Testing…one, two

Test number two went off like a charm today. Both classes did very well. I'm so proud of my students! Apparently they comprehend Christian Family Living (mainly marriage so far) better than they do Christian Ethics, which I suppose is understandable. Tomorrow I give my students back their Christian Ethics test and we'll go over it, and then we'll start our second section of that class.

Today I had a sweet thing happen in my class of newer students who are not yet very proficient at English (the small class). I told everyone that when they finished their tests, they were dismissed for the day. But I noticed one guy returned to his seat after turning in his exam and he sat there appearing anxious or agitated. Finally he just stood up right in the middle of the test and he announced rather forcefully, "Doctor, if it is alright with you I would like to help my brother who does not know English very well." I gave the student permission and he went over and began rephrasing the test questions in Dagbani for my weakest English-speaker. At least, I guess that's what he was doing; he could've been giving the guy the answers for all I know, but the gesture was so kind, I couldn't help but consent.

The incident reminded me of Peter's words in the Bible, "Make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge self-control, and to self-control perseverance, and to perseverance godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love" (2 Peter 1:7). I was blessed to witness a very kind act today, may it make me a kinder person myself tomorrow. Amen.

P.S. As my first month in Ghana comes to a close today, let me again thank everyone for their support and the kindness extended me thus far on this mission. Also, let me give a shout out to Rev. Bob and Bonnie Parker of Seed Ministry who now have a blog of their own. If you are interested in learning more about what goes on here on a day-to-day basis from their perspective, check out their blog at: http://seedministry.blogspot.com/


 

Funny Words

I'm continuing my Dagbani lessons. I had completely forgotten how difficult it is to learn a language, especially when the language isn't based on Latin or Greek like most languages I've tried to learn before. Dagombas also have 2 additional vowels and three extra consonants we don't have in English. I would show you them, but I can't figure out how to type the fonts on my laptop.

There are very, very few Dagbani words that sound anything like their English equivalent. Usually when the words do sound alike it is because the item wasn't here before the Europeans came, and so rather than come up with a new word, they just use their own equivalent pronunciation of that word. For instance, church is chuchi, school is sikuru, and car is loori (like the British English word lorry). Other words appear to be like their English equivalent, but they "getcha." For instance oranges (the fruit) are called leemu (which sounds suspiciously like "lemon," but apparently they don't have lemons here.

Other Dagbani words are a little more difficult. For instance, spider is kpatinariga, coconut is kpakpataŋgara, elbow is kpunkpaŋgua, and our little three-letter word "ant" is tambagiŋga. Other Dagbani words are just downright funny to me. Tomato is kamantoonsi, quickly, as in "come quickly," is yomyoma, hen is noo and housefly is zoo. They have greetings based on the weather, "Ni ti saa" is a common greeting when it is raining (it means, "Sorry for the rain.") and beautiful, poetic parting words, "Naawunini ni pahi ti alaafee," rolls off the tongue doesn't it? It means, "May God give us good health."

I'm still learning, and my seminary students are too. I am giving a test to my Christian Family class on Thursday. While I'm sitting up front looking busy I'll be writing out my Dagbani sentences, and praying for my students. And if they don't do well, I've already got a Dagbani answer for them, "Di galim ma!" (Don't blame me!) For now I will say "Shee alaafee" to you (everything is okay) and "Puhim a ya nima" (good-bye).

First Exam

I gave my first-ever exam today (Christian Ethics). It was an eerie feeling. After taking exams myself for 12 years in elementary, junior and senior high schools, 4 years of college, 3 years of seminary, and then 5 more years of seminary – for the first time ever I was on the "other side" during a test. I did the only thing I knew to do. I sat at my desk in the front of the room and appeared busy, glancing up every so often to try to catch cheaters; or at least to let everyone know I had my eye on them. It felt surreal to be up there! I have waited a long time for that! Ha ha – I had them sweating about the test too, which was fun. Remember all those niceties your teachers used to say as they were passing out an exam like, "Oh…you'll do fine… It's not a big part of your grade… I made the questions easy… This is going to hurt you more than me… etc…"? Well I used several of those today.

Seriously, I think my students did okay; I may need to curve the grades a little, but I think they'll come out alright. Any problems they had were more communication issues (language) than anything else. I give my second exam on Thursday (Christian Family) so we'll see how that one goes.

Other than that, it was another rainy day here. I got some lesson plans done for upcoming classes before watching an old Kirk Douglas movie tonight called "The Big Trees." Bob and Bonnie start south tomorrow for Accra, with a stopover in Kumasi for some business matters. A large mission team comes in this weekend, and another gentleman is coming in who does work with the Mega Voice device along with two pastors who will be helping him translate. We'll have 22 people staying here next week, plus Bob and Bonnie. To make room for all the people, on Friday I'm moving into a small room that was formerly a tool shed because I'm the only "single" that will be here. Thankfully Bob and Bonnie appear to think of me as family now so they don't mind putting me into the room that I have affectionately dubbed "solitary" (they read my blog by the way – love you guys!).

Random stuff, I know; sorry. At any rate, God is good and I'm feeling about 93% up to par now physically. Thanks for the prayers; have a blessed Wednesday!

Spider Webs

Every night when I go to the main house to eat supper it gets dark before I head back towards my house. Darkness comes much earlier here than at home and when it gets dark, it is really dark. I have been surprised several nights walking back to my room that in the brief time since I walked over to eat, industrious spiders have spun invisible webs across the path I have to walk, usually just about head high, coming down from the dark mango trees you have to walk under.

In case you've never had the experience, there's nothing quite like having a huge, sticky spider web envelop your entire head on a dark African night. Honestly, it brings back images of Indiana Jones hacking his way through spider webs as he climbs through caves, only he can see the spider webs and you can't over here at night. Inevitably when Indy turns around there is a huge spider planted right in the middle of his back. Well that's the feeling I get every time I walk through one of the webs over here. For the rest of the night after face-planting in one of these gargantuan webs I rub my head, shoulders and back trying to get the web off (I'm doing it right now as I write this). What's more, the entire time I have the eerie feeling that I'm about to brush a hairy five pound spider off my back [shudder].

