “So repent!”

 

Paul just informed me that I will be preaching tomorrow at Napaduri, in the Northern Region. I will be staying with a missionary family connected with LBT (Lutheran Bible Translators)! Paul is concerned about the quality of hotels in the north and my health.

 

The road from Kumasi to Tamale starts out to be as good as the last half of the road into Kumasi. But there are stretches of two or three miles of the hard-packed red dirt roads complete with a full complement of bumps, ruts, holes, and washed-out canyons.

 

I can see a noticeable difference in the vegetation from Accra to Kumasi and from Kumasi to Tamale. The area from Accra to Kumasi once was densely covered with tall, thick trees and a heavy undergrowth of tropical rainforest plant life. Loggers decimated the forests long ago. The land is still covered with thick vegetation; most of the trees are shorter. There is a comeback of the tall, thick trees, but it will be decades before the rain forest will be replenished, if at all. But north of Kumasi, the thick undergrowth has disappeared. The land is not as hilly, and the type of vegetation suggests a bit of a dryer climate.

 

At Techiman we passed a nut factory. They process and package cashews. Orchards of cashew trees are all over the landscape around Techiman. I hope they will be open when we come home.

 

It is now 5:30 pm and raining. It is also getting dark. I hesitate not to be a pushy American, but Jacob has not turned on his headlights and it is getting very dark. So I said to Dr. Fynn, “Do you know that in America if you don’t have your headlights on when it starts getting dark you could be arrested?” Before he could answer, I heard the click of Jacob turning on his headlights.

 

The darkness does not bring any relief in the temperature. It is still hot outside. But the heat is not just outside. Jacob and Paul have a conversation in Tui. I can tell something is not right. The SUV is not cooling. It is getting hot and Jacob turns off the air conditioning! Open come the windows, and in comes the dust. And now the paved road has disappeared again.

 

Night driving in Ghana is not recommended, and we have two hours yet to go! (Now don’t tell Julie the next part or I will get an earful for sure!) As we are swerving to avoid a crater in the road, we come to a turn. As Jacob pulls us out of the turn, we see a pickup truck and a bus on “our side” of the road. The pickup truck is heading for the same direction we are heading. The bus is coming towards us! Neither vehicle is moving. They had just crashed.  Accidents in Ghana are often fatal. There are few ambulances in Ghana, and surely none in the bush! By the grace of God, no one is seriously injured, although the pickup’s front now looks like an accordion.

After making sure no one was killed, we were off once again in the dark. About two miles down the road, pavement returned, and we came to a police blockade. The officer was waving us through, but we then stopped to tell him about the accident. He called his superior over, and we had to repeat our story. (Now, here comes the good part!) He thanked us and said, “Keep going and you will come to our police car. Stop and please tell him about the accident!” Hello? Police radios, cell phones?

 

During the night part of our trip, we must have passed through at least six, if not more, police barricades. Paul said that they were looking for smugglers. Come on now, don’t kid me. This is Africa! They are looking for thieves who often will put up roadblocks of their own to rob people. The police are there to discourage robbers! Hopefully discouraged enough to leave us alone!

 

During the last 45 minutes of our trip, our LORD treated us to a spectacular lighting show in the far distance to our right. A tropical rainstorm was on its way. Fortunately we got to Tamale first, and the day’s adventure came to a dry end. I told Paul that we’re taking two days to return to Accra. No night driving!

 

I stayed with a most delightful missionary family, Paul and Ali Federwitz. They are with LBT (Lutheran Bible Translators.) They have two wonderful little children. Paul Federwitz’s parents were missionaries in Liberia with LBT. They knew Bob Roegner from his missionary days with the LCMS in Liberia. They have a Saturday night tradition and invited Pastor Fynn and myself to join them. Every Saturday night Ali fixes homemade pizza. It was delicious. They live at the LCMS mission home, which is similar to our ranch homes built on a slab. It has running water and electricity, but its louver windows will not allow air conditioning. It is hot. I am hot. But I am thankful for a clean bed and being blessed with new friends. 

 

Pray for me as I am praying for you! God bless!

 

Pastor George

 

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011 began with my early morning walk. Surprising to me was the volume of traffic even on a Sunday morning. People were bustling around their homes, bathing, cooking, and getting ready for church.

 

Today I will preach at All Saints Lutheran Church in Anyaa. Aynaa is one of the preaching stations in the greater Accra area. It is in the northwestern part of the city. They worshipped about 100 to 120 on this day. The pastor was a most friendly man in his early seventies. He had served for many years as a missionary from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG) in Uganda. He studied in the U.S. and graduated years ago from the St. Louis Seminary. Unfortunately his eye sight is beginning to fail him and he has a fear of falling, so he walks very slowly. Just as the service was about to start, he asked if I would “do the Sacrament” which meant, would I lead the communion liturgy and distribute the bread/body of our LORD? I agreed.

 

The service was most interesting in that it was conducted in two languages: English and the local dialect of Tui. This made preaching a challenge, because I would proclaim a sentence or two of God’s Word, and then wait for the translator to deliver my translated words in Tui. He only got stuck one time, on the word “light years!” Many of the people in part of Accra live without electricity. The only light they have in their homes is from candles. Back in 1995, during my very first trip to Ghana, I preached at Anya. That Sunday that I preached, twelve adults and teens were confirmed. The translator was one of the members of that confirmation class! And now he is an evangelist in the congregation.

