The Silver Lining

As we emerged from the plane into the busy Atlanta Airport, my senses were immediately assaulted by bright lights, flashy American advertisements, noise, and the usual US rush-rush hustle-bustle. I literally gasped in shock. Too much noise, too much "slickness," too much consumerism.... Driving home on smoothly paved roads, I don't feel any bumpy potholes. The other drivers stay in their lanes, come fairly close to maintaining the allowed speed limit, and don't blow their horns constantly. Quite a change from my experiences of the last couple of weeks. Once home, I looked at our neighborhood. There were no high fences topped with constantine wire or broken glass to deter robbers as is common in the cities in Ghana. A neighbor, on his riding lawnmower, waved at us. I remembered seeing some men with machetes, hacking at the grass in front of a home in Tema... I take a deep breath and smell....nothing, really. But the scents of acrid smoke, sweat, sea, animals,...

Our game plan was to spend Monday through Wednesday after the team left evaluating the trip, visiting with friends, and relaxing. However I'd begun to feel a bit bad over the weekend. Saturday I nursed a scratchy sore throat; Sunday found me sneezing and sniffling. What I *thought* was going to be a simple summer cold turned very ugly. By Monday morning I was in the middle of a full-blown "asthmatic episode" which left me literally gasping for every breath. As soon as a pharmacy was open on Monday, our friend Stephen took us to get some medication for me. It was pricey (about $90 USD) but at that point I'd have maxed out every credit card I had to get some relief. I spent most of the day doing absolutely nothing. By evening I was feeling MUCH better. For me, Monday and Tuesday is sort of a blur. I'd get up and go a while, then nap a while. But David managed to get a good bit accomplished and I joined him as I could. David took the time to go back to t...

Saturday and Sunday, July 17 & 18 After the long week "on the road" in the Volta region, everybody slept in on Saturday morning! I think we all needed the rest; we'd worked really hard and accomplished a good bit. Along the way we built some relationships that are precious and priceless -- and help to show others the Jesus that is living in our hearts. The Grace Team needed to make another trip to the Accra Arts and Crafts Market and they spent most of the day there. David and I ran some errands and made some visits in and around Tema. We spent some time in the Tema market -- searching in vain for Kingsbite chocolate. That's one of our favorite treats. However, the factory had been shut down for a few weeks for maintenance, so we learned, and nobody in the market had any of the candies for sale. Pastor Paul drove us to the Evergreen Supermarket -- a large store fashioned like those in the USA. There we found Kingsbite, and purchased several bars to share w...

Friday July 16, 2010 I woke up in the coolness of Logba Tota, remembering a childhood hymn my mother taught me: "God's beautiful world, God's beautiful world, I love God's beautiful world. He made it for you, he made it for me, I love God's beautiful world." Logba is a natural retreat; it is the perfect spot to relax and unwind after the busyness of the week. And it is a perfect place to reflect upon God's creation and grace, and commune with the Spirit. There are several lovely waterfalls around the mountain. Several years ago, I made the hike down to the falls and back -- quite a workout! A few of the Grace team mates laced up their tennis shoes and headed out to see the falls. I knew that physically I was not quite up to that trek this year (maybe next year!). David and I spent the morning in the village of "upstairs" Logba Tota. We first visited the new school built by some Dutch philanthropists. It is a good sized school; the faci...

Thursday, July 15, 2010 We left Ho this morning by way of Pastor Thywill's home. He is in 9 days of fasting and mourning for his wife; we did not stay long but we wanted to tell him we appreciated the use of the house for the team. After fueling the bus and car, we were on the road to Logba Tota -- one of my favorite places on earth! Every year we wind up our trip by a visit to the mountaintop village of Logba Tota. It is a wildly beautiful and spiritual place. As we made our way through the countryside, I noticed men mowing the shoulders of the road with machetes -- back-breaking work, for sure. Fields of corn and cassava dotted the hills. As a surprise, Chief Takyi arranged for us to visit the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. We turned off the main road and drove 5 km on a rough, dusty road through bush that was taller than the bus. At last we entered a clearing by a sign "You are entering the Monkey Sanctuary." We gathered together as a young man introduced himself...

