A simple "luxury"

   Ok I have to admit, one thing I knew was going to be difficult for me when we came to Ghana was that I most likely wouldn't be getting to partake in my daily allowance of my favorite source of caffeine. It's difficult to find Mountain Dew here. I have found it in Accra when we have been to the store, but only in single bottles usually. I did find a whole case of it back in May, and that was my birthday present to self. But even so, it tastes different here. It's obviously a different recipe. It's similar to the American "Throwback" version, but not as good.  Still, its a treat to get an occasional bottle.

     But here at the CORM village, days can be long, and its nice to wake up and get a little "kickstart" on the day, so the last time we went to the mall, we bought our first truly "luxury" item....

After 46 years of neglect, coffee has become a close friend! 

Defining Ministry

Last week, as I was walking back home from an evening bible study, I was talking with Stanley, the new school office manager. He is a native Ghanaian, and in addition to working at the school office, he now lives in the house with the older boys here. He is 28, and has a genuine heart for The Lord, and for ministry. It's great to have him be another positive influence on the kids here, especially because of his age, and the fact that he understands the culture. I really like Stanley and enjoy talking with him, and he always asks me questions that make me think. So when he asked me how my view of ministry might have changed since moving to Ghana, I couldn't give him a quick answer, but it has surely made me take a step back and spend a lot of time reflecting on his question. So this is my attempt to answer his question, to share with you what God is doing in my life, and maybe give you a new perspective on what I believe ministry is, and how we approach it.

      One thing that has not changed is how I feel about the assertion that you have to have special training to be a missionary. Prior to us leaving for Ghana, we were often asked if we needed to have "missionary training". I understand the point of this question, and I agree that if you are going to a place where you do not speak their language, you probably need to learn it to be effective. I agree that some cultural training would be helpful. I agree that being trained on how to maintain unity and closeness is helpful for a family going through such drastic life changes. So when someone asks if you need training, the first part of my answer is usually, "Yes, probably." But the second part of my answer is "But we did not." So after being here for 5 months, this is one view of ministry that has not changed much. In fact, I probably believe more strongly about it.

     For those of you who know me well, you know that I have not always followed the traditional "rules" for how things are done. I've learned a lot of things on my own, in my own way. Some things have worked out better than others, but I have never let my lack of knowledge or training stop me from trying to do something. See, I look at the way Jesus called his disciples, and how none of them had any training for what they were called to do. 

               

       "As Jesus walked beside the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were  fisherman. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

                Mark 1: 16-18

    

     These men were working-class and uneducated. Jesus even tells them up front what he wants them to do. To be fishers of men. They didn't even know what that meant- to be fishers of men. This was a term they most likely had never even heard before.  They were some of the least qualified men he could have found to call to ministry, and he used them to change the world. They didn't have formal seminary training. They didn't have cross-cultural education. They didn't take a 6 week course on how to raise support for missions. Jesus simply said "follow me", gave them a couple seconds for the words to process in their brains, and said "Well, are you coming or not?"  

      As "westerners", we set boundaries for what we will or won't do in ministry based on what is comfortable for us, and we draw lines that we believe we cannot cross.

     We say "I'm not trained." Jesus says "trust me...I'll teach you." Remember, Jesus said "I" will make you fishers of men.

     We say "I can't risk my family's security or well being." Jesus says " Who's your father? Will I not take care of my own family?" 

     We say "How will I even get there?" He says "We'll walk if we have to...."  Jesus does not allow room for us to reason our way out of serving. The things that we believe are legitimate reasons for putting limitations on what we can do in ministry, Jesus simply views as excuses.

     If Dawn and I had taken the time to go through all the "training", I wonder if we would even be here. Jesus doesn't stand and wait when he calls us to serve.  He says, " Are you coming or not?"  In Luke chapter 9:57-62, we find Jesus having a conversation with some men who say they will follow him. 

                    

          "As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, " I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied,"Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head."   Luke 9:57-58.

  

    The emphasis is mine, but as I read this, I picture Jesus walking along the road, and as these men were making their claims to follow him, he bluntly tells them what it will cost, and leaves them standing there with a stunned look on their face as he continues to walk on.