 

The congregation, in efforts to reach into the community and grow, has begun a program called Children’s Compassion. It is a ministry to the neighborhood children that includes soccer, tutoring, after school care, Bible study, and music. When the children sing in worship service, which is just about every Sunday, the parents will then come too. This gives the congregation the opportunity to meet and greet the parents and encourage them to become members of the church. It was proven to be most effective.

 

After a two and a half hour worship service that included two offerings, John and Monic Donkoh drove me to their new home. They previously had lived in a third floor apartment in the northeast side of Accra. That apartment did not have running water in it. Their new house is styled much like our single level American ranch homes. This house, which is in Anyaa, is very nice, although you have to travel on a maze of dirt roads and hills to get to it.

 

We then drove back across Accra to a Chinese restaurant in the north central part of Accra where we joined five members from St. Paul’s who are part of the same small-group Bible study. They have the custom of dining together when one of the members has a birthday to celebrate. Because of the summer schedules, they had not had the opportunity to celebrate the birthdays of three of their small-group members. We were in a room to ourselves. Those celebrating birthdays include:  Monic, Evangelist John Donkoh’s wife; Faith, a Nigerian Lutheran married to a Ghanaian who works for the United Nations’ Humanitarian and Relief Program and is currently in Sierra Leone, West Africa; and Becky, whose husband is an oceanic engineer and off the coast of Korea. Also in attendance was a woman of Ghanaian and Eritrean descent, and Mr. Isaac Owusu-Hemeng, a retired executive vice-president of one of the British related banks here in Accra. The meal was quite delicious, and the restaurant provided a complimentary birthday cake. Three waiters even came and sang “Happy Birthday” to the three women.

 

Isaac drove me back to the Triple Crown, since it would have been out of the way for John. So, in one weekend I crashed a wedding (engagement) party and a birthday party. Gee, I wonder what I can crash tomorrow.

 

When I returned to the Triple Crown at 5:00 pm, I took a long, well deserved nap. I passed on supper since I had a large, late lunch. Bob, Jerry, and I had a short meeting in which we discussed our plans on the upcoming workshop. Then I went to bed.

 

In my last letter I indicated that Dr. Fynn basically funds the entire Lutheran Church in Ghana. Just so you get an idea of how much he personally gives to support the pastors, evangelist, the national office staff, the seminary, and any other expenses that might arise, allow me to give you the total amount for the first six months of 2011. It totaled almost $57,000!  

 

Good night!

 

You are in my prayers

 

God bless,

 

Pastor George

 

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Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

On FRIDAY, September 30, 2011, I woke up with the joy of knowing that my class with the
seminarians was over. This is Ron’s last day. He flies home tonight around 9:30 pm.

The day begins as usual. I try to remember to turn on the switch for the hot water heater in my
room before I start my morning walk. The switch is located outside my room on the wall of the
hall. If I don’t do this, it will mean cold showers for me! The young man who cleans the room
seems to be having a “disagreement” with me regarding where on the sink to put the bar of soap
for washing one’s hands. Every morning I put it on sink, next to the faucet handles. When I
return at the end of the day I always find it lying on the top of the mirror/medicine cabinet above
the sink!  (I know that if I put the soap on the top of the medicine counter at home, Julie would
have something to say about it, and be assured it would not be nice!) Otherwise, the young man
does a great job keeping the room clean and mosquito free.

Dr. Fynn arrived after breakfast to take Ron, Rev. Bob Roegner, Jerry Lancour, and myself to
see the new seminary that is under construction. It is located in the far northwest section of
Accra. To save time, in case the evening traffic is heavy and at a standstill, Ron threw his
packed bags in the back of the Triple Crown van. I am sure that he would hate to miss his flight
home. Since he indicated that he would like to stay longer I guess it is Tammy, his wife, who
would not like to see him miss his flight home!

We fought the morning traffic for at least a half hour as we headed east. When we headed north
it began to thin out. The further we drove away from the heart of Accra, the lower the poverty
level. There were no mud huts like Ron and Jerry witnessed on their trip to Kakum and Cape
Coast, but it was close to that kind of living. As we approached the seminary and the outskirts of
town, an army check point had been set up across the road. The cars ahead of us were waved
through, but when one of the soldiers spotted Bob in the front passenger seat, he flagged us to
pull over and stop. The soldier walked around the car with an automatic rifle strapped over his
shoulder to the side door and opened it. He looked around the inside. Then he asked for the back
door to be opened. He asked about the bags that were there in the back. Ron admitted they were
his bags. Ron got out and walked back to the rear of the van with Isaac, our driver and the
soldier. Ron had to open one of his bags and the soldier then snooped around in the bag for a
minute. It began to rain, hard. (Thank you LORD!) I sensed the soldier did not want to get wet
standing outside searching our vehicle, so he let us go, but not before he and Dr. Fynn exchanged
a few words in the local dialect. As we left, Dr. Fynn became upset because he thought the
soldier stopped us just because the four of us were white. I guess we were racially profiled!If so,
that was the first time something like that has happened in my seven trips to Ghana; or maybe the
soldier was hoping for a “dash!” (The local term for tip; think of it as “greasing the palm!”)