I remember a sermon illustration I heard Andy Stanley use once about spider webs. He compared sin to spider webs. He pointed out how sin is sticky like a spider web and how it seems to cling to you when you encounter it. He also pointed out that no one walks through a spider web and then calmly says, "Oh, I must've walked through a spider web." No, you do one of those "get-those-spiders-off-me" dance, or the more common, "get-those-#%$@*-spiders-off me" dance. As with spider webs, you can never seem to get all the sin off of you. Every time you do you find another strand on your glasses or on your sleeve, or somewhere. And honestly, I have never seen webs as sticky as the spiders here in Africa spin. Maybe it's because the webs aren't dry yet when I walk through them; but you don't think you're ever going to get it all off.

Oh well, after writing this now, I'm going to have to go take a shower because now I really feel like I have spiders on me; perhaps even little spider babies or spider eggs… I'll never get to sleep if I don't. In the meantime, the next time you encounter sin, think about it like giant African spider webs on dark African nights and give it a wide berth; steer as far around it as you possibly can.

Sunday Night Reflections

My little house; my "home away from home."

It was beautiful, sunny, and dry in Tamale today. I had a light schedule, preaching at Faith Baptist Church again this morning and then relaxing this afternoon at the Seed Ministry compound. Tonight I ate a light supper with Bob and Bonnie (I'm beginning to feel like their fifty-something son who never moved out) and now I've retreated to my little house to blog, read and go to bed.

I had a long talk with Donna on the telephone today, which always revives my spirits. We've been dating since we were fifteen and in the almost forty years since we've never been apart for this long. I know a few guys who might relish the thought of being away from their wife for an extended period of time, but not me – I miss her so much! She is my best friend and my hero and I love her more than anyone on earth. But I am enjoying my work here; and I'm praying it will be fruitful.

There are a few things I do miss over here besides Donna, just in case you're wondering. I miss the rest of my family, my morning Starbucks run, my fast internet connection, watching football on TV, my Saturday night steak dinners, and going to church and worshipping the way I'm accustomed to worshipping. I miss hot showers and ice and being able to use all the features of my Blackberry, which is reduced to little more than a clunky telephone over here.

But I know when I come home I will miss Africa. Everything here is so amazing; the best way I know to describe it is that it is like life suddenly shifting from black-and-white to color. Remember in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy opens the door to her house after the tornado drops it down in Oz? It's kind of like that. It's a whole new world where everyone is outside a lot and people actually interact face-to-face. It's a land of beautiful sunrises and sunsets that fill the huge African sky, followed by dazzling stellar canopies with more stars than you'll see in a lifetime in most parts of North America. It's a place filled with exotic birds, weird fish, and strange-looking lizards. Africa has larger-than-life rivers, and trees with canopies so large they could hold an entire village of tree houses.

I still have a lot of time over here to enjoy God's beauty; and lots more people to get to know and learn from and to share with. I'm excited about what God has in store this week. May your Monday, and your week be a blessed one!

God’s Story

I spent my Saturday morning teaching Bible Club leaders a portion of "God's Story: From Creation to Eternity." I loved interacting with these dedicated leaders. Seed Ministry has 168 Bible Clubs for children and youth in the Northern Region. These Bible clubs meet once a week and the leaders teach the club members the Bible. The current curriculum being used is God's Story, a DVD about the Bible starring the voice of Dean Jones (of Disney fame). Seed Ministry has shown this movie in many villages, along with the more famous Jesus Film.

Recently Bob and Bonnie became aware of a technology that actually comes out of Israel called "Mega Voice." A Mega Voice player is about the size of a cell phone and each one has the complete soundtrack of the God Story both in English and in Dagbani (with other languages being recorded all the time). The Bible Club leaders use these players to learn the Bible better, plus they can play portions for their clubs in their native language. In a predominantly oral culture, Mega Voice players are fantastic evangelism tools.

This morning, in addition to teaching the Bible, we distributed these players to some of the Bible Club leaders and their helpers. Most of the leaders arrived today on their bicycles and the average distance they traveled one way was 20-25 miles. I learned at supper tonight that one leader rode his bike almost 60 miles just to receive his player and to be taught. Talk about commitment! These men and women are incredible and I was honored to serve them today.

By the way, the goal is to eventually have at least one Mega Voice player per Bible Club. So far Bob and Bonnie are about halfway there. The players (pictured above) cost $50 each, if you are interested in sponsoring a club, just shoot me an email and I'll get you in touch with Bob and Bonnie.

Tomorrow morning I am back at Faith Baptist. It is always a good sign when a church invites you to come back and preach again, so I am grateful. I figure they must be pretty desperate or else they are gluttons for punishment. :) I'd love your prayers for the service. Meanwhile, God bless you and yours as you go to your church to worship our amazing, wonderful, awesome God tomorrow.

Needs Versus Wants

A lesson I relearn every time I come to Africa is the distinction between our needs versus our wants. Back home everyone thinks they need a car of their own, a nice house with every utility imaginable (including cable TV, or a satellite dish, and high-speed internet), three big meals a day, a great education, the best doctors and medicines, and more furnishings and clothing than one could possibly use or wear in a lifetime.

When you land in Accra, Ghana's capital, you find a relatively modern city and all of the above can at least be obtained there; though very few can afford them. The further you move from Accra, however, the less and less these things are available, and the less and less you even see them. Ultimately, of course, you get to the village level in Ghana, where there isn't even electricity or running water, although the people do have a roof over their heads and something to wear and eat. The people there may have to spend hours each day just to fetch water and eke out a subsistence diet from the ground, but at least the possibility is there.

I think of this as I take my cold shower every morning (we have no hot water here); at least I have a shower and I'm not bathing in a stream or from a bucket. I think of this riding my motorbike as I zoom past people who are walking or riding their bicycles – some of them trekking 8-10 miles a day, one way, to work or school. I think of this in the morning when I pass women cooking poko (porridge) alongside the street over open fires as hungry school children stand by with cups in hand ready to get their breakfast.

Let's face it; what do we really need to live? Not much really. Once the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and Jesus gave what I believe are the only things we really need:

"Give us this day, our daily bread…" – Provision (food, shelter, clothing)
"And forgive us our trespasses…" – Forgiveness
"And lead us not…" – Guidance
"But deliver us from evil…" – Salvation

Red, yellow, black or white… rich or poor, developed or developing – we all have the same four needs, and Jesus taught us the place to find them; from God, who we are supposed to ask for them from.

