Ryan has continued to reach out to people near our guest house. He met man named Haruna earlier this week while visiting Raymond at work. Because Haruna's English is very good, Ryan was able to get to know him pretty well. Encouraged by their interaction, he resolved to visit Haruna again. He finally met up with him one afternoon later in the week under a mango tree where several people were reclining in the shade and napping away the heat. As they chatted about America and Ghana, Haruna mentioned that a common practice of the men under the tree is to share their meals. Ryan began to understand that the people who congregated in that area were less well off than their neighbors, so they could not always afford to feed themselves. As a result, they have developed a communal meal ritual in which anyone who could afford to eat would get enough for everyone to share in the meal so that those who were hungry could be fed, too.
After this experience, Ryan felt led by the Spirit to participate in this ritual by sharing a meal with these men. So he prepared his lunch and brought the food out to share with them. When he arrived at the mango tree, he found that Haruna and most of the other men were at the mosque for Friday prayers. Ryan had not realized that Haruna was Muslim, but soon learned that all of the men under the tree were Muslim. After waiting briefly, the men returned from the mosque and Ryan was eventually able to share the food he had brought. He felt accepted as one of their own as they immediately shared tea and water with him even before he could offer them the food. They had great conversations about Wala culture and, of course, football (soccer). In a foreign country around strangers he had just met, who spoke a language largely unknown to him and who practiced a different religion, he was amazed at how he was welcomed as a brother and friend. Ryan felt the Holy Spirit guiding him through his time in conversation with them. We give thanks to God for such a blessed experience.
Encouraging God's People in Toassa, Tissa, and Jeyiri
On Saturday morning, the Lord answered your prayers by opening the door for us to encourage some of the village churches. Instead of both going to the same village, we decided to "divide and conquer." Phil rode with a young man named Sule to the village of Toassa. The ride on the motorcycle out to the village was an adventure in itself. The roads to these villages are basically unpaved the whole way so it was a nearly one-hour ride on dirt roads whose surface resembled a washboard riddled with pot holes. By the time they arrived in Toassa, Phil was covered from head to toe in the burnt-orange dust that made up the road. After dusting himself off as best he could, Phil and Sule walked through the village to one of the local schoolrooms, where the Toassa Baptist Church meets. When they arrived at the schoolroom only three of the five members had arrived, but after a few minutes all five were present and the service could begin.
The service began with Sule teaching from Genesis for the Bible study time. They followed with some praise songs and time for prayer. After all this, Phil preached from Colossians 3:15-17. He encouraged the believers to find rest in the peace of Christ, despite the difficult circumstances they faced. He urged them to support and encourage one another through meeting together and sharing hymns and songs and hearing from the word of God. Finally, he challenged them to do everything in Jesus' name by undertaking their various activities with an awareness of God's presence with them. He adapted Christ's message to his disciples from John 15:4-5 by using the example of a mango tree. The believers who remain in Christ are like the branches that remain connected to the mango tree. We will be nourished by His Spirit for our own health and enabled to produce the fruit that God desires of us. He ended by calling them to invite God into their everyday activities and so make themselves available to draw their neighbors and family members to Christ.
After the service at Toassa, Phil and Sule went to the nearby village of Tissa. When they arrived, the Tissa believers had just finished their Bible study time, although they had not spent the time in Bible study. We found out that recently there has been some quarreling in the church over mismanagement of church funds (apparently some things are universal). Pastor David had taken the Bible study hour to allow everyone to air their disagreements in the interest of helping them work through the trouble. They began the worship service shortly after Phil and Sule came in. After some singing and praying together, Pastor David brought the sermon from Daniel 9:2-10. He explained that if we are to experience God's transforming power in our lives, we must seek Him in prayer and confess our disobedience. If we will humble ourselves before Him, God will grant us the strength and grace to carry out the work He has for us. It was a blessing for Phil to sit towards the back and simply listen to this message from God's word.
After the end of the sermon, they sang another few songs and Phil was introduced to the church members. He took the opportunity to offer some encouragement to them. He rejoiced at the work that God has been doing in their midst. He also expressed his sorrow for the troubles they were having in their congregation and told them that they were not alone in their struggles. He urged them to not give up and to find unity in serving Christ together. He acknowledged that overcoming their troubles would not be easy, but assured them that if they would look to God for strength that he would be faithful to bring the reconciliation that they need. Finally, he prayed with them that God would give them unity in the Spirit so they might be empowered to reach their community with the gospel. It was deeply meaningful for Phil join them in prayer over this time of difficulty.
Ryan traveled with Pastor Prosper to the village of Jeyiri. With mostly dirt roads the whole way, it was a long, dirty, bumpy ride on the motorcycle. When they had almost arrived at the village Pastor Prosper asked Ryan if he would be willing to speak at the service. Though somewhat hesitant at the idea, Ryan agreed. It turned out that "willing to speak" was more accurately "give the sermon." It was a lesson in depending on constant guidance of the Holy Spirit. He shared with them the message of Psalm 27:1-3, which was given to us as a source of strength in our journey. He was able to illustrate the passage with the allegory of our travels and hardships and then related this to the struggles that they are experiencing as a young church. Ryan commented later that were it not for the Spirit's guidance he would never have come this far. God led him from his couch in Gainesville to the middle of the wilderness in sub-Saharan Africa to encourage and learn from the burgeoning congregation in the small village of Jeyiri. Christ has strengthened us to do some amazing things in our time so far and Ryan felt blessed to share that message with the Jeyiri church. After some time reflecting on the experience, Ryan commented that if not for complete submission to God's will, not only would he have had no idea what to share, but he would most likely still be on that couch in Gainesville.
Points for Prayer
We have felt your prayers at work. In addition to opening opportunities with the village churches, God has blessed Ryan's time with Raymond and with Haruna. Phil, too, has felt God's presence with him in the process of his research activities and encouraging other believers here. This past weekend we even experienced some spiritual warfare in which we were delivered from irrational fears and discouragement.
We continue to pray for you, too. God's Glory Baptist Church has joined us in praying specifically for the Easter Outreach you are doing on Saturday. The whole church prayed together for FBC at the end of the Sunday morning service and the GGBC youth group prayed for the FBC youth group on Monday night. The believers here are serious about prayer so you can be sure that your efforts are being supported by the intercession of God's people in Wa.
The Lord has also blessed God's Glory Baptist Church with an opportunity to witness to reach out to their community. The church is holding a child dedication service on Saturday for one of its members, Brother Henry. Part of Brother Henry's family is Muslim and will be in attendance. Pray that the other church members' support for Brother Henry, his wife, and their new child will be a testimony to the Muslims of loving Christian community.
Please pray:
- For our continued spiritual and physical protection
- For the Lord to keep our hearts open to his leading
- For God's people in Toassa, Tissa and Jeyiri
- For the child dedication service that God's Glory Baptist Church will hold on Saturday
May God bless the efforts of His people in Wa and Gainesville to invite women and men to experience the joy of following Christ.