A few years ago, the World Missions Department of the LCMS, under Bob’s directorship, made
the commitment to assist the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana in building a new seminary.
The Synod approved the plans, and sent the first installment of some $300,000 to start
construction. The project was about half completed when Bob resigned his position as the
Executive Director of World Missions for LCMS. Apparently, those who followed him did not
like the project, so the funding ceased. When that happened, the construction ceased, too!(See
one of the attached pictures.) They need about $400,000 to complete the project. Any ideas??? It
is interesting that both Bob and I were here together looking at the new seminary facility because
a number of years ago we both played a role setting the vision and then getting the LCMS to help
the ELCG start a seminary program in the first place.

From there, we drove to Tema. Dr. Fynn wanted to show the new school at Trinity Lutheran
Church in Tema to Bob and Jerry. Ron and I saw it last week. It was now about 1:00 pm. From
there we went to Dr. Fynn’s other office. (The office he usually works out of for church work is
at the church headquarters in Accra.) He uses the Tema office primarily for business. (You will
have to wait until Saturday’s report to learn what is meant by the words, “primarily for
business.” Can you wait? It’s only a few paragraphs below!)

From there we ate lunch around 3:00 pm at the Tema location for “Southern Fried” of which Dr.
Fynn is part owner. The food is really very good. Today we had family-style fried rice and beef
sauce, fried rice and chicken mixed together, and a pizza. The pizza was delicious!

So around 3:45 pm, we left Tema for the airport in Accra. It is usually a thirty- minute drive
from Tema to the airport. The plan was that we would all get to the airport early enough to have
dinner at “The Landing” and then take Ron to the airport terminal, which was less than a quarter
of a mile away. The Landing is a local restaurant that specializes in local dishes, Chinese food,
and sandwiches. That was the plan. But this is Africa!

Because of the heavy traffic caused by a massive road construction program, it took us almost
three and a half hours to get to the airport. Even though the highway only on the Gulf of Guinea
is under major construction, cars, lories, and trucks drove on the side under construction. When
the new pavement ended, they kept driving on the bare ground. When that ended, the traffic
going west crossed over the medium and took over one of the two lanes of the old road that
headed east. It was almost as fun as “Dodge Cars!” Since international flights require checking
in at least two hours before the flight and it was just at the two hour mark, we drove Ron straight
to the airport!But don’t feel sorry for Ron missing supper with us. I assure you, he was fed a far
superior meal on his Delta flight than we ate at The Landing!

On the way back to the Triple Crown Guest House, Bob, Jerry, and I told Paul that we would
give him Saturday off. He did not need to worry about us. Bob and I have been in Accra enough
times that, if we couldn’t find a place to eat, we deserved to go hungry!Paul was very
appreciative of our offer.

Hey, we got to sleep in on SATURDAY, October 1, 2011. It was the first time since I have been
here that I did not get up at 6:00 a.m. (It was 7:00 a.m. today!) I got my walk in. Although it was
Saturday, the traffic was still heavy. I had planned to eat breakfast at nine with Bob and Jerry,
and then do some work and writing most of the day. That was the plan!But this is Africa!
About 10:00 a.m., my friend, Evangelist John Donkoh, called and invited me to go to a
traditional wedding with him and his wife. They would pick me up in 30 minutes as the place of
the wedding was close to the Triple Crown. He assured me that it would last only a couple of
hours. Now in Ghana, it is part of their culture that if someone invites you to do something, you
are sort of expected to do it. (I was a bit unsure of going, because the last time I went to a
wedding in which I was not the presiding pastor I ended up being the groom!I agreed to go and
am glad that I did.) So, here I was, a wedding crasher in West Africa!

Actually it turned out not to be a traditional wedding but the traditional engagement ceremony. It
took place at the home of the bride. The groom and his family sat on one side of the porch of this
lovely home, and the bride’s family sat on the other side. The conditions of the dowry were read
and agreed upon. They signed some papers and then prayers were said. Then the bride and
groom came down on the driveway and danced together while people clapped and cheered.
When dancing was over, the couple returned to the porch and sat down together. Various
relatives, mostly uncles, and the pastor gave them advice on how to have a happy marriage.
Finally, we were all invited to enjoy a buffet luncheon together. The actual wedding would take
place on another day.

The food was arranged on tables under a long tent. The choices would rival any wedding
reception in the States. A number of tents were set up on the drive and lawn. Tables and chairs
offered the guests a place to sit and eat their meal. A band played music during the reception –
just like in America: very loud!I was glad that there were tents set up because about 2:30 it
started to rain African style: hard and straight down!

It turned out that I had actually met the couple the Sunday before at St. Paul’s Accra, where I had
preached. At the end of the service, Pastor Fynn introduced them and said that they would be
getting married on Monday, October 3 at St. Paul’s. The groom and his family were members of
St. Paul’s. Since there was large contingency of St. Paul’s members whom I knew from my
many visits to Ghana, I did not feel out of place. It was about five hours after John and his wife
picked me up that I returned to the Triple Crown.

I mentioned above that I would tell you a little about Dr. Fynn. Paul loves his LORD and the
LORD’S church. He realizes that the people of Ghana are very poor, and for the church to grow,
you need pastors, evangelists, teachers, and money to pay the workers. But there is none here.
Most of the churches here could in no way support a pastor’s salary. This has always concerned
Paul, Pastor Fynn.