I did not write this to make you feel guilty. I feel guilty enough for all of us with everything I have, even over here. I say this to remind us how blessed we ALL are to have a heavenly Father who cares for us and who has promised to meet every one of our needs (provision, forgiveness, guidance and salvation) from his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Do you trust him to meet all your needs today, or are you still striving to earn what he has already promised and given? Take a moment before you go to bed tonight to ask him to meet your needs, and then thank him because he's already doing just that… we are so blessed!

Naa

There is a Dagbani word that I love to hear Dagombas speak – it's the word "naa" The best equivalent for naa would be the English word "fine" or "okay," or even "great." When someone greets you here with good morning (dasiba), good afternoon (antire), or good evening (aninwula), the normal response you would give is "naa," which is to say, "My morning/afternoon/evening is fine/okay/great." When you give the response, you are also expected to slightly bow your head and shoulders as you say naa as a sign of respect for the one you are speaking with.

Thankfully for me as I struggle to learn Dagbani, "naa" can be said at almost any point in any conversation and you're good. When someone says a word, phrase or sentence you don't understand, if you just bow slightly and say "naa" you're usually okay. You'll get some odd looks sometimes when you do, but like I said, the word almost always fits. Stated another way, if you only learn one word to say in Dagomba land, "naa" is your word.

What's funny to me is how the same word, in English, means pretty much the opposite: "How are you feeling? Nah…"
"Did you enjoy your lunch today? Nah…"
"Are you a happy camper? Nah....." See what I mean?

If you've been reading this blog the past couple of days you know I'm feeling pretty yucky (euphemistically speaking) right now. What with sickness, extra struggles planning my teaching, stress about whether my students are actually even learning anything, and now a goat to worry about for heaven's sake – I'm frazzled! I'm letting myself get too busy and worked up about things to relax and bask in God's grace, or to enjoy the beauty of Ghana, or to delight in the company of her people. I've had too much of a "nah" attitude lately and not enough of a "naa" attitude.

Perhaps you've been feeling "nah-ish" yourself lately (instead of naa-ish). If so, here's a passage I read the other day to encourage you:

"Even youths grow tired and weary,
even young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord will
renew their strength. They will soar
on wings like eagles; they will run
and not grow weary, they will walk
and not faint." Isaiah 40:30-31

NAA !!!

 

Goat Gift

Our new goat!!

Yesterday Bob and I received a gift from the father of one of my students at the seminary; our very own goat. The father wanted to express his thanks for what we're doing to help his son.

This all happened yesterday while I was at school. Bob got a call that the student's brother wanted to see us and so he told the brother to drive on out. A little while later the man drove up with a goat strapped over the back of his motorbike. The goat's feet were tied together, and Bob said when the guy got off his motorbike he picked up the goat like a suitcase and handed him to Bob. Bob said couldn't help but laugh as they untied the animal and the goat tried to walk; talk about dizzy!

This culture is very much a gift-oriented culture. Any and every thing you do is greatly appreciated and expressions of thanks are freely given and always gratefully received. And so, for now there is an addition to our Seed Ministry family and our new little friend will be allowed to roam the compound to his heart's content. As for his future? Well that is currently up in the air. Come what may, you can be assured that no harm nothing inhumane will happen to the critter. I will say this however; we definitely won't be giving him a name, or getting too close to him if you know what I mean…

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Taking a cue from one of my favorite "spaghetti westerns," today (Tues.) was a day that I would characterize as "the good, the bad, and the ugly."

The good was definitely the weather. Today felt exactly like the first day of fall should feel. Cool, highs in the low 80's, sunny, and no rain for a change. Also on the good side, I got a few encouraging emails from supporters, and Royal didn't stall once as we charged through the slowly diminishing potholes along Sognayilli Road on the way to and from school.

The bad was my teaching experience today. I felt great about what I had prepared. I worked on it all day yesterday, prayed over it, memorized it, and even came up with a few catchy, Ghanaian-friendly illustrations for my points. But I knew I was in trouble the minute I entered the classroom. Every single student had his chin in his hand and several looked like they were already snoozing before the class even began. I deliberately started with great enthusiasm, hoping my energy would rub off, but to no avail. How bad was it? I actually had a student ask me a question in class, and then as I stood beside his desk answering him, he nodded off! What's more, this happened twice today. How in the world can someone ask a question, and then fall asleep with the teacher standing there talking to them? I was amazed. Rather than embarrass the student(s), I just keep answering, staring at their eyelids, hoping they would somehow rally and wake up, but neither did. It was so bad…

The ugly part of my day is my stomach. I had an episode a few days ago and took Cipro for two days which seemed to deal with whatever parasite is involved. But today things got real ugly; I'm talking things going north and south if you know what I mean. Whew, how draining! But not to worry; I started back on Cipro tonight and hopefully will get some quick relief again.

I suppose this is just another friendly reminder from the Lord that "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33). I've just got to cling to the rest of that verse tonight as I try to rebound, "…but take heart! I [Jesus] have overcome the world." Thanks be to God!

Lesson Plans

Ever since we've been married I've heard Donna talk about making up lesson plans. I have to admit I had no idea how much work that involved until now. I'm not sure why preparing them is so difficult for me, you'd think after fifteen years of writing sermons it wouldn't be that difficult for me, but for whatever reason, it has been. Today, for example, I started early this morning was at all day long and well into the night. Hopefully as I find my rhythm the process of getting prepared to teach each day will get easier.

Since I'm brain dead from staring at my computer screen all day, I won't even attempt to come up with something creative or thought-provoking to say tonight (it's almost midnight here). Instead, let me use this opportunity to thank everyone who has been so encouraging since my "dark night of the soul" a few days ago. Everyone has been so supportive and kind. The advice many of you gave was to take what I was feeling to the Lord and allow him to bring me out of the desert. I have been doing that, and God has gently restored me. My physical health is better, and I feel better emotionally and spiritually as well.

I also learned some things in the process. For instance, I learned that my loneliness is somehow linked to my desire to live completely for God. I want to live for him and him alone so badly, but when I do that – or what feels like doing that – I get lonely and depressed. The solution, at least for me, may be to find a way to live for the Lord while staying in communion with others at the same time. Restated, I don't think I would make a very good hermit, even though I often fancy that I would.

