We are very thankful to be back in the United States. The first three weeks of March were very stressful; not knowing if we would be able to get a flight out of Ghana especially after they closed the borders and were not allowing commercial flights in or out of Ghana. We missed the first government chartered flight out of Ghana because they did not give us enough notice to get to Accra before the flight left. A second flight was promised but no date or time given so we packed up and went to Accra where we sat in the hotel for several days hoping and praying for another flight. It was a good thing that we were already in Accra because when the information came we were to be at the airport the next morning; if we had still been in Yendi we would have missed that flight too. It was a happy moment when we had our boarding passes in hand! After arriving back to the states the stress was relieved; we were so happy to be on American soil where good health care is available! Once again God took care of us. As of May 26th we still have not received our bill from the U.S. Department of State for the charted Ethiopian Airline flight that brought us back to the states. Before we were allowed to proceed with the boarding process Kandie and I had to sign a promissory agreement stating we would pay for the price of an economy round trip ticket; so we know the bill is coming. We were told to expect a bill of around $2,000.00 for each ticket.
I have stayed in contact weekly with Timothy Niligrini, the evangelist as well as Zorash, one of the Child Center workers. I also have been using “WhatsApp” to communicate with Zorash and Dr. Owusu. The doctor works at Yendi Municipal Hospital. At the time of writing this report Ghana has over 7,000 confirmed cases of the virus; only 36 confirmed cases exist in the Northern Region where the mission house is located. Ghana’s president issued an order banning the assembly of worship, funerals, weddings, outdoorings (celebrations of new babies), and political rallies to help reduce the chance of contracting the virus. Timothy and Zorash said the people in our area are disregarding the order. The people live for these kinds of social functions and are highly insulted when they are not attended.
Timothy reported that the churches are only coming together long enough to have a short service to have the Lord’s Supper. The members do not have access to individually wrapped bread and juice. Timothy and the evangelists have not been traveling to visit the outlying churches due to the stay at home order. The churches continue to meet even in our absences.
On Sunday March 1st we visited the Accra Road Church of Christ in Kumasi. We were in Kumasi to attend the funeral of Sister Comfort Obeng, wife of the late Samuel B. Obeng to pay our respects to the family. From Kumasi we flew down to Accra. Our niece and great nephew, Dahlia and Jack Reynolds were visiting us and were scheduled to fly out of Accra to the states the next day. Our fellow missionary and friend Barry Smith from the Madison Church of Christ in Madison, Alabama was also with us. Barry not only works in Ghana but in several other African countries. Barry came to visit us in Yendi and lend us his support. It is always a boost to our morale when we get to visit with him.
After we saw Dahlia and Jack safely to the airport we flew back to Tamale. Red was waiting for us at the airport. Once we were back in Yendi we began a project of casting concrete to reinforce the walls in the cistern beside the house. Water is a BIG problem for us during the dry season. It took 7-8 days to get the job done. The job consisted of masons chipping out the old concrete plaster and knocking a hole in the top of the ceiling of the cistern in the center section so it could be accessed by the masons (the cistern was built like a septic tank with three portioned rooms). Then the masons built wooden molds lined with rebar around the outer walls where they poured the concrete to form solid walls. It was a hot job to put it mildly! We are glad to get that project out of the way. We will see if the water has stopped leaking out of the cistern when we do return to Yendi. If successful we will do the cistern down by the child center next year.
During the months of April and May I have been in contact with Zorash, Mr. Iddrisu and Brother Timothy Niligrini on a weekly basis. Before we left Kandie had the foresight to suggest making up the monthly payrolls through the month of December because we didn’t know when we would be able to return to Ghana. We know the evangelists and workers there need their incomes just like we do here in the states. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
We would like to remind everyone that your contributions should be sent to the West Hobbs Street Church of Christ address at Post Office Box 506, Athens, Alabama 35612 where your donation will be recorded and deposited. This change was made because Jimmy Stroud had to resign because of health issues. Please remember Jimmy in your prayers as he has had to have his leg amputated. We appreciate the work Jimmy and Mary have performed for the work in past years.
Our current plans for returning to Ghana depends on these three factors; the Ghana government opening the borders, Ghana’s coronavirus numbers going down to a safe level, and international air travel to Ghana resuming. We are anxious to get back to Ghana. Please keep the brethren and the work in Ghana in your prayers. We want to thank you for your support; spiritually and financially.
In His service,
Stephen and Kandie Taylor