It has been at least two decades since the LCMS stopped providing direct assistance to the
church. That which they did provide in the past usually went to support the American
missionaries serving here. So very early on, Paul, being a visionary and having an
entrepreneurial spirit, Paul started a taxi business on the side to support his family. As the
number of Ghanaian clergy and evangelists grew, Paul continued being the pastor at St. Paul’s
and head of a small denomination, but also expanded his business interests. He at one time was
in the cement business. He bought a farm and whenever a pastor or evangelist needed financial
assistance, Paul sold a pig. From the money generated from the pig farm, he bought a meat
processing plant. Then he joined a group of British investors and opened two Southern Fried
restaurants. He bought the Triple Crown Guest House, and joined a group of investors and built a
bottled water plant in Tema. Paul pours into the church all of the profits from these ventures.
I recently read the annual report to the church delegates for 2010. The expenses of the church,
including salaries and housing for most of the pastors and evangelists, cost to run the seminary
and national office, materials, and tuition for the seminary students, ALL were paid for by Dr.
Fynn. He is perhaps the most Americanized, capitalistic pastor in all of Africa!

Paul had kept this from the ELCG until last year when some pastors wanted money to pursue
some strange project. When Paul said, “No!” they accused him of mishandling church funds.
Boy, were they surprised to learn that there were no church funds!Not one dollar (Cedi) of
income for the national church comes from any of the congregations. It all comes from Paul!He
is most humble about his support and wished that it could have been keep anonymous, but it was
necessary to make it public in order to protect the integrity of Paul and the Office of Pastor.
When I read his report, I noted to him that one thing. I asked, “Paul, where is the income
statement? Where are the offerings from the congregations?” He laughed and said, “The church
has no income!” Then he humbly added that he is the income. What love and commitment to his
LORD and Church!

There is a down side to this which concerns Bob, myself, and even Paul. What happens to the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana when Paul dies? Hopefully, my being here, and with
Bob’s, we will help bring a positive answer to that haunting question. Our presentation to the
pastors and evangelists focuses on the whole life as a Christian steward. We are trying to teach
them how to be good stewards of all that God has given to them and their church members,
including in the finances of their congregations and the needs of the national church. Do you
know most of the congregations do not even have a bank account for their offerings? The
chairman or the treasurer takes the money, and sometimes that is the last it is seen. Hopefully we
can make a difference, no matter how small, in leading the pastors to begin to take ownership of
the Lutheran Church here in Ghana. So please pray for the success of our mission this week in
Ghana. We are facing a big challenge!

Keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.
God bless,
Pastor George

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Sunday, October 2, 2011
Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

It is WEDNESDAY: September 28, 2011 and time for my morning walk. While I just got up,
most people in the city have already been up for almost an hour preparing to face the day!What
are you doing at 5:00 a.m. today??? Since the overwhelming majority of people in Accra have
neither water nor electricity, they must overcome this hardship daily. If they do not have running
water, that means they have no plumbing, no sinks, no drains, and no toilets. In some sections,
the more affluent of the poor, have what appears to be cinder block outhouses. (Don’t ask what it
is like inside, I do not know!) No electricity or gas lines translate into no lights, no electric or gas
stoves for cooking, and no electricity for air conditioners. (Do you still think life in Africa is
romantic?) This is Africa!

Concerning the water; many homes have hard plastic water tanks that come in a variety of sizes,
ranging from 100 to 3000 gallons in volume. During the day one can see a number of water
trucks fighting the heavy traffic to deliver fresh water to their customers. Otherwise, you have to
grab a few 10 gallon water jugs and walk to the nearest well for drinking, cooking, and bathing
water. Regarding cooking without electricity or gas lines, you have a choice. You can opt to use
Colman type propane stoves like many campers in the United States use, or you can cook the
really old fashion way: wood!  (Actually, it is anything that burns, including the trash, downed
Palm branches, or old tires.) Since there are no refrigerators in homes without electricity, all
perishable foods must be eaten the day it is purchased. The heat and humidity tend to make fruits
ripen quickly. Most Ghanaians have never heard of prepared meals. So everything must be
prepared from scratch, which means you must take the time to fix breakfast as well as bathe and
get dressed. And oh, the men wear such bright white shirts, and the women wear the brightest
colored dresses imaginable.

Most adults without plumbing will bathe before the sun rises, which is almost always at 6:00
a.m., give or take fifteen minutes. Remember, this is after you have walked to and from the
nearest well for bath water. The younger children bathe in front of the home.

Today as I walked, people were bustling like ants, hurrying to get on with their day. Some who
have small road side-stands have already cooked oats (oatmeal), boiled eggs, and made a roll
filled with meat for their customers. Don’t ask what kind of meat!  It could be just about anything
that crawls, walks, flies, or swims!  Some children are splashing in the tubs of water or running
around in a towel. Others are already in their school uniforms, ready to have another day of
learning. Many adults are already walking to work or hurrying to the taxi pickup areas. The
smoke of burning fires, the sounds of motors, the shrill of honking horns fill the air. This is
Africa!