Turning to God for healing also showed me how unwilling I am to let go of my desire to control my life. I realized I have been holding on to this imaginary power by looking to future events and outside gratifications instead of living fully in God's presence and letting him satisfy me. For example, I have been doing my best to distract myself from what I am really feeling and experiencing while I am over here by imagining what I might do when I return from Africa. What I need instead is to simply be still before the Lord.

And so as I go to bed tonight, my prayer is that I will be quiet and listen for God, and have the faith to believe that his grace is sufficient for me today; and that tomorrow he will guide me and protect me and provide for me, because that's the way to true joy, peace and freedom.

Faith Baptist

I preached at Faith Baptist Church this morning. Like a circuit-rider of old I rode my noble steed, "Royal" (the make of my motorbike, which I have named like my horse) to the church. When I arrived Sunday School was underway. Most Ghanaian churches have an hour-long "one-room" Sunday School class for all ages in the sanctuary prior to the worship service (not unlike country churches in America). Rev. Abraham Mahama, the pastor of Faith Baptist taught today and I enjoyed his teaching.

After Sunday School we went straight into the worship service which consisted of a lot of singing, dancing, and special music by both the newly named "Wonderful Singers" children's choir and the youth choir. After a few announcements Pastor Abraham introduced me as a "great theologian who has come to us all the way from America to preach" among other accolades. Introductions are really big here; and people exaggerate a lot! While concluding his extensive introduction of me Pastor Abraham told the parents there to make sure their children were attentive and if not to correct them at once. He also pointed out a woman in the back with a switch who would keep the back section of the church in order, and Moses, a young man in his 20's who had the other door covered; just in case any children should get out of line. Abraham added that if any adults wanted to have a conversation they should go outside as well. He clearly wanted the church's full attention during the preaching.

It is very interesting how direct and specific such instructions usually are in churches here. Last week as Pastor Gabriel was introducing me at Sognarigu-Kukuo he also warned the people to listen. He spoke very forcefully and concluded by telling the mothers there that if their babies got fussy they were to "Give them the breast!" (his exact words). And, as always happens here, several did exactly that as I preached.

As for the sermon from this "great theologian from America," well, in preaching parlance I would say that I struggled a bit on the take-off, which I attribute to getting used to my translator, but then it got a little better. Honestly though, I also struggled with the landing. That's the thing about a good sermon; it takes all three for a really good one: A smooth takeoff, a soaring middle, and then a soft landing. The way I look at it, I did okay today, despite the bumpy ride. I even taught them the chorus of Aaron Shust's "My Savior My God" after I preached, and if my singing doesn't frighten folks nothing will.

At 12:41 the service ended and the people filed out of the hot building with smiles on their faces and a spring in their step. Keep in mind that most of them (and it was a full house) had been there 3 hours and 41 minutes. What's more they were there without water, rest rooms, soft seats, air-conditioning, nurseries, PowerPoint, and many other "essentials" for people like you and me. As I drove away, dodging cavernous mud holes on old Royal, I too had a smile on my face and a song in my heart; grateful for the chance of sharing a few hours today with the beautiful Jesus-loving people of Faith Baptist.

Wherever You Go

Being so far away from home has been a little more difficult for me the last couple of days. I have a stomach bug of some kind and I've let myself get run down physically. That, coupled with the initial rush of excitement of being back in Africa waning, and the realization that I've only just begun my journey here has resulted in a state of melancholy descending upon me like a thick cloud. As if that weren't enough to get me down, there are real clouds here – it's raining again.

I'm taking Cipro to handle the bug, but they don't make a pill that can help with the emotional turbulence I'm experiencing. The truth is I often struggle with being content. I'm reminded of the old country music song that says, "Wherever you go, there you are." The point of the song is that if you are basically an unhappy person, changing locations won't help (at least not for long). Likewise, if you are unhappy in your marriage, or in your job, or with your church – the problem may not be with "them," but with you. Happiness – a personal sense of well-being and peace – is an inside job. Externals won't provide it; in fact they can't because that's not how God meant it to be.

Last night I took great comfort from Psalm 63. This Psalm was written while David was alone and hiding out in the barren desert of Judah. He was pining for home, for his own bed and home cooking, and his wife. But what he was missing were actually symptoms of a deeper need he had; his need for God. As he recites this Psalm, which is essentially a prayer, you can sense the truth dawning on him that what was missing from his life could not be filled by human companionship, or by going home, or by anything else. Nothing that is, except for God.

"O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water…"

The Psalm then turns to praise…

"Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you. I will praise you
as long as I live, and in your name I will
lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied
as with the richest of foods; with singing
lips my mouth will praise you…"

If you woke up this morning feeling lonely, weary, stressed, or thirsty for something missing in your life, remember this: wherever you go, there you are. You need a change on the inside. Turn to God and trust him to help you. When you do, perhaps you'll discover what David did – and what I did last night; that your sorrow can turn to joy, and that your tears will give way to joy and praise as you enter God's presence and are transformed.

Express Yourself

One of the great things about Ghanaians besides their warm hospitality, beautiful smiles, and kindness, is their wonderful ways of expressing themselves. Ghanaians express their personalities in their clothing, in their manner of speech, and in many other colorful ways. One of my favorites involves their liberal use of what they refer to as "signboards."

Most businesses here are small, independent "mom and pop" type stands. There are very few chain stores in Ghana, and definitely no Wal-Marts. Most stores specialize in just one product: a butcher stand, a cloth shop, fresh foods, minutes for your cell phone, rebuilt clutches and brake pads, etc… A few are what are known as "cold-stores," which means they offer cold drinks too. One of the ways these merchants express themselves and differentiate their shops from the other stores along the roadside is by coming up with great names for their stores. As you drive around you see great signs and names; ones that make you want to stop in to meet the owner.

The two photos accompanying this post are a couple of my favorites so far, the "Jesus is Alive" tea stand, and the "To Be A Man" clutch and brake lining shop. Many of the signs are religious in nature; others are a bit less reverent. Bob Parker tells of a store he's seen near Accra called the "Don't beat your wife chop-chop shop."

The classic funk/soul single of the seventies urged us to "Express Yourself;" believe me, Ghanaians know how to do that – and they do it right!

