Dry and Hot
Download the April issue of Medical Missions in Ghana.
March is here, and it’s like a boiling furnace in this part of Ghana. By noon the house feels like an oven, driving people out to seek shelter under nearby mango trees. (By the way, the mangoes are delicious.) I now rather enjoy driving over the rough, bumpy roads to get to the village because it means a few hours of arctic breeze blowing in my face. Those who travel with me have learned to bring their winter coats along for the ride.
Village Life
I’m getting a better idea now of the harsh life that the people live out in the villages. Many of the young people, especially the girls, will leave the village in search of work in the bigger cities down south. This is a problem, as many of them are sleeping on the streets, leaving them vulnerable to illness and at risk of getting assaulted.
During this hot season, it becomes more important for the people to drink more water to avoid dehydration. During this time of year, the water becomes scarce because many of the bore holes (wells) have dried up, leaving the people to drink dirty water from small rivers, dams, and muddy water holes. The women will haul water for miles on their heads for the home and dry gardens. Then you can imagine the process it would take to clean the water to make it safe to drink.
Water in one village
Ministry News
This is a very exciting time in the ministry here in Ghana. Our team has had the amazing opportunity to attend a leadership and discipleship class. I believe this will be very instrumental in growing the churches. Also, we are showing the “JESUS” Film and following up with evangelism in the community the next day.
Isaac teaching
I’ve started working in one of our villages with Community Health Evangelism (CHE). I’ve been sharing with them how knowledge is better than medicine and the dangers of taking medication without consulting a health care provider. In this culture, it’s common for the people to think that medicine is the solution to all their illnesses. Here it is very easy to get a hold of medication, but the people giving out the medication are not trained medical people. Many times people are taking medication that isn’t appropriate and taking it the wrong way. It’s a very dangerous problem that I have seen in this culture and a difficult situation to change the mindset of the people.
Random News
I almost had to eat giant rat (a.k.a. grass cutter) again. Thankfully, my friend was nice enough to save me from the undesirable meat.
Camel spiders are fast and aggressive, but thankfully not as big as what I have seen online.
I got stung in the dark by an unknown insect. It was a very painful experience. I was very thankful for the ice block that we happened to have with us.
It rained this past week. It was the first rain, I believe, since October.
I saw my first cobra.
I’m so thankful for God’s continued protection and guidance. God is doing amazing things here in Ghana with the people. I’m so encouraged when I see young people learning and memorizing scripture. They are so hungry to hear the Word of God. Until next time, God bless you!