      I know that there will be those who will disagree with my thinking on this, and they will use academic reasoning for their disagreement. They will argue that we need to be properly equipped to do ministry, but I have not found any scripture that indicates the freedom to make excuses, even if we think they are legitimate. Unless God specifically says wait, there is a sense of urgency all through scripture. The difficult truth is that Jesus wants reckless trust in him, even when it seems impossible for us. 

      And please understand this. I'm not just writing about foreign missions...us coming to Ghana. I'm talking about inviting your neighbor or co-worker over for dinner when you know they don't know Jesus, but you're afraid, so you make excuses. I'm talking about giving up some of your personal time in order to serve someone else. I'm talking about driving the old car longer and giving the money to someone in need. I'm talking about not saying no to Jesus wherever he asks you to go.

     And this leads me to a part of Stanley's question where I think my answer has changed. 

     When we were preparing to move here to Ghana, I made a conscious effort to avoid the mentality that we could show up and "convert" people to a western way of thinking. I knew enough not to expect people to just forget everything they did and do it "our way". But what has happened is that being here has caused me to view the American church a little differently than when we were there in the middle of it, and I'm starting to understand what ministry is really about. 

     Western Christianity tends to place a huge emphasis on knowledge of doctrines, using big words and unlocking the deeper truths of scripture, and then trying to apply what we know to our everyday lives. Sometimes I think we try so hard to "unlock the secrets" of God's Word that we miss the simple truth it holds. I mean if we are so interested in deeper understanding and application, why is America so messed up? If we as Christians in America are so concerned with attaining a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Christ, why do we show so little of him to others around us who need him. I mean, we go to bible studies, fill notebooks with notes and memorize inspiring quotes from long dead theologians, but never explain the simple gospel to our friends who don't know Jesus. We post all kinds of statuses on Facebook that say "97% of you won't repost this...", or "If you love Jesus, you'll forward this to ten friends...". Really? Please don't misunderstand me. I like learning things and understanding why the Hebrew meaning for a particular word is important. I like to read books and fill my bible margins with lots of notes. I love bible studies and discussing those "deep truths". But if we don't do something with all that, what's the point? Western Christianity is deep in knowledge, high on personal application, but often our personal relationship stays personal.

     And here in Ghana, most people that claim to know Jesus have a very shallow understanding of him. The kids at the school can quote scripture like you wouldn't believe, but many of them have no idea how to apply the truth to their lives. It's common to see taxis that have lettering covering their rear windows that say "Yahweh" or "God is Good" "Trust Him", but the driver will take advantage of you if you have white skin. Businesses use God's name everywhere here (western political correctness isn't an issue here). That's how it is with most people here. People here can pray for hours or enter into deep worship at church, and still have very little understanding of who the God of the bible even is, let alone live a transformed life. Most of their church experience is based on tradition and religion, with little emphasis on relationship.

     In America, the mark is application and depth, but often ends up being a weak faith that leads to apathy. Many Christians just don't care about others the way the bible says we should. And here in Ghana, there is often great faith, but very little practical application or change, so people don't live transformed lives. They still mistreat each other, abuse their kids, have 6 kids by three different men or constantly bail out on their wife and children. Doesn't really sound much different then the U.S. huh? Whether we know what we should do and choose not to, or don't know Him well enough to allow Him to change us, we still end up in disobedience.

      So to answer Stanley's question, I guess the way I view ministry now has changed quite a bit, and it's still changing. I'm absolutely not concerned with numbers of conversions. I don't know if I'll have any first time conversions to count. But there is a great need here. Children who need love. Kids and teachers who desperately need discipleship, so that they can truly know the Jesus they claim. I believe that is where the conversions will happen. The kids and the adults that I am able to disciple will be the ones who will be a far greater influence on the communities they live in than I can be. I spend most of my time as a teacher at the school, or discipling and loving the kids here at CORM. It's not really what I expected to be doing. I don't really know what I expected to be doing, but it's what Jesus has called me to. Now that I see some of these things from a different perspective here, I find myself also thinking about how my ministry can affect those of you at home. That's why I'm writing this. This isn't for the people here to read. In fact, I don't know if anyone here will. And I find myself thinking about how what I've learned here can be used in my ministry when we are home. 