Prayer Call

Since Northern Ghana is primarily Muslim, the adhan, or prayer call rings out five times a day. The calls are recited by the mosque's muezzin in Arabic, even though few speak that language here. They are also very loud, going out over cone-style speakers attached to all sides of each mosque's minaret, the Islamic equivalent of our church steeples. Since there are numerous mosques in the village Seed Ministry is located in, and since Muslims follow strict times for mandatory prayer every day, when one muezzin starts up it seems they all do. This results in a cacophony of sound. Only occasionally can you make out the traditional "Allah Akbar" (God is great).

I suppose these prayer calls could be seen as a source of irritation for those who have no faith, or a distraction to those like myself who believe in the Jewish/Christian God versus the God of Islam. Personally, I've adopted the strategy of using the local prayer calls as my own reminder to stop and pray no matter what I'm doing. After all, the main purpose of the loud prayer calls five times a day is to bring God to the forefront of every believer and non-believer's mind within earshot. I figure why not use that reminder to bring to mind my own faith in God. No, I don't wash up, or spread out a prayer rug, or even face east like my Islamic brethren. Instead I just pause wherever I am and pray my own prayers of thanksgiving, supplication, intercession, and praise.

I suppose everyone bumps into things practically every day that could be viewed as sources of distraction, or even irritation. Let me encourage you today to turn whatever irritants or distractions you are facing, whether they are something as exotic as a prayer call in a foreign land, or something as mundane as you can't get a signal on your cell phone right this second, into something powerful and useful for both yourself and others like prayer. You'll be glad you did.

Rainy Wednesday

Today was another washout in Tamale. A big rain woke us all up last night about 2:30am and then it rained off and on all day. This is the rainy season, after all, but I must say I'm feeling a little soggy thus far. The rain is also putting a cramp on our ministry plans. A village visit this morning was cancelled because we knew the road there would be impassable. What I did instead was work a little on my message for this Sunday and a lot on my Dagbani.

Learning the language is really difficult; unlike French, German or Spanish, this African dialect sounds radically different from English. On top of that, my brain doesn't soak up new information as well as it once did; it seems to take longer and longer to memorize things. Much of learning a language is just that; memorization. I did find out about a couple more Dagbani resources so I went and got those. While driving there I witnessed my first car/bicycle crash in Ghana (there are bound to be more!). A taxi driver pulled right out in front of a guy and he went flying. People came running out yelling, but the man jumped up and appeared to be fine other than having a bent up bicycle. Watching it happen shook me up though; I redoubled my cautiousness.

My lesson plan for teaching tomorrow is ready to go. Tuesday's classes did not go as well as previous ones have. I'm in some pretty deep topics now that are tough to teach given the language barrier. The problems were solely mine though; my students did very well considering the way I stumbled through the lesson.

Yesterday I got to video Skype with Amy for a few minutes. I was very surprised I could considering how slow my Internet connection is here. It was great to see her though. I also learned I'll be preaching at Faith Baptist this Sunday. The church is near Seed Ministry and it's the one Bob and Bonnie usually attend. The pastor there is a fine man (and former Muslim) named Pastor Abraham. Tonight I watched an interesting DVD called "The Star of Bethlehem." I've watched a variety of DVD's here: Disney classics, Lone Ranger TV shows, "Facing the Giants," "Flywheel," and "Faith Like Potatoes." Watching movies is a good way to wind down in the evening. Thanks again for your prayers for us. Naawuni ni suŋ (God bless you).

Dagbani

Since I'm going to be in Ghana longer this time, I have been working on learning the language of the people in and around Tamale. The people here are called the Dagomba, and their language is called Dagbani. Apparently there are approximately 500,000 Dagbani speakers in Northern Ghana and among emigrants in the south and in neighboring countries of Ghana.

I am not really sure why I want to learn to speak their language so badly. I do know that they love it when you speak to them in their native tongue; it honors them. Plus there are things you can say in Dagbani that don't translate very well into English. Still a third reason is because I love to see them laugh, and believe me, when I slaughter their language, they love it – they howl with laughter!

Since Dagbani is not widely spoken, there are not many resources available if you want to learn it. There are a few, including one small dictionary and a few online resources, but other than that you are pretty much on your own. My strategy for learning Dagbani was to start a notebook of common words and phrases, which I have written out in English. A young man who works here at Seed Ministry named John Haruna then takes my notebook and writes the Dagbani words and phrases below where I've written them in English. Then we get together every day or two and John pronounces the words and I write them out phonetically below the actual Dagbani writing. Finally, I get John to record each word or phrase on a mini-digital recorder I brought to Ghana for just this purpose. The photo above is of John making one of these recordings in my room.

I am not very far along in the process, but every now and then I surprise my students at the seminary by trying to say a sentence in Dagbani like, "Please! Take your seats!" This usually comes out something like, "Please, grasp your buttocks!" (or something silly like that). The guys love it – and like I said, I love seeing them laugh. So everyone enjoys themselves. In fact, I suspect that a few years from now my students will remember stuff like that more than they will some of the things I'll teach them about Christian ethics.

Power of Words

Monday at the compound is a quiet day reserved for catching up on administrative details; a day when Bob and Bonnie try not to receive visitors – though it seldom works that way. Today was fairly quiet. I used the day to get all my lesson plans ready for the week. That means when opportunities arise later in the week to go to a village or to teach or preach somewhere, I can do so with a clear conscience knowing I'm not cheating my students at the seminary.

One of the things I studied today had to do with the power of words, especially the words we speak in our marriage and family life. The author of the book I was studying mentioned David's prayer in Psalm 19:14: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (NIV). I often say this short prayer just before preaching, offering whatever I have to say to God to be used by him. But why don't I pray this prayer about the words I say in my marriage or to my family? Why don't I speak this prayer over the thoughts my mind entertains (the meditations of my heart)? In fact, why don't I speak it over everything I say or think? As the Life Application Study Bible notes for this verse ask, "Would it change the way you live if you knew that every word and thought would be examined by God first?"

As another week begins, I am going to do my best to remember to speak this prayer several times a day. I'm going to try to speak it over everything that goes through my mind, and comes out of my mouth. I have a suspicion doing so is going to be a quite a challenge for someone with a mind and mouth like mine; but one well worth the effort. God help me.

