Discovery

For the past four weeks we have had two members of the 'Wycliffe Discovery Team - Ghana' living and working with us. They came to assist us in undertaking a gender analysis for our literacy programme. One of their aims was to discover how they could be used in missions. Cynthia came from the US and Andrea from the Czech Republic.

'Cynthia and Andrea discover the joy of joining in with women dancing in the church'

Here are some of their experiences and impressions:

Cynthia:
After spending much time reflecting on my experiences and interactions here in Yendi and elsewhere in Ghana, I am very certain that all of the circumstances leading up to me working in Literacy and Development with Joke and the office staff were creatively orchestrated by God. Each day I continue to discover more of God’s heart for the Ghanaian people and how He is transforming my heart as I have been working and getting to know people particularly in the Yendi villages. The hospitality and generosity Andrea and I have experienced while visiting villages has been wonderful to receive. Even just seeing on television how the whole city of Accra mobilized to welcome my American president just this past week made me realize that this aspect of hospitality in Ghanaian culture can extend far beyond a typical home to a whole country! I also have learned that there is still much to be done in terms of issues of gender equality, water and sanitation, health, literacy, and rural economic development in the Northern region of Ghana after interviewing groups in villages. I plan to continue to stay connected with LDP offices in Yendi and Tamale especially in light of the work done on gender issues which is something I am very passionate about. I also hope to return to Ghana in a few years to visit, maybe work, with this organization. I’m already thinking of job positions I can apply to back home in the States to help me get more exposed to issues on development. My prayer before and after I arrived in Ghana was for God to help me to not just to survive in Ghana, but to thrive here. I am so grateful that He has more than answered my prayers. I have made some very good friendships in my project area with my host family, office staff, family friends, etc. I’m also very grateful to Joke and Abukari for hosting me and Andrea and giving us a taste of missionary family life, which I found to be very enjoyable.

'Cynthia discovers that calabashes also grow on trees'

Andrea:
Before I went on this trip, I did not know what I was going to be doing. It was difficult for me when I arrived in Ghana because my English was very limited which made it hard for me to not only understand my English-speaking teammates but also people who spoke Ghanaian languages. I prayed continuously that God would help me to somehow understand those speaking around and to me. After one week in Yendi with Cynthia, I found that it was a little easier understanding basic conversation in English. Ghana is a beautiful country, and I am continuing to pray for lowered language barriers so that I can help the people here even more. I am grateful to have been a part of Joke and Abukari’s family life because they have shared their time and resources with me and Cynthia. Also, living with them has helped me to experience a bit of what missionary life is like. Spending time in villages exploring gender issues, cultural norms, traditions, etc., has been a huge and great experience for me. Cynthia and the LDP office staff have helped me to understand language and the issues being studied. I am very glad to have been a part of this team. Not only have I been visiting villages, but I also have been working on translating church materials from Dutch to Dagbani and Konkomba! Every day I thank God for the joy of being here in Ghana. This has been a life changing experience for me, and my eyes have been opened to a whole range of new things, peoples, cultures, and languages. When I return home, I will commit to pray for Ghana, Yendi, Kuga, LDP project, the office staff, and Abukari and Joke’s family because they have all greatly impacted my life in wonderful ways. More than these experiences, I give thanks to such an awesome God!

'Discovering that missionary life can be very relaxed'

'Andrea teaches Cynthia how to ride bicycle as part of the "discovery experience"'.