Ghana Journey: THE PERFECT DAY

Thursday 6 June 2013

This will surely fill me with joy every time I think back on it. Very rarely can one claim to have a perfect day. Today was mine. 

It started out with our group checking out of the Modern City Hotel in Tamale. After a quick visit to the local CRS headquarters (thank you, Thomas, for letting us access the Internet in your office!), we hit the road for East Mamprusi, a tribal village in one of the poorest rural areas in all of Ghana. The 90-minute van ride was on one of the most bumpy and treacherous roads I have ever travelled. There was one lane on each side, which meant a lot of passing of slow vehicles, trucks and motor scooters. Unlike the USA, horns are used excessively in this country, and drivers are expected to honk loudly and often to warn pedestrians and bicyclists -- and goats -- to get out of the way. 

It didn't help that much of the road was unpaved, with many deep puddles and potholes. We passengers were bumping and shaking; Greg said I looked like I was back in my punk rock days because of my head banging. At any moment, a parade of livestock would cross the road, causing brakes to suddenly screech. Did I mention that we didn't have seat belts?

But we made it to the village, with a first stop in the CRS branch that specializes in helping mothers give birth in the safest possible way, with important follow-up in the crucial first years of life. The program is called EPPICS: Encouraging Positive Practice for Improving Child Survival. Because of their good work, stillbirth and birth defects have gone down dramatically. 

We next went to the village itself, where we were greeted by a large group of colorfully dressed men and women who sang and danced the traditional Ghanaian welcome song. They followed that with hugs and handshakes. Our entourage was very touched. Some of the dancers then gave us a brief presentation (translated by an interpreter) of how they were successfully helping their village to turn around then infant mortality rate. It then hit me why EPPICS was so successful. CRS isn't just doing things to help the people. They are EMPOWERING the people to help themselves and have a personal stake in their own well-being.

We were then met by dozens of smiling children who escorted us to the Hut of Elders. The village chief, a noble old soul dressed in a dark tunic and distinctive cap, welcomed us warmly as the local assemblyman spoke with pride of how his village is one of the healthiest in the region, thanks to CRS. Lastly, the children escorted us to the village square. It reminded me of the final happy scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. We were seated on chairs at a place of honor across from an imposing Shea Nut tree, with large branches that safely held many children who had climbed to get a better vantage point of the festivities. Then the singing and dancing began in earnest.

For about two hours, we were the toast of the village. A women's group sang and danced, followed by a men's drumming and chanting group, who accompanied the elders to their place of honor across from us. In the next dance, our team was pulled up to join our hosts on the dance floor, and we gyrated in their rhythmic circle dance. That was followed by a drama by tribal actors in which they demonstrated safe birthing processes learned from EPPICS. 

The community greatly appreciated the efforts of their actors, laughing heartily at all the funny bits and applauding warmly. Then it was our turn. Greg, Ben and I broke out our guitars as ValLimar sang "Wade On the Water" with Sarah and Robert. We also sang "Lean On Me," American youth ministry style, with all the gestures and puns.  I don't know if the villagers understood the English word play -- "For! Five!" "Long! Short!" -- but the kids really got into it, participating and shouting with glee.

Lastly, we exchanged gifts. On our behalf, ValLimar presented First Aid kits that included bandages, ice packs, salt solutions (for dehydration) and Permethrin, a safe household insecticide that mothers would appreciate. 

The villagers gave us a goat. I kid you not! It was led to us with a rope, a friendly little critter who baa-ed gently. My friends and I were surprised and graciously accepted our gift. We named the goat "Jawani" -- the name of the village -- and will donate him to a local school. I hope to write a children's book for CRS that will tell the story of our amazing journey: "JAWANI: The Goat from Ghana."

The people of Mamprusi village extended to us a gracious welcome that touched our hearts deeply. Their hospitality, their easy smiles, their enthusiasm, their music, their dancing and, most especially, their obvious love for their children and for each other was contagious and inspiring. I shall treasure that amazing afternoon forever. 

Later that night, in the hostel, a group of us were sitting around in the living room: ValLimar, Sarah, Ted, Greg, Ben and me. Ted was on his laptop, uploading photos from his camera. Ben was strumming his guitar softly as we pleasantly reminisced about our shared experience that afternoon. I had suggested earlier that we all start thinking of favorite scripture passages that helped us reflect on our amazing experiences. Val pulled out her Bible and, before we knew it, we were deeply entrenched in writing a new song to celebrate the marvelous hospitality of the people of Ghana. Ted watched us songwriters go about our work and he reveled in this rare glimpse of the Holy Spirit at work in creative people. 

After two hours, we had our song: "Seeds of Justice." I will write more about this song in a later blog. For now, I just want to say that writing a new song with my dear friends was a perfect end to a perfect day. God is good!