Subj: LETTER OF APPRECIATION
Date: 3/7/2008 8:02:33 AM
From: gracebiblechurch@email.com
To: gracetoghana@gmail.com
Dear Sirs,
LETTER OF APPRECIATION
On behalf of Grace Bible Church, Ghana and on my personal behalf I write to express our heartfelt gratitude to you Pastor Dennis Kiszonas and Leon Gilchrist, your families and the entire members of Grace For Today, New York City for accepting our invitation to come to Ghana and for a good work done.
I must record our indebtedness to you for your immeasurable service and gifts to the Grace family during your 1st mission trip to Ghana. Our members are overwhelmed with joy and excitement to learn that we have identical and unique teachings. This really has boosted their morale. They are now encouraged in the Lord and are more than ready or prepared to not only believe the grace message but also to stand for it and defend the integrity of the message.
The responses we are getting from all the Towns and Villages you visited and ministered in are incredible and unbelievable. Even the Townsfolk are very much appreciative because in most places that was the first time a white man has visited and ministered there. I believe this will go a long way to improve the quality and quantity of our membership nationwide and also open doors and opportunities for us to expand.
We are trusting God to give the same opportunity to other grace preachers and believers to also visit in future. May the mutual Love, friendship, brotherliness and co-operation which has been initiated be cemented and grow from strength to strength. May the God of all grace keep us alive and strengthen us through His Spirit to do more for Him.
May He give us clear vision of what He wants to accomplish with our lives and ministries. May He bring people into our lives who gladly, willingly and freely support this worthy cause.
Once again we say thank you so very much because your visit could be described as successful and if I may borrow Leon's catch word, it was wonderful.
Thank you and may the Lord bless you is our prayer.
Yours faithfully
Pastor Peter Adjei-Annoh
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Grace Refugees in the Camps in Ghana
Concerning the refugees that we met from Liberia:
To get the background to their situation you can go to www.google.com and type in something like "refugees in camps in ghana" and literally hundreds of websites will come up giving the history of the conflicts in Liberia, and in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierre Leone, and how these tens of thousands of refugees ended up in camps in Ghana. And have remained in the camps under most difficult circumstances for 18 years now. They are people without a country, fearful for their lives and their families if they return to Liberia, but also not welcome in Ghana -- which is unable to care for something like 80,000 refugees fleeing to their safe and stable country from these conflicts in neighboring countries.
You will notice that some of the websites are run by various Christian ministries and organizations -- Baptists, Lutherans, etc. along with many secular humanitarian agencies, but now we've learned that there is a group of some 200-300 people who are meeting for Bible teaching in one of the camps and they are being taught the message of grace by 2 Liberian pastors.
They requested that we send them Bible study books and literature from the grace dispensational perspective to help them as they teach the Bible in their church. We who believe in the message of grace that the Lord Jesus revealed from heaven to the Apostle Paul would seem to have a special opportunity and responsibility to send aid to these brethren as the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8-9:
"That now at this time your abundance may supply their lack...
that there may be equality"
"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you,
that you,
always having all sufficiency in all things,
may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written: (in Psalm 112:9)
To get the background to their situation you can go to www.google.com and type in something like "refugees in camps in ghana" and literally hundreds of websites will come up giving the history of the conflicts in Liberia, and in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierre Leone, and how these tens of thousands of refugees ended up in camps in Ghana. And have remained in the camps under most difficult circumstances for 18 years now. They are people without a country, fearful for their lives and their families if they return to Liberia, but also not welcome in Ghana -- which is unable to care for something like 80,000 refugees fleeing to their safe and stable country from these conflicts in neighboring countries.
You will notice that some of the websites are run by various Christian ministries and organizations -- Baptists, Lutherans, etc. along with many secular humanitarian agencies, but now we've learned that there is a group of some 200-300 people who are meeting for Bible teaching in one of the camps and they are being taught the message of grace by 2 Liberian pastors.
They requested that we send them Bible study books and literature from the grace dispensational perspective to help them as they teach the Bible in their church. We who believe in the message of grace that the Lord Jesus revealed from heaven to the Apostle Paul would seem to have a special opportunity and responsibility to send aid to these brethren as the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8-9:
"That now at this time your abundance may supply their lack...
that there may be equality"
"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you,
that you,
always having all sufficiency in all things,
may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written: (in Psalm 112:9)
He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor,
His righteousness endures forever."
(2 Cor 8:14 and 9:8-9)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Grace Refugees From Liberia
The last ministry that we had while we were in Ghana was an appointment with a group of refugees from Liberia who drove some 4 hours to meet us in Cape Coast on Thursday afternoon, the day before we left Ghana.
We heard of them from Bro. & Sis. Rasmussen in Canada who had contact with them and had sent some literature to help them grow in their knowledge of the grace of God. The Rasmussen's emailed us in Ghana the first day we were there and asked if we might be able to visit these brethren.
By the grace of God we were able to set up a meeting, and so, 9 refugees came to Cape Coast. They fled from Liberia some 18 years ago, in the midst of a civil war. Some of them saw their parents murdered by rebels, lived as orphans, and eventually ended up in the refugee camp run by the UN in Ghana. They've been living in tents, no electricity, no running water, they work sporadically for farmers in the area -- some of them have been there for 18 years.
