10-22-19

Suhum, Ghana

I didn’t get a chance to journal yesterday, so I will use this entry to tell of yesterday’s highlights.

Pastor Forward and his wife were there to see us off from the “Hotel Lenza” that we stayed at. Not long into our journey home, we decided to stop at the Volta Dam and powerplant. The dam was built back in the early 1960’s over the Volta river and is one of the main sources of electricity for the country.

We were privileged to take a tour of the dam and learned that the Volta lake is the largest man-made lake in the world. Stephen told the tour guide that as a 6-year old boy, he lived in one of the communities displaced by the dam. He remembered people in the village crying and weeping as they packed up what few belongings they had to move elsewhere. This was the fate of 80,000 people.

The views from the top of the dam were spectacular! And it was a beautiful, clear day to enjoy those views.

After the tour ended, we were back on the road. During our two-day trip, Stephen’s little Nissan took a beating! I’ve never seen so many potholes in my life. He noted that part of the problem lies in corruption. After a contract is awarded for a new road, the “powers that be” take their cut off the top. Not much is left for the actual building on the road.

We eventually made it to Accra, where we stopped to visit a family friend of Stephen’s. Her name is Margaret and she greeted us with the same kindness and warmth I have become accustomed to in Ghana. We chatted for about an hour and it was fun to listen to Stephen and Margaret switch back and forth from English to their Ghana dialect.

Margaret and her husband live in a beautiful home in a well-to-do neighborhood. Not all Ghana is poor. In fact, there are plenty of wealthy people. Just before we left, we prayed together and for her son John-Jacob who was not feeling well.

Soon we were on the road again. It is always an adventure driving in Ghana. Drivers here are crazy. No other way to put it. We did see one major accident, but I’m amazed we didn’t see more.

Stopped at the Accra office of Campus Crusade for Christ. Pastor Stephen wanted to meet with one of their reps to talk about utilizing some of their resources. Very nice offices, but terrible roads to get there.

We took a different way home to Suhum. It was a mountain road that offered stunning vistas of Accra and beyond. For many miles we followed the ridge. Though just a small part of the country, I can see that Ghana has much natural beauty.

We finally made it home after about 10 hours of travelling, sightseeing, and visiting. Evelyn treated us to another lovely meal and we were joined by pastor Solomon and his wife.

This day has expanded my appreciation and understanding of Ghana. Lord God may the gospel advance in this great land. May multitudes know the joy of thy salvation.

SDG

10-23-19

In the air somewhere between Accra and London. It is the middle of the night. Sleep has fled from me. We have encountered some serious turbulence on this fight. I have been following the GPS and the pilot has taken us on a funky zig-zag flight path. He is probably trying to avoid the rough ride as much as possible.

My last day in Africa was great. Spent the better part of the morning reading, meditating, and praying. Checked out of my lodging place, the Vema Guest House, shortly after lunch. They charged 100 cedi’s a night or about $20 US. Stephen then took me to his house for my “last supper.” It was another excellent meal of tilapia and spaghetti.

As Stephen and I were leaving, it started to rain…..I mean really rain! I took a pic trying to capture the volume of rain and how it was flooding the ground, but as is often the case with my photography skills, I failed. Thankful for the good weather during my visit. We barely had any rain.

Enjoyed our drive down to Accra from Suhum. There were a couple times where I thought we were going to get hit, but that’s just normal. As you get closer to the city, an army of “hustlers” are there to greet you at every stop light. They try to sell you anything and everything (things like toolkits, lighters, and clothing), but mostly food and drink. I never budged, but Stephen got a few snacks over the duration of my trip.

Stephen drove us through the heart of the city. He is very knowledgeable about Ghana so he was an excellent tour guide. Eventually parked near the ocean by the memorial for Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah. Took a tour of the memorial and learned a lot, not just about him but about the country as a whole. It was also nice to see the ocean, even for just a short time.

Playing tourist these last couple days has been fun. This mission’s trip was all about preaching the gospel, but getting to know the country and its people has been a great privilege.

As Pastor Stephen and Samuel said goodbye to me at the airport, it was both a sad and a joyful moment. Sad because we were parting ways. Joyful because of the fantastic week we had enjoyed and the bond of Christian love that united us.

When we landed in London, I had another neat experience (this trip has been full of them). As everyone was leaving the plane, I asked one of the British Airways people if I could go to the upper deck of our 747 jumbo-jet, and he said that would be fine. There are only about 20 seats up there, and only for the super-rich. The big surprise was that I got to see inside the cockpit and talk to the captain. We talked about the flight and all the turbulence, and he was very friendly.

Thankful also for a few opportunities to do personal evangelism on the way home. Two people were intrigued and were open to hear more, while another person…..not so much. Lord, give me boldness and help me to speak clearly the mystery of the gospel.

SDG

If you missed some of my earlier journaling, here are they are – Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3