Ghana Update: Monday, Day 7

Day 7

I’m currently writing and eating frozen chocolate milk from a bag. This is what I will attempt tonight as I reflect on the day and finish my dessert. The day was full so we returned ready to eat the burritos and fan ice prepared by the cooks.  And now with a full stomach I will attempt to re-cap the events that occurred.

We ventured off to a more remote village called Ayaa this morning, bouncing along and bottoming out a few times. So far we haven’t had to get out and push the massive bus, though with the downpour of rain today, I wouldn’t have been surprised.  Leon and Jon split us into around six groups each with a guide/translator and we headed out to evangelize. They gave us three hours to walk from village to village handing out tracks and inviting people to the service.  About an hour and a half into the trek, rain began to pour.  Everyone quickly found some sort of shelter and we waited and waited for it to stop.  My group was invited to sit in a man’s hut to wait it out.  We noted that beyond the mud walls and metal roof sat televisions and speakers systems sitting on nice tile floors.  After half an hour, it finally let up and we returned to the school and snacked on tasty chicken salad sandwiches.

Marion had a good story to share when their group returned.  Apparently it’s not just women that get proposed to.  He said that his translator introduced him to his sister in one of the villages and said, “She wants to go home with you.” When it became known that Carolyn was his wife of 12 years, there was much apologizing.  

Jon preached the sermon tonight to our biggest crowd yet.  Another highlight was when our group got up to share some songs. Earlier today, we all learned how to sing ‘Jesus is a Friend’ in Twi.  So tonight when we sang it to the people scattered across the grass, a roar of shouts and cheers rose and some started to dance.  I think we all had fun with it as well, although I’m sure the language was butchered as we attempted to pronounce the foreign tongue.
 –The Scribe      

What a good day.  A full day, for sure. The villages surrounding Ayaa have a very difficult dialect that many of the local pastors struggled with.  Jon’s message and the team member’s testimonies were so powerful, I hope that the locals understood them but I’m afraid they didn’t catch much.  We are praying that God will do the translating for us because the Words that were shared are able to change lives in the hearts of the people that hear.

It was late in the evening (early in the morning?) when I got around to interviewing and since the group was a little quieter, I had to pry information out of some of them before they shuffled off to bed.  So instead of just one question, I sat them down for a full-out interrogation and wrote their responses.

“Tell me about today.  What stood out to you?  Was the crusade service different than last week’s services?”
–The Scribe’s Proofreader

“Today was good! It was nice to see the large crowd in attendance at the crusade.”
–Travis Jenkins

“Evidently there’s a popular village trend that, with kids 5 and under, underwear is optional.”
 –Rachel Bauman

“When we stepped off the bus at the crusade, a local man asked me, “How many of your women have husbands?” One of the cutest things is when the little girls would curtsey when we handed them tracts.  I loved the freedom and excitement the people had during the worship tonight.”
–Jared Bontrager

“I had a good day today.  He most fun was when I read to the children before the crusade.  They all gathered around me and started singing.  One girl raised her hand like she had a question, and when I asked her what she needed, she recited Jeremiah 33:3 to me.”
–Theresa Yoder

“Today was good!  I’m tired. At the crusade, I sat beside a drunk who wanted to look at my watch.  The worship session was very, very loud, and my ears have just recently stopped ringing.”
–Marion Nisley

“I have discovered that whatever group I join, we walk the longest. J Jared and I figured that our group walked roughly 5 miles.  We got a 45-minute break due to the downpour, thank the Lord!  The service was excellent.  The worship was a bit different, but I can’t explain it.  I was impressed with the size of the crowd that showed up.  We praise the Lord for eight new souls that were added to the kingdom of God tonight.  In summary, it was a good day.”
 –Leon Geigley