As I walk, I have daily met an older gentleman who walks with a cane. He is trying to recover
from a stroke he suffered three years ago. His one leg is excellent in its motor skills ability, but
the other leg is still very “stiff” as he described it. Such drive!  I also passed a man pulling a cart
with very high sides to it. He collects the trash that people do not burn, dead leaves that have
been swept, dirty papers collected, and thousands of small black plastic bags. Whatever you buy,
big, small, one, or many items, they will wrap it up in these small, black, plastic bags. Oh yes,
today I also passed a woman raking and sweeping the side of the road. She works for the city and
makes about $50 a month keeping the side of the main road clean. And today I also witnessed a
number of men, from their equivalent of our BGE, stringing new electrical cables from electrical
pole to electrical pole. I watched in awe as one man climbed the pole with his spiked shoes
digging into the wooden shaft that was at least 20 feet tall. As I walked and took in the activity
that would rival any bee hive, I wondered about you. What was your Wednesday morning like?
Rev. Bob Roegner and Jerry Lancour arrived later today. Bob is a longtime friend going back to
my days in Greeley, Colorado. We share a common passion for Coney Dogs and the Detroit Red
Wings. Bob is now a parish pastor in the St. Louis area, but has previously served our LORD’S
church as a missionary in Liberia, African Area Secretary of Missions for our Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod, Executive Director of Lutheran Bible Translators, and then Executive Director
of World Missions for the LCMS. Jerry, like Ron, is a layman who came along to offer
assistance and support to his pastor, and get a firsthand experience of the foreign mission field.

Today, THURSDAY: September 29, 2011, was the last day for my class on Preaching and the
Prophet Isaiah with the seminarians. Yesterday they told me that there is a long tradition in
Ghana that the visiting professor buys lunch for all the students when the class is completed.
Now, having taught here many times in the past, I sensed this was not a very long standing
tradition. In fact neither I nor Pastor Fynn ever heard of it before. I sensed that they were trying
to snooker me in, but, hey, so what!They were having fun and it could be the best 150 Cedi’s
($100) I ever spent. So, I treated the men (13) plus Bob Roegner and myself for lunch.
I must tell you what happened when Bob first came into our class today. I had the students
primed so that when Bob walked in and introduced himself, they all yelled in unison, “GO
WINGS!” (Detroit Red Wings)

Ron and Jerry travelled to Kakum National Forest and Cape Coast Castle. They left at 6:00 a.m.
as I was about to start my morning walk. While on the road, they got to see firsthand, people
living in the most extreme poverty. Even the poorest sections of Accra, the capital, could not
compare to the destitution of these people. It is almost as if time passed over them long ago, not
just centuries ago, but millenniums. Their homes were made of mud and sticks, the roofs were
thatched, and the floors were the very dirt of the ground.

Kakum National Forest is near Abrofo, which is a village where my Michigan congregation had
raised the funds to build a church. The Kakum National Forest is a rain forest, preserved in its
natural setting, just as our LORD created it post Noah. There are monkeys, elephants, and other
animals living there. But the only animals they saw on this day were ants devouring the big green
leaves from a low flowering plant, hundreds of butterflies, and few small, scampering lizards.
The trees are huge, both in girth and height. The forest is very dark under all of the colorfully
shaped leaves, even on the brightest, sunniest day. The highlight of the trip for Ron was the
opportunity to walk “on top of the trees!” The forest rangers have built a quarter mile long
walkway some fifty plus feet about the ground. The walkway is really a swinging bridge
composed of rope and planks. It is built in sections, connecting on the junction of a tree trunk
and branch spaced about fifty yards apart. Because the walkway sections can easily sway almost
90 degrees to the left or to the right, it is recommended that only one person walk on a section at
a time. Good advice!

The city of Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana was controlled by the Portuguese,
Swedes, Danish, Dutch, and British. It is through the Castle-Fort in Cape Coast that thousands of
enslaved Africans were sent to the Americas. Ron and Jerry were surprised to learn, surprised
because they were never taught this in school in the United States, that most of the people sent as
slaves to America were actually captured by the Fanti army during their tribal wars against other
Africa tribes from the interior of West Africa. In addition, when the Fanti king could not meet
the demands of the slave traders, he would sell some of his people to them to meet the demand.
The conditions of the slave quarters were the most horrible imaginable. Hundreds of people
packed in a space no bigger than one side of a tennis court. There were no bathroom facilities for
the people. Often those who died in these cells remained there for days before their corpses were
removed. Ron found it most hypocritical that the Europeans built a church above the cells. So
while the Europeans were singing praises to God and hearing the message of the Gospel above,
poor people enslaved below were suffering the most terrible, torturous treatment in the human
experience. How can men become deaf to the Word of God and blind to the love of Jesus??!!!
The only thing worse than what these people faced as slaves would be for you and me, who have
been freed from the slavery of sin, to return to the chains of our old master, the devil. While we
cannot undo history, we can improve “our” history if we live the Gospel and truly show the love
of Christ in our treatment of all people. Christ has freed us!  Let us use our freedom to help those
who are poor, suffering, without, enslaved, or oppressed!

You are in our prayers, please keep us in yours!

Good night and God bless.
Pastor George and Ron

 

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

Yesterday, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011, began for me with the same morning routine of
a two and a half mile walk. Ron did not go as his stomach was still a little queasy from the
coleslaw he ate the other day. However, Monday night he figured out that he was not drinking
enough water and that might have added to his recovery period. Time will tell.