They meet for church services in the camp -- when its not raining, they meet outdoors-- where their pastors are teaching them the message of the grace of God. They shared their testimonies with us -- saved forever by the grace of God thru our Lord Jesus Christ and they were excited about it, and then we went down to the beach and sang hymns and prayed together.
They asked that we send them literature to help them to grow in grace, and that we would come to teach them the next time we come to Ghana.
I've got to say that this time of fellowship with this little group of believers was one of the most moving experiences of my life -- and, at first, perplexing. I wondered, why on earth would anyone drive 4 hours thru the heat and humidity and rough roads of Ghana just to come and see us?
Some of their faces showed the haunting effects of fear, of the horrible memories they have from things they experienced in their young years, but what came out most of all was their amazing joy as they sang of the Lord who saved them by His grace.
I realized as I stood with them that they had come because they just needed us to be with them, just to be there for a few minutes on a beach far from all of our homes, and to share together in the sweetest fellowship this side of heaven.
Parting was so difficult, I hated to leave them, and my prayer is that the Lord will take care of them and that I might see them again by the grace of God.
[See the photo of the refugees with us on the beach in Cape Coast on our photo website: www.flickr.com/photos/gracetoghana ]
We heard of them from Bro. & Sis. Rasmussen in Canada who had contact with them and had sent some literature to help them grow in their knowledge of the grace of God. The Rasmussen's emailed us in Ghana the first day we were there and asked if we might be able to visit these brethren.
By the grace of God we were able to set up a meeting, and so, 9 refugees came to Cape Coast. They fled from Liberia some 18 years ago, in the midst of a civil war. Some of them saw their parents murdered by rebels, lived as orphans, and eventually ended up in the refugee camp run by the UN in Ghana. They've been living in tents, no electricity, no running water, they work sporadically for farmers in the area -- some of them have been there for 18 years.
They meet for church services in the camp -- when its not raining, they meet outdoors-- where their pastors are teaching them the message of the grace of God. They shared their testimonies with us -- saved forever by the grace of God thru our Lord Jesus Christ and they were excited about it, and then we went down to the beach and sang hymns and prayed together.
They asked that we send them literature to help them to grow in grace, and that we would come to teach them the next time we come to Ghana.
I've got to say that this time of fellowship with this little group of believers was one of the most moving experiences of my life -- and, at first, perplexing. I wondered, why on earth would anyone drive 4 hours thru the heat and humidity and rough roads of Ghana just to come and see us?
Some of their faces showed the haunting effects of fear, of the horrible memories they have from things they experienced in their young years, but what came out most of all was their amazing joy as they sang of the Lord who saved them by His grace.
I realized as I stood with them that they had come because they just needed us to be with them, just to be there for a few minutes on a beach far from all of our homes, and to share together in the sweetest fellowship this side of heaven.
Parting was so difficult, I hated to leave them, and my prayer is that the Lord will take care of them and that I might see them again by the grace of God.
[See the photo of the refugees with us on the beach in Cape Coast on our photo website: www.flickr.com/photos/gracetoghana ]
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
New Photos on the Photo Site -- Cape Coast Castle & Refugees from Liberia
Almost the last of our photos (we have just one more picture to post) of the mission trip to Ghana have now been posted on our photo site -- including photos of the Castle at Cape Coast and the Liberian refugees on the beach at Cape Coast.
The address for the photo site:
www.flickr.com/photos/gracetoghana
Please go take a look.
The address for the photo site:
www.flickr.com/photos/gracetoghana
Please go take a look.
The British Slave Fort at Cape Coast
We're back in NY/NJ now, but there's a few things that we did toward the very end of our trip to Ghana that we need to get caught up on on our blogsite. One of these was our trip on Thursday to Cape Coast, about 4 hours-drive south of Kumasi.
Cape Coast Castle is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites -- a place that has historic significance, not only for the descendants of the slaves who come today to find their roots, but a place for all the family of mankind to come and see for ourselves and come to some understanding of the horror of slavery -- once considered an economic necessity and "business as usual."
Here is where the British built a massive fort on the Atlantic coast of Africa that was the headquarters of the slave trade on the "Slave Coast" from the 1600's til 1807 when Britain outlawed the slave trade -- the result of the work of Christian people in Britain including John Newton, the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," and William Wilberforce -- did you see the movie "Amazing Grace" last year in the 200th anniversary (1807-2007) of their success in ending the slave trade?
In the 1400's European sailors discovered vast new parts of the world. In the 1500's the lands were conquered. In the 1600's the European nations began to exploit their new colonies -- they planted vast plantations of sugar cane (to make rum, etc.), cotton, tobacco, rice, indigo, etc. that required huge amounts of labor to show a profit.
They first tried white slaves, but they died of malaria and other tropical diseases.
Then they tried to enslave the Indians, but they were dying from European diseases.
So they started to capture people from Africa, who were resistant to the tropical diseases and also knew how to cultivate these tropical crops.
