It is a world away. Africa. This will be our 4th trip to Ghana, and while I feel pretty comfortable traveling to Africa, the preparations for this trip have been staggering. High quality microphones, lithium batteries, food, first aid kits, software, cameras, tripods, mosquito nets, soccer balls, kick balls, toys, and the list goes on. We have spent months preparing, and suddenly, later today we will be on flights to Accra.

Of course, the trip started with a pre-adventure. I can’t think of any other trip I’ve led that started with an adventure before the adventure. We were initially scheduled to depart in January. But on January 2nd I was admitted to the hospital with a rather serious blood infection, and despite my careful and detailed instructions to the doctors and nurses that I needed to be on a plane in two weeks, our plans changed. My African shirt brought smiles to the cardiac ward, but didn’t seem to adjust the speed of my antibiotic drip.

The USA Team:

Before we dive into plans, agendas, and goals, we should stop and take a break for introductions (oldest to youngest :-)

Beth Beckman: Beth works for OWM as the Africa partner coordinator. She works with Ray Mensah, a Ghanaian who lives in Accra. He is the director of the African work. Beth has been working for years leading the effort to develop and distribute the Kamba-Language Bible audio players and coordinate the deployment of clean water filters.

Pete Beckman: I’m the team lead, responsible for health and safety, technology, crazy 4×4 driving, perl scripts, lead photographer, and cooking. For this trip, I’m known mostly as Beth’s husband. I occasionally smuggle botfly larvae back to the USA.

Laura Van Huis: Chief Fun Officer. Laura lived in Ghana for two years — but that was 20 years ago. This will be her first time back, and I’m guessing it will be hard to recognize Accra. Laura is the mom to five kids, two of whom attend NCA, where Laura also helps teach occasionally.

Emily Van Huis: Emily is a Junior in high school at NCA. She spends leads the children’s choir at church and teaches them to sing with gusto and hand motions, plays in piano in competitions, and runs the sound board and video system during church services. She will be helping me with the recordings.

The Plan:

We depart Thursday, arrive Friday afternoon in Accra, Ghana, and on Saturday morning we jet off to the northernmost regions of Ghana. So after almost 3 days of travel we will be in Tamale, where Ray will meet us. We will crowd into his silver pickup truck, and within moments it will be covered in red dust and mud as we drive unpaved roads to destinations even further north, where we will have eight days.

The northern regions of Ghana are home to many different tribes and languages. We have been working with a group known as the Komba. If you want to see some pictures of the beautiful and friendly Komba people, here are some from the last trip: Photo-1, Photo-2. My favorite from the previous trip is this one.

In addition to just spending time with our Komba friends, checking up on the clean water filters, and checking on how the solar-powered audio players are holding up, we will be recording more audio. The solar-powered audio players that Ray distributes in the remote villages has a Komba version of the New Testament, Bible stories, local choirs, and community health information. Recording the local African choirs has been a highlight for me on these trips. The choirs generally write their own lyrics, and use the caller/response form of singing, with the director singing a verse, and then the choir jumping in and responding. The choir from Kpatinga was simply spectacular. The recording had a fantastic natural reverb from being inside an cement-floor church with a corrugated steel roof. Here is one of their songs:

The two new languages that we will start recording are Mampruli, which is spoken by the Mamprusi people, and Dagbani, which is spoken by the Dagomba people. These languages are similar, but distinct from Komba.

Logistics:

While we are in the remote northern regions of Ghana, we will be staying in “guest houses”. Some are more equipped than others, but we hope that we are close enough to a larger city at times during the trip that we can get Internet and share blog posts and pictures. However, if you don’t hear from us, please don’t despair. Tech in that part of the world is fragile, and sometimes, even when I drive aimless around in the dark holding a cell modem on the roof of the truck, I can’t find a signal.

We have brought some food along for the trip. Beth dehydrated some backpacking food (green curry (yum!)), spaghetti sauce, etc. My camping stove should see some action. While the northern regions are quite fertile and have plenty of locally grown food, preparing food safely so weak-stomached white people can avoid illness can be a challenge. One of the guest houses has a cook, and on our last trip I spent some time helping the cook understand our extraordinarily poor constitutions, and how food needed to be peeled, boiled or fried. We can’t eat greens washed in their local water. When we are staying at the guest house in Walewale, we will be cooking our own meals.

My Kryptonite is extreme heat. What more can I say. The heat will challenge me.

-Pete

Very brief update. We are safe at the Korum’s house. Tomorrow morning we head up north. More details then.

