Playing Telephone !?!

When I was a kid, kids loved to play the game telephone. One kid would whisper something into someone's ear and then they would pass it on to the next person. At the end of the long line of kids, they would have to say the message out loud. It was amazing to hear how the message was changed by the end.

Well, here in Ghana, someone started a real game of telephone. Someone of Sunday must have been sacred by all the earth quake talk over in Haiti, and decided that there might be one in Ghana. (Forgetting that Ghana does not lay on any fault lines, and has probably never had any kind of major earth-quake). This person proceeded to call friends and tell them of their fears. So, the idea became fact, and spread like a brush fire all over Ghana. I am not kidding. All over Ghana, from Tamale in the North to Accra on the coast people where calling all their neighbors, family, and friends at 3:00am in the morning. Thousands of children and families where herded outside to wait for the shaking to begin.

Finally after about an hour most people got tired of waiting and went back to bed. For the skeptic, here is the news report from the Ghana Homepage:

"Rumor of an impending earthquake that reverberated across the country woke the whole of Ghana up at dawn Monday January 18, 2010.

While no one seems to know the source of the rumor, friends, families and neighbors made phone calls, sent text messages and knocked on doors to send warnings for people to wake up and leave their rooms.

One of my neighbors called and simply said, “they say there will be an earthquake and everyone should get out of their rooms and sit outside,” without giving further details and there was no time to ask questions as he moved to alert other neighbors who were fast asleep.

But Geologist and earthquake expert Prof. E. Otchere-Amamoo formerly of the University of Ghana Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services told ghanabusinessnews.com on the phone that “the information could not be true.”

He said “it is difficult to predict the precise occurrence of an earthquake,” adding, “unlike an eclipse which is easier to predict because it is the movement of the earth in relation to other planets, earthquakes are movements of the earth happening 500km or 700km deep down in the belly of the earth.”

He also said if indeed there was going to be an earth-quake, it would have happened within the period that people were rudely woken from their sleep. While most Ghanaians are still wondering where the rumor started from, most citizens would have to catch on some sleep on a Monday morning.

Though it is a sad reminder of the hardships that people are facing in Haiti, it is amazing to have such a strong evidence to the power of gossip.

Complete Spiritual Family

My wife and I have come to another first in our time of ministry here in the new Bible Study. This last week one of the wives of our converts finished our "Way of Peace' Bible study and trusted Christ. With her conversion, this marks the first time in our current ministry that there has been a complete nuclear family that are converts.

Bismark and Matilda have been attending now for about six months. They attend Sunday on a regular basis and my wife and I visit then on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It has been amazing to see how God has worked in their lives. He allowed their son to get sick and almost die, so that they could see the power of God to answered prayer. (I read a book awhile back entitled "Power Quest', that spoke about this topic. The author said that for many Africans to grow in faith, either before they convert or after they will see faith in God tested so that they know God is more powerful they other things). He has allowed Matilda to providentially meet other Christians so that she could help her to see that being poor was not a curse. These things are just a few of the things that God has brought into their paths as they have come to faith in Him.

It is exciting to see a home that has been claimed for the the Lord. Now that they are saved, the next step is Matilda to be baptized (her husband was baptized in December). Also we are encouraged that though Bismark cannot read, each night, his wife reads to him. She has a junior secondary education, and can read basic English. After reading the Bible together they discuss the reading and try to understand it. Please pray that they will continue to follow the Lord. Pray that their son, Benedict will come to understand salvation when he is old enough. Pray that this small one room shanty that they live in, will be a place that God's light shines brightly. Pray that Bismark's younger brother Peter that has come to stay with them will listen and come to Christ.

Bringing in the New Year

2009 was a good year. During its 365 days there where some lows and highs. Though these lows where difficult they also where helpful and life changing. It is amazing how the Lord uses the lows to prepare for the high times. Overall He seems to follow the verses in Isaiah 40:4-5 "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it".

God uses our weakness to keep us from getting proud about our strengths and uses our strengthens to overcome our weaknesses. Though this year started out with times of weakness it has been able to end in ways that bring great glory to God. It seems that that is His goal Hgains glory.

The year started off with our new friends arriving from America. They started out the year totally dependant, and the Lord has used that do build their dependance on Him. Our own family started the year with dealing with our own spiritual weaknesses, but where allowed by God to brake through these areas and move to higher plains.

All these ups and downs have led us out of 2009 and into 2010. Here in Ghana, it is a modern cultural practice for most people to attend church on the New Year. Even people that do not go to church at all during the year attend.