Sognarigu-Kukuo

Things went well today in Sognarigu-Kukuo. I drove over after breakfast and went directly to Pastor Gabriel's house this time. I even navigated the huge mud pit near the bore-hole well you have to go around to get to his house without stalling the bike or falling in the mud. A woman was washing her clothes there in what looked like a mud puddle and as I approached she pointed where I should drive to avoid the worst of it. I nodded in appreciation (I didn't dare remove my hands from the handlebars) and made it. As I did I called out "m-puhi a pam!" to the woman (thank-you very much!). I got to the church just as Sunday School was wrapping up and had a few moments to collect my thoughts. Then we began the worship service. After some spirited singing and dancing, a few announcements, and a special song by the youth choir in my honor, I stood and preached about "The Journey of Life" from Genesis 12:1-5 (Abraham's call).

I likened our lives to a journey with a beginning, middle and end. We had no choice over the beginning of our lives nor do we have any choice about the end. Death comes to us all; it's the great equalizer. But we can do something about the middle part of the journey; we have a choice about the path of life we are on right now. I encouraged the people to make sure they were on the right path, which is usually not the well-worn, broad path; because God's path is the only one that will get us where we really want to go. The old, well-traveled path will never deliver the goods. God, on the other hand, always delivers. That's why Genesis 12:5 says, "they set out for the Land of Canaan, and they arrived there" (emphasis mine). It was a great day and the people received the word of God gratefully and with open hearts.

This afternoon I got to exercise a little and do some reading; it was lovely. Tomorrow begins another week. It's hard to believe that this time last week I felt so unsure about my teaching, about the motorbike, and about whether I made the right decision coming over here or not. Goals for next week include doing a lot more work on my Dagbani (I've barely begun that) and spending more time with the Lord and with my studies.

To everyone who had a hand in getting me here; whether financially, or through prayer, or by your encouraging words, I say it again: m-puhi a pam! I can't wait to hear great reports about how God has been working in your lives and in our community while I've been away.

Like Little Children

We had great weather today (Saturday); mid-eighties and sunshine. I took advantage of the weather by heading downtown with Bob and Emmanuel, but our vehicle (a Land Cruiser) broke down so we had to be rescued by Thomas. After lunch I worked on my sermon for tomorrow; I'm preaching at Sognarigu-Kukuo, the church NewSong built last year. After I got what my message prepared, I decided to drive over to the church on my "moto." It took me about three tries to get there, but I finally made it there. I've been to this church several times, but I was never the driver. I always simply got in a vehicle and voila, a few minutes later we were there. It's a whole different world when you are driving yourself, especially in Africa and especially on a motorbike.

This morning Thomas taught the children the story of Jesus getting indignant with his disciples when they tried to keep the children from him. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" Mark 10:14. Children are much more trusting than adults. They just get in the car and ride because they know someone (a parent, teacher, coach, etc…) can be trusted to take care of them. Jesus is teaching here that grown-ups should believe in him with this same kind of childlike faith.

That's what I was thinking about as I drove out towards the church this afternoon. I was praying, "Lord, I don't really know the way, but you do. Please guide me there and get me there safely." And he did. I didn't exactly take the most direct route, but that was more my fault than God's. As you attend your church tomorrow (or Forsyth Family Fest) – thank God that he can be trusted to always care for us and to always get us where we need to go. His mercies are new every morning.

Freaky Friday

Today was an interesting day in Tamale. It began when I got to the breakfast table and was told that the President of Ghana announced yesterday that today would be a national holiday. Can you imagine our President announcing a national holiday the day before it occurs? He called the holiday to observe the end of Ramadan, the Islamic season of fasting and prayer. I received a call from one of my students while I was eating breakfast and he asked if I had left for school yet and I said no, and he said I might want to leave soon because the revelers would probably cause the road to be closed down soon. So, I hurried through breakfast to get off for school.

When I got about half way to school the bottom fell out of the sky; it began raining so hard I could barely see. Keep in mind I am on a motorbike. I pulled over at a gas station that had a lube bay and I pulled directly into the lube bay as if I owned the place. For a few minutes no one came over or said anything to me, then I finally wrestled on a poncho I brought for just such an occasion and I started to leave. As soon as I did, a young man who was one of the attendants came over and said, "You don't need to go!" At first I thought this might be a sign from God, but then I realized what he was referring to is the fact that when it rains over here things are usually just called off because no one wants to walk or ride a bike or motorbike in the rain, and few people have cars. I said to him, "I must go, I am a teacher; my students will be waiting for me." He asked where I taught and I told him, and then he said, "If you must go, let me help you." Imagine my surprise when the young man I had never seen before walked over, knelt down by my bike, and began rolling up my pants legs. As he rolled up the second one he looked up at me and said, "This is how we do it here – your pants will not get wet."

I thanked the attendant and then got back out on the road. The rest of the way it wasn't raining as hard (and the sun was definitely shining in my heart thanks to the stranger's kindness). When I got to the main road there were Muslims everywhere; I've never seen so many people in one place in my life. The police were closing the road as I pulled onto it, but I managed to make it to the seminary. I arrived there safe and sound, a bit damp, but none the worse considering the monsoon and the mob I was in.

The teaching went well today, and the crowds were not as large when I headed home. This afternoon I visited a village about an hour and a half from the compound named Zagua with Bonnie Parker. I mainly worked with the children. Now I'm back in my room and I'm about to watch "Freaky Friday" (the original Disney version) which I purchased at Wal-Mart before I came. Somehow that movie – at least the title – seems to fit today.

I am preaching on Sunday at Sognarigu-Kukuo. I know many of my friends and family will be worshipping at the Forsyth Family Fest in Cumming. I'm praying for that event. God bless you and enjoy your weekend!

Chalk-dust and Tears

Day two of my teaching at the seminary went well. In fact, it went very well. I really got into it today and my four hours of teaching seemed to fly by. It seemed as though one minute I was driving up to the school and the next I was covered in chalk-dust and I had a raspy throat as if I’d been preaching for hours. As I stood there after class, and practically every one of my students came up to help dust the chalk off me (I am a messy board-writer) I found myself smiling from ear to ear. I love what I’m doing here. I love the questions my students ask, I love having to listen well to understand due to the language differences, and I love the ways the Bible comes to life as we learn together.

Today I even found myself choking up a few times as I taught which totally caught me off guard. I assume part of it had to do with the material we are learning. Whenever the Holy Spirit moves (and the Spirit was moving today) my tear ducts get going. I’m also pretty sure that at least part of the emotion I was feeling stems from the joy I felt at finding myself right in the center of God’s will as I teach pastors here in Africa.