Eventually something like 20 million people were captured in Africa and brought to the New World to work as slaves.
Here in Cape Coast hundreds of thousands of African people were brought in chains after being captured by other African tribes in tribal warfare. The captives were traded for guns. The guns were used to conquer other tribes and capture more slaves to sell to the British. Then the captives were marched in chains to the coast where they entered this fort and hundreds of others along the African coast.
In this fort they were examined by a doctor so see if they were suited to hard labor, they were branded with red-hot irons, and imprisoned in dark underground dungeons until they were sold to a passing slave ship. The desperate scratchings of their fingernails are still evident on the walls and floors of the dungeon. Over the years a layer of human blood, vomit and excrement a foot or 2 thick grew on the floor of the dungeons. The odor, the filth, smell, the heat, the darkness, the crowding, being torn from their family, put into chains -- we can only imagine the horror that these people experienced in these dungeons.
We had 2 guides on our tour. They both drew attention to the fact that there was a church in the fort where Sunday services were held each week. The church was located very near an air vent that led up from the underground dungeons.
While people were praising the Lord in their church service, if they would listen, they could easily hear the cries and moans of more than a thousand enslaved people crowded into the dungeons below their feet.
Both of our guides asked, "What kind of religion were they preaching in the church services, that they could ignore the cries of these poor people right under their feet?" The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, "Put on a heart of compassion" (literal translation of Col 3:12). This fort was a place without compassion.
In the courtyard of the fort are buried hundreds of British soldiers who died of malaria, etc. -- the saying was that "Africa was the white man's grave." One of the graves is of Philip Quakwe, an African man who went to England, was educated, and returned to Cape Coast for a time as the preacher in the castle church.
He reported back to his superiors in England that he conducted services every Sunday, only one problem: The soldiers refused to celebrate the Lord's Supper. They felt that it would be a sacrilege to do so in such a heinously criminal and immoral environment where rape, torture and injustice were business as usual. They knew that what they were doing was wrong, but they kept on, it was an economic necessity.
Had they not continued this slavery business, we might wonder, what would America be like today? If there were no slaves to work the plantations and build the roads and cities from the earliest days in the 1600's down to 1863 when Lincoln emancipated the slaves in America, would America still be a poor Third World nation today. Have you thanked your African-American acquaintances for the contribution their fore-fathers and -mothers made to this great country?
The captive people were kept in the dungeons -- 1000 men and 300 women -- until they were sold to a slave ship bound for America, South America or the Caribbean. Then they were marched thru underground tunnels into a short passageway that led down to the "Door of No Return." Out the door, then down a few stairs, and onto the beach where big canoes would take them out to the slave ships anchored off the rocky beach. Once on the beach, many slaves ran and waded into the ocean and drowned themselves and their children, others would jump off the ships in the middle of the ocean, death was the only escape from their misery.
There were times when I stood in the church services in Ghana and observed these gentle and handsome, beautiful, men, women and children and thought about how so many of their countrymen were considered as nothing more than "things" to be bought and sold and used mercilessly to make money for their owners. And I thought of how England and then America was built and enriched for over 250 years+ by the blood, sweat and tears of the captives taken from these shores to the New World.
Tho many Christians were part of this ugly, immoral business -- as the guides are quick to point out, the Apostle Paul had written in Colossians 4:1 "Masters, give your slaves what is just and fair, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven."
The God of the Old Testament, who so often spoke to Israel concerning "justice," is the God of grace today who spoke thru the Apostle Paul regarding His requirement of "justice" for all today. The masters were told to give their slaves, whether they were saved or unsaved, to give them what is "just and fair."
There's that great Pauline word "DIKAIOS = Justice" is so often used by Paul in Romans, "God is just and the justifier of the person who has faith in Christ." God is just, and He calls upon His people to practice "justice" as well today.
But preach that today and many christians, even grace believers, will say, "Now you're preaching politics -- the social gospel!" Back in the 1600's, 1700's and 1800's many Bible believing christians in England and America went along with, even took part in and profited from this unjust, horrible crime against humanity.
Thank God for a few Christian people in England, who fought and struggled and didn't give up until this horrible slave business was ended -- and Cape Coast Castle would cease to be a slave fort, and become a monument to man's capacity for inhumanity to his fellow man.
And Thank God for many Christians in America who recognized the injustice of what was being done to the slaves in our own country and struggled and fought until slavery was abolished here -- only after a terrible Civil War. And for many others since then who have struggled to end the unjust treatment of the descendants of these enslaved people from Africa. May we be more like them today.
"Therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering..." Colossians 3:12
"He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
Cape Coast Castle is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites -- a place that has historic significance, not only for the descendants of the slaves who come today to find their roots, but a place for all the family of mankind to come and see for ourselves and come to some understanding of the horror of slavery -- once considered an economic necessity and "business as usual."
Here is where the British built a massive fort on the Atlantic coast of Africa that was the headquarters of the slave trade on the "Slave Coast" from the 1600's til 1807 when Britain outlawed the slave trade -- the result of the work of Christian people in Britain including John Newton, the author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," and William Wilberforce -- did you see the movie "Amazing Grace" last year in the 200th anniversary (1807-2007) of their success in ending the slave trade?