Since seeing the important that people place on this new years time, the Bible Study tries to use it as an opportunity to reach people for the Lord. This year was no different. The annual service started at 8:00 pm. It was kicked off with our normal song service and then Pastor Andrew preached. The people listened well, and by about 9:00 pm most of the people had arrived.

From about 9:00 pm until 11:00 pm we had activities and games. One thing that Christians here do not see is that a Christian can be serious about God, and still have fun. Most people think that the fun is in the world and that the Christian just prays and speaks in tongues (what almost all the 'christian' in Ghana do). Many of them live two lives: the 'spiritual' one of church and the 'fun' one of the world. On these nights were the services are so long, games are added to the schedule so that people can see that it is enjoyable to be a Christian.


The people really enjoyed the game time, and it greatly helped the younger people to stay awake until the later hours. It started off with Bible Drills. Then we split everyone into teams. Each team has an appointed captain. This allows our faithful men to develop leadership skills in a casual way. Then a shoe realy game was played. Each person has to take off their shoes and then they have to put them back on when their number is called. After the shoe game was played the games "Candy Catch" was next. Each time selects two people to throw candy into someones mouth. The pair with the most candy caught wins.

The next game that we played was "Orange Pass". (No, the men are no necking!) All the men in each group where lined up then they where given an orange for each team. The rules where such that they had to pass the orange from person to person only using their necks to hold the orange. This was a great game, everyone was laughing and almost rolling on the floor.
After passing the oranges around, each team picked one person to play the next game. The next game consisted of drink all the liquid out of an unripened lemon. (For those that have never seen a African lemon, they are very big, and very sore). It was hilarious to watch the guys as they tried to drink the juice from their lemons.

The final game that was played was broom hockey. Now do not think that when the term broom is used that it refers to the classic American style broom. This word refers to something totally different here. The local brooms of Ghana, are hard, dry grass stems. They are about two feet in length and are tied at one end with a string. These local broom are used every where and are very cheap. They make excellent paying sticks for our game. Also the girls are better at using them then the boys, so this gives them an advantage that they do not normally have when playing active games.
After about 1 hour of hard fought play, there was a winner, and everyone was ready to sit down for a while. After the games we sang a few songs and then had are second time of preaching. I preached using the flannel graph pictures that the Bible study has. The passage was found in Acts. I preached about the time when Paul had preached the gospel to the people of Corinth. After their conversion, many of them burned idols and items in their homes that did not please the Lord. I encourage them to remove things in their life that would not please God. Though many of them where saved, they would not truly experience freedom in Christ until these items, influences, and idols where removed.

One older custom in the Akan culture was able to be used during our Watch Night service, that went along very well with our preaching. In the older days around the Akan new year the people would clean out their homes. During this time they would remove all old clothes, broken things, and anything that would make the people of the home dirty. These items would be taken outside and burned. Even today, on the 31st night a person can see many people burning tires and house items. On the 31st I used this idea to help with the preaching. Each person was given a piece of paper (since some of our people cannot write, we did not ask them to write on it). They where told to think of physical things and spiritual things in their lives that did not please God, and told to tell God that they would remove them. Like the people of Corinth, they where to burn them (the paper was given to represent these things that offend). It was excite to watch as the people seriously thought and one by one placed their papers in the fire.

After most everyone burned their papers, the adults where allowed to give testimony. It was so encouraging to hear some many tell about their new faith in Christ. Even one woman, gave testimony about the great change she has seen in her husband (He is a security guard and could not attend, and she is not yet converted). After each adult gave testimony, each person prayed in the new year.

The light of that fire was so warm and inviting (it was kind of cold that night, in African terms). It was such a blessing to experience that close family spirit that only comes with a group of true believers. Though the year had its low times, we each know that it has been preparation for this wonderful high time that ended 2009.

Laughin' around the Christmas Tree

On the Monday after Christmas our family had a Christmas party. It was originally planned for two Mondays before Christmas, but Patty contacted her first case of malaria since arriving in Ghana, so that delayed things.

Though the party was after Christmas, it was great! We invited a few missionaries, a national pastor and his family, that are our good friends, and our upstairs neighbors.

The whole focus of the the party is to have a good time of fellowship and try to mix the two cultures. So often we are invited to parties and either they are totally Ghanaian, which makes sense living in Ghana (this does not bother us), or they are totally full of foreigners (which does bother us). In this party we really try to mix everything. The food is half Ghanaian and half foreign. We had spaghetti (which we locally call- italiana) and bread. The sauce is made very thick so that it is closer to local stews. Then we have white rice on the side, so that people can mix the noodles, rice, and sauce, (this is a little more the way in which people eat food here). Also my wife fried chicken. Everybody loved the food.