Wednesday, July 15, 2010 We spent a lot of this day on the road. We were invited to a couple of different church plant areas that are part of Christ Harvests the Nations. In these rural areas, wherever they plant a church they also start a school. Our first stop was at Labo Labo, whose pastor is Ted Heavenway. (Yes, that's his real name! Often Ghanaian pastors will change their names to reflect their Christian beliefs.) Bishop James met us there, along with Chief Takyi. The pastor shared with us that the church school began with 10 kids but after 4 months they had 46 children enrolled. They meet under a palm-roof, seated on wooden benches on a dirt floor; the three classrooms are divided by tarps strung from the ceiling. This building doubles as a church building for services. Pastor Heavenway explained that while 46 children were enrolled, they all did not always attend. Some days, the children are needed to work on the farms to help support their families. Another det...

Tuesday, July 14, 2010 What a great day we had! After worshipping with Pastor Johnson's congregation in Kpeve and spending the night in Ho, the team boarded the bus and headed toward Adigbo Tornu. Pastor Johnson drove David and me to a hardware stall in Ho to pick up a few plumbing supplies and we met the group in the village. We gathered in the shade with the chiefs and elders for a formal visit. John Cromer spoke for the Grace Church group, extending their greetings. Then we explained formally the reason for our visit. It was gratifying that the folks in the village remembered us. We had heard that one of the fellows we trained last year, Mr. Blackson, had passed away; we expressed our condolences to them at his death. David had copies of several photographs we made last year, and we located the individuals to give them their pictures. That was a lot of fun for both the giver and the recipient! Last year, Waters Edge Ministries installed our very first purifier in this village an...

Christina’s Serenade -- July 12, 2010 in Tema, Ghana Christina was our chief cook last year in Ghana, and she has catered for us some this year as well. I very much admire and love her. She has this gentle, sweet spirit about her; an amiable calmness that makes you feel cared about and welcome. When she dances at church she moves with a gentle gracefulness, swaying in the rhythm of the music -- and you cannot help but feel the Spirit is dancing with her. Sunday evening, I was feeling a bit down, frustrated and hurt about some issues. As the Grace Church group went into the back room for their meeting after dinner, I began to help clear the table. I’d take a load of plates and empty dishes into the kitchen, and she’d take them from me and stack them by the sink where Auntie Aggie started washing them. When we finished, I sort of hung around in the kitchen a little while, and David joined me there. And then God used Christina in a big way to lighten my spirits. We simply sat and...

Monday, July 13 We ate breakfast at 7, and were packed up and ready to go by 8 -- we’re heading to the Volta Region for several days! As of 10:30, we were still sitting at the house, waiting to get the trip underway. I was not surprised -- this makes my 6th trip to the Volta Region and we have never once left on schedule! First, all of our luggage was loaded. We had to pack clothing for the week as well as bed linens, pillows, and towels. And then we waited. The ladies in the kitchen were hustling more than usual -- I realized that they were packing all of the dishes, silverware, pots and pans into large tubs and laundry baskets -- I think they literally packed up everything but the kitchen sink! These supplies, plus 2 tanks of propane, 2 small gas stovetops, and a microwave oven, were loaded on to the bus. To accomplish that task meant unloading some of the luggage, shifting things around, and re-arranging. Still we waited. A taxi arrived, loaded with several cases of water. ...

Sunday, July 12, 2010 I love worshipping at Christ Harvests the Nations. There is such joy in the praising of our Lord Jesus Christ; it takes me to the mountaintop as I participate in the singing and the dancing! This morning’s service was exciting and insightful. The Youth Choir sang -- accompanied on the drums by our own John Cromer! Richard sang, as did his wife Victoria. Our team took a few minutes to introduce themselves and bring greetings. Rev. James began his sermon with praise, singing “O Come Let Us Adore Him.” It was a spiritually electrifying morning!! After worship, we had lunch then packed up to spend the afternoon at Labadi Beach. We’d looked forward to this “day of rest.” very much. The beach was absolutely packed -- we snaked our way between people, chaise lounges, tables, and umbrellas until we found an area where we could all sit down. We ordered some cold soft drinks, splashed in the surf (the rip-currents are very strong here and swimming is not advisable...

Just a quick note this morning before we head northeast toward the Volta region of Ghana. We may not have internet access there. So it may be several days before we can post pictures or stories again. Check back by -- we will post if we are able! Blessings! Anita & David

POP! HISSSSSSSSS….. I felt the pop beneath my feet more than I actually heard it. And by the sound and the reaction of the driver, I knew it was not good. Kofi (the driver) eased the bus to a stop, got out, and took a look. The bus had blown a compressor -- needed to operate the brakes. So there we were, stranded on a muddy, pot-holed road, right beside the Tema dump. Why were we there? Read on…. ******** It rained a lot in the night, and the skies this morning were overcast. An intermittent mist of rain kept the air and everything else quite damp. Our team slept in; our original plans to travel to Keta had to be changed. So after breakfast we developed “Plan B” -- we wanted to return to the dump. Christine & Auntie Aggie packed a light lunch of pb&j sandwiches, bananas, and bottled water. We boarded the bus, and headed off across town. Many of our teammates play soccer -- a couple of them played in college -- and yesterday they had purchased some brand new soccer bal...

