Accra, Ghana, West Africa From July 2011

Such a wealth of diversity in the courses I'm taking here in Accra. Taking the last four courses of Azusa Pacific University's Operation Impact program that offers a Global Organizational Leadership masters program, getting to know the students from many different cultures is at least half of the education being offered. This is our second course class that finished up today and we start in on two new classes on Monday. They provide us with outings on the weekends and we are taking off in the morning to visit what once was a slave castle. Tonight we were treated to an authentic Chinese restaurant and I ordered in Chinese so it's true, you can go anywhere in the world and eat Chinese. And did I mention there is no McDonalds here at all in the whole country? Yes, for me that designates it to be a third world country. However, the people are great, so friendly and so polite. Their views challenge us to think about our Christianity from a different lens

Class Diversity

As I've mentioned, we have a lot of diversity in the classes I'm taking now. From a policeman from Ghana, to an evangelist from Nigeria, a radio broadcaster from Slovenia and another evangelist from Ethiopia to me, an international student worker from Phoenix! We are learning a lot of things in the intensive courses but also from each other. For example, the Ethiopian student shared that China has reserved 7 trillion dollars, yes I said trillion, for the development of Africa. The Chinese are building roads and infrastructure here at a very rapid pace. Chinese automobiles are everywhere as well as heavy equipment. China is a rising power in the world. They have no national debt (despite what you may hear) and in fact they hold about 1.5 trillion of the U.S. national debt. China is the world’s biggest creditor. It has done this by providing cheap labor and products to more expensive markets. Despite the huge numbers of its population, the top market for China is not its own domestic consumers but the market of the United States. Better have your kids learning Chinese! However, the wealth is not distributed equally. There is the upper class and the lower class and very few in the middle. This is often seen in countries that have growing economies. It's here in Ghana. We went to a church that had the slum shacks next to it. However, the church members were all upper class. Not one homeless person could be found in the congregation. Is the church for everyone or just the upper class? Why doesn't the church have all classes of people? Does yours?

"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all possible means I might save some." - I Corinthians 9:22

The Least of These

     About a year ago, I was standing in the middle of the Mathare Slum in Nairobi, Kenya and was overwhelmed with the poverty. People living in small shacks, no sanitation or clean water and the most horrid living conditions you can imagine with about a million people living on one square mile of land. 

     I was wondering why I haven't seen such a slum here in Accra. Then on the way home from a local church today, I figured it out. They weren't gathered all in one place. They were spread out all over town living in small shanty type houses along the major streets. At red lights they will walk down in between the cars selling all kinds of things while balancing their goods on top of their heads. Their lives aren't much different than Mathare. Yet, they show their willingness to work hard and having ingenious ways to do it.

     It was when I saw the face of a young boy begging without having something to sell that got to me today. He would tap on the glass and point to his mouth on every window that passed by. Knowing that he is 'sent' out there to do this and that he's really not able to keep the money prevents the 'Christians" here from giving to them. Then I began noticing more and more children. Their poor, so poor, living conditions as we drove by so many people living on such small donations. So many people. And this isn't counting the slums in Nairobi, or other parts of Africa, or Indonesia, Brazil, Philippines, or Bangkok or a thousand other places. I don't have an answer. I can define the problems and give some attention to the needs. But how to meet their physical needs much more their spiritual needs is truly overwhelming.  
     “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’   Matthew 25:40


    

How Slaves and the Church Come Together.

     Elmina Castle, Ghana was erected by Portugal in 1482. Originally called the Gold Coast,  it was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, so it is the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara. Trading post. Yeah, trading many things including slaves to the western colonies. Over 600 men and 300 women were packed into very small, windowless dungeons waiting for months before they were sent through the infamous door called the Point of No Return directly on to ships that carried them to the new world. The more incorrigible slaves were put in a cell to die then their bodies would be thrown into the ocean. What upset me is on the second floor above the dungeons and specifically right above the "door", was the Portuguese chapel. So during their songs of worship and sermons of the Gospel, slaves were being loaded like cargo onto awaiting boats. At first I was thinking that 'words cannot express' but I'm wrong. Words can be expressed for the horrid treatment and suffering of these human beings under the same people bowing to God. At first there was much sympathy as we toured the lower dungeons, then as we ascended the floors and entered the chapel, anger presented itself. Then, we saw the Governor's quarters where he would stand above the female slaves and 'pick' a mistress whenever the desire came. Of course we have heard of slavery before and the evils that have taken place in our history's past. However, our guide said something that was very interesting. He explicitly mentioned that they held no animosity toward Americans and that they knew we, ourselves could not take responsibility for what was done in the past. Wow. What a loaded statement. God holds no animosity for us either for what we have done in the past. As long we become his slaves, that is.