Another goal for the party was to get to know our upstairs neighbors better. They are very friendly people, but not very open to spiritual things. Both of them have lived outside of Ghana, and are highly educated. They are very nice people, and we have tried to build a good relationship with them.

Over all the party was wonderful. Everyone eat until stuffed. While the adults talked the kids went outside and played. After some time, we played group games. The first game that we played was, Decorate the Christmas Tree. One person was chosen to be a tree and everyone else had to decorate them. Then we played Unwrap the gift. This is played while wearing oven mitts. Each person tries to throw a dice and get a preset number. While they are throwing the dice, the person in front of them is trying to unwrap the gift wearing oven mitts. The person that gets to the bottom of the boxes and paper gets the gift. Patty and I, where happy that our neighbor's wife won. She really liked the gift.
After the kids ate the whole ginger bread house, this is the one I wrote about last week, the adults feasted on Christmas snacks. Overall it was a great time. It is such a blessing to build relationships with people, and show unbelievers that it is fun and enjoyable to be a Christian.

After everyone went home and the house was picked up. Patty and I sat back and savored a hot cup of coca and enjoyed a holiday movie. The Holidays are wonderful!

Christmas Day- A Photo Essay

This is a photo essay about our Christmas. It all started off at about 6:00 in the morning. Patty and I got up before the kids and sat around the Christmas tree drinking hot chocolate. About 7:00 the sounds came from the girls room and the girls let us know they where awake. Thus began our Christmas day. Here are the photos of the day.

Waking-up, reading Christmas Story, and Seeing Baby Jesus

Stocking Stuffers
The Tree!
Eating muffins and opening presents

One of my gifts from Patty

Diva Ella

Patty with a beautifully wrapped present, and her watch on that we got her!

Carey catching Daddy

'Give me more presents' John looking for his big present from Patty

John opening up his guitar, the big present

Our posed Christmas family picture.

Ella's 3rd Birthday

On the 15th of December 2009, our youngest turned 3 years of age. She is now about the age that Carey was when our family was in the States for furlough. It seems as if with each child the Lord gives a person the faster that they grow up.

So for nostalgia sake, and Ella someday, I want to record a bite of what Ella is like at three years old:

1. She loves to act like a 'big' girl. She is very independent and wants to try things on her own, of course this does not include jobs or chores that she does not like to do, which she is happy to try and get her big sister or parents to do for her.

2. She is quick to try new things, but acts shy around new people.

3. She loves to laugh and make noise. Her favorite sounds to make is something like a hyena laugh mixed with a raptor squawk.

4. Now that she does not suck on a pacifier, she loves to talk. Her biggest frustration about talking is people not understanding what she is talking about.

5. Somehow she has discovered burping! She loves to burp in-front of her sister. (To tell the true she is rather loud in this regard at times).

6. Ella does not like: to eat at meals, if we would let her she would eat snacks ALL day long! Ella does not like: when her mommy leaves the house without her, eating vegetables (most days), wearing only one pair of clothes in a day, talking to people she does not know well, or being treated like a 'baby'.

7. Ella likes: Playing with Carey (most days), dancing in circles or like a crazy monkey, to eat breakfast first thing in the morning, even if her parents are not awake. She likes swimming, singing songs over and over and over again (but not to be annoying). She likes new shoes, hair ribbons, tormenting her sister at times, playing in the mud, running, jumping, wrestling with Daddy, helping cook and baking with Mommy, and all around being a active three year old.

Some memories-

1. Going to the zoo with the girls. Ella's eyes lite up like fire-flies when she was able to feed the monkeys bananas. At first she was sacred a little bit, but after the first one she loved it.

2. Watching Ella in the classroom. She has a little desk and stole that she sits on. She loves to play at school, while Carey works with teacher. There are tons of puzzles to work on, and photos to match with colors.

3. Ella getting malaria. Ella was the first person besides me, to get malaria since our family arrived in Ghana six years ago. But, she bounced right back after getting her injections. (I need to add another thing to the list of things Ella does not like: SHOOTS!!!!)

4. Ella stopped sucking her pacifier. One day she walked up to Patty and said, "I am a big girl, here" and handed her the pacifier. After that no more pacy. Also she is totally toilet trained. It took a few months of getting candy after each time, but she has been diaper free now for six months.

Overall Ella's third year of life has been Great!

