Ghana has opened her borders; we were able to get tickets to fly out on the 25th of September. We are a little apprehensive about going back. Ghana’s Covid-19 numbers have greatly improved and the numbers in Alabama are going down. We cannot enter Ghana without a valid visa. We hold a resident visa which will expire on the 4th October 2020. We considered letting it lapse and going in on a tourist visa but we found out that the Ghana embassy is not giving out visitor visas right now and they are not sure when they will start issuing them again. We decided to take advantage of this little window of opportunity and return now. When we purchased our tickets we found out that Ghana was requiring every passenger to have a Covid-19 PCR test no longer than 72 hours before their flight. Without proof of a negative test we will not be allowed to fly into Ghana. The rapid test will not be accepted. Finding a lab that has a turnaround time of less than 72 hours has been challenging to say the least. Our son-in-law Marcus who went to Ghana with us last year works for a place that has started testing. Thanks to his connections it looks like they will be able to get our results in time for our flight. Once we get to Ghana we have to have a rapid Covid-19 negative test before we can leave the airport. The government of Ghana is providing the test at a cost to each passenger of $150. If the test is positive we will be turned over to the Ghana Health Services and put in their quarantine facility. NOT A PLACE WE WANT TO GO!! Please pray for our travels and for negative test results.
I had a good phone visit with Timothy Niligrini on the 28th of this month. He was excited that they were able to have the monthly evangelist/church leader class. They have not had the class since March due to the pandemic. The class serves two purposes: teaching and fellowshipping. The Ghana government had restricted the meeting of groups to reduce the spread of the virus just as our own government had done. The month of August is the first time since the ban had been lifted that the class has met. In order to meet they had to satisfy the government sanitation guidelines.
Brother Timothy said Daniel Batoln stood as the class representative to thank us for sending funds to each congregation so they could purchase the supplies needed to comply with the government guidelines for the Churches to reopen. (Previously the congregations only met long enough on Sunday to have an abbreviated service with the Lord’s Supper.) I told Timothy we should thank God for His help and the supporters of the work who had provided the funds. Timothy agreed and asked for me to pass their thanks on.
Twenty-two men attended the class this month; this is a good number considering it has been such a long time since the class met. The men reported that 6 people were baptized into Christ in August. When Brother Timothy was distributing the funds and masks to the congregations in early August the brethren asked if they could resume the monthly class. I am excited that the classes have resumed and things are sort of returning to normal.
We do covet your prayers for a safe trip back. Thank you for your continued support of the Lord’s work in Yendi.
In His service,
Stephen and Kandie Taylor
