We are in Sunyani, Ghana!
And it feels SO good. I think God knew that I needed Ghana.
During the 8-hour bus ride from Accra to Sunyani, I fell in love with the landscape. After living in Abidjan, (an enormous city) last month, my heart rejoiced at the rolling hills and all the shades of green. On our first night, there was a storm that lit up the sky in giant flashes of lightning and booming thunder—I LOVED it—and each night has brought a thunderstorm. My soul loooves to find joy in creation and by doing so, worship the Creator. I woke up that morning to a cool, misty rain and went for a run with my teammates. The air was fresh, the grass was tall, and the red African dirt was a welcome change from pavement-pounding in Abidjan. We dodged goats, chickens, and dogs and I was soaking by the end of it, but so, so refreshed. The mist burned off, though, and we saw the beautiful blue sky stacked high with towers of clouds! In Abidjan, it was overcast every single day and we rarely saw the sun, so the blue sky here has been a treat!
I continued to be filled by breakfast, which included the most delicious bread I’ve ever tasted; it’s thick, dense, and sweet. I have no idea what its name is but I could eat my bodyweight in it (thank goodness running is a thing this month)!
Later, we had an orientation to the church we’re partnering with this month, Elim City Church and met the pastor—Dr. Gospel—and he shared his heart and vision for the church. I felt like shouting, “AMEN!” to everything he said! His passion and outlook are wonderful—“I’m not interested in pastoring a church,” he said, “I want to pastor a city.” He told us some of the big differences between his church and some of the church movements in Ghana/Africa, which helped me understand all of the billboards for prophetic and spiritual warfare services I’ve seen. Pastor Dr. Gospel told us that many people come to church looking for what they can get from God, but his heart is having a church where people come to God for who He is. Him and his church staff have been welcoming and inclusive, already encouraging us to be a part of the church and not just visitors. And I needed to hear that. I am excited to truly be a part of this vision for Sunyani for a month—I am excited to be more than a visitor!
But it’s been more than beautiful nature, tasty bread, and a super cool pastor—numerous members of my team and the other teams have said that they immediately noticed a spiritual lightness here. I didn’t realize it until I was able to compare it to Ivory Coast, but I can tell the difference. There is a more peaceful and light feeling here in Ghana, and I just immediately felt it in my soul—this is good. Pastor Dr. Gospel’s message definitely confirmed my lightheartedness. Being here has helped me see the differences between Ivory Coast and Ghana with more spiritually-aware eyes and ears.
Bonus: (almost) EVERYONE SPEAKS ENGLISH HERE! That means I can strike up a conversation with anyone, at any time! It feels so good after having my French tested and trying to translate weird-but-everyday-sentences in my brain all last month. The doors for evangelism aren’t blocked by a language barrier anymore, and we have PRAISED THE LORD for this!
Today was our first full day, and I am exhausted but hungry, and not for more of that mouthwatering bread. This month already holds so much promise in all the different programs that Elim City has—campus ministries, prayer services, Bible studies, youth services, and so much more—and the promise does not come without its own challenges. But if there’s anything I am up for, it’s challenge.
Tomorrow we have a daybreak prayer service at 5:30 AM, a church workout program, “Keep Fit” (I kind of love this idea), evangelism at a local university to invite them to the campus ministry events, and finally, a youth service! THAT’S ALL TOMORROW! Other things we’ll be doing this month are organizing and putting on a giant concert/skit show for the city and painting a school, if all goes as planned!
**Funny story: Esther was telling us during Team Time about the 2-hour concert we have to put on in a couple weeks, and Jon practically FELL OFF THE BED, yelling, “2 HOURS!? WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO FOR 2 HOURS…WE HAVE A DRUMMER!” while gesticulating wildly at JJ. Luckily, we are living and doing ministry with 2 other teams this month so we, in fact, have MORE than a drummer to entertain an audience for 2 hours… 😉 **
Guys, Ghana is so good, and God knew I needed Ghana. I needed the lightning storms, I needed the trees, I needed the blue skies, I needed dirt roads, I needed the challenge, I needed a tiny bit of structure, and I needed the freedom to speak to whomever I want.
But the coolest part of that giant, whiny-sounding list of “I need…” is that I didn’t even know I needed those things. I certainly didn’t ask for thunder every night or for a great running route. But God gave it to me. He knew what I needed before I could even ask. He answered my unspoken prayers before I realized that I missed worshipping Him in the way that I love. He’s a good Father.
This month is GHANA BE GREAT! 🙂