       And finally, I think the way I would define the word ministry has changed a bit. When we are transformed through Jesus living in us, we learn what it really means to love others. We learn what "making disciples" really means. We learn what obedience and trust really is. Ministry is simply what we do with what we know. That means if you know Jesus, you have a ministry too.

Cayle

A Trip to Market

The girls and I have wanted to purchase some fabric to have a couple dresses made for each of us. Stacy said the best place to find nice fabric was at market, so we asked Stacy and Auntie Lucy (who goes there every two weeks to purchase all our food supplies) to go along and lead us in the right direction. It was quite an experience!  

First, we had to find a way there as Johnbull needed the car. With 6 of us, there was no room in a taxi for all of us. Auntie Lucy negotiated with a tro-tro (similar to a van/small bus) driver, he agreed to take us, wait for us and take us back home for 50 cedis (around $25 U.S. money). It's about a 15 mile trip from Afieyna (where we rented the tro-tro) to the market in Tema.The traffic is congested enough in that area to give me nightmares and takes about 25 minutes to make the trip. Imagine taxis, tro-tros, and personal cars honking, darting in and out of traffic, trying to avoid pedestrians and trying to park. Small roadside/vendor stands (not much more than wooden shacks, really) line the roads once you hit the market area. 

Once we parked, we were off and running. Auntie Lucy is quick, knowing the exact area of the market to find the fabric vendors. We weaved our way through the outer edge of the market area, around people carrying containers on top of their heads, men moving 100 lb. bags of rice with wheel barrows, and other shoppers. The booths are compact, about a 6 ft. square area, and there is no space between them. Vendors call out, asking you to come see what they have in their booth. Some of the smells that fill the air around you: fresh cut meats (hanging out in the open) - everything from cow legs to intestines, fish- whole, dried fish everywhere, fresh fruits - oranges, pineapple, avocado, watermelon, body odor - it's hot and there are so many people in such a small area. There were many other smells that I couldn't identify because they blend together to make a smell that is unique to market. To say that we stood out would be an understatement! I think we drew more looks there than we have in awhile. 

The fabrics, though....booth after booth of beautiful, colorful fabrics!! Linens, cottons, lace...you name it, they had it! It didn't take long for us to find fabrics that we wanted. The vendors were so helpful and I was so glad to have Auntie Lucy along to give us advice on prices and help with any other questions we had. Kassidy was not fond of market, as she was so worried that we would lose each other in the crowd. I have to say it wasn't a place I would enjoy going on a regular basis. It made me so thankful for Auntie Lucy, for the job she does, not only cooking for the children's homes, but for the job of going to market and getting all of our needed supplies! The experience stretched me out of my comfort zone, but I'm glad for a chance to get to experience more of the culture we live in, with the safety net of Auntie Lucy, of course!  

Spiritual Gifts

During the week prior to school starting, all of the teachers spent each day going through training classes, team building exercises, and just getting to know each other and preparing for the coming school year. We took a series of surveys that helped each teacher discover what kind of a learner they are. There were words like "concrete sequential" and "abstract random". A lot of it seemed abstract to me, but it was good, and I learned. We found out what kind of personality types we are, and learned what our top love languages are. All of these things helped me immensely with my understanding of teaching, since I come from a perspective that contains zero classroom teacher training or experience! 

But the thing that I found most interesting, from a ministry perspective, was when we took a spiritual gifts test. Now I have taken several of these over the past decade or so, so I pretty much knew what to expect from my answers. A few things have changed a bit, especially given the life changes my family and I have experienced in the past year, but for the most part, my giftings landed pretty much where I expected them to. Here is what I didn't expect. When we shared each others top spiritual gifts, of the 19 Ghanaians in the room, 13 of them had "Faith" as one of their top two gifts. Immediately, I started wondering how that ratio would play out if we were taking that test with 19 Americans, where we live our lives predicated on our own materialistic wants, and if we need something, we go to the store and buy it. These folks come from a way of life that often requires them to trust God for their next meal. Its no wonder faith is a strong characteristic for them. Just something to think about.