Laura VanHuis: Ah! The sights and the smells and the signs of Africa! Immediately upon descending the rickety stairway onto the steaming black tarmac, I experienced a strong sense of deja vu. This was the first time I have been back to Africa since I was pregnant with Emily in 1998. This time that little “wombster” was walking two steps behind me – this time as a 17 yr old American teenager, completely unaware of the adventure that lie ahead.

The Accra airport has been updated and is more modern and efficient, full of those friendly faces and smiles that are so characteristically Ghanaian. After passing our Ebola screening, and answering only a few brief questions for customs officers, we sailed through without any problems. Emily and I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally saw our 4th suitcase swing around on the conveyor belt. All of our gear and Bible+ units had arrived, and less than one hour later we were outside and soaking in early morning 90 degree heat! Crowing roosters, mangy dogs, scrawny goats, and stray cats lined the streets as our missionary friend drove us in his Land Rover, dodging countless street vendors who were hawking their Kleenex boxes, lotto tickets, Mint gum, bagged water, and mangos balanced carefully on womens’ heads. Most sobering was the man crawling around in the dirt on all fours, literally gorilla-like, begging for any scrap or morsel someone would toss his way. Poverty never ceases to break my heart.

Even though we’d been awake for most of the past 24 hours, we knew naps were not an option to beat the jet lag, so our friends’ driver, Christian, took us out for the day to experience the sights and sounds of the city. First stop – the shopping mall! Recently built, this new plaza contained a Payless shoe store, a Mac store look-alike (all employees wearing bright orange shirts), a dept store that rivals Wal-mart, and a fabric store cranking Whitney Houston, then “My Redeemer Lives” sung by lively Ghanaian musicians!

After that, I decided to attempt to ask Christian to trek over to Tema, Ghana’s port city where our home and former ministry were headquartered. A lot has changed in 17 years, and I had no real confidence that I could find the house, but we had the time and the driver, so why not?! We spent the next two hours bumping along, driving up and down every passable road, stopping to ask any Ghanaian selling wares roadside if they knew where the 3 story white house was in Community 3. Other than living next door to a famous national soccer player, that’s about all I could remember. Of course everyone we asked confidently smiled and pointed in an opposite direction, and were guided to several national soccer player homes, but eventually, we pulled up in front of a familiar gate. We found it! The security guard told us that our former landlord still owns the house but it is vacant, waiting for another missionary family to come. Maybe you? :-)

As we drove around the corner, I recognized a small roadside shop where we used to buy bread. “Please stop!” I asked Christian. We pulled over, and I peered inside – lo and behold – Sarah!! She recognized the white girl from Chicago immediately. What a fun reunion! Sarah has probably sat in this tiny, 10×10 store selling toiletries, fresh vegetables, and bread every day for 20-30 years. Sarah was the key to finding another special friend, my former next door neighbor. After a few cell phone calls, we met “Mother” in Community 7 at a roadside junction. Ghanaians seem to have an endless supply of time – always available and ready to meet you…provided you have the time to wait. Another great reunion with big hugs, laughs, and a brief time of catching up, but eventually, we had to move on and head back home. A quiet drive among the newly paved Motorway (toll was 1 cedi = 25 cents), parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, made for a nice time of reflection on all we had seen in only our first day. Emily was a real trooper, graciously listening to Mom recall people, places, and things. She is enjoying the African experience, for sure.

Pete and Beth arrived later that evening, so the team and all its luggage has officially arrived safe and sound! A little repacking, a little visiting, a somewhat warm shower, and an air conditioned bedroom rounded out the day. We slept well. Tomorrow we head north on one more (in-country) flight aboard Africa World Airlines for recording and ministry in the remote villages. Let the adventure begin! We are excited and ready.

Today was fantastic. Yes, the temperature was 106, and the humidity 70%, but the antidote to heat is being sweaty, so we drink water all day and sneak into the shade at every opportunity.

Since our Internet connection seems stable at this instant (6:00am), I’ve uploaded a bunch of pictures, and we will just tell today’s story in pictures.

Ray and Laura had a joyful reunion at the Tamale airport. Our flight from Accra was uneventful, which is just the way we like to fly in Africa. Our shouts and giggles had all the baggage handlers and security guards looking on with smirks and smiles from their shady corners of the parking lot.

The next stop, the market. A line of cement block stores sold packaged items and housewares like rice makers and fans. We bought some bottled water, crackers, and of course some Fan Ice (more on that later). The produce section was not in the store, but outside. Dozens of small tables from competing vendors sold mangos, coconuts, bananas, cloths, mobile phone credits, and much more.

After stocking up, we started the drive to Walewale, about 1.5hrs on a real road. The cement buildings gave way to farmer’s fields and finally the red dirt, short trees, and grasses of the wide open savannah.

