Sunday School

Every Sunday a small group of children visits the church we attend here in Tamale. Usually there are about seven children, including Samuel and Micah. It is a challenge to plan an interesting and good lesson with children from very different ages, backgrounds and languages. Apart from Samuel and Micah, none of the children have a Christian background and therefore all the stories and the Gospel itself are new to them.

A few weeks ago I visited the mother of three of the children. They had not come to the Sunday school for a while. In many areas of Tamale there is often some kind of suspicion towards the Church and we suspected this was one of the reasons why the children no longer came. Fortunately the mother was very happy to see us. We explained to her what we do during Sunday school and how the children learn so much. The mother on her part told us how difficult it is for her and her husband to send the children to school. During the rainy season her husband leaves Tamale to farm elsewhere. Because the city of Tamale is growing so fast there is no longer enough land for the farmers locally. After harvesting the crops , her husband comes home. Sometimes she and the children join her husband on the farm if he needs help. During the dry season her husband spends most of his time with his family in Tamale. They just have enough food to eat but they have no money to buy school uniforms and other things the children need to go to school.

Because of the fact that some children do not go to school, they find it difficult to sit still during Sunday school and not to disturb the lesson. Gradually I have found a way to keep everybody in check and to make sure everyone enjoys their time. It is amazing to see how much the children learn during the lessons, especially children who hear the stories from the Bible for the first time. They are often able to re-tell and even dramatise the story. It is wonderful to discover that even though at times I have the feeling that they have not listened at all, God has done His part in touching their hearts.
 

Every Sunday we organise a three hour Sunday School programme. To give the children some extra encouragement to keep on coming we have introduced reading and writing in the mother tongue as part of the Sunday school lesson. Currently they are learning the sounds of Dagbanli and they have started writing exercises. It is wonderful to see how much they enjoy this. They are so eager to learn and would love to go to school just like many other children. As a church we hope to be able to encourage the parents to send their children to school and help where necessary to eventually make this possible.
 

Please pray for these little ones that they will be captured by God’s love. Pray for creativity, patience and wisdom in leading the children. Pray for new enthusiastic leaders who could assist me in teaching the children.

Life in the City of Tamale

Moving to Tamale – we’ve talked about it many times over the past few years and now it’s become a reality! In August we moved to the big city. It was not an easy decision. For more than 14 years we have lived, worked and focused our attention mostly on the villages around Yendi. We love the people, the quietness of village life and the landscape. But we could no longer postpone our move. Samuel (7) and Micah (5) have both started their primary education. The options of a choice of good schools in Yendi are very limited, even though we really appreciated the wonderful work the school Samuel and Micah attended in Yendi did with their limited resources. However, our choice of education was a little different and we finally decided that it was important to move because of the children’s education so that we could make a better choice for them. But there were also other reasons. The literacy work that Joke is involved in is mostly managed and directed from the office in Tamale. To be able to support and advise the management it is important for Joke to be physically present at the office and have direct contact with colleagues. Abukari has already spent a lot of his time between Tamale and Yendi. The supervision of the churches in the area is now mostly done by Pastor Azindow. Abukari still visits the area on a regular basis and advises Azindow and his team in their work. One of the advantages of Abukari being in Tamale is that he now has more time to work at the office of Call of Hope and intensify and expand the work the organization is doing to reach many Dagomba people with the Gospel through literature and a correspondence course. So the move means a number of changes for all of us and we are gradually getting used to it.

Samuel and Micah ready for school

Yendi is a relatively small town. Most people know each other and except for bicycles and motorbikes there is not much of traffic, so you never have problems parking your car and you can easily do some quick shopping in the centre of town. Many people are farmers, life is peaceful and there is always time for a little chat. You do not need to lock your house door if you leave for a little while and if you park your car somewhere the closest shop owner keeps an eye on it in case anyone tries to take something of value out of your car. Tamale, on the contrary, is a very busy city. You never have to wait in long traffic jams, but the traffic is chaotic with bicycles, motorbikes, taxis and cars all fighting for a piece of the road. The traffic rules are not all that clear, which makes driving through town challenging sometimes. Every morning we drive along one of the busiest roads to take the boys to school and get to our offices.

