I’m trying this text message first, and if it works, I hope to add some pictures later. We are on the very very edge of cell connectivity, north of Yendi. We a litte tree climbing, the MiFi can get a bit of signal. I’m on the ground with my laptop :-)

By 7:30 we were on the road, driving to Yendi. We shared the road with bicycles, motorbikes, and massive trucks straining at the load of people and goods. Villages along the way had erected their own speed bumps, made from rocks, logs, clay.

A few kilometers north of Yendi, we dropped off 1/2 of our gear at a small catholic training center and guest house that has been here more than 50 years. They were very friendly, and we explored the accomodations and met a group of about 20 local pastors on a training retreat. It could make a convenient base camp for visiting groups.

The blacktop ends here at Yendi. Clouds of red dust roll and swirl behind our 4×4 as we bump along the road north into Komba-land. Ray puts the Wheaton Gospel Choir into the CD. Small subsistence farms line the road. Yam fields are easily identified by the 1ft high mounds of dirt under which the yams grow. It is a vital staple here. Along-side the road, small stacks of the hard, dense tuber are for sale. In the small villages, extended families often live in small mud huts with thatched roofs arranged into a semi-circle, with chest-high walls connecting the huts.

Living here is hard work, and during the dry season, it appears to revolve around water. Many of the villages have wells, and women in colorful dresses or t-shirts and skirts are perpetually gathering water. 5 gallon buckets are hefted up to their heads and carried back to their homes. Sometimes tiny brown feet can be seen peeking out of bundles on their mom’s back. The smallest kids are toted around while mom works. Older kids entertain themselves if they are not in school. Toys can be invented from nearly anything. A small loop of barbed wire can be chased down the road with a stick; a cardboard box can be dragged while running; and old oil barrel can be used as a teeter-totter.

In Zamashegu we met Pastor Paul and cought a glimpse of Ray’s home. We also explored the building we will set up and use for recording. There is a small medical outpost run by a couple nurses who received two years of training in Tamale. They ride motorbikes to the surrounding villages vaccinating children. A recent measles outbreak in a nearby village had nurse Suzie particularly busy. The nurses have offered us a small unused building to use as our recording studio.

Without much delay, we hopped back into the truck and headed further north, toward a village whose name I forgot to write down. There, we visit a small group of pastors to make arrangements. They welcomed us for a minute or two, then Ray proclaimed “we come in peace; we have no bad news”. Ray noticed our puzzled look. He explained that it is tradition that after being welcomed, you clearly state your purpose. After some discussion, we agreed to return on Wednesday to record one of the pastors reading Luke in Komba. Excellent!

Before leaving the village, we pick up three other friends of Pastor Paul, who we will record singing and telling their stories. On the way back to Zamashegu, someone had to ride in the back of the truck, in the red dust. I volunteered, but they would have none of it. Instead, I took my turn driving as the sun slowly colored the grasses and huts a wonderful amber.

So… it is time to head to breakfast. I woke up to the sound of drums in the distance…. at about 3:30am. They continued until daybreak. Pray for a productive day.

 

 

(Pictures below)

In Ghanaian style I’ll say: “We had a peaceful day; good news to report”. After a breakfast of oatmeal and coffee we bumped our way past yam fields and kids walking to school while their mothers started their day of work carrying water, getting firewood, cooking meals, and caring for the kids. I’m certain the Komba women are among the hardest working people on earth. Beth and I noticed that we have yet to see a fat person here in Komba-land.

At the Clinic, our makeshift recording studio, we were greeted by a dozen smiling faces. People from Zamashegu and the nearby communities had come to help with the recordings. Everyone was eager to begin, and we wasted no time setting up a few plastic stools, a bench, and the microphone we borrowed from Paul (thanks son). For Africa, it was perfect in every way.

Initially, folks were intimidated by the microphone and the complex set of signals to start, stop, get a level check, and restart. Some of the first men were timid, and with weak voices they started to tell a Bible story or share their testimony. I laughed, and asked Pastor Paul to translate that I needed their Warrior Voice. The translation had all the men laughing, and they overcame their apprehension.

After we debugged the system (and in Africa, the bugs can be large, and crawl quickly), we started plowing through our work. An older woman named Amina Timlabe starled us with her strong voice. She shared in Kombo why she became a Christian, and from her tiny frame and colorful clothes came a powerful-sounding story that rose into a grand cresendo that ended with a loud Amen and a large grin.

For several hours we recorded the Kombo people sharing, telling Bible stories, and of course singing! Many of the Komba songs are in classic caller-answer Africa style, with a young lady or man belting out verse which is then answered by the choir. For some of the songs the choir added accompianment: drums, shaker, and clapping.