A favorite author of mine, Frederick Buechner, explains this notion of calling or vocation by explaining that the kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. In other words, the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.

Don’t get me wrong, right now I miss my family, my home, my food, my bed, and more. But at the same time I am experiencing great joy and I consider it an amazing privilege that God has allowed me to experience this convergence of my deep gladness and the world's deep hunger. My prayer for each of you is that you will find your “sweet spot” one day if you haven’t already. May it be so…

First Day Teaching

My first day of teaching is now under my belt; and I must say it feels pretty good. I arrived at 7:50am after my 15 minute motorbike ride from the compound. Thankfully a student saw me drive up and he opened the gate for me; I hadn't thought about exactly how I was going to get into the campus until I arrived. As I drove in and parked the bike under a tree a second student was on me in a flash to carry my backpack for me into the classroom. I'm glad he did because I had no idea which classroom I was to use.

Rev. John came over to greet me as class began at 8am. My first class had ten second and third-year students, all male, who are from four different people groups and speak as many different languages. Thankfully, all the students are required to speak English, but there were definitely still some communication issues. I introduced myself and then went over the syllabus I prepared for the class. Then we covered the first three parts of our outline: What is ethics? The language of ethics, and Why study ethics? I realized I was speaking too fast at first and that I needed to use the simplest word possible for any concept being discussed. The students were very patient with me (and I with them), so I think everything is going to be fine. Still, teaching theology cross-culturally is going to be a challenge, especially given the discipline's technical jargon. We worked for an hour, and then took a five-minute break followed by another hour of class. The students take their education very seriously here and are definitely eager to learn.

Between classes we had chapel which included prayer, singing and preaching. One of the students delivered an excellent message about Joseph being far from home when he was taken to Egypt, and believe me, I could relate! As the young man preached I realized that with all the resources they have seminaries in the US have many advantages, but preaching-wise I'd put these young Ghanaian preachers up against anyone anywhere anytime.

My second class is also all male and is comprised of four first-year students, many of whom are fresh from the Basic English class taught at the seminary. I was a little worried about having only four students, especially coupled with the fact that their English probably isn't as good, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well they grasped the material (possibly even better than the more advanced class). One of the students in my second class is a young man named James who is currently leading Sognarigu-Kukuo, the church NewSong recently paid to have built. It was great to see him again.

Perhaps my greatest relief about today is that my ride to and from the seminary on my motorbike was uneventful. As they say in movies sometimes, "No women, children or small animals were injured" during my drive to and from school today – Yay! On Thursday I go back for another four hours of class, this time teaching Christian Family Living. Tonight I am addressing the Seedlings, a Bible Club here at Seed Ministry. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Moto Photos

Here are a couple of small photos (due to low bandwidth) of me on my bike. I drove all the way to the seminary this afternoon and made it there and back without incident. Now I’m ready to tackle the drive in the morning during rush hour. Praise God!

Labor Day in Ghana

It's Labor Day in the USA. They don't celebrate the occasion in Ghana, but they have their own share of holidays and celebrations. I hope all of you are enjoying a day's rest from your work. Labor Day officially signals the beginning of fall in my mind. I also think the day after Labor Day is when school ought to resume each year (and it should end on Memorial Day).

School does begin for me the day after Labor Day at the Northern Ghana Baptist Theological Seminary (BGBTS) here in Tamale. Tomorrow morning at 8am I will face my first class and we'll get started. I can hardly wait. I went over to the seminary today to meet with Rev. John just to make sure everything is on "go" and it is. I was told I will have 17 students whom I will teach six hours a day on Tues, Thurs. and Fri. There are two classes a day; one from 8-10am followed by chapel from 10-10:30am, and then a second class from 10:30-12:30. That's not too bad of a schedule. I'll know more about it once I actually roll up my sleeves and get started tomorrow, but for now I'm pumped.

So far on my Labor Day, besides visiting the seminary, I have taken another motorbike excursion. I rode for about 20 minutes, got her up to 44 kilometers per hour, dodged a few more goats, and even bought my first petrol (gas) at a nearby station. I only stalled the bike one time today, which is also a first for me. I'll probably go out again later today, barring further rain. It has rained every day I've been here so far. I have a hunch I'm going to get wet plenty of times driving to and from school on my motorbike. That should be invigorating!

Other stuff going on … I watched a great movie on my laptop last night called "Faith Like a Potato" about a Scotsman who becomes a Christian in South Africa. I borrowed the movie from Bob and Bonnie and it's probably not super available back home, but if you ever get the chance to watch it you should. Also a couple from Kentucky, Phillip and Susan Branan arrived at Seed Ministry today. The Branans conduct marriage enrichment and marriage counseling seminars and they will be going around to local churches for the next 3 weeks teaching. They seem like very nice people. I love being with Bob and Bonnie, but it will be nice to have more people around too.

Enjoy your Labor Day and keep us in your prayers even as I pray for all of you.

Teaching

It's Sunday morning in Tamale. The day has dawned cloudy but cool. The birds are singing outside my window and I can hear the thump-thump of drums coming from a nearby church. The congregation there is a singing a chorus called "Naawuni Vela," which means "God is so good." I just love the enthusiastic, full-voiced singing of Ghanaian believers.

My plan for today is to work on my lesson plans some and then go practice riding my motorbike this afternoon. I'm sure the villagers will enjoy watching me stall the bike out in the huge potholes in the road outside the compound again today. I noticed the crowds on the front porches along the road growing yesterday each time I drove down the road. My Dagbani is still not so good, but I'm pretty sure what they were saying so animatedly as they pointed at me was, "Look, here comes that crazy man on the motorbike again ha ha ha!"

I start teaching on Tuesday. I'm excited about that because it's the reason I came, but it has really been a struggle for me preparing to teach. I'm struggling because a) I've never taught school before, and b) I'm concerned about the cultural differences I'm going to encounter in the ways the students are used to being taught. The seminary gave me total freedom as to how I want to structure and teach my two classes (Christian Ethics and Christian Family Life), which I appreciate, but the perfectionist in me is really in full bloom on this one. What I chose to do was go online and look at syllabi different seminary professors published for their classes. Studying these I found a few books that kept coming up repeatedly, so I purchased those books, used, from Amazon. Since then I've been reading the books, mentally arranging the material as to how I would teach it. Honestly, I think I'll feel a whole lot better after meeting my (hopefully) eager students on Tuesday and getting started (like finally taking that first hit of the football season for those of you who might understand that).

