Touring experiments in Tamale and Wa

Tuesday morning I joined a group of researchers touring some experiments in Nyankpala sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Peanut-Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP). We spent several hours looking at experimental plots and speculating about reasons for what we observed. After leaving the fields, we stopped by SARI headquarters for the senior researchers to resolve some administrative issues. We then ate lunch and left for Wa.

The ride was quite bumpy along some stretches of the road with several potholes 4 feet or more in diameter. We finally arrived in Wa around 9:00pm, but we had to drop off the other researchers at the Upland Hotel so I did not make it to the SARI guest house until close to 10pm. By the time I finished unpacking, setting things up in the room, and getting ready for bed it was nearly 11:30pm and I was exhausted. Fortunately, I now feel much more settled and ready to take on the next few weeks of work. I’m realizing the divinely-inspired foresight of planning to be here 6 weeks instead of 4. It took me one week just to get to Wa!

The rest of the researchers leave tomorrow morning and then begins the real work I was sent here to complete. My next steps will be to select and train my translator on the format of the survey I’m implementing and start arranging for the actual interviews. Once the interviews are done, harvesting activities for my on-farm experiment should be getting into full swing. This is definitely going to be a busy few weeks, so I would genuinely appreciate your prayers for strength and endurance.

I haven’t talked with Pastor Dan about the latest on ministry among the Wala. I suspect that my involvement this trip will mainly consist of encouraging members of God’s Glory Baptist Church and visiting the various village churches when I have time. Pray that God will create opportunities for these interactions and make them fruitful for His kingdom.