Hoodooed again into writing the notes. Kandie has decided it would be more efficient if someone writes the notes while she does something else. Got in late tonight from the night service so this is a crash course on how not to write on an empty stomach (though we are snacking at 8:45 pm) and tired eyes. So here we go.
Got up this morning and thought it was wash day, staying around Yendi and then going out tonight for night preaching. Plans change on a dime here. We were informed that it was not a wash day, but travel day to shop in Tamale. How does one go from washing to shopping? Traveling calls and time is of the essence.
Anyway, into the van for the 90 km drive to Tamale over 263 speed bumps and run around Tamale to fulfill the mission for the day. Steve took his printer to be inspected and repaired to a man in Tamale so that he could finally make copies. After dropping it off, he learned that it needed toner (no brainer there) and some other adjustments. He decided to pick it up next week when we are passing through Tamale.
One specific village, Sambu, that we drove through going to Tamale had market day today and it was a sea of people and goods on both sides of the road. Forget the speed bumps, just get through a major commerce center of a village with the main highway running directly through it and call it a success that no one got run over. Steve said the other day to me that one of the great culture shocks he still has in Ghana is the driving. There is no way to describe the chaos of travelling here.
We arrived in Tamale to stop at the Kentucky Fried Chicken (yes, there is one in Tamale)/Shell gas station to buy snacks, drinks and use the restroom. Afterwards, it was on to the cultural center of Tamale. This is where the craft people are which make and sell their goods to the public. It is a three-row set of shops set in a square horseshoe configuration with a red dirt parking lot in the middle. It was so hot that Steve left the van running with the air conditioner on while the shopping took place for about 2 hours. Each of the shops were eager to have you come in and look. Of course, they did not realize that Kandie was going to do her “magic” of bartering to the end. Some were laughing as Kandie bartered and she finally got to a price worth considering. Sometimes it was just walking away and sometimes it was an agreeable transaction. Steve says that Kandie really loves the banter.
One man had a great deal of cloth goods so Kandie showed him photos of her quilt tops. He was beyond amazed and told her it was a work of art. She is looking for a fabric that will suit the back of the quilt. After shopping we went to find various items that can be found in Tamale but not in Yendi. They bought a case of grape juice for the congregations to use for communion as there is a conflict with the juice now being sold as grape drink that is mixed with all kinds of fruit juices. The challenges here are great just to provide needed items. Afterwards, we headed back to Yendi (263 more speed bumps later) to get back to the mission house with 30 minutes to refresh and get back into the van to go pick up Timothy and off to Nandundo village. It was close to sunset when we got to Timothy’s house. By the time we got to the village, it was dark.
The church building sat alongside of the dirt road on the edge of the village. At first, there were 8 or 9 people there as it is planting season and many were just coming home from the fields. By the time the service was over there were 25 present not counting us. I spoke on the work of Philip working as a member in Jerusalem and then preaching to the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch.
One of the amazing things about being in such darkness in the village is the amount of stars that can be seen on a clear night. I saw the southern cross in the sky and then turned my back to the north and saw the big dipper. I had seen this before the last time I was in Ghana. Kandie did not know what I was seeing so I took her flashlight to show her. Pam finally saw the constellation for the southern cross. Yendi is close enough to the equator that both constellations are visible.
Well, it is now 9:25 pm and Kandie will not stop talking as we sit around the table. I can’t write and listen to the table conversation at the same time. This is what it is like writing the Yendi notes, just in case you get hoodooed into writing. More power to you.
Jimmy Clark
Leave a Reply