Christmas in retrospect

Whilst Christmas temperatures fell in Europe, here in Ghana they rose to almost 40 degrees celsius! On Christmas morning as a family we visited a small church in a remote village. The congregation is made up of two families and a number of children from the village who also visit the church. Fortunately the small number of people did not reduce the joy of celebrating the birth of Christ.

'in church on Christmas day'

Whilst Abukari preached inside the church, Joke gathered the children under the mango tree outside to tell them the nativity story.

'telling the Christmas story to the children under the mango tree'

It was not only the children who listened. A small group of adults from the village also gathered to listen and it was a good opportunity to carry the story a little further to Easter.


It was very encouraging to see how the few adults who are part of this church really tried to make this Christmas celebration special. They not only cooked rice for all the children who attended but also for their neighbours (in the Northern part of Ghana it is a custom to share food at times of festivals). Even though these two families were the only people celebrating Christmas in their village they did not hold back from sharing the message of Christmas with a bowl of rice for their neighbours.

'cooking rice for the church members, children and neighbours'

'all the children received a little bag of cooked rice'

Whilst we were still eating, somebody from the village asked us to carry a sick 15 year old teenager in our car to the hospital in Yendi. He was so weak that he could no longer be transported on the back of a motorbike or bicycle. We suspected appendicitis. His mother and brother accompanied him - and so we served as an ambulance. The next day he was transported to the hospital in Tamale for surgery. We don't know whether he was operated upon, but sadly he died in the hospital in Tamale.

On Christmas night, together with Augustina and Amina (the two young women who are more or less part of our family), Joke cooked Christmas dinner. On the menu was ‘duck’ which seems to be becoming our family Christmas tradition!

'Christmas dinner at our house'

'enjoying presents on Christmas morning'

Thank God for:

• the wonderful Christmas we had
• the small village Church and the testimony they are to their neighbours
  
  

Pray:

• that the message of Christmas will especially continue to resound in the hearts and minds of those who are not yet Christians
• for comfort for the family of the boy who passed away
• health and energy - we all continue to struggle with our health, nothing really serious but it is a little discouraging