During a break we pumped up the soccer balls (or should I say footballs) that Mac had sent along. Wow, it was the first time their African-style patience were nowhere to be found. Note to self… next time, we need another 20.

We also took some time to start the initial training and testing of the water filtration devices. Many of the small villages near the road have government built wells with steel pump and cement trough. However, we have seen some of the smaller settlements either collecting muddy water from rivers or lowering buckets into shallow hand-dug wells. Sadly, the company in Accra that built the water filters sold most of the units they were holding for us. This is Africa, and a customer willing to buy today is worth two that will come later to pick them up. With with just two units and an extra filter, we provided an initial overview of how the flowerpot-like ceramic filter can be use for a couple years if routinely cared for.

Moses, who lives in a village with extremely poor water got one of our test units. He strapped it on his bike and he and his friends rode off. Hopefully we can deploy another 10 or 20 and see how they fair out here. Since they are made in Ghana, they are fairly inexpensive, yet should be effective.

Finally, we wrapped up with motorbike nurse Suzie reading public health information. The information will be loaded onto the audio players along with the music, stories, and prayers. It took only a couple minutes for the nurse to list 7 topics: personal hygiene, cleanliness, water, HIV, immunizations, pregnancy, and infant care. Without notes, she provided a 15 minute monologue. Whew.

Salome (pronounced “Sal-o-may”) had cooked us another wonderful meal consisting of rice, spicy sauce, and fried yams. Beth and I continue to be healthy, and Salome has assured us that she is boiling the water well before making our food. We will let you know how it goes :-)

By 7:00 we were exhausted. We had successfully recorded 35 tracks and taken some wonderful pictures. Unfortunately, most of this blog post has been about what we did, not how much fun everyone had. I only wish I had more time for football or games with the kids. Occasionally during breaks I try my goofy games with dusty brown kids who think I’m a space alien. But after a few moments they begin smiling… they give in to my absurd gestures, rolling eyes, flashes of teeth while growling, and loud laughing. Well… ok, one very small girl about 1 year old and strapped to her mom’s back did not yield to my grin. Her eyes welled up and she began to cry, which prompted the mother to start dancing to the choir’s singing, fixing everything. Africa, I love you.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and blog comments. Because the internet connection is so poor, I can’t easily respond to comments, but we do read them. Thanks!

 

Hello.  Yes, we are bit behind in our blogging, we will catch up!  Here are some picture that help tell the story, that we will write shortly….

 

(From Beth)

The Komba villages are full of beautiful people!  Ray has found many dedicated partners and pastors that truly love God and their people, and want to reach out and help them physically and spiritually.  These people are hard-working!  They live in conditions that we would consider primitive camping.  Ok, so Pete and I happen to like camping, but to camp for 365 days a year, farming in the hot sun, and carrying 40-50+ pounds of water, wood or yams on your head, would probably wear you down.  It’s an honor and a privilege to come alongside Ray, who is joining with the Komba pastors to reach out to their own people…it’s a beautiful chain, strengthened by God’s love for these people.

 

We are excited about how the content for the first version of the audio players is coming together. We recorded 51 tracks over the last few days, received some songs from the Bashara radio station in Tamale, selected additional content from Faith Comes by Hearing and Global Recordings Network, and were given materials from other people working among the Komba people (found through our friends at Lutheran Bible Translators).  At the end of the day yesterday, we sat down with Ray and some of the pastors to select what will go on version 1.0 of the BIBLEplus audio players, including music, testimonies, Bible stories, prayers and exhortations (wow, they can preach!), a version of the New Testament (in Komba!), and some community health information dictated by our new friend, Nurse Suzie.  If all goes well, we will be able to load the 10 audio players that we brought with us, and leave them with Ray to distribute to a group of pastors and elders to listen to and give us feedback before we order the next batch of players.  Our goal is to distribute 1,000 BIBLEplus units to the villages in Komba-land this year!  If you want to help us meet this goal, talk to me :-)

It was hard to say good bye to our new Komba friends yesterday!  You grow strong bonds quickly when you work closely with people on a common goal, even if it’s for a short period of time. We will miss the brightly colored clothes, the beautiful smiles, the picturesque village huts, the dry and warm climate, the yam farms and farmers, the prancing goats and slow donkeys, the ladies carrying everything on their heads, the school kids in their colorful uniforms, and perhaps even bouncing along the narrow dirt roads.  Good bye, Komba-land…you will remain in our hearts and prayers!