In the 1400's European sailors discovered vast new parts of the world. In the 1500's the lands were conquered. In the 1600's the European nations began to exploit their new colonies -- they planted vast plantations of sugar cane (to make rum, etc.), cotton, tobacco, rice, indigo, etc. that required huge amounts of labor to show a profit.
They first tried white slaves, but they died of malaria and other tropical diseases.
Then they tried to enslave the Indians, but they were dying from European diseases.
So they started to capture people from Africa, who were resistant to the tropical diseases and also knew how to cultivate these tropical crops.
Eventually something like 20 million people were captured in Africa and brought to the New World to work as slaves.
Here in Cape Coast hundreds of thousands of African people were brought in chains after being captured by other African tribes in tribal warfare. The captives were traded for guns. The guns were used to conquer other tribes and capture more slaves to sell to the British. Then the captives were marched in chains to the coast where they entered this fort and hundreds of others along the African coast.
In this fort they were examined by a doctor so see if they were suited to hard labor, they were branded with red-hot irons, and imprisoned in dark underground dungeons until they were sold to a passing slave ship. The desperate scratchings of their fingernails are still evident on the walls and floors of the dungeon. Over the years a layer of human blood, vomit and excrement a foot or 2 thick grew on the floor of the dungeons. The odor, the filth, smell, the heat, the darkness, the crowding, being torn from their family, put into chains -- we can only imagine the horror that these people experienced in these dungeons.
We had 2 guides on our tour. They both drew attention to the fact that there was a church in the fort where Sunday services were held each week. The church was located very near an air vent that led up from the underground dungeons.
While people were praising the Lord in their church service, if they would listen, they could easily hear the cries and moans of more than a thousand enslaved people crowded into the dungeons below their feet.
Both of our guides asked, "What kind of religion were they preaching in the church services, that they could ignore the cries of these poor people right under their feet?" The Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians, "Put on a heart of compassion" (literal translation of Col 3:12). This fort was a place without compassion.
In the courtyard of the fort are buried hundreds of British soldiers who died of malaria, etc. -- the saying was that "Africa was the white man's grave." One of the graves is of Philip Quakwe, an African man who went to England, was educated, and returned to Cape Coast for a time as the preacher in the castle church.
He reported back to his superiors in England that he conducted services every Sunday, only one problem: The soldiers refused to celebrate the Lord's Supper. They felt that it would be a sacrilege to do so in such a heinously criminal and immoral environment where rape, torture and injustice were business as usual. They knew that what they were doing was wrong, but they kept on, it was an economic necessity.
Had they not continued this slavery business, we might wonder, what would America be like today? If there were no slaves to work the plantations and build the roads and cities from the earliest days in the 1600's down to 1863 when Lincoln emancipated the slaves in America, would America still be a poor Third World nation today. Have you thanked your African-American acquaintances for the contribution their fore-fathers and -mothers made to this great country?
The captive people were kept in the dungeons -- 1000 men and 300 women -- until they were sold to a slave ship bound for America, South America or the Caribbean. Then they were marched thru underground tunnels into a short passageway that led down to the "Door of No Return." Out the door, then down a few stairs, and onto the beach where big canoes would take them out to the slave ships anchored off the rocky beach. Once on the beach, many slaves ran and waded into the ocean and drowned themselves and their children, others would jump off the ships in the middle of the ocean, death was the only escape from their misery.
There were times when I stood in the church services in Ghana and observed these gentle and handsome, beautiful, men, women and children and thought about how so many of their countrymen were considered as nothing more than "things" to be bought and sold and used mercilessly to make money for their owners. And I thought of how England and then America was built and enriched for over 250 years+ by the blood, sweat and tears of the captives taken from these shores to the New World.
Tho many Christians were part of this ugly, immoral business -- as the guides are quick to point out, the Apostle Paul had written in Colossians 4:1 "Masters, give your slaves what is just and fair, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven."
The God of the Old Testament, who so often spoke to Israel concerning "justice," is the God of grace today who spoke thru the Apostle Paul regarding His requirement of "justice" for all today. The masters were told to give their slaves, whether they were saved or unsaved, to give them what is "just and fair."
There's that great Pauline word "DIKAIOS = Justice" is so often used by Paul in Romans, "God is just and the justifier of the person who has faith in Christ." God is just, and He calls upon His people to practice "justice" as well today.
But preach that today and many christians, even grace believers, will say, "Now you're preaching politics -- the social gospel!" Back in the 1600's, 1700's and 1800's many Bible believing christians in England and America went along with, even took part in and profited from this unjust, horrible crime against humanity.
Thank God for a few Christian people in England, who fought and struggled and didn't give up until this horrible slave business was ended -- and Cape Coast Castle would cease to be a slave fort, and become a monument to man's capacity for inhumanity to his fellow man.
And Thank God for many Christians in America who recognized the injustice of what was being done to the slaves in our own country and struggled and fought until slavery was abolished here -- only after a terrible Civil War. And for many others since then who have struggled to end the unjust treatment of the descendants of these enslaved people from Africa. May we be more like them today.
"Therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering..." Colossians 3:12
"He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
Sunday, March 2, 2008
We're back home -- Thank you for praying!
Our plane left Accra, Ghana at 10:00AM Friday morning and landed in New York at 5PM -- an 11 hour flight.
In spite of the fact that it was 90+ degrees every day in Ghana, somehow I caught a cold on the last day! I started getting a sore throat for a few days, then came down with a cold on the last day. Nothing too serious, and didn't interfere with any ministry in Ghana, but I didn't feel too well on Saturday. Better today. Its Sunday morning and I'm getting ready to go to church in Brooklyn and give a report to our congregation about our mission trip to Ghana.
I think it will take a while for all these experiences to get sorted out in my mind.
There are some new pictures on our
flickr.com/photos/gracetoghana
site and I'll post some thoughts on our trip to Cape Coast -- the slave fort and the refugees from Liberia. Meeting the refugees and visiting the slave fort were some of the most thought provoking experiences that we had in Ghana.
In spite of the fact that it was 90+ degrees every day in Ghana, somehow I caught a cold on the last day! I started getting a sore throat for a few days, then came down with a cold on the last day. Nothing too serious, and didn't interfere with any ministry in Ghana, but I didn't feel too well on Saturday. Better today. Its Sunday morning and I'm getting ready to go to church in Brooklyn and give a report to our congregation about our mission trip to Ghana.
I think it will take a while for all these experiences to get sorted out in my mind.
There are some new pictures on our
flickr.com/photos/gracetoghana
site and I'll post some thoughts on our trip to Cape Coast -- the slave fort and the refugees from Liberia. Meeting the refugees and visiting the slave fort were some of the most thought provoking experiences that we had in Ghana.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Our Last Day in Ghana -Thursday
We had a busy day today - Thursday. We drove 4 hours south from Kumasi to visit the old British fort / castle at Cape Coast on the Atlantic Coast. This was the British headquarters for the trans-Atlantic slave trade from the 1600's to 1807. A very sad remembrance of man's inhumanity to man.
Then in mid-afternoon we met up with 9 Liberian refugees who are living in a refugee camp in Ghana due to the civil war in Liberia -- most of them arrived nearly 20 years ago and have been living in tents in the camp ever since. They were led by Pastor Moses who shared with us his commitment to preaching the message of the grace of God. We talked with all the brethren and had a song and prayer service on the beach. These are the grace brethren that we first heard about from the Rasmussen's two weeks ago when we first arrived in Ghana. We thank God that we were able to meet them and have a blessed time of fellowship and talk about how we can help them to grow in their knowledge of the word of God.
We drove 4 or 5 more hours from Cape Coast and are staying tonite in a hotel in Accra. Tomorrow early we head to the airport and leave at 10AM for JFK in New York.
Much more to say about everything that has happened in the past few days, but this will do till we get back.
Then in mid-afternoon we met up with 9 Liberian refugees who are living in a refugee camp in Ghana due to the civil war in Liberia -- most of them arrived nearly 20 years ago and have been living in tents in the camp ever since. They were led by Pastor Moses who shared with us his commitment to preaching the message of the grace of God. We talked with all the brethren and had a song and prayer service on the beach. These are the grace brethren that we first heard about from the Rasmussen's two weeks ago when we first arrived in Ghana. We thank God that we were able to meet them and have a blessed time of fellowship and talk about how we can help them to grow in their knowledge of the word of God.
We drove 4 or 5 more hours from Cape Coast and are staying tonite in a hotel in Accra. Tomorrow early we head to the airport and leave at 10AM for JFK in New York.
Much more to say about everything that has happened in the past few days, but this will do till we get back.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Nanso Seesee
There are new pictures on the flickr.com/photos/gracetoghana site today.
Sorry I haven't been able to keep up the blog as regularly as I wanted to. We've experienced power grid failures, internet service outages, very early mornings (like 4AM early!) and late nights. We've been really busy in ministry activity:
Sasturday evening - Leon preached at the open air service in Ahensan -- in the public square in the center of town. Singing, dancing, then preaching. Large crowds of people all the time.
Sunday morning I preached in the main church -- Grace Bible Church in Ahensan. Again, great music, dancing choirs, etc. I preached on Ephesians 2 -- "Nanso See See" that's Akan for "But now." I preached that we need to "remember" as Paul says, that we were once Gentiles, "without God and without hope in the world," but now, God has sent the Apostle Paul to preach to us about the blood of Christ which was shed for our sins.
It was our "going-away" service, tho we'll still be here and ministering for several more days, but everyone wanted to get their pictures taken with us. We have not seen a single Ghanaian with a camera -- other than the official church photographer who has a professional 35 MM camera. We received several gifts from the church and the women's fellowship, choir, and youth groups. Shirts, sashes, etc.
We gave a gift to Pastor Peter for the work of the ministry in Ghana.
