(Sunday)

It is hard to imagine a bigger Sunday. The Cheerios and Cracklin Oat Bran we brought from the US made a spectacular breakfast with the dry milk powder.  By 8:30 the equatorial sun was warming the rain-soaked ground and the humidity was rising.  Sweat dripped from my forehead.  Africa.

Church in Northern Ghana is spectacular.  The kids, dressed in the exotic and colorful prints of Africa sat on benches in the shade, outside the church, listening to their teacher.  My sister would have loved growing up in this part of the world.  In Ghana, big sisters have permission to correct and discipline anyone younger.  Everyone understands this simple rule.  When someone older gives instructions, don’t hesitate, don’t contemplate a sassy answer — Just Do It.

Inside, joyous singing echoed off the concrete floor and metal ceiling.  After about 30 minutes, it was time for introductions – Ghanaian style. Formal introductions come from a traditional culture of respect for elders and tribal leaders.  The pastor introduces Ray, and Ray introduces me, and I introduce my wife, and then Kaitlyn and Daniel.  From the front of the church, Beth and I explained how we are working with Ray, and why we are here in Africa.  Then the service really got going.  It is hard to describe African church worship – maybe it is best described as the opposite of American church worship in most ways.  Africans enjoy singing loudly, they love colorful clothes, they move and dance during worship, people dance to the front on the church to give offerings, moms care for their babies and breastfeed during the service, toddlers walk in and out as needed to find their moms, pastors break out in song during their message, and the service is 3 hours long.  In every way, it was like an ice cold glass of water to jet-lagged and weary travelers.

After church, we enjoyed lunch with the pastor and his wife. Food in this part of Ghana is usually a starch with a sauce.  The carbs can be noodles, rice, or potatoes.  The sauce could be made from a bit of meat or fish powder/sauce combined with veggies or eggs.  We spent some time talking to pastor Nathaniel and his wife Eva.  They are from Accra and gave up their careers there to work with the Bimoba.  We looked through their wedding albums – 2 of them.  One for the classic western wedding, and the other where tribal customs are observed, and traditions very carefully followed.  If the couple has family in northern Ghana, going up to the villages for the traditional ceremony is critical for the success of the wedding.

We then started recording. The local language here is Bimoba, and the Bimoba people span both Ghana and Togo, which is only 2 miles away.  Some of the men we met had farms in Togo.  The recordings of Bimoba choirs, pastors, community health, and Bible stories will be used on the BiblePlus+ units that will span both countries.  It was our first technical setup, and while I’ve done it dozens of times, Kaitlyn and Daniel had to learn on the fly.  Fortunately, they are both quite handy with technology and learn quickly.  The microphones, cables, and cameras were soon splayed out across the cement floor of the church.  A nervous young man was the first to step forward, ready to recite from memory the Bible stories he had prepared in Bimoba.  That first encounter with a microphone just inches away, and a balding guy hunched over a laptop can no doubt be a bit intimidating, but after the first few nervous mistakes, he was soon comfortable and working his way along.

We had a two hour break in the afternoon to gather up gear and meet with the pastors from the local “council of churches.”  About 8 local pastors sat in a circle outside, in the shade.  Some additional blue plastic chairs were added to the circle and we joined in.  After a review of the minutes from the last meeting in September, when it was noted that some American visitors will be coming in October, the formal introductions began. We were warmly welcomed, and then began planning for the work to be done on Monday.  One of the pastors, the official secretary, took notes and summarized our plans.  We left promptly, allowing their meeting to continue, since our official business was complete.

Here at the equator, the sun rises and sets at nearly the same time every day all year long, which means the daylight hours are not long.  By 6:30 it is dark here.  So after dinner, we hopped in Ray’s truck and headed out into the bush to meet up with Joshua and Christian, who had set up a showing of the Jesus Film using a small battery-powered projector.  Electricity runs only a short distance from the main road, so with the exception of the cities and people living along the road, this area of Ghana is without electricity.

Daniel and I rode standing up in the back of the pickup truck in order to make room for passengers in the cab, most importantly, the local man who could guide Ray through the bush. I shared my tidbits of pickup truck riding with Daniel.  Never put your fingers between the roll bar and the roof of the cab – that gap changes as the truck hits bumps.  Keep your needs bent, squint your eyes and let your lashes filter out the bugs, and of course, be prepared to swallow a few critters.  Ray, for his part, had us ducking down to keep from getting caught on trees and of course got stuck a few times in mud and trying to cross rocks. Daniel did great and had a great time. One particularly harsh bump did send us flying however.  Daniel was not tossed from the truck, but smacked his ribs and knee pretty hard on the truck. Being in Karate tournaments in the US seems to have prepared Daniel for getting punched in the side, and he recovered quickly.

In the small village, more than 100 people had gathered to watch the film about Jesus’ life. Kaitlyn, Beth, and Daniel were offered chairs.  I wandered around taking long-exposure pictures.  One group of the children just sat on the ground behind the screen, which was sufficiently translucent that they could watch the movie in reverse.  Local pastors prayed with people after the movie, and by 11:00, people were heading back to their homes, some using flashlights, some using mobile phones, and others just guiding their steps by starlight.

On our return, we wandered through the bush a bit more than we should have, trying to retrace our path. The lights stabbed at the darkness, but following bicycle and motorcycle paths with a 4×4 truck presents challenges.  Within twenty minutes we were back on the road and speeding toward the guest house. A great day.  A long day.  We were up late, taking about all of the sights and sounds in this first full day in the bush and slept in the following morning.

-Pete