We thought the funeral was going to be tomorrow until Steve called Bro. Samuel’s daughter earlier this week. She said that there was a memorial service for him tonight from 7-9pm. We got to Kumasi around 2:00. The traffic was terrible! I wanted to do a little “shopping” at the Cultural Center! It probably took us an hour to get through Kumasi. They were doing lots of construction work which did not help the traffic problem plus they displaced the market vendors. That might not sound like a very big deal but at one time this market was the largest open air market in West Africa. It was estimated to cover 65 acres which also included the bus stations. It was not a place you want to wander around without a guide! The city planners tore down all the shanties and cleared the land. Now the vendors are scrambling for small pieces of land to set up shop again. They were marking their spots with pieces of colored plastic, cloth and wooden pegs. It was a wonderful sight; thousands and thousands of people as far as you could see. It looked like a scrap quilt. I took some pictures but they will not do the scene justice.
As soon as we got to the hotel at 4:30 we ordered Red some supper and we headed up the street to a restaurant. We wanted to get supper early because we did not know how long the evening funeral service would take. We got to Bro. Samuel’s house just as the body was arriving. They have kept the body in the morgue since he died a couple months ago. After the hearse left we pulled in the drive to unload the yams and beans. The ladies were very happy with the yams. We spent a few minutes greeting Sister Comfort and the children. Four of their children got to come home for the funeral. Two of their children live in the US and one lives in the UK. There were lots of grandchildren there too.
The service was nice but very long. They said that 700 + people for this part of the funeral. Imagine 700 people in a church building that is not air conditioned with a temperature close to 100 degrees. Need I say more? We were hot!
If we want to participate in all the activities tomorrow we could get up at 3:30 and be at the funeral ground for the prayers but we think we will by-pass that part of the funeral and arrive at 8:00 for the viewing of the body and the morning service. We will not go to the grave side either; it is usually just the family that attends that portion. When the family comes back from the grave side there will be another service and food will be served to the guests. We thought that Saturday would be the end of the funeral for us but when we were visiting Sister Comfort this evening she said that she had a shirt made for Steve and a dress made for me that matched the outfit she made for herself so we could all wear them together for the “thanksgiving memorial service” on Sunday. We had planned on attending church at the new congregation we visited last month but we would not hurt her feelings for anything in the world, after all this is her day! Whatever helps comfort her is what we will do. We talked to one of the young ladies from the new church and she said that they were all going to be with her on Sunday too which made us feel better.
Take care and thank you for all the prayers.
In His Service,
Steve and Kandie
