A Trip Through Ghana

Traveling Through Ghana

We traveled many miles during our three weeks in Ghana. Although we would have liked to travel some by public transport, like the missionaries often do, having a vehicle allowed us to visit all the stations that we did.

Busy Accra

Accra is a busy city with many people walking the streets and overloaded buses preparing for a long trip north.

Rest House

We arrived at the beautiful rest house in Accra. Matthew and Janelle Wollman have just moved here to take care of the many logistical details for the entire mission. Sometimes the missionaries will come here for a rest.

Traffic in Accra

The day after we arrived in Accra, I traveled with Matthew to downtown Accra. A massive road construction project has ground most city traffic to a crawl all day long. What may take twenty minutes in no congestion, can take up to three hours now. It was certainly a lesson in patience.

Accra Market

After navigating the traffic jams for hours, we finally got to spend some time in the colorful, but crowded market.

Kumasi

The day has finally come! Today all the missionaries from all over Ghana will arrive in Kumasi for a five day retreat. Good Samaritan Villa provides nice accommodations and is large enough to house all the missionaries.

Sharing Time

Sharing time is always a highlight at Mission Retreat! We spend a good part of two days sharing joys and challenges of each station.

Church Service

Emanuel Esh, the mission board chairman, was also able to travel to Ghana and attend Retreat. He preached on Sunday morning to the small band of missionaries.

Campfire

On Saturday, the GES teachers provided supper after an all day business meeting. They prepared hotdogs and sausages which we all enjoyed around the campfire. This is a special treat in Ghana!

Funeral

After retreat, we traveled to Tamale to visit the Ulrich family. Upon arrival, they learned that their old neighbor lady had passed away. We had the privilege of attending the funeral which was a very different cultural experience.

Baby Naming Suna

Another surprise, this a pleasant one, awaited the Ulrichs when they returned home from Kumasi. Their next door neighbor had given birth to a baby girl! Because of the rainy weather, they needed more space to accommodate all the guests at the baby naming ceremony. So the Ulrichs allowed their neighbor to use part of their compound.

Welcome to Bunbon

We were welcomed to Bunbonayili by a group of youngsters who were happy to see us.

Christy Carrying Corn

A snapshot of Christy Kenaston carrying corn to be ground, African style.

Grinding Corn

The Kenaston’s neighbor has a single cylinder engine that he uses to operate an old-fashioned grinding mill. The chug-chug can be heard from a long distance away.

Good Bye from Bunbon

Nathaniel Kenaston bids us farewell after we spent three days in their compound. Our next destination is Katani where we will visit Weston Leibee’s family.

Road to Katani

The road to Katani provided a beautiful view and a pleasant drive. The four hours sped by quickly and soon we arrived at the small village of Katani.

Pedaling to a Nearby Village

I had the blessed privilege of accompanying Weston to a nearby village where he had never been before. The bicycle trip to the village was very wet and muddy. Much of the time was spent pushing our bikes through the water and mud.

Evening Service

Finally at around midnight, after many hours of singing, Weston preached to them. Excited gibberish followed as Weston communicated the Gospel with these people in their own language. The man with the flashlight is one of the two Ghanaian pastors who went with us. He is studying for the sermon he will preach after Weston. The man standing beside the table is also a pastor and will give a short sermon, however, he cannot read.

Preparing to Ride Home

On the way here, one of our bicycles malfunctioned numerous times. The next morning we repaired our vehicle the best we could. We then said goodbye to our hosts and pedaled off toward Katani.

Katani Cell Tower

Seldom do we sufficiently appreciate a phone call from a missionary. I better understood some of the communication challenges after hearing Weston’s story about having to climb a tree in a mosquito infested area for cell phone reception.

Chatting with Students

Bro. Klaas Kouwen, the headmaster, chats with several students who are preparing for school which begins in two weeks. We also visited with several of the teachers of Wawase Christian School.

Market Day

We enjoyed visiting the weekly market while in Wawase. The people all exclaimed about Karen and wanted to hold her. They do not often get to see a white baby. Sometimes even the older men would exclaim and call all their friends to come see the white baby.