On the busy road to school

With a mortgage and gifts we have been able to build our own house in Tamale over a period of ten years. This might sound a very long, but in Ghana this is common practice; anytime you have a little money to spare, you continue your building project. The house is not yet fully completed but it is still a very comfortable place to live. In Tamale we’ve built a wall around our house. This does have some advantages. Over the past years we have planted many trees from which we can now pick the first fruits and it gives a little more privacy (in Yendi anybody could walk around our house). The wall also gives a little more protection. The area where we live is rather like living on a new housing estate, as in this part of Tamale most of the land has been sold for building purposes but many people have not yet started building their houses. At the moment we only have neighbours behind our house. On either side of us people have started building houses but if it also takes them at least ten years…...... As yet, no tarmac roads have been constructed towards our house yet. It was a little scary during the last rainy season as we wondered whether the road would be washed away, but fortunately it remained just wide enough for our car to pass. We hope that something will be done about the road before the next rainy season.

The main road to our house

Even though our direct environment has changed, our mission remains the same. We continue to find ways to share the love of God with the Dagomba people. Tamale is a mixture of different language groups but most of the people living there are Dagomba. Like the Dagomba people in the villages, the majority of the people in Tamale are Muslim. Together, with the leadership in Tamale, we decided to start a church in the Eastern part of Tamale. The church is located in Tahima Yili. Tahima Yili means, “Home of Hope”. This home is owned by our church (BCA) and serves as a home for students that come from rural areas to attend school in Tamale but do not have a place to stay. Most of the students who are now Christians come from Muslim backgrounds and idol worshipping homes. This makes it very difficult for them to be accepted by their Muslim relatives in Tamale, hence the need for the home. So for now the majority of the new church members are the students. Abukari has taken on the role of being the lead preacher and he also leads the Dagbani Sunday school and a weekly Bible study. Joke, on her part, leads the English Sunday school and organizes Sunday school for the children during the sermon. We both enjoy investing our time and gifts in this young generation of believers. Indeed we are very excited about the new church. It is our prayer that the church will see more Dagomba indigenous Muslims receiving Jesus as their personal Saviour.

Bible study before the Church service

Dancing during the Church service

Some facts about Tamale:
Tamale is the capital city of the Northern region (one of the poorest regions in the country) of Ghana and mostly inhabited by the Dagomba people. The city is home to about 350,000 citizens and has a growth rate of 3.5%. Tamale is the fourth largest city in Ghana. The size of Tamale is approximately 922km sq. It is reputed to be one of the fastest growing cities in West Africa. The city attracts people from all over the northern region and its economic activities revolve around farming and trade.

There are more than one hundred local and international NGOs located in Tamale. This has earned Tamale the accolade ‘Headquarters of NGOs in Ghana’. However, few of those NGO’s work within the city. Tamale is also considered the main centre of education in Northern Ghana. Currently there are over 742 public and private basic schools within the city. Besides that there are 68 Junior High and 11 Senior High Schools, Technical/Vocational Institutions, 2 Colleges of Education, a Polytechnic, a Nursing and Midwifery Training College, one Community Health Training School, School of Hygiene and two Universities – University for Development Studies (UDS) and Islamic Technical University College. The city has a high dropout rate at the Junior High School level. Besides that, illiteracy is still very high in the city.



The centre of Tamale



The central Mosque in Tamale

Reaping a Harvest

A few weeks ago, I (Joke) travelled with the car from Yendi to Tamale. On the way, in one of the villages, I saw Moses waiting for a bus. Moses is a Sunday School teacher in one of our churches and of course I stopped to give him a lift. He was also on his way to Tamale to visit one of his brothers who was in hospital. Besides the fact that it was nice for Moses to get a lift instead of having to wait for a bus (you are never sure if and when a bus will pass by), it was also nice for me to have some company during the journey. We started to talk and Moses told me a lot about himself, things which I had not heard before. The story of Moses is probably the story of many young people in this part of Ghana. The special part of the story is his strong faith and dedication to God.

