Dasiba!

(Good Morning in Dagbani, the language of the Dagomba people living here in Tamale). Your response would be “Naaaaaa”

Wow! Where do I start? So much has happened. This will be a long, media-rich post — lots of photos and drone movies to enjoy. There is both sad news and joyful news to report. So please grab some fresh coffee — because we are still drinking instant coffee, and I just want to imagine you cradling a fresh steaming cup of rich coffee. With so many pictures and videos to share, it may take several minutes to load this page, so practice being African. Relax and wait.

Friday morning, we met with local pastors and missionaries who have been using the BiblePlus+ material developed over the years. The meeting was so encouraging! Abigail, who narrated a short video several years ago told how she is working with Dagomba youth who have so many important questions about life — questions that are forbidden in their culture. Hearing news of joy, love, and peace has changed lives. Joshua translated for Pastor John as he told several stories of people listening to BiblePlus+ solar units in a crowded marketplace, and how people responded to the encouraging news.

Even in the small team, seven different tribes and languages were represented: English, Dagbani, Bulsa, Twi, Mampruli, Hausa, and Igbo. Working as a team, ideas for several future projects began to form. Youth learning English in school would benefit from new material recorded in Ghanaian English, or “Twinglish” (Twi is the popular trade language from the South). In areas where Bible material and praise songs are forbidden, the microSD smartphone version is well suited for listening with earphones. Beth used her superpowers and kept a detailed list of followup items and ideas, which will help guide future plans and strategies.

Beth and Joshua working in their office at the guest house.

Saturday morning we packed up early to visit a small Dagomba village without clear water. In addition to BiblePlus, there is a clean water ministry that distributes water filters. The filters are made here in Ghana, and last 3-5 years. Simplicity wins here in this challenging land. No chemicals or electricity are required to give a whole family water free from parasites. Typhoid and other diseases are common. It takes about $35 to provide clean water to a remote village family. A truck from Tamale will deliver 150 water filters.

Once again, I was behind the wheel, giving Ray a break. Beth, Enoch, Joshua, and David squeezed into the back seat, squished hip to hip as we dodged motos, yellow yellows, and gargantuan overloaded trucks teetering over speed bumps. Packed so tightly together encourages close conversation.

As we approached the village we pause at the local watering hole. Dozens of excited, energetic young boys were jumping and flipping into the muddy water from the bridge. Smiles were everywhere as we approached. Adolescent ladies continued their hard work washing clothes in the red pool. Their colorful cloths turned the red-brown dirt into a vibrant mosaic.

Water is life. It is the end of rainy season, and the brown water will slowly disappear, requiring village women to travel miles to fetch water. Animals and kids and laundry all share the same watering hole. Our quick stop brought our planned visit to the small village into clear focus.

Please enjoy the drone video of the watering hole (there is no sound). The kids are just having so much fun. The Wisconsin Dells has waterparks like “Kalahari.” Ghana has beautiful, natural, free bush parks.

The next image is a Video. Click Play!

A handful of massive trees provided shade in the center of the traditional village, where mud huts and thatched roofs were arranged into circles with a gate to allow in invited guests and family members. Some of the huts have electricity, but of course no other services.

The women of the village were already beginning to gather, awaiting the arrival of the truck with the water filters. They sat shyly, in the shade with their children. Food and water can be scare here, and the Dagomba ladies conserved their energy and sat quietly. Smiles and sideways glances followed me as I tried to gather a few photos. The Dagomba tribe is Muslim, and almost all of the women wore colorful head coverings. The men sat in a different area, interested in the activity, but distant. Here, water is a precious commodity, and women are the providers. They fetch it, carry it expertly on their heads, and provide it for drinking to their children and husbands.