Our Crazy Quilt of Christmas Traditions

As a young boy, I grew up in Northern Indiana. My family lived near Amish country. Many summers my grandmother would take me to Shipshawana. One of the things that she loved to look at were the crazy quilts. They are hand-made and full of bright patterns and different colors and fabrics. Basically a crazy quilt is mismatched pieces that form a beautiful whole. This is what our Christmas Tradtions have started to mimic. The crazy quilt of our Christmas tradtions is made up of some African holiday fun, family ideas, missionary ingenuity, and American classics. This assortment of activities have become a beautiful pattern to our family.

The No-Snow Man-

One of the the newer tradtions that our family has started has been making a snowman. In West Africa??? Yes, making a snowman.
Patty read about this idea in Family Fun. Just a few cardboard boxes, cotton batting, pom-poms for eyes (no coal here), add an African kente strip for a scarf, and voila! Our Ghana Snowman.

The Cookies, Snacks, and Candy Making

Patty grew up in a family that loves different kinds of holiday treats, and let's just say my own German roots love getting fat around the holidays, so it has led to tons of baking with the children around the holiday season. One thing that makes many of these things so special is that they are not available here in Ghana, or are too expensive to make but once a year. At the beginning of December the aprons and ovens mitts are donned and flour covers little faces. The girls love to help make each treat. The list of sweets consist of sugar cookies (cut out and decorated), Mom M's special thumb print mints, heath-bars, .payday bars, peanut butter fudge, white chocolate pretzels, and scotcharoos. We even added another one to the list... chocolate-covered cherries. After a few extra pounds and ten or twelve sugar buzzes, the treats are made and consumed!

Christmas Hut-

This tradition was given to our family from Ghana. In the villages of Ghana many children build Christmas Huts. On the 24th of December the children will cut down Nim Tree and Palm Branches. They then place four large branches in the ground to act as support beams. After the support beams are up, branches are placed for rafters, and the children begin to weave the leaves and sticks into walls for their hut.

Many children will spend hours decorating their huts. They use flowers, feathers and other beautiful things to complete the house. In many village the people decided which house is the most beautiful and praise the children that work the hardest.

The belief is that Mary and Joseph will visit the village on their way to Bethelehem and will pick the nicest Christmas Hut to stay in. The children also get the joy of sleeping outside. Most families allow their children to sleep in their Christmas House all night.

Our family has tried to adopt this practice. There are no Nim trees around our house, and the compound that we live in is concrete, so there is no way to dig holes for our support beams. These facts mean that our family has to improvise. We cut down palm branches for the front of our house and then construct a hut, Indian teepee stlye. The kids love it! They decorate it with flowers and play in it all day on the 24th. They do not sleep in it, but they love this African tradition that we have added to our holiday season.

Manger and Baby Jesus-

Christmas time is very exciting, but also very different from our normal schedule. Patty read about this idea and felt that it would teach good lessons and also help the girls to learn to control themselves at this hyper festive season.




At the beginning of December we set out a manger - a small open box wrapped in brown paper. Next to the box is a large bowl of local broom straws (our hay). Each day the children know that they are being watched. If they perform an act of kindness or are obedient right away then they get the chance to put a straw in the box.

We tell the children that the box is going to be like a manger, and on Christmas day we will have a baby doll that will represent baby Jesus. If they are kind and obedient, then when Jesus comes he will have a soft, nice bed, but if they are selfish and disobedient then he will find a cold, hard bed.

The girls really liked this. Many times Ella would say to Carey, "You better be nice, or Jesus' bed will be hard!" Their faces would light up when they had the chance to put straw inside.

On Christmas morning before our family read the Christmas Story, the manger was laid out on the couch and the girls were able to see the doll wrapped in swaddling clothes.


Our Gingerbread House-

First, I have to say that graham crackers are almost impossible to find in Ghana or are very expensive, so that is the reason that our family has used gingerbread and not graham crackers to build our house. Second, gingerbread is really not that hard to make and is a bit easier to use then graham crackers. Anyways, each year around the time our family makes our trip to Accra, we begin to collect candy and treats to decorate our gingerbread house with.

Each year the gingerbread house is made and then given to the children that attend a party that we have for friends. The house is "ooed" and "aahed," and then eaten. It normally takes only about ten minutes for the whole thing to be wolfed down.

These things together with many more little things make up our Crazy Quilt of Christmas Traditions. Tradtions are a wonderful thing to have in the family. Whether they are simple things like opening a present the night before Christmas or having large parties, no matter what a family does, make it special. Like Matt Sexton once said, "It is easy to be boring!"

I hope this post finds each of the readers enjoying their after-holiday glow and able to remember great tradtions that they took part in this holiday season.