In this area in Ghana, homes are often mud huts with thatched roofs. Some families can afford a steel roof, but thatched huts remain cooler, so often a small family compound will have a mix of both.

In Walewale, our first stop was Pastor Joseph’s house. We relaxed in the shade discussing tomorrow’s plans after a bit of formal welcome. In this area of Ghana, it is still common, especially when visiting a family’s compound to do so formally. After standing introductions and hand shakes, we sat down. Folks understood at that point, we were to get quiet, and just sit a few moments in the shade, waiting for the Patriarch to formally welcome us. Joseph extended his appreciation for our visit. Ray then responded with “Thank you, we come in peace”. Ray then spent some time introducing each of us more completely. The floor was then open for discussion.

After some relaxing conversation, we drove out of town to visit a local village chief. Visiting a chief is extremely formal, and done respectfully. Step one when approaching the chief’s shady perch was to announce oneself. We hung back as Pastor Joseph approached and asked permission to visit. The locals removed their sandals as the entered the chief’s shelter. There were some whispers, and then we were allowed to enter, leaving our shoes on.

The chief looked calm, and did not readily make eye contact with people. He looked at people and nodded. A mat was laid out before the chief and a small older man went to sit at the feet of the chief. He was the translator or linguist, and if we had been speaking anything other than English, he may have offered clarifications or interpretations for things the chief didn’t catch. However, in this case, Pastor Joseph did the translating. We took turns, doing the welcomes. The chief thanked us for our visit. Ray was introduced, and then he did his part thanking the chief for letting us visit, and his hospitality. I then did my part, and thanked them for their kindness.

Pastor Joseph explained our plans for tomorrow… we would attend a local church and then record four area church choirs as well as people’s stories of how they became Christians, and their new lives. We are in Mamprusi territory, and for the next couple of days we will be recording as our friends sing and share in the Mampruli language.

After respectfully thanking the chief for his support and kindness, we drove the dusty roads back to walewale and relaxed near the church, meeting some of the kids. White people are still pretty rare up here, and it took some time for the smaller kids to get comfortable around us. Ok, maybe that’s an understatement :-) Some of the very small kids were clearly afraid. But after some smiles and goofiness, they came around.

Eventually a group of boys realized we were not all that interesting, and decided to find a shady spot to play “Countess Ball”, a miniature soccer-like game of bottle caps for men, a ball bearing for a ball, and black pieces of plastic to flip men toward the ball. Emily VanHuis and I watched.

The game is difficult, and after about 15 minutes, one of the boys finally sends the ball bearing through the battery goal posts. For effect, I do the spanish “Goooooooooooaaaaaaalllll” to their their delight.

In the late afternoon sun we just relax, talk about tomorrow’s plans, and take pictures of the kids. Sunday will be fantastic!

Beth Beckman: I love African churches! They know how to worship God with loud voices and lots of dancing…just awesome! We attended Pastor Joseph’s church in Walewale (pronounced wah-lay-wah-lay) this morning. After an hour of sweaty and colorful singing and dancing, Ray greeted the church, Pete introduced the team, Emily and I taught them a new song with only 5 simple words, and Mama Laura taught from Philippians 2. They excused us from church a little early (after 2 hours) so we could setup for the recording of choirs in the afternoon :-)

After setting up our ‘recording studio’ (Pete’s laptop with Paul’s borrowed microphone attached to a tripod), the choirs filed in…colorful clothing, timid smiles and excitement to share their songs with their neighbors. Once again loud voices filled the air with rhythmic steps and sometimes local instruments. Laura and Emily were at work taking lots of video and pictures while Beth worked with Joshua to log the choir names, villages and song titles. Maybe Emily will teach one of the songs to the kid’s choir when we return.

Example of Audio

Another highlight of the day was that the chief from Wuluru that we met yesterday came to share how be became a Christian. He also sang a Mampruli version of the old song ‘By and By’ as part of his story. We can’t wait to hear Joshua’s translation of the songs and the chief’s story.

In the middle of the day a local group of drummers and dancers came to perform at the church. With their legs adorned with bits of scrap metal, the dancers stomped to the frantic beat of the drums. The whole room bobbed, twirled, and circled the room to the throbbing, deafening beat of the drums while a choir sang. The celebration was so loud we are not sure the microphone could handle it. An African celebration.

By about 6:00pm we were wrapping up, and the kids were enjoying the cooler weather. A few very timid sprinkles of rain reminded us that the rainy season will begin soon.

Back at the guest house, we enjoyed a pasta dinner made outside under the stars on one of Pete’s camping stoves before showering off many layers of sweat from another 105 degree day!

Thank you, Lord, for sharing these beautiful people with us today!