Christmas? Christmas!

Some years ago I (Joke) heard the song, ‘I’m dreaming of a White Christmas’ being played in one of the music stores in Tamale. It gave me a Christmas feeling but I thought to myself that a white Christmas will forever be a dream for Ghanaians. It is now 13 years since I celebrated Christmas in the Netherlands. At times, when I look back, I remember with a little nostalgia and longing the Christmas season in the Netherlands and hope that one day I will celebrate it there again; the Christmas trees and decorations, the special music, the Christmas services in Church - especially the one on Christmas Eve, gathering together with family and friends, etc. Christmas is very different here in Ghana, especially in the North where there are very few Christians. However, for me, at this time of year the weather does have some similarity with how it feels in December in the Netherlands! During the Christmas season there is a dry and hot wind (the harmattan) that blows from the direction of the Sahara carrying a lot of dust and drying up the grasses and trees and the nights are relatively cold (around 20ºC as compared to 36ºC in the day time). If I get up early in the morning, squeeze my eyes a little, and look at the hazy dusty sky, putting on my long sleeve sweater I can almost imagine that I have woken up on a frosty morning in Europe.

Just a few days ago I was talking with one of my Ghanaian colleagues about Christmas. He was born of Christian parents and therefore has celebrated Christmas since he was a child. When he thinks about Christmas, he thinks about tea! He loves tea and early in the morning when he comes to the office he makes a big flask of tea which he drinks throughout the day. But, when he was a child, it was only on Christmas Eve that he would get tea to drink. For him, that was the highlight of Christmas. As children they would gather as much tea as they could and pour it all in a big bowl. It would serve them for about three days and then they had to wait for another year! Even today, for some of the children in our churches in remote villages, Christmas is still the only day they get tea to drink or biscuits to eat. It is also a time when they might get new clothes and shoes.

Like Christians in the Netherlands, Christians in Ghana gather for church services. A number of small village churches come together and as a group make a great celebration out of it. On Christmas Eve they sing, drum and dance to the glory of God until the early hours of the next morning. After a little break and breakfast with, of course, tea(!) they continue to celebrate the birth of Christ until they are exhausted and the dust has affected their throats so much that they can no longer sing. Then they share a meal together, white rice and stew or fufu (pounded yam) with soup. It is also a time of visiting friends, just to greet them, share a drink together and wish each other a Happy New Year, because within the Dagomba culture each festival starts a new year until that same festival is celebrated again.

Dancing to the glory of God

As Abukari is a Ghanaian and I am a Dutch, the question is, how do we celebrate Christmas? I have to admit that for many years I disliked artificial Christmas trees. However, some years ago we got a small artificial tree here in Ghana and now I have to say that I love that little tree and with a bit of imagination I can even smell the fragrance of a real one! We decorate the house a little, cook nice food, invite friends over for a meal and visit others, join a church service in one of the villages and sing, dance and celebrate that the Saviour was born! ‘For God so loved the world (including the Netherlands and Ghana), that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16). And that then is Christmas!

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!

Praise:

• Praise God that the true meaning of Christmas is not related to climate, culture or decorations but that wherever we are and whoever we are we can share in the joy of the birth of our Saviour.

Pray:

• That as the Word is being preached in many villages, people will be touched by the ‘Good News'.

• For unity and love among the believers as they celebrate Christmas, that that may be a testimony to the communities in which they live.

• That as a family we can find a way of making Christmas meaningful and memorable despite our different backgrounds and cultures, especially for the children.

Starting 'School'

A few weeks ago, Samuel started to go to 'school'. It is a kind of crèche for children under three. Children can go there from around 7.30 am to 3.00 pm, Monday to Friday. We have decided to send Samuel there three mornings a week. We want him to interact with other children a little bit more and this crèche offers that option. It is the only crèche in Yendi, which accommodates about 20 children. To be admitted to the crèche, school fees have to be paid each term and the following equipment provided: 4 toilet rolls, 1 bottle of antiseptic, 2 bars of key soap (used to wash plates and cups), 2 plates, 2 spoons, 2 cups and a toy.

'On our way to school'

Samuel seems to enjoy going, as when we tell him in the morning that he is going to school, he is very excited, especially when we take him on the bicycle. However, sometimes when he first gets there he doesn’t want to enter the building and then when we collect him around noon he sometimes doesn’t want to go home. If you ask Samuel what he does at school he will say, 'we are making noise.' When he gets home he often tries to sing some of the songs he has learnt in school and gets very frustrated if we cannot help him sing them.

We have recently had a school uniform sewn for Samuel, which he proudly wears to school. With his backpack containing diapers, a clean set of clothes, water, a drink and biscuits and his food flask with rice he happily leaves the house.

From Drought to Flood

The rainy season which usually starts in April/May was late this year and many of the crops withered and died as a result of the drought. When the rains eventually came the people sowed their seeds (maize, beans, rice, etc), but soon the rains no longer were a blessing. Rivers overflowed their banks, land was flooded, houses and bridges collapsed, water sources became contaminated and roads became impassable. The areas which have been most affected by the floods are to the North and South of us, however, in Yendi and Tamale some houses and even three of our churches have also collapsed.

'A collapsed church in the village of Sambu, near Yendi'

According to news reports, 31 people have died, 231,000 people have been displaced and 12,226 houses have been destroyed. Most people are subsistence farmers, meaning they grow their crops to feed their families. When the crops fail, they lose their main source of food supply. It is not known how many of the crops have been lost, but many people fear food shortages in the near future. The floods also cause sicknesses like cholera, bilharzias, malaria and others to spread easily.

In partnership with SIM (Serving in Mission), the Bible Church of Africa has been providing relief supplies to the severely affected areas. If you are interested in finding out more details about the Flood Disaster and the relief work that SIM / BCA is doing, please do look up the following SIM links:

For SIM.org link, click here: SIM.org - Ghana Flood Relief
For SIM UK link, click here: SIM UK - Ghana Flood Relief

On these web pages there is a very good short 7 minute video which shows the SIM Ghana Director, Ruby Mikulencak, and our BCA Vice-President and colleague, Francis Kupoe, visiting the Upper East Region soon after the flooding. If you would like to donate towards the flood relief work then please contact your local SIM office or use the links on the above websites to make a donation to the “Ghana Flood Relief Project (94839)”.

Please join us in praying:

• That God will provide for the needs of those who have lost everything in the floods.

• That people who have been affected by the floods will be able to rebuild their homes and livelihoods again.

• That SIM/BCA will have wisdom in the distribution of aid to those who need it most.

• That the witness and assistance given by the SIM/BCA will have an impact on the people.