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. I Peter 2:16,17

Chinese in Accra, Ghana, West Africa

Such a wealth of diversity in the courses I'm taking here in Accra. Taking the last four courses of Azusa Pacific University's Operation Impact program that offers a Global Organizational Leadership masters program, getting to know the students from many different cultures is at least half of the education being offered. This is our second course class that finished up today and we start in on two new classes on Monday. They provide us with outings on the weekends and we are taking off in the morning to visit what once was a slave castle. Tonight we were treated to an authentic Chinese restaurant and I ordered in Chinese so it's true, you can go anywhere in the world and eat Chinese. And did I mention there is no McDonalds here at all in the whole country? Yes, for me that designates it to be a third world country. However, the people are great, so friendly and so polite. Their views challenge us to think about our Christianity from a completely different lens. As one Ghanian told us, "the need in the Church today is leadership that is not self-serving, but a leadership that desires to serve others." He said "we need creativity and innovation rather than accepting the status- quo." We need to think globally and stay ahead of rapidly changing cultures. If the Chinese can accept innovation and stay ahead from a business perspective, can't the Church do it even better? 

Islam, Hate and Love

   Today we heard another unique testimony from Emanuel, a Nigerian who reaches out to Muslims. Of course he must be very careful and his ministry team have just narrowly escaped persecution several times. He has his team always ready to 'move' if situations get bad and he has them make emergency bags that they can grab and leave with. They also have to have their cell phones fully charged at all times and escape routes planned out.
   He has found Christian policemen that help him stay informed and he scouts out an area to live in that are not fundamentalist Muslim. He explained that all their evangelism takes place on a one to one basis and never in a group. He believes that many Muslim are having dreams that point to Jesus and the cross. He also sees that often Muslims can 'convert' to Christianity but return home Islamic.
   Emanuel explained that while some believe there are peaceful Muslims, that to believe in the Koran is the only way to have peace and you can choose or be forced to believe regardless if they are fundamentalist or not. What draws Muslims into unity is any presumed attack on the Koran or Allah. Many of his friends and acquaintances have been killed by sharing Christianity.
    One church was attacked by Muslims because they believed some Christian had torn a Koran and flushed it down the toilet. It turned out after an investigation, a Muslim actually did this as a way to gather support to destroy that church.
   Emanuel explained that no matter what they do, how much harm they cause, how many are attacked or killed we must love them. Love shown is what he testifies to be the one and only way to convert them.
       "Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death." I John 3:13,14

Out of Hell and in to Heaven

One distinct advantage of having a cross-cultural degree is having people in your class that come from all over the world. From Uganda, to Ethiopia, Slovakia, Canada and from different states in the U.S. all coming together sharing their stories. Let me share one story with you told by a brother from Ethiopia named Damtew.

He was second in command of the lawless mafia faction that constantly rebelled against the government and other authority. They craved power and controlled the people by charging them tax on their businesses and beating them up whether they paid or not. Their joy was to see others bleed. Murder was common place. They thought all Americans were colonialists and shouldn’t be in their country. The ruling regime had ‘red marked’ him meaning anyone could shoot him on sight. He went in to the bush to hide for two months and then the current government was overthrown and he was forgotten.
One day, a white missionary came to talk to them and Damtew wasn’t listening to a word the missionary said. He was only trying to decide how to hurt the missionary. He hit the missionary in the head and the missionary dropped his Bible and ran away. Damtew picked up the Bible and put it in his pocket as a trophy. Later he put it in a box that contained other things that had meaning for him. It wasn’t until 9 months later when he opened his box and saw the Bible. He picked it up and it opened to the Gospel of Mark. He ended up reading it three times and in tears asked God to forgive him. He said an unimaginable weight was lifted from his shoulders.
However, in time, his becoming a Christian made him fall out of grace with the mafia that he was so high up in. Again he had to hide and not let the mafia see him as someone who betrayed them by seeking Christianity. Over time, his mother and brothers and sisters all became Christians. This is an amazing testimony.

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” – Hebrews 12:3,4

Accra, Ghana, West Africa

After a very long flight I have arrived in Ghana! I'm taking my last four courses for my master degree and there are about 20 other nationals who are students with a couple of us "foreigners". The courses are 4 hours from 8am to 12am and then 1pm to 5pm for two weeks. They are very intensive and compacted yet we have the weekend off. My goal is a  masters in Social Science specifically in Organizational Leadership. It has a cross cultural element thus why I'm in Ghana. I have taken courses in Taiwan, Azusa California, and Alaska plus numerous online courses. Please pray for Dezi as she holds down the fort back in Phoenix!
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