After church we were taken over to the Ahensan palace -- where the Chief of Ahensan resides and governs the area under authority of the Asantehene (the king of the Ashanti people) who reigns in Kumasi. We were led into a courtyard in the interior of the palace, filled with the elders and wives of the community. A band was playing and the African drummers were playing. We were led thru the assembled personages, shaking hands and being introduced all around. Then we went up-stairs to the balcony where the Chief was seated on his throne. He is a very dignified middle aged man, wearing a crown. A man stands behind him holding a large umbrella over the Chief. Before him are 6 young Ashanti warriors, each with a curved sword, the chief's body guards. Seated all around the walls are the lower ranking assistant chiefs and their wives. Again handshakes all around. Finally we're introduced to the Chief, who happends to speak impeccable English and was interested in his visitors from New York City, America.
Then we're seated in the throne room along with all the elders, etc. and just sort of sit there and talk to the elders next to us, while the chief presides over the affair. When the chief is thirsty, he is given a bottle of water (as we are as well) and when he sips from the bottle, one of the warriors gets up in front of the chief, opens his robe and spreads it over the chief so that no one can see him drinking the water. Then after paying our respects, we are ushered out. It is just like in an old movie.
Sunday night I preached in the open air service in Ahensan, and spoke on "the Whole Armor of God" from Ephesians 6. Again, plenty of music, singing, dancing -- a really wonderful time is had by everyone.
Tuesday morning we were up early and headed out about 2 hours west from Kumasi to visit two churches in outlying areas: Tano-Dumasi, Pastor Peter's home town, and Bibiani, a new grace church.
Wednesday morning Peter and I did another live radio broadcast on the FM station.
Today we have another live radio broadcast at 11PM and then tomorrow we're up early to drive 4 hours south to Cape Coast the famous embarcation point of the African people into slavery in America and elsewhere. That's where we'll see the "door of no return" and the slave hole, etc. A most sobering experience I am told by people who've been there.
Also on Thursdy afternoon we have an appointment to met Pastor Moses, who is a Liberian refugee and has a congregation of Liberians. He is a grace pastor and a friend of the Rasmussens who put us in touch with him after we arrived here in Ghana 2 weeks ago.
Then on Friday we leave from Accra back to NYC.
Please pray for us today for the radio broadcasts, and for the time with Pastor Moses tomorrow. Also for safety on the highways -- we've had one accident, hitting a goat on the road, and Pastor Peter's car broke down on the way home from Bibiani yesterday-- we finished the trip with a harrowing taxi ride -- I was sitting in the front passenger seat and thought for sure that we were going to collide with another car at a cross road. The driving style is unbelievable -- tho everyone seems to be such an expert driver that few accidents happen -- but when they do, wow, we've seen some total wrecks along the highways.
We've seen so much, not the things that tourists usually see, but back in the villages, and especially with the grace brothers and sisters here in Ghana. So much to tell you about, but I've got to run now. Thank you for your prayers and interest. We sense your prayers -- what an amazing opportunity we're having to spend these two weeks with this man of God who is turning Ghana upside-down for the message of the grace of God.
Sorry I haven't been able to keep up the blog as regularly as I wanted to. We've experienced power grid failures, internet service outages, very early mornings (like 4AM early!) and late nights. We've been really busy in ministry activity:
Sasturday evening - Leon preached at the open air service in Ahensan -- in the public square in the center of town. Singing, dancing, then preaching. Large crowds of people all the time.
Sunday morning I preached in the main church -- Grace Bible Church in Ahensan. Again, great music, dancing choirs, etc. I preached on Ephesians 2 -- "Nanso See See" that's Akan for "But now." I preached that we need to "remember" as Paul says, that we were once Gentiles, "without God and without hope in the world," but now, God has sent the Apostle Paul to preach to us about the blood of Christ which was shed for our sins.
It was our "going-away" service, tho we'll still be here and ministering for several more days, but everyone wanted to get their pictures taken with us. We have not seen a single Ghanaian with a camera -- other than the official church photographer who has a professional 35 MM camera. We received several gifts from the church and the women's fellowship, choir, and youth groups. Shirts, sashes, etc.
We gave a gift to Pastor Peter for the work of the ministry in Ghana.
After church we were taken over to the Ahensan palace -- where the Chief of Ahensan resides and governs the area under authority of the Asantehene (the king of the Ashanti people) who reigns in Kumasi. We were led into a courtyard in the interior of the palace, filled with the elders and wives of the community. A band was playing and the African drummers were playing. We were led thru the assembled personages, shaking hands and being introduced all around. Then we went up-stairs to the balcony where the Chief was seated on his throne. He is a very dignified middle aged man, wearing a crown. A man stands behind him holding a large umbrella over the Chief. Before him are 6 young Ashanti warriors, each with a curved sword, the chief's body guards. Seated all around the walls are the lower ranking assistant chiefs and their wives. Again handshakes all around. Finally we're introduced to the Chief, who happends to speak impeccable English and was interested in his visitors from New York City, America.
Then we're seated in the throne room along with all the elders, etc. and just sort of sit there and talk to the elders next to us, while the chief presides over the affair. When the chief is thirsty, he is given a bottle of water (as we are as well) and when he sips from the bottle, one of the warriors gets up in front of the chief, opens his robe and spreads it over the chief so that no one can see him drinking the water. Then after paying our respects, we are ushered out. It is just like in an old movie.