Sunday School children

Moses Story: ‘When I was a young boy my father died. Shortly after that my mother also passed away. My brothers and sisters were ‘shared’ between the families of my father’s two brothers who continued to take care of us (a common custom here). The uncle with whom I lived had been to school himself and he supported me in my education. After a number of years, this uncle also died and all the children who lived with this uncle now moved to the family of the only remaining uncle. This was an enormous responsibility and burden for this one man. I had been able to finish primary education and was attending the first year of junior high secondary school. The other children in the family did not attend school but all of them helped with the farm. I really wanted to go to school and did all that was possible to continue my education. However, my brothers were strongly against my efforts. They told me, “If you will not join us in the farm, you will no longer eat from this house.” At first I did not take them seriously but my brothers supported their words with action. They instructed my ‘new’ mother to no longer prepare food for me. When I returned home from school in the afternoon there was no food for me to eat. Also in the evening nobody shared any food with me. In the morning I would go to school with an empty stomach. This persisted for three days but I had to give in to my brothers’ demand and since then I have been farming. That was the end of my educational dream. Even though this is an enormous disappointment, I did not let it get me down. I fully devote myself to farming and because I had wished to go to school myself, I do everything possible within my means to help other children in my village fulfil their dreams.’

Moses teaching Sunday School

Moses tells me with full enthusiasm about his three passions: farming, literacy and Sunday School work. He loves working on the farm. He is a good farmer and is able to support his wife, children and other members of his family. But he also loves his language and teaches children and women in the church to read and write in their mother tongue. He loves the Word of God and children and he teaches Sunday School every Sunday morning, trains new Sunday School leaders on his own initiative and travels to other villages and churches to share his enthusiasm about sharing the Gospel with children.

Children from another village church without a Sunday School leader

Some of the children who have visited ‘Moses Sunday School’ in the past, now attend Secondary Schools, some are teachers and some are studying at university. Every time these ‘children’ return to the village, they come to greet Moses. It is a sign of respect and recognition of the role he has played in their lives. ‘Who am I?’, he asks, ‘that they come to me? I have hardly learned anything. I am just a simple farmer!’

It is heart warming hearing Moses talk with so much enthusiasm and see his dedication and devotion to God and the people he loves. Often we hear this question, ‘What am I getting out of life?’ It is often asked by those who focus only on themselves. But as believers, we need to ask, ‘What am I putting into the lives of others?’

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal.6:9-10). May we all be encouraged by the life story of Moses and the appeal by the Scriptures not to give up in touching the lives of people that God brings our way.  

Please pray for:

• Moses and all the other Sunday School leaders that God will continue to give them strength, wisdom and enthusiasm to share the Gospel with the children in their communities.
• Moses' brother, Solomon, who is seriously ill (kidney failure) and there is little the doctors can do for him.
• Abukari who is currently in the USA attending the Global Proclamation Academy, he hopes to return to Ghana on 25th June
• Joke and the boys as Abukari is away.

Christmas in Yendi

We are often asked the question “how do you celebrate Christmas in Yendi?” Because we live in an area where there are very few Christians there are very few Christmas celebrations. 95% of the people are not Christians and do not celebrate Christmas. However, within the churches Christmas is celebrated in a number of different ways. Some churches make it a large celebration with a big gathering of people (and churches joining together) to share food, whilst others celebrate a little less exuberantly. There tends not to be the long preparation towards Christmas, especially here in the north of Ghana and there is very little commercialism! However, to prepare our children a little for Christmas, as a family we do celebrate the four weeks of advent.

The church building at Jagando on Christmas Day

On Christmas Day we visited a church in quite a remote village. Whilst Abukari was preaching outside, Joke took the children inside the church building (here the building is also too small for the whole congregation) to talk with them about Christmas. Joke brought some advent candles and