Cayle

First Day of School

Today is the first day of school for the new school year. Its been really awesome to see all the changes that have taken place at the school. As I sit writing this, I can look out the same door as I did 8 weeks ago and the view is completely different. The last view I had from here was of a block foundation with several workers pouring concrete by hand to create a floor. The vision of a completed building seemed so far away. But as I look across today, I see  a nearly completed new wing. There is still some work left. A couple of the rooms are not painted yet, and there is no electricity connected in them yet, but they are otherwise complete and functional. There is an administration office and a computer lab at the end. There is still a ways to go till they are complete. One of the needs still to be met is for the computers and equipment to make the lab functional, but God has been and IS faithful.

But what a transformation from just a couple months ago! Not only is the building usable, but there is also a smooth gravel courtyard and a wall and entrance gate where there had been weeds and dirt piles and scrap wood. Now the morning assemblies can be held right in the center of the school, instead of outside the school on the basketball court. The kids were very excited when they arrived this morning! Last year, there was around 180 students here at Faith Roots International Academy. This year, that has increased to 220. The teaching curriculum has expanded and improved as well. For Dawn, Carissa and I, this has brought more responsibilities as well, but we are excited for what the new year holds. Carissa will be the full time librarian and helping with creative arts. Dawn will be doing reading in all of the classes, a well as teaching history and geography in the lower multilevel class. I will be teaching creative arts in the general classes, a European art history class for the upper multilevel, and a class called The Truth Project, which is a Biblical world view class, to the upper multilevel grades as well.

God has been so faithful in providing for the school, and the vision for FRIA continues to grow. It is truly amazing to see and be a part of the transformation that continues here at the school. God is Good!!

Cayle

Dirty Feet

  So one of the things I've learned here in Ghana is that is that you can't go anywhere without getting your feet dirty. Unless you live in the nicer part of the city where its paved, its just a fact. You're going to have dirty feet. And it truly is different than where we came from in Ohio. Since its always warmer here, unless you are playing football, sandals or flip flops are the standard footwear. Some of the boys even play football barefoot. Not me. I can't even walk across the drive barefoot without tiptoeing and dancing around. They say I have soft feet, and I guess it's true. So anyway, if you've done much walking, by the end of the day, you're usually pretty filthy from the knees down. The dry dirt and dust just seems to attract to your skin like metal filings to a magnet. When I get done playing football with the boys and I go back and take off my shoes and socks, my ankles and lower legs are so dirty it looks kinda like I just put on a new pair of white socks! When you are walking on the dirt roads or a path, you can feel the dirt and dust hitting your legs and feet as it gets kicked up with each footstep. My mind started recalling certain passages I have read in scripture.

   

       Luke 10:11- "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near."

      John 13:5 -Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

    And then I noticed something else. If you walk close enough behind someone else, you feel the dirt and dust that they kick up with every step.  I thought about commentaries and history that I've studied that talked about how the Talmidim, or young "Rabbi in training" would try to do everything that their rabbi would do. They acted like him, they talked like him, and they walked where he walked. To the point even, that they would try to be "covered in his dust".

     So in more ways than one, being here in Africa is giving me a new context by which to view life. The thought occurred to me that the dirt here in Ghana is probably not much different than it was in Jesus' neck of the woods, as he walked the dusty roads of Samaria and Judea and Galilee. And as I watch the dirt and grime run off when I  wash my feet under the faucet, I think about Jesus washing his disciples feet. The disciples knew what it meant to "shake the dust from your feet"...literally. And they understood why washing feet was both nasty and necessary. They also understood what it was like to walk in his footsteps. To go where he went and walk closely with him. 

     So I have a different view of dust from here... And I have to ask... Are YOU willing to walk so closely with Jesus that you feel the dust from his feet?

Cayle

A New Year!

Our new term at Faith Roots International begins on Tuesday! Our students will be so surprised when they return. What was only a floor and a few walls when they left, is now a nearly completed new wing! The construction crew has been working very hard to have things ready. Looking forward to a new start and some exciting changes. We have Auntie Janet who will be in the classrooms daily working on English language skills. We have been learning so many new things in training this week: dominant learning styles, personality types, spiritual gifts, and love languages. Learning which teachers are which traits, etc. so we can learn to build each other up as staff and learn to watch and teach in a way that will be effective for our students. It's been a fun and busy week. Please pray for our teachers, aides, staff and students as we begin a new school year next week!