There are thirteen men preparing for the ministry at the seminary here in Ghana. Originally there
were fourteen in their class, but one died last April. Four of the men are from the Western
Region, three are from the Volta Region, two are from the Central Region, one is from the North
Eastern Region, and three are from the Northern Region. A “Region” is comparable to one of our
States. Only one of the 13 was born a Lutheran; eleven of them converted from other Christian
denominations; and one is a former Muslim. Twelve are married with children; one is still a
bachelor.

Our study on the Book of Isaiah began with the students singing a Ghanaian hymn. When we
return from our breaks, they always start the new session with a song. Then Ron led us in a
devotion. After that, for the next six hours I led an interactive study on the background and the
first five chapters of Isaiah. I also helped them outline a couple of sermons based on two of the
themes in the opening chapters. Our classroom is about 30’ x 24’ on the ground floor. None of
the air conditioning units work in the room, but thankfully the temperature was only around 90
degrees. I would have to say that the humidity on Monday was close to a hundred percent since
we experienced a forty minute tropical rain storm in the early afternoon.

The students are very eager to learn and ask lots of interesting, and sometimes strange, questions.
They also have a great sense of humor. And yes, Julie, they laugh at my jokes and think of them
as being funny and not corny in the least!  During the lunch break, a number of them came up to
me and shared with me the extent of their financial plight. They had to leave their families
behind in their various Regions to come to the Seminary. Savings is a novel concept in Ghana
and not one of them has had any income during their past three years of Seminary training. The
Lutheran Church and Seminary in Ghana also have no money to help them out with their tuition
or their family’s needs. In spite of their extreme poverty, they have a great desire to serve our
LORD. Keep them in your prayers, and if you are so moved to do more than pray, see me when I
return.

Kwame, the official driver for Rev. Fynn, took Ron on a tour of Accra in the afternoon. One
thing that moved Ron was all the people in Accra who seem to just be walking, and “all of them
seem to be fighting for two feet of space!” Ron was greatly impressed by all the women who
carry things on their heads. He saw one with a large bowl of bagged peanuts stacked almost two
feet high on top of her head. Another was carrying a large bowl of Plantain chips. The winner
was a woman who was carrying a small refrigerator on her head!

I believe that in an earlier “epistle” I mentioned the open sewer troughs that line both sides of the
street. Monday’s rain storm flushed many of them clean. On his ride with Kwame, Ron noticed a
number of men were publicly urinating in the open sewers; and a few blocks away a man drew
water out of one of the sewers and began to drink the water!This is Africa!

The third thing that impressed Ron was the Ghanaian Post Office. It is basically a wall with
thousands of little boxes in it. There is no home or business delivery of the mail. If you are
curious if you received any mail, you must drive to the post office in your area of Accra and
check out your box in order to know if you have any mail.

As Ron related to me the day’s sights, I remembered what it was like when I first saw these
things. But now, after coming here seven times, well, as they say, “This is Africa!”

By the time supper was over, we each went to our separate rooms and crashed.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 Ron’s stomach was still upset this morning, so I walked
my two and a half mile route on my own. At breakfast I suggest to Ron that the trouble could be
that he drank a diet Coke at dinner last night while I had a glass of Merlot!St. Paul said, “A glass
of wine is good for the stomach!” And here in Africa, your stomach needs all the help it can get!
The drive from the Triple Crown Guest Hotel to the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of Ghana and the seminary is about twice as long as it has been in previous years. No,
none of the buildings have relocated further from the other; it is the traffic!Cars; taxis, lories
(buses), and trucks. It seems that someone in the city’s street department (if they have one) made
the decision to widen a number of the main roads all at the same time. Consequently, all of the
side roads (and in many cases the term “road” is used loosely to refer to rut-filled dirt streets) are
packed with vehicles. These streets are barely wide enough for two cars let alone all of the
people who are just plain walking along the road. (You ask, “Why don’t they walk on the
sidewalk?” This is Africa: there are no sidewalks!) To add to the congestion, a car at this
intersection might want to turn left. When a kind driver in the oncoming lane stops to let him
through, a car from the side road will attempt to dart across, only to have to stop because a car on
the other side of the road wants to turn left, too. Now, in and of itself this may not be too bad.
But, when the same thing is happening simultaneously at all the intersections ahead of you and
behind you, well, you have a real major gridlock situation. We sat for over twenty minutes while
the left turning drivers decided who would back up and who would inch ahead. This is…
(right)…Africa!

If you want an experience more nerve testing and daring than any amusement park ride,
including Six Flags, Disney World, or Cedar Point, take a ride on a road in Accra. Close calls,
cars swerving away at the last second, and vehicles turning in front of other ones in a “hit me if
you want to” attitude of defiance seems to be the norm. Seriously, if you want to turn left, you
tap your horn and go! If you want to pull into a lane of traffic, you tap your horn and go for it.
Usually the other driver will let you in because he does not want to have his car smashed any
more than you do!  And to successfully drive on the Ghanaian roads, you must use the language
of the “horn!” You read me correctly: “horn!” I do not know who invented it, but they honk
“horn.” And when you honk, the other drivers seem to instinctively know what you are asking
for or are saying to them. (I haven’t had the courage to ask Ron if he’s noticed that some drivers
at night do not turn on their lights until they are just about to meet another vehicle on the road!  If
I did, he might not ride to dinner anymore!)