We could hear the rumbles of the approaching truck; the ladies calmness turned into growing excitement. The women in the shade began slowly sharing smiles with a soggy American photographer. My best approach was to photograph the smallest babies, and show the picture of their adorable child to their mother. Soon, it was clear I was not intending harm. There are a variety of methods by which images of people can be used by local “fetish priests” (the West would call them. witchdoctors) to create curses in exchange for a fee. Some kids cried as the ghastly white sweating man approached. For the smallest of the villagers, Beth and I were probably their first white visitor. Slow, I was winning some mothers over.

As the truck driver and a few of his helpers began to unload the 140 water filters, the Dagomba women approached timidly. Beth and the OneWay team began assembling the four main parts of the filter: the stand, the bucket, the ceramic filter, and the spigot. Surprisingly, the local women decided to volunteer and help. In the past, at previous distributions, it seems the village waited for instructions, and nobody had put them to work. The strong women quickly formed their own teams and began assembling the kits.

Watching the ladies work together and assemble the filters was so beautiful! It also became clear how strong they were.

After 140 filters were assembled into neat rows, it was time to present one to the chief. He would get the first.

The team stooped low and entered the Chief’s hut. It was dark and unkempt. Animal skins and magical charms hung on the walls. To my shock, an old fashioned tube color television played crazy modern dance videos in the background. I was probably quite dehydrated, and my head was swimming at the juxtaposition of the Hollywood style African dance routines spilling into the traditional hut, with strange glows from the TV on the mud walls and preserved hides. Ray presented the filter to an Elder, as the chief sat on the floor in front of his throne, a chair adorned with gold colored metal and raised up on a platform.

The sun blinded our eyes as we stepped out of the dimly lit hut. We saw one of the men from the water filter team explaining how to care for the filter. They are simple gravity filters. Occasionally, a scrubbing pad can be used to remove a layer of clogged filter from the inside of the ceramic, restoring the filter to normal operation.

As the lecture progressed, the buzz increased. The women politely queued and awaited the distribution, one to a household. The local pastor prayed for the entire assembly, and distribution began.

The women were full of joy as each family received one of the filters. Photos became easy. Everyone with a filter was beaming. How beautiful is clean water! Here is short video (with sound) of the first few filters being distributed.

The next image is a Video. Click Play!

Yes, lots of photos below… just so many happy faces! But the story continues, so keep reading….

Drone time! Before the excitement ended, Joshua and I walked behind one of the huts and put the drone airborne (so the kids would not see it launch). Soon Joshua and I were causing a mini commotion as we took in the breathtaking view of the water filters and the women of the village in grand perspective. The drone video below is without sound, but so captivating. The huts, drying vegetables, and farm fields show some of the most beautiful parts of Northern Ghana.

The next image is a Video. Click Play!

Joshua and Enoch recorded video, so they could later make some short clips. We watched the women help each other position and balance the water filter on their head. They elegantly turned and strolled out of the village, grinning.

Sad and Joyful News

It was a truly beautiful day. Clean water. Smiling kids. Shy laughter. I was dehydrated and finishing off another water bottle as I thought about Jesus interaction with a woman drawing water from a well. As they discussed the water and the well, Jesus explained “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” He described it as Living Water.

A beautiful day, but a difficult day too. It was the first day of my entire life that my Dad was not praying for me. He died with my mother, sister, and niece at his side, singing to him, the day prior. Just about two and a half days before his death he fell unexpectedly ill. He was 91 years old. We are so thankful that my sister was visiting when they went to the hospital. My mom and dad gave Beth and I specific instructions in a text message as they went to the hospital: “WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO CUT YOUR MISSION SHORT. Dad wants you two to continue the work God has assigned you.”

Mom and Dad have been life-long supporters of mission work. A few years ago I brought back a wonderful African shirt for my dad. It did not take much encouragement to break free from the dark blues and grays of his Lutheran heritage and embrace African-style celebration.

I’m so blessed and thankful for the encouragement and model my father provided. A spectacular day. A hard day. We continue to pray for my mom, and look forward to taking the first flight to Florida after landing in the USA. Clean water is necessary, and our compassion for all peoples demands it. But it is not sufficient.

“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”