A long day of celebration and difficulty. Today’s story will be in pictures.

We started the day with a joyful noise! We prayed and celebrated at a small local church. The services here are energetic. The drums and whole body dancing and singing is in such contrast to my Western church upbringing. When Dietrich Bonhoeffer came from Germany and attended Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem in the early 1930s, he came to understand the difference between the study of theology and the fullness of life in following Jesus. Every trip to Africa reminds me of the difference between good and important study, and the living out of justice, joy, love, peace, and hope.

After the morning service, we headed out to record a small village choir. Travel is Ghana is difficult. Between flat tires, bad cell phone service — used to get directions and set appointments, and traffic accidents, life is just unpredictable. From our cultural background, such setbacks make careful planning nearly impossible. The small village choir had been waiting nearly four hours for us to arrive as we approached. I asked Ray, “will they be angry?”. He laughed, no, they will not. They will not be mad. Yet we knew they had traveled from all over to arrive at the church and then sit without food or water for four hours.

The church was surrounded by maize (corn), and had no electrical power. Fortunately, we had charged up all of our gear and we quickly set up our mobile studio on the packed mud floor. When we arrived, the choir was seated. They were quiet, shy, and looking at us with both curiosity and caution. They were tired, but wanted to be recorded and bring their voices to others who speak Wali and Dagaare.

The choir stood. They were colorful, nervous, and only a few smiles snuck out. But when the director burst force with a strong voice, and the drums joined in with complex, driving rhythms, the room exploded with joy. Please enjoy all the videos below. You might even see a surprise dancer. They are worth it. Simple, beautiful praise. We are privileged to be here, recording them, so the motorcycle missionaries can bring their music to even more remote villages in the bush.

I loved how the little girl glanced up at the other dancers to learn their moves.

You may have noticed in one of the videos above that not all tribes are equally skilled in dancing. Even the dancer with crutches from Walaland was better than the visitor from Naperland.

We made it through 6 or 7 of their songs, and they had twice that many prepared. Beth carefully marked the information about each song and just smiled and made friends — collecting the Nana stories of their lives. My job was simple, start the recording and dance.

Sadly, we had to stop recording early… It was golden hour, and driving in the dark is dangerous, and the drive back was more than an hour. We ran outside for a few pictures as the sun sank over the corn field. The rest of the team was packing up gear, so I had nobody to help me get the entire choir to smile. As many readers know, Ghanians prefer the stoic, composed look for photos, and it takes a lot of goofy antics to pull out the beautiful smiles that Ghanians are known for.

I drove the team back, as the darkness and road dust settled slowed my driving. While driving, I pulled out my phone to snap this photo, showing the dangers of overloaded trucks that are so common here in Ghana. As we pass overloaded trucks driving on the highway, I feel like I need to hold my breath and be prepared for anything. The huge beasts must navigate the same speed bumps and potholes, but with tons of goods.

The man on the left is sporting a gun, to prevent looting. Night will soon fall, and the truck will be vulnerable. Afrifa and the other motorcycle missionaries have a difficult job. Please continue to pray for them. Supporters in the USA and Ghana have purchased good bikes, heavy duty motorcycle jackets, gloves, and boots. In this world, they are not fashion statements, but essential protection.

It was an exhausting day, and back in the hotel room, after a shower we both felt beat. Beth made us a bowl of noodle soup with our electric kettle. Watching some of the videos above revived us. We slept well.