We are safely in Ghana, all is well.

Catching up on catching up

Saturday morning, we went to O’Hare in style. Over the years, we’ve asked friends, neighbors, and staff at OneWay to help schlep up to 500 pounds of gear to the airport. Then it dawned on us: at our local church, we know a retired professional truck driver! She was eager to help and didn’t mind stuffing her back seat and trunk with gear bound for Ghana—everything from knee pads and protective jackets for motorcycle riders up north to soap and toothpaste for the urban missions.

100 degrees later and we were in Ghana. The young customs officer smiled and asked if this was our first visit. We explained that our first visit was 15 years ago. She smiled even larger, asked a few more questions, and we were on our way.

Our previous recording trips enjoy a somewhat predictable pattern: arrive, shower, repack everything, sleep, and in the morning, head North into the bush. 15 Languages have been completed with that pattern. It works. Well… maybe not for every people group and language.

Our packing lists help us remember all the details, everything we need to bring, from malaria meds to bluetooth headphones. But I suppose it is time to revise them. The packing list should include things to forget, such as expectations.

Just before Christmas, the original recording plan, which included working in Togo for much of the time, fell through. So with short notice, the team jumped to another language that had been on our list, and began preparations to record the Hausa.

Often, immigrants form residential communities as they migrate across countries and regions. In Chicago, we have Ukrainian Village, China Town, La Villita, and neighborhoods of Polish, Puerto Ricans, and Italians. In Ghana, the Hausa have clustered into Zongos. They are spread across the Sahel, and across Ghana. They are nearly all Muslim — only 0.1% are Christian. Connecting with Hausa churches to plan for recording choirs, Bible stories, and more has been daunting for the team here in Africa. So while Cyrus and Clement and the OneWay network of partners have been working on the Hausa recording plans this week, we have been working with the local Philip Centre staff on a long list of catchup items… everything from discussing computer network updates to planning for a large October training (more on that topic next week, when we head up North).

On previous trips, we would have already recorded 100 tracks by the third day. On this trip so far, we are doing something I’m completely unskilled and unprepared for… Office Work in Ghana. We are working out spreadsheets, catching up with friends and co-workers, planning, organizing, budgeting, etc.

Tomorrow we hope to have our first few audio recordings in Hausa.

But the change of pace has been good. We have enjoyed spending time getting to know the people behind the WhatsApp messages that dart between Chicago and Ghana. Many of the staff know us, and text us questions or send photos, but we have all too often sped through the Philip Centre on the way North, with nary time to hug, wave, and selfie. So we thank God for the time to enjoy the planning, organizing, and repairing while deepening friendships.

The photo above shows the team after we spent 2 hrs singing and praying to start the week on Monday. The man in the white T-shirt on the right, across from Beth is Josias. His birthday was today. 28 years old. He came to Ghana to attend Ray’s Livingstone School of Missions and decided to just stay and work! He is from Benin, speaks French, English, and his mother tongue. His always-ready-smile is delightful.

For his birthday, one of the former staff members composed a song for Josiah. We were all singing along by the end. Who needs the traditional Happy Birthday ditty when you have creativity, singers, and a guitar and djembe.

The Birthday Video

You may find yourself singing along. Click the image below to play the video.

Good night.