Beth and I are back in the United States.  The last three days have been full.  Beth and I first visited Ghana in 2011.  We have learned so many things about the culture and customs here, from how to eat fufu to the unique handshake that ends with a finger snap. But more importantly, we continue to learn the heart and soul of the very diverse peoples of Ghana.  On our first trip, Ghana appeared to be a British English-speaking country where people were happy, friendly, and very very black. What we saw in that first comfortable visit in the capital was true. Our eyes see what we know – language, color, food, and laughter.  While English is a binding common language brought by the British, dozens of distinct peoples, with unique mother tongues, span western Africa. The Bimoba people in the Northeastern part of Ghana walk from their homes in Ghana to their crops in Togo. National borders have been drawn over shifting tribal lands. The Fulani are nomadic, and their peoples spread across the Sahel. The Twi Asante speakers from the coastal area traded across the region, spreading their trade language from the lush coconut groves to the arid but fertile soil of the north. There is so much richness here. There is a shared national pride and culture, from their stable democratic government to their world cup soccer team.  Yet there is always the core culture of the peoples – the “nations” that share tribal customs and language — smiles, tears, and stories we are still learning.  

The capital, Accra, brings all these people together. It was a joy to work with the team at The Philip Centre as they mobilize people to bring good news, joy, clean water, music, and training materials to all the nations in Ghana.  Most trips, we fly into Accra and in less than 24 hrs we are in the remote villages of the North.  It was a delight to spend time learning more about the work in Accra, the new Urban Ministries, and the Leadership training.  Beth worked with Abraham to design new logistic processes to stage materials from the US to Accra, to Tamale, to the Northern villages and the moto riders. With the new processes, the entire team can be better equipped. On our last trip, we built a mobile recording backpack and trained Joshua with the new tools.  For the Accra base, the next step is a small soundproof recording room so the team can do voice-overs for videos, podcasts, and produce small videos. Joshua will be continuing to edit and organize audio as work with the team for next steps.  Zoom is our friend.

Our next trip?  Hmmm… stay tuned… maybe you will get a surprise blog post…. Photos from our work at the Philip Centre below…