One final experience to share with you: today, while I taught the class in conditions similar to
yesterday, only with the cooling rain, Kwame drove Ron outside of Accra up into the high hill
country to the National Botanical Gardens of Ghana. In route, he noticed how the level of
poverty increased the further he drove away from the capital. The homes decreased from nice
houses to rugged buildings with tin roofs, to wooden cartons and metal sea containers, to mud
huts.

He was very impressed by the sights he encountered at the Gardens. He saw beautifully colored
flowers of all different shapes and sizes, trees taller than he had ever seen in his life, some over a
hundred feet, and trees over 120 years old. He even saw a tree that is supposed to cure diabetes!
On the way back, Ron passed the University of Ghana. He was astonished by both the size of the
university, and the size of the ant hills that dotted the university grounds. In Africa, the emphasis
in the name “ant hill” is not on the ants but on the size of the hill. Some that Ron saw were close
to eighteen feet in height.

Another long hot day of teaching is over!  We ate dinner at my favorite restaurant in all of Ghana:
the Commodore. Since they don’t sell wine by the glass, or Merlot by the bottle, I had to settle on
a bottle of Syrah. Two drinks at dinner and now I am ready for bed. But my stomach will be fine!
But before I do go to bed, I will say a prayer for you. I will also thank God for His love, grace,
and blessings. I will pray for the people of Ghana, too. Please pray for Ron and me!

God bless,
Pastor George

 

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011:

 

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

 

 We woke up with the sun, which is about 6:00 a.m.  I called Ron’s room to see if he was ready and willing to join me on my daily walk. He had just started to wake up and agreed to go.

 

Being a Sunday, the traffic was much lighter this morning.  We were passed by a group of about 25 youth wearing green and yellow colors running to the accompaniment of a trumpet and drum. One of the women was carrying a large yellow flag with the name of a church in black letters. (How many of you were out that early encouraging people to attend St. Paul’s?  Ha! Ha!)  The big hill that we ascended shortly after starting our walk took the wind out them and they stopped running just before they reached the summit. Then they dispersed down a side street.  Moments later, we heard the chants of a battalion of cadets from one of the many security companies/paramilitary guards in Accra. They seemed to be in better shape than the church people as they kept a good pace in spite of the steep hill. Ron noticed that unlike the church group, they were running on the correct side of the street: facing the traffic as they ran. At breakfast Ron appeared to be whiter than normal. Last night’s coleslaw seemed to have not agreed with him.  He went back to his room. A few minutes later I began a conversation with a gentleman from England.  He was a “frustrated” secondary school teacher on “holiday” (European for vacation.) Apparently, according to Neal, students in the British public schools show little respect to their teachers and classmates; parents are not supportive; administrators appear to be hand-tied by the legal system to discipline disruptive students.  This gave me a chance to “boast” about the joys and blessings of our Christian Day School. 

 

The 10:00 a.m. service at St. Paul’s in the Kanda District of Accra officially began at 10:15!  The worship service lasted a little over two hours and neither Ron nor I heard anyone voice an objection, nor did we see anyone tap his watch to see if it was working!  Ron was introduced as my body guard!  He observed that the people worshipped with great passion and that there was a good mix of people of all ages, with a large presence of young adults. They used the old “The Lutheran Hymnal” of 1941 and loosely followed the communion service on page 15!  (Anyone remember that beautiful order of worship?) Whether it was a hymn from the hymnal or a contemporary Ghanaian song, the people were accompanied by the organ, a guitarist, a drummer, and a trumpet player. The sound blended together beautifully.

 

Of course, the highlight of the service was the sermon based on 1 Peter 2:9-10. During the introduction I reminded them that in each of the last two World Cup Soccer Tournaments, Ghana defeated the United States in the quarterfinals--the congregation erupted in cheers and applause.

 

At the close of the sermon, again the congregation applauded. This left me with an awkward sense of humility because I am only doing the task our LORD has called me to do when I preach, and it is to His glory that I preach. I also had the privilege to assist with the distribution of the Sacrament for our LORD’S Supper.

 

After the service, Ron was impressed at their custom of everyone lining up to shake hands with everyone else who worshipped that day.  It helps them to grow in their Christian fellowship. He also noticed that they took two offerings: one was collected by the ushers, as in the States; the other offering members brought forward while dancing, clapping, and singing. (Note to our treasurer: TWO OFFERINGS!)  I was amazed at how many of the church members remembered me from the past times that I was privileged to preach at St. Paul’s in Ghana. A group of young Finnish female teachers worshipped with us. They were on “holiday” for 90 days and were volunteering in Ghana as a mission project. Having fair skin and white blonde hair, they were easy to spot in the congregation. They were staying with a member who is Finnish and married to a Ghanaian businessman. Somehow I got the impression that she was the mother of one of the Finnish young women.

 

When Ron and I left to have lunch with Dr. Fynn and his wife, some people were preparing for a funeral celebration outside the church. Large white tents and white plastic chairs had been set up and a group of men were preparing the sound system for a local D.J.  This is all part of their funeral custom in Ghana. The departed may have been buried weeks or even months ago, but now the family had accumulated enough money to pay for the food and drinks, in what is their form of a wake.  Actually, the term “celebration” is quite accurate in the Christian context.  We, who are left living on earth, celebrate that our departed loved one is in Heaven enjoying the victory of Jesus’ resurrection and ultimate blessing of his/her faith – eternal life with God.  After lunch it was the typical Sunday afternoon and evening of a pastor in any country: a good nap and a light supper. Pastor Fynn will stop by later to discuss tomorrow’s workshop on Isaiah with the seminary students. 

