Ghana And Togo

Accra

We (Bro. Carlos, Sis. Carolyn and their two children) spent the first week in Accra, Ghana, and attended a fraternal gathering on Saturday and memorial meeting; it was an occasion of joy. The brethren were glad to have us visit for they rarely get visitors, especially from the U.S. The meetings are done in at least two languages.

The brethren in Ghana are quite poor; we sometimes do not know what we are taking for granted living in an affluent country. Their needs are many and any help is appreciated. The temptation is to think that they are used to the situation, that we cannot save the world and that there are poor people all over. As a result nothing is done. What is considered as minor in the U.S. is a great deal in Ghana, as well as many other third-world countries. The love and warmth of the brethren are certainly to be commended.

Subri and Cape Coast

The next week we went to Subri, which is in the western region of Ghana. It took 13 hours to travel 240 miles because the road was bad; we arrived after midnight. Bro. Yosef Samuah-Anim was our guide and he did us well. We had a special memorial meeting in the morning and then a lecture in the afternoon. The brethren who spoke the native dialect ably answered the visitors’ questions. It was sad when we left here; friends and neighbors came to say goodbye to us and joined us as we sang and prayed.

Houses are made chiefly with mud and the brethren are mostly into farming. All of our needs were taken care of by these brethren. They were so happy to have visitors to discuss the scriptures and give them a feel for their brethren in another part of the world.

We traveled about six hours to Cape Coast. When we arrived at the hotel, Bro. Lawrence was waiting, he had been there for some time. Bro. Oppong had come by three times looking for us. They, too, were just happy to have us. We had two lectures on consecutive nights and attended the Sunday exhortation. We were quite encouraged when we saw Bro. Joseph who climbs the hill with his hands for his legs are deformed and cannot be used. He always attends the meetings. These brethren are examples of zeal and faith, what excuse do we have for not attending our ecclesial activities? We left Cape Coast in time to make it to Accra for the Sunday memorial there, which is kept in the afternoon at 3. By this time, we had learned a few of the local songs and were able to join in the communal singing when done in the native dia­lect.

Tamale and Kumasi

On Monday evening, we left for Tamale, in the north of Ghana. It is a 10-hour trip by coach and we arrived early the next morning. We were glad to have Sis. Cynthia, the wife of Yosef, to come with us. We visited the brethren during the day and held

meetings at a rented school at nights. It was great to see Bro. Kwasi Abdullai who is blind, presiding. Two lectures were done here on the two nights. The last day was our 14th wedding anniversary as well as Linda’s, Bro. Kwasi’s daughter’s 14th birthday, so we celebrated after the meeting. Early the Thursday morning we left for Kumasi, a small ecclesia in the center of the country.

In Kumasi, we met Bro. Gepi-Atee, his son, Jonathan, and Bro. Kofi. There we had a Bible class Friday night and the memorial on Saturday morning, normally held on Saturday afternoon. They were glad to have our numbers to add to their small group. After the memorial we spent some time with the brethren, then left for another 4-hour trip, which took about 6-7 hours to Accra.

Lome, Togo

We left for Togo early the next day. We were so glad that Bro. Elijah Okorie came to meet us for we needed to know some French to cross the border. We attended the memorial service and the brethren again were encouraged to have visitors. This is a good reminder that those who are planning vacations may try one of these countries. Bro. God win and his wife, Sis. Ann, were so kind to us in all of their provisions; we are certainly grateful. We left Togo on the Wednesday for Ghana. Upon our return, we then visited the ecclesial farm, managed by Bro. Alex Ampofo and family. One month had come and passed as if was a few days, the brethren transported us to the airport and we left with great memories.

As many of you know, we all contracted malaria in Africa and were hospitalized upon our return home. However, the Lord has delivered us from that and we are doing well. The temptation is to say one won’t go to these parts because of various illnesses and lack of conveniences, but it ought not to be so. We would like to encourage our brethren to give these members a visit; they won’t forget you.