July 8, 2010 UP AND AT ‘EM!!! BRIGHT AND EARLY!!! We have a road trip today, so we set our alarm clocks to rouse us out of our sleep. We are going to the village of Potwabin, then on to Cape Coast to tour Elmina. After a breakfast of crepes, bread and jam, oatmeal, and fresh pineapple, we collected our backpacks and loaded up the bus. Our goal was to leave by 7:00 am -- while it is virtually impossible to “beat the traffic” in Accra…we hoped to at least get through with the least delay as possible! Accra, the capital city of Ghana, is a bustling metropolis filled with people, cars, noise, and exhaust fumes. Maneuvering through the heavy traffic there is harrowing -- but we have a terrific driver who snakes this big bus through some of the tightest spots you can imagine! Driving through I see lots of construction -- evidence of Ghana’s growth. We’re on a major thoroughfare through the city; yet there are patches of red dirt, huge potholes (I’m talking car-sized holes here!) and mud...

The tree still stands, tall and proud A giant in the landscape A closer look reveals the damage A lightning hit -- burnt and scarred to the core Some limbs and branches never recovered, The life is gone from them An ominous dark streak from top to bottom Yet the tree still stands, tall and proud Arms lifted toward the heavens in praise Living branches full of green leaves The scar healed with new bark And the tree lives on Praising through the storm Praising through the lightning strikes Praising through the healing Praising through the sunshine How like that tree we followers of Christ can be Life's lightning bolts can hit us Damage us Burn us Injure us Leave parts of us for dead Yet we praise Him through the storms We praise Him through the lightning strikes We praise Him as we trust for a sunny day Our injuries are scabbed over Healed New Growth can sprout The scars remain to remind us Of HIS healing powers And that He carries us safely through the storms And we are Just like th...

July 7, 2010 The photos from Wednesday's activities were posted earlier -- here's a bit of what we did that day! (I am posting this to both blogs, Silver Lining and Waters Edge Ministries.) After a night of trying to sleep off jet-lag, we feasted on a huge breakfast of rice water (mmm my favorite!), bread and jam, and fresh pineapple. Our group’s morning devotion included some tips about evangelizing from Christi, who works with Campus Crusade for Christ. Our first stop was at the Tema dump. Something new I noticed was a thick brick wall, several feet high had been erected around parts of the dump; We were told that families were being “discouraged” from moving there with small children -- but there are many kids living there anyway. Christ Harvests the Nations had requested permission for us to visit with some of the residents prior to our arrival. However -- someone contacted the local police when they saw a busload of American obrunis wandering around. Within minutes of our ...

The plane touches down and the passengers clap and cheer -- you KNOW you have arrived in GHANA! AKWAABA!! As I step off of the plane and down onto the tarmac, I breathe deeply and smile. Baggage claim is the usual zoo, with people clamoring for their luggage and parcels, and young men offering to assist you by asking for your luggage tags. (For a tip, of course!) Then everyone queues up to go through Customs. Some people are waved on through; others (like me -- with the odd looking tubs instead of suitcases) are waved to the side. The Officer asks me what is in the tubs and I explain very briefly our water purification ministry, and describe the contents. Not totally satisfied, she asks David to cut apart the zip-ties so she can look inside. He complies with her request; the top tub contains plastic 2-gallon collapsible water containers, buffered with a few t-shirts. That satisfied her and she waved me through without looking inside the other containers. Joining the rest of ou...

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with a friend about people and their testimonies, their "God stories." She mentioned that one "ordinary person" with an obviously changed life is better than ten thousand sermons. I tend to agree. It made me think about "ordinary" people. Folks like you and me, who do the "ordinary" every-day life things: we go to work, we fight the traffic, we cook the meals, we wash the dishes, we do the laundry, we scrub the toilets. You get the picture. Then I tried imagining folks that I consider to be "other than ordinary" doing some of those same things. For example....imagine Oprah with her hair tied up in a bandana, on her knees scrubbing out the toilet. Or maybe picture Joel Osteen, in an old t-shirt and cutoff jeans, changing the oil in the car. Hard to picture, huh? People who seem "larger than life" talk at us through the television or the internet, telling us how we should live our liv...