April 2 – Ghana 2018

Monday April 2 2018

The morning began with some team members taking the opportunity to practice simple ways to communicate the Gospel, including using a paint board or other visuals methods.  A “dress rehearsal” followed for the programs we will be putting on in the schools beginning tomorrow. The program is comprised of a variety of elements, each designed to challenge students with their need of salvation. After a quick lunch the nineteen members of the team left the chapel in six groups, each bound for a different part of the city. It was our first opportunity to engage in street and door-to-door evangelism. Ghana has an abundance of “religion”. There are churches and sects of all sorts in Ghana, and almost everyone the team spoke to was able to give some distorted view of the Gospel and even quote verses that are often used to point people to the Lord. Ghanaian people are extremely friendly and are quite willing to stop what they doing to talk about the Lord Jesus Christ and the way to heaven. However, often their accounts of how to do this indicate that they believe they have to be good and do good works. All six teams reported having excellent opportunities to share the Gospel. Team members also conducted impromptu evangelistic Bible lessons with groups of children they encountered. Many conversations occurred in some of the numerous small subsistence level stores that dot the streets, or under trees, or sitting by the side of the road. While it is necessary here to take people back to the first principles of the Gospel there is certainly no shortage of opportunities to do so. What a difference from the cold Christ-rejecting situation in North America.

In the evening the team held the first of four movies shown outdoors in a large plaza in front of the chapel facilities. Every seat was filled from front to back with people of all ages, including a large contingent of neighborhood children. There were even people watching from the street. The film shown was the story of the nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was paused after the birth scene and the whole audience respectfully listened to a personal testimony from a team member and a 15 minute Gospel challenge. Thereafter the movie resumed and when it ended many people remained to chat and visit.

Please be praying: (1) for safety on the roads – despite Kumasi being the second largest Ghanaian city, North Americans would be hard-pressed to recognize many of the roads as actual roads;  (2) that the Lord would open hearts to the Gospel when the team engages in evangelism on the streets; (3) for the effectiveness of the Gospel witness in the schools, the first of which occurs tomorrow;  (4) for the health of team members. The daily schedule is fully packed and fatigue from the heat and humidity is also a challenge. Some sickness has been experienced, including that of our host, Daniel Webster; and (5) for Priscilla Webster and her sister who are keeping a minimum of 19 persons fed with three meals daily. The Lord has knit the Canadian and Ghanaian team members together into a cohesive unit. We trust that this unity will be maintained and that the accuser of the brethren will not have opportunity to introduce dissension. We look forward with anticipation to continued evidence of the Lord’s working.

Thank you for following along, and for your continued support in prayer.  You can find daily updates, pictures and video from the outreach in Ghana at the eTeam’s Facebook page.