Peki

Peki, where I just spent the last week, is truly beautiful. It's a small town in the Volta Region of Ghana, nestled between lush, tropical mountains. There's a sense of traditional Ghanaian life there. Like many small towns in America, Peki is much friendlier than the big city (even though there are many friendly people in the city as well) and has a more relaxed, quiet feel. The riches in Peki are "natural": fruit falling from the trees and strong community ties.

And I was amazed to find a significant experience with God in Peki. The town turned out to be a perfect setting to experience the goodness of the God who created natural abundance and human love. As a seminary student, I study God all the time, but in Peki I experienced the God I was reading about, studying about, and praying to in real situations, relationships, and realizations. Back in Accra, I feel refreshed in many ways, and I feel inspired to share the goodness I received as a gift. I have recognized that the same God who made the richness of Peki is right here in Accra, and that knowledge is a great encouragement.

The top picture is part of the town from above. The second picture is my Peki host family's youngest son Peter, who was our guide up the mountain. We're balancing on a tree stump, I think. The third picture is of some millipedes Peter's cousin Samuel found. He was always finding things in the forest. The last picture is a view of the hills and valleys of the Volta Region.

Moving Day!

Not that long ago, I moved to the "women's" hall, which does not only house women. It has some extra space where my mom can stay, and some good amenities. I thought I'd take this opportunity to show you where I actually live. Yep, there's a regular toilet, but there's no hot water. The thing over my bed is a mosquito net, which helps keep me from being woken up in the middle of the night by a buzz in my ear. The third and fourth pictures are both of the women's hall (it has a courtyard in the middle), and the bottom picture is of the seminary chapel.

"The Value is the Same"

I was in Germany right after they adopted the Euro, and now I'm in Ghana right after they re-denominated their currency. It used to take about nine thousand three hundred Cedis to equal the value of a US dollar. Now a new Ghana Cedi is worth a little more than a dollar. The money I'm holding in each of my hands is worth the same amount (both around $100). The signs to educate people make it clear that "the value is the same" (one Ghana Cedi is equal to 10,000 old Cedis). I think people are handling the change pretty well. The woman in the pictures is my supervisor's secretary, Eduwodzi ("eh doo woodgy"), showing off the new tens that came through the office.

The Volta Region

In the Volta Region I found the Ghana I've been looking for. Peki ("Pecky") is a tropical paradise. Mangoes grow all over naturally. Palm trees stand out against mist-shrouded rich green hills. I even found someone to go jogging with me. As we started down the road, I got the usual surprised and excited reactions from people who were not used to seeing people like me. The town looked like some other towns I'd been to here. Then we turned off to a more remote road. I guess I had longed for quiet nature and clean air, because I was in awe of the clean smells and wild looking fields. The sun set and the lights hadn't come on yet, so we ended up running back through the town in the dark. I could only see a few little flames and maybe a battery powered light or two here and there. Then I noticed what looked like a little ember from a cigarette in the grass. It went out as I got close to it. Then I noticed another somewhere else. Fireflies were another thing I hadn't seen in a while. We got back just in time for a thunderstorm to begin. I hope to make it back to Peki and spend a few days there before leaving Ghana. Although many see Ghana as a "poor" country, it's hard to use that adjective in Peki. Perhaps it has a small commercial economy, but how can you call a place poor that God has made so rich? Were Adam and Eve poor because they didn't have iPods?

Romantic Dinner for Six

Mmmm, candle light dinners, candle light showers, candle light everything. Ghana has become the most romantic country in the world as it experiences a power crisis. The country gets most of its power from an enormous dam on the Volta River, which creates the largest man-made lake in the world. The water level has become low, however, so Ghana has turned from a country that exported power to one that must ration it. The whole city of Accra is on a rationing schedule. Some days are "dark" and some nights are really dark (every fourth night). The last picture is me with Sedinam, who is almost two (by the light of an electric lantern). The middle picture is of Nalikem, who is seven. The top picture is of a male model eating.

Ahh, Rain!

The rain cools things down here, and I love it. It can be a little warm and sticky here for me. Someone surprised me the other day, though, by telling me that the way people around the world can enjoy such different weather shows how God provides for all people. I found it hard to believe that anyone was comfortable in the warmth of Ghana. Sure enough, though I have been surprised to find that my body is adjusting. I guess the Ghanaians are adjusted even more. The other evening when the wind blew and it finally didn't feel hot to me, the friend who told me about God's provision pulled on her shawl; she was cold.

Fufu and Other Goos

Eating in Ghana can be a learning experience for an American. A lot of the traditional foods are sticky, starchy, and gooey. And the servings are huge! The picture is of me trying to eat banku (made with corn) and kind of succeeding. Just yesterday, though, I had it again and I ate the whole lump. I have to admit I feel pretty good about it. The other pictures are of people making fufu. It's made of cassava and plantain beaten together until smooth. You don't chew... just swallow. A little chewing never hurt anyone, the way I see it though.

At the Beach in Africa's Oldest Country

The other day Megan and a friend came down from Akropong and we spent the day in Accra. First, we visited the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, the burial place of Ghana's first president. Trained in the US, for ministry among other things, he returned to Ghana and became the prime minister of the Gold Coast and then president of newly-named Ghana (named after an ancient African empire) when it became a full democracy in 1960. Nkrumah did much for development in Ghana but in 1966 just a few weeks after completing a major achievement, the dam that created the largest man-made lake in the world (Volta Lake) and supplied Ghana with electric power, a coup d'etat removed him from office. Ghana came under military rule, only to see stable democracy again in 1992. Today, Nkrumah is honored in Ghana.

Then we went to the beach!

Oh, I see.

Okay, that's better. After the initial shock I finally saw Ghana in the daylight. My host arranged a comforting breakfast with some Americans the next morning, and we went to an engagement party. Even though I was jet-lagged I had fun meeting people and recognizing that I'm on the same planet I was before I started this journey. The party reminded me a lot of parties we have in the US, actually.

Oh my gosh, I'm in Ghana

Arriving here was nerve wracking. It is harder than I expected to be in a part of the world about which you know almost nothing. Everything is a potential danger; nothing feels secure or familar. I didn't get much sleep that first night. I lay in bed in my my warm, humid room, listening to all kinds of strange animal noises I couldn't identify. Roosters started crowing about when it was probably daylight in Japan, meaning it was the middle of the night in Ghana. It was a night of lots of worries, and lots of prayers.

Here I go

I'm furiously doing a little last-minute packing. Yesterday I talked to my supervisor; he's in the States right now. I had lots of questions for him, but his overall message was clear: "In Ghana, we don't plan things because things don't go the way we plan them." Looks as though my pace might have to change a little. When I finally told him that I'd plan to just take it one step at a time, he seemed to like it. "You're already catching the spirit of Ghana."

Countdown

Welcome to Robert in Ghana! On June 14th, I'm scheduled to start my 10-week trip to Ghana, in West Africa to work at a church. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.