Sunday night I preached in the open air service in Ahensan, and spoke on "the Whole Armor of God" from Ephesians 6. Again, plenty of music, singing, dancing -- a really wonderful time is had by everyone.
Tuesday morning we were up early and headed out about 2 hours west from Kumasi to visit two churches in outlying areas: Tano-Dumasi, Pastor Peter's home town, and Bibiani, a new grace church.
Wednesday morning Peter and I did another live radio broadcast on the FM station.
Today we have another live radio broadcast at 11PM and then tomorrow we're up early to drive 4 hours south to Cape Coast the famous embarcation point of the African people into slavery in America and elsewhere. That's where we'll see the "door of no return" and the slave hole, etc. A most sobering experience I am told by people who've been there.
Also on Thursdy afternoon we have an appointment to met Pastor Moses, who is a Liberian refugee and has a congregation of Liberians. He is a grace pastor and a friend of the Rasmussens who put us in touch with him after we arrived here in Ghana 2 weeks ago.
Then on Friday we leave from Accra back to NYC.
Please pray for us today for the radio broadcasts, and for the time with Pastor Moses tomorrow. Also for safety on the highways -- we've had one accident, hitting a goat on the road, and Pastor Peter's car broke down on the way home from Bibiani yesterday-- we finished the trip with a harrowing taxi ride -- I was sitting in the front passenger seat and thought for sure that we were going to collide with another car at a cross road. The driving style is unbelievable -- tho everyone seems to be such an expert driver that few accidents happen -- but when they do, wow, we've seen some total wrecks along the highways.
We've seen so much, not the things that tourists usually see, but back in the villages, and especially with the grace brothers and sisters here in Ghana. So much to tell you about, but I've got to run now. Thank you for your prayers and interest. We sense your prayers -- what an amazing opportunity we're having to spend these two weeks with this man of God who is turning Ghana upside-down for the message of the grace of God.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Friday & Saturday Ministries
My last post was 2 days ago and a lot has happened. I couldn't post sooner due to the fact that the internet service at our hotel is not working. They hook your computer up to a mobile modem, it looks like a cell phone, but it plugs into your computer and sends internet by cell phone. Unfortunately, it seems to be down alot.
SO i took a three hour walk into the center of Kumasi and found an internet cafe -- cost 60 cents per hour. Good deal!
Along the way I met a young fellow named Godsway who is 14 yrs. old and makes a living as a shoe shine boy. His father is dead and his mother is gone, so he takes care of himself. He goes to school when he's not shining shoes and wants to become a pilot and fly jets. He wanted to know all about my trip from NYC to Accra. When he learned it costs $1500 to fly here, he said it will take him 50 years to save up that much. He helped me find a store where I got another good deal on video cassettes. I bought him lunch, we traded email addresses, and he went off to work while I headed for the internet cafe. I was lost almost continuously after that, walking up and down streets and twisting little alleys in downtown Kumasi, but with the help of some very friendly Ghanaian people who piintewd me in right direction, I found it.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening we've been holding a grace seminar at the main grace church in Ahensan. Our theme from 1 Cor 2:7-8: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory..."
We started before time began when God ordained or planned the mystery. Then we moved to the time when the mystery was hidden. Then when it was revealed to Paul, so that he could say "we preach the hidden wisdom." And finally, God ordained it for "our glory."
There were many pastors in attendance and they seemed to be taking many notes, I think at least one has seen it. Pastor Peter was very encouraged and his congregation "Amened" and cheered repeatedly. I preached on Wednbeday and Friday, Leon took Thursday.
Also on Friday we visited 2 small grace churches 30 miles -- about 1.5 hours drive north of Kumasi. In Nsuta we found a church building in the middle of a village with about 50 enthusiatic believers. They were a church before they came to know grace. But they heard Pastor Peter's radio broadcast and decided that he was teaching the truth, so they called him and said they wanted to affiliate with him.
I preached the service in the church about Romans 4:5 and Ephesians 3:2 and many were nodding in agreement all thru the message.
After the service we were invited to the elder's home where his wife made us lunch -- sandwiches made of bread that tasted like a Lorna Dune cookie, triangle shaped like a turnpover. Inside was tuna fish. Very tasty, and of course it was served with Pepsi. Everywhere I go in Ghana, they serve me Pepsi, Yvonne from the grace church in Brooklyn has instructed everyone to get me a Pepsi -- its really quite amazing.
The elder has a plantation where he grows cocoa beans, he showed us a bucket of beans and explained how they are crushed and the chocolate is extracted.
Then we drove a few more miles and met a small group of grace believers in Kona. There's only half a dozeon or so but they are faithful. They too heard Pastor Peter's radio broadcast and came to see him and be taught the message of the grace of God. When we arrived they were on their front porch conducting an open air service preaching with loudspeakers. They face an empty yard and then the main highway. A few people walking by stopped to listen, but all the vendors who sit everywhere in Ghana selling their goods all seemed to be watching and listening. All of us, Peter, Leon and myself, preached to the "crowds" passing by and then we encouraged these grace brethren to continue to be faithful to the Lord and His truth.
