Long busy days.  The brevity of my text below will be compensated with plenty of photos and some dancing videos.  An important note:  Tomorrow morning we hike several hours up to a mountain village.  The top of the mountain has no electricity, no mobile phone network, and no other services.  Of course we are used to camping, so it won’t be a problem, but we will be offline for 2 nights, returning to Nkwanta town by Wednesday afternoon (in Ghana).  I have my Garmin InReach should we need to send a message, so don’t worry about us. We will share photos when we return.

Submission.  In America, it is associated with defeat — being unable to “stand your ground”.  Being “in submission” just irks us.  We have our rights! 

However, in many cultures that have deeply rooted honor and respect traditions, submission goes hand-in-hand with respect.  So here in Ghana, we always begin our work by submitting to the authority of the village chief.  Here in Nkwanta, where two tribes have suffered deadly clashes, it is especially important for us to respectfully approach the chief and request permission.  We will submit to his will.  If he forbids our work, we will turn around and leave – a sign of respect for his authority.  

Submission and respect are part of the spoken language system, and even influence the arrangements of our chairs and several of the scripted movements we make.

Some of the chiefs are light hearted and match our smiles.  Others are stoic, flanked by elders that manage introductions.  

Before approaching the chief, our host pastor instructed us on the protocol.  There was a scripted reply that we were to all repeat several times in unison.  Men and women had different works.  While we didn’t need to kneel, part of the exchange required we leave our seats, squat low to the ground, and say either “eeeeeaaaa” (women), or “Yoawwwww” (men).  After three or four of the scripted exchanges the pastor explained to the chief that “we come in peace”.  The Tribal leadership then asked if we would like water. 

That step, the hospitality to ask if we needed water, was critical.  In one of our meetings, we dove straight into the details of our visit before we were interrupted by the local pastors and asked to pause.  “Our culture requires we offer you water now” they said.  We politely said we did not need water, and the meeting continued.

After the official business of asking permission was completed satisfactorily, Ray sometimes asked me to pray for the chief and the village. Then we posed for a photo, and thanked the chief one more time before respectfully returning to the trucks.

After submitting to the authority of the chiefs and elders, it was time to record — music, exhortations (preaching), Bible stories and testimonies.

Cyrus and Clement (C&C) did the heavy lifting.

One of the most critical recordings was from one of the senior pastors, often called “The Chairman”. He had prepared a special message on peace and forgiveness. We prayed again for the tribes involved in the conflict and we recorded his strong and clear voice calling for peace in the land. After we complete the video, it will be shared via WhatsApp among the people.

The long day (Saturday) was topped off with fish, banku, yam fries, and spicy “peppa” sauce — all eaten with our hands.

Sunday

Most of the day was spent recording choirs — always the highlight of our trips. Worship, drums, and dancing, how beautiful! Some photos and videos below.

VIDEOS! Click the images below to watch the movie.

Wrapping Up

I wish is was not 12:30am. There are so many wonderful things to share. We will bring back photos and notes from our hike to Chillinga. We will be hanging our mosquito netting and cooking food we brought on our camp stove. We pray for peace and forgiveness.