I hope you enjoy your Sunday; use it as a day to remember how much God loves you, and give your family a hug. I'll meet you here again tomorrow.

P.S. I have had numerous requests for a photo of my hot new motorbike. I'll get one up soon; uploading photos here is a major ordeal, but I'll do it shortly.

Motorbike Mania!

Well it is official. I am now a biker. I know many of you have always thought of me as the biker type, but it wasn't until this morning that I actually purchased my first motorcycle. Buying the bike was a real experience. Bob Parker, Emmanuel and I drove to 4 or 5 different places around Tamale that sell bikes. Unlike in the states, the salesmen here didn't really push us, or point out features, or anything. They simply stood by politely and answered whatever questions we had. When the actual decision was made to buy, there was only a little bargaining and just like that, it was done. Buying a pair of sunglasses on the streets of Tamale involves more drama, haggling, walking away, etc… than did buying this motorbike. Go figure!

The motorbike itself, for you aficionados, is a cherry red 150 cc Royal model TYGY150. It came with a red helmet that matches the bike, a rain slicker, and a polo shirt all emblazoned with the "Royal" logo (a crown). I am a dude! I have already taken several short rides on the bike today. Each time I ventured further and further out, moving from the unpaved road Seed Ministry is on, to a two-lane paved road, to an even busier two-lane road that locals actually turn into six lanes. Add in assorted goats, sheep, cows, vendors, bicyclists and small children all wandering around in the road and you get the picture of how scary my first cycling experience was in Tamale.

Believe me, the old foreigner with the white face, brand new red bike and helmet putting along at about 10 mph attracted plenty of attention! Hopefully by Tuesday my biking skills will have improved enough that I'll feel comfortable driving the five miles or so to the seminary without causing too much havoc on the streets of Tamale and without endangering too many people or animals.

It's funny, but what was going through my mind today as I drove around was that doing what I was doing is not something I ever imagined in a hundred years that I'd be doing when I accepted God's call to ministry and went to seminary twenty years ago. It's just not something they teach you in seminary. I guess it's like the old hymn says: "God moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform."

The Real World

This morning (Friday) I went to a local cell phone company and got a USB modem that allows me to connect to the Internet from Seed Ministry, albeit at dinosaur speed. At least I can check email, publish this blog, and access Google in an emergency. Otherwise, I'll be going to one of the many local Internet Cafés to do more serious Internet work.

Our second major errand of the day, looking for a motorbike to buy so I can get back and forth to school, was postponed because of rain. It is the rainy season here in Ghana, which makes everything a luxuriant green color, but which also makes for frequent flooding and power outages because in Africa the rain, like everything else it seems, is always epic – larger than life. Inconvenience and working harder for even the simplest things in life is just part and parcel of life not only here, but in most developing countries. But as the Bible reminds us, this is the world we must live in, not some fairy-tale world where things never stop working, or break, or go awry.

My trans-Atlantic flight over here reached heights of 41,000 feet. Even yesterday on the short puddle-hop from Accra to Tamale we reached 20,000 feet of altitude. Those of you who have flown before know that when you get up that high the sun is always shining, no matter what's going on down below. The tops of the clouds thousands of feet below you look resemble a soft, beautiful cotton quilt. There's no indication that somewhere below those clouds the chaos of "real life" is happening: stormy weather, flooding, people scrambling for a dollar, foreclosures, sickness…etc….

The good news is, even though we can't stay up there above the clouds for long, God has come to us here on earth. Jesus came and walked among us and even today he is here by his Spirit, living in us. That's the main reason I'm here in Africa; to help as many people as possible grasp this truth. I figure training pastors as I'll be doing multiplies this effort. Sitting here on a rainy afternoon in Africa I can truthfully say there's no place I'd rather be – not even floating thousands of feet above the fray.

Day One

I made it up from Accra to Tamale this morning. I got up at 4am and was at the airport at 4:45 for my 6am flight. The flight takes just over an hour on the little 35-seater prop aircraft. I arrived in a rain shower, and Bob Parker was there to meet me. It was great to see a familiar face! We drove to the compound where Bonnie had a tasty breakfast of homemade waffles and local syrup for us to eat.

I’ve spend most of the day today getting my room all set up just like I like it. I am staying in the same small house in the compound that the family and I stayed in back in July. It seems a bit weird being in there without them, but I am going to have quite a bit of study and preparation time for the classes I’m teaching, so I know the uninterrupted time and space will be good for that.

Tomorrow we’re (Bob and I) going to go into town to shop for a motorbike for me to drive to school every day. If nothing else, the sight of an old geezer like me driving a motorbike through Tamale ought to be good for a laugh or two for the locals. We’re also going to run by the seminary so I can check in with them. I will start teaching on Tuesday.

All in all, it’s been a great first day; hopefully after a good night’s sleep I’ll have more energy to face things tomorrow. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words about taking one day at a time and resting in him. I hope you’ll do the same tomorrow.

Made It!

I made it safely to Accra. It seems like I’ve been up forever – I never went to sleep last night; too excited. At any rate, I’m comfortably ensconced in the Airport View Hotel here in Accra, which is the largest city, and the capital of Ghana. After I touch base with a few folks I’ll be hitting the sack because check-in time for my flight to Tamale in the morning is 4:15am.

Thanks for the prayers thus far, and all the encouragement via Facebook, email and texts. It was great on the 11 hour flight from Atlanta to Accra; I had no one sitting in the seat next to me so I could stretch out and set up a mini-office in my little area. Thank-you God! It was just great. I prayed, read, watched a movie (Avatar), journaled, planned, and enjoyed myself. I got all pumped up on the trans-Atlantic flight, but then when I stepped on the tarmac here in Accra all by my lonesome, I felt a little lonely. I whisked through customs, past all the “officials” in the airport who ask to see your ticket, passport, etc… (the trick is to not make eye contact), and the driver from my hotel was standing there with a sign that said, “Airport View Inn – Welcome Dr. Jackson” – awesome!

The photo above is of me in my room here. It is a very nice room with double beds, a mini-fridge, a flat screen TV, and wireless Internet. Nice. I’m enjoying it while I can. Oh well, more later…getting sleepy now. God Bless You!