We returned to Kumasi around 5:30 and had an hour to rest before the evening grace seminar started.
This morning Pastor Peter and I went to a FM radio station in Kumasi, and they gave us 1/2 an hour of airtime. Peter introduced me and away we went. I preached, he translated, his phone started ringing as soon as we went off the air.
This evening we're going to go around the neighborhood in Ahensan and distribute tracts and invite people to come to the open air service in Ahensan. These are really amazing ministries, out in the open air in a open space in an unbelievably crowded and poor neighborhood. The gracfe brethren play music, sing -- solos, groups, choirs, they dance and then they preach -- hundreds of people come -- its a great opportunity. Leon will preach tonite, me tomorrow. I'll also be preaching at the church service on Sunday morning.
We have lots of photos, and will post them as soon as I can find an internet service that can accept a USB memory stick!
Thank you all for praying, we can sense the Lord's protection and power everywhere.
"The Lord stood with me and strengthened me that the message might be fully preached and that all the Gentiles might hear." 2 Tim 4:16 A verse I preached on last night and something that we still believe today.
SO i took a three hour walk into the center of Kumasi and found an internet cafe -- cost 60 cents per hour. Good deal!
Along the way I met a young fellow named Godsway who is 14 yrs. old and makes a living as a shoe shine boy. His father is dead and his mother is gone, so he takes care of himself. He goes to school when he's not shining shoes and wants to become a pilot and fly jets. He wanted to know all about my trip from NYC to Accra. When he learned it costs $1500 to fly here, he said it will take him 50 years to save up that much. He helped me find a store where I got another good deal on video cassettes. I bought him lunch, we traded email addresses, and he went off to work while I headed for the internet cafe. I was lost almost continuously after that, walking up and down streets and twisting little alleys in downtown Kumasi, but with the help of some very friendly Ghanaian people who piintewd me in right direction, I found it.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening we've been holding a grace seminar at the main grace church in Ahensan. Our theme from 1 Cor 2:7-8: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory..."
We started before time began when God ordained or planned the mystery. Then we moved to the time when the mystery was hidden. Then when it was revealed to Paul, so that he could say "we preach the hidden wisdom." And finally, God ordained it for "our glory."
There were many pastors in attendance and they seemed to be taking many notes, I think at least one has seen it. Pastor Peter was very encouraged and his congregation "Amened" and cheered repeatedly. I preached on Wednbeday and Friday, Leon took Thursday.
Also on Friday we visited 2 small grace churches 30 miles -- about 1.5 hours drive north of Kumasi. In Nsuta we found a church building in the middle of a village with about 50 enthusiatic believers. They were a church before they came to know grace. But they heard Pastor Peter's radio broadcast and decided that he was teaching the truth, so they called him and said they wanted to affiliate with him.
I preached the service in the church about Romans 4:5 and Ephesians 3:2 and many were nodding in agreement all thru the message.
After the service we were invited to the elder's home where his wife made us lunch -- sandwiches made of bread that tasted like a Lorna Dune cookie, triangle shaped like a turnpover. Inside was tuna fish. Very tasty, and of course it was served with Pepsi. Everywhere I go in Ghana, they serve me Pepsi, Yvonne from the grace church in Brooklyn has instructed everyone to get me a Pepsi -- its really quite amazing.
The elder has a plantation where he grows cocoa beans, he showed us a bucket of beans and explained how they are crushed and the chocolate is extracted.
Then we drove a few more miles and met a small group of grace believers in Kona. There's only half a dozeon or so but they are faithful. They too heard Pastor Peter's radio broadcast and came to see him and be taught the message of the grace of God. When we arrived they were on their front porch conducting an open air service preaching with loudspeakers. They face an empty yard and then the main highway. A few people walking by stopped to listen, but all the vendors who sit everywhere in Ghana selling their goods all seemed to be watching and listening. All of us, Peter, Leon and myself, preached to the "crowds" passing by and then we encouraged these grace brethren to continue to be faithful to the Lord and His truth.
We returned to Kumasi around 5:30 and had an hour to rest before the evening grace seminar started.
This morning Pastor Peter and I went to a FM radio station in Kumasi, and they gave us 1/2 an hour of airtime. Peter introduced me and away we went. I preached, he translated, his phone started ringing as soon as we went off the air.
This evening we're going to go around the neighborhood in Ahensan and distribute tracts and invite people to come to the open air service in Ahensan. These are really amazing ministries, out in the open air in a open space in an unbelievably crowded and poor neighborhood. The gracfe brethren play music, sing -- solos, groups, choirs, they dance and then they preach -- hundreds of people come -- its a great opportunity. Leon will preach tonite, me tomorrow. I'll also be preaching at the church service on Sunday morning.
We have lots of photos, and will post them as soon as I can find an internet service that can accept a USB memory stick!
Thank you all for praying, we can sense the Lord's protection and power everywhere.
"The Lord stood with me and strengthened me that the message might be fully preached and that all the Gentiles might hear." 2 Tim 4:16 A verse I preached on last night and something that we still believe today.
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