 

Should anyone be moved to e-mail me, I am having difficulties with my Yahoo address. Please feel free to contact me at revmrblack@hotmail.com. I cannot promise you an immediate reply but your message will be most welcomed.  Please keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours.

 

God bless you,

Pastor George and Ron Crouse

Picture one: the youth calling people to worship at 6:00 a.m.

Picture two: worship at the other St. Paul’s – St. Paul’s in Accra, Ghana, West Africa

Picture three: St. Paul’s Praise Team

 

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Greetings to you dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus!

Ron and I made it to Ghana yesterday (Friday, September 23rd) three hours late. What a challenging time we had with the weather. At BWI we were cleared to leave and backed out of our gate only to have the air craft’s auxiliary power go out. I guess it is better for this to happen on the ground than at 30,000 feet!  Once that was fixed, the weather in Atlanta caused us to wait just outside our gate for two hours. We landed in Atlanta 30 minutes after our flight to Ghana was scheduled to leave. But it, too, was delayed and delayed and delayed some more because of thunder and lightning storms in Atlanta. But we finally arrived in Accra, Ghana West Africa about 1:30 Friday afternoon local time.

This was the first time that I have flown into Accra during the day. As we made our final approach, we were able to see how beautiful the city looks from the air. There are no jet ways at the Accra airport. We exited the plane from the rear and I beheld the sights and smells that I have long associated with Accra. It is a mixture of dust and smoke from fires burning anything and everything that can be burned. The heat is 90 degrees plus, and the humidity is 90 percent plus.

The process of having our passports checked by immigration officials went quickly. Then, just as in the U.S., we had to wait on our luggage. A United flight from Dulles landed a few minutes before we did, so we had to contend with its passengers scrambling for their suitcases, too. And the line to have your baggage inspected by their immigration people was long and slow moving.

But we were able to bypass everyone because Rev. Dr. Fynn has connections with their Security Agents and had a special pass for us.  Ron got his first driving lesson in Ghanaian traffic on the way from the airport to the Triple Crown Guest Lodge. In his own words, Ron questioned his desire to operate a vehicle on Accra’s roads, stating, “I don’t think I am aggressive enough to drive here!” Traffic was extremely slow and backed up due to road construction. The last mile or so from the guest lodge was an unpaved road covered with bumps, potholes, and with bottomless abysses. Ron was a bit unsure of the open sewers (troughs about two feet deep) that paralleled both sides of the streets.

After getting settled and rested, Dr. Fynn came and took us to a nice restaurant at a hotel-resort on the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea).The breeze was refreshing and the food was very good. 

In the morning I took Ron with me on my morning walk. In my seven trips to Ghana, I have established a two and a half mile course that includes a stop to buy the Daily Graphic, a Ghanaian paper, at the half way point. Ron got a closer look at the open sewers and early morning life in Ghana. He saw children being bathed outside in a big tub of water; dodged motorists swerving to avoid the potholes, and heard the honking sound of cars and taxis vying for an opening in the long line of vehicles.

After breakfast (More about the food/meals in Ghana will appear in a future update!) we went to the Art Center. On the way Ron saw for the first time the real poverty areas of the city. The Art Center is a Ghanaian version of an American Tourist Trap!  Visualize hundreds of 8’x12’ booths filled with cloth, shirts, dresses, hand carved items, beaded bracelets, wooden masks, and local paintings. This is all covered by a metal roof. It is dark inside and harbors a host of interesting smells. Every shop owner is instantly your brother or sister who has a special deal for you.

Nothing is priced, so you have to haggle and learn to walk away if you think the price is still too high, even if you really want to buy it!  They will usually meet your price!  When Ron learned that the average Ghanaian makes less than one thousand dollars a year, he realized that his purchases equaled a week’s salary for artists.

From there we drove over to Teme. With us were our driver, Isaac, Rev. Matthew Agjei and his ten year old daughter Ivy, and a young man named Justus. Justus is a young layman from St. Paul’s in Accra who just got his MBA in finance. Teme is one of two major ports for the entire country. Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Teme just finished building a school with the capacity of 800 students. The new school is very impressive.

The pastors there are Pastor Kyame and Pastor Avor. In two weeks, Pastor Avor will be going to England to study for his Masters of Divinity Degree. Pastor Avor’s family will remain in the Volta Region of Ghana while he is abroad for one year. This is part of the sacrifices that pastors and their families make as the pastor strives to improve their knowledge of God’s Word, ministry, and reaching the unchurched.

Attached are three pictures. One is of Ron Crouse standing outside of the Triple Crown Guest House. The second is a picture of one of the many local “salesmen” who are found at every intersection selling everything from water in plastic bags, to bread, to candy, to toilet paper. And the third is a picture of Trinity Lutheran Church and School.

Please keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow I will be preaching at the “mother” Lutheran church of Ghana – St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Accra.

God’s blessings,

Pastor George and Ron Crouse