No more Ramadan!!!

Monday marked the first Ramadan that Inusah has not taken part. Last year Inusah decided that he would become a Christian and reject Islam after the fast. So, this year marked the first time that he has eaten during the days of this month-long event.

Pastor Andrew and I decided that we would visit Inusah and celebrate his new liberty in Christ on Monday. See, here when the Muslims break their fast, it is cause for great celebration. They will cook food, many times killing goats and rams. They feast, and here in Ghana anyone that visits the house will be fed.

We knew that Inusah’s family would not allow him to take part of the celebration since he was a convert to Christianity, nor would he want to take part since it was a part of his former religion. Though he is happy in his new found faith, we thought that it might be a hard day for him, since there were so many past memories about this day. So we decided to help make it a good day, one of celebration about his liberty in Christ.

Monday was planned to be a day to celebrate Inusah’s freedom from Islam. When we arrived on Monday afternoon, Inusah was not ready yet, so we waited in his room as he prepared. This is when something funny happened.

See, the practice here is to give food to anyone that arrives. So they heaped a plate full of white rice and stew for us. They wanted Andrew and me to eat. What to do? They wanted us to eat, yes, but they also wanted to remind Inusah that they had shunned him. They would not offer him food, and they made sure that they served us food in front of him. He did not ask and had not planned on being there long enough to be served.

As Inusah’s younger sister left the room, Andrew and I looked at each other. “What should we do?” So we asked Insuah. He said that he needed to get ready, but that we could eat some. We told him that we would eat a little, as not to offend the family, but just enough, and we were still going out with him to eat. That seemed to settle everything.

So we prayed over the food. (This is a real I Corinthians chapter 8 experience. That is the passage that talks about eating things that are offered to gods. A missionary gets to really experience the Bible in some ways that a pastor in his home culture does not). After asking God to bless it and dedicating it to him, we ate. It was really good food, but we ate just enough not to offend and then left. (Pray for Inusah’s sister, we are trying to get her an Arabic Bible and trying to witness to her).

After Insuah was ready, we headed off to Campus for a time of fellowship. We went to one of the dorms and ate some really good local food, jollof rice. We tried to get Inusah to buy a ton, but he settled for a large normal portion. After some eating and chatting, I asked each person, ”What was the best thing to happen in your life this past year?” We started with Andrew and worked around the table. This was Inusah’s answer, “The best thing that has happened to me this year is becoming born again. As a follower of Christ, I can have peace!”


Well, that just made the whole day better. After about two hours we all headed back home. Please continue to pray for Inusah, his family, and others that he is seeking to witness to. Also pray for the Lord to give him specific direction in regards to his future.

To Fast or Not to Fast, That is the Question?

That was a question that I was asked yesterday. Last week Friday marked the start of Ramadan for Muslims around the world. Last year right after Ramadan, Inusah made his decision to become a follower of Christ. This will be the first Ramadan that he faces not being a Muslim.

Since that time, Inusah has been baptized, helped at times with visitation, attends weekly Bibles studies, and has been abandoned by his family. They have not officially called a family meeting and removed him from the family, but they have refused to help him in anyway.

This last few months Inusah has seen that he will have to fend for himself if he plans on going ahead in life. He has always dreamed of being in the military, but without monetary help from his family, it will be difficult for him to pay the application fees. So, Inusah has gotten a job.

As an American reading those words, that does not sound like a very big deal, but here, it is another matter. Currently, we have about 50% un-employment in Ghana. So that means that all employers know that they can get labour cheaply, and that they can have their labourers work many hours, because if the person does not like the arrangement, there will be others that will come in time and fill the gap.

The job that Inusah has gotten is at a lumber mill. He starts work at 5:00 in the morning and works for 12 hours, with a 1 hour lunch break. He gets paid weekly, and receives 3 Ghana Cedis a day, which is about 2 dollars.

I have been very impressed with Inusah and this decision. It would be much easier for him to just yield to his step-father's will, and then ask him for the money. But, he has decided to obey the Lord and take the hard road. Most people in Kumasi will not take these jobs. They say that it is too much work for too little pay.

Back to Ramadan- as I was saying, this is Inusah's first time as a Christian. For those readers that do not know what Ramadan is, it is the Muslim holy month in which all Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset. This month is supposed to teach them how it feels to be a poor person, and also is believed to have power to forgive (abdicate) all the sins of the year before. Ramadan is a central part of Muslim life. Even Muslims that do not live like Muslims at all the rest of the year, fast for Ramadan.

For Inusah this was a big question. He asked if he could fast, but just do it for the Lord Jesus Christ? I told him that the Bible says that we cannot let our good be evil spoken of. If he fasted, even in the name of Jesus, his family and friends that are Muslims would just see it as a Muslim act, not a Christian act. Then he asked me how he should act. To this I told him that he was blessed by having a job. He would leave before dawn, so even as a Muslim he would be able to eat, and when he was at work, he could freely eat. I mainly warned him that he did not need to cause strife with his new found liberty. He did not need to break the fast in his family's presence, that would not be a spirit of love. The Bible commands us to deal in peace with all men. He needed to be a testimony, but in such a way that it would praise Christ.

Please pray for Inusah. Though he wants to do right, it is very difficult. He is the most independent African that I have met. This helps him, but it also makes it difficult for him to open up about his problems. Pray that he will be able to stand as a Christian during this Ramadan time. Pray that he will follow the Lord and continue to grow closer to Him. Please pray that the group of believers will be able to embrace him as a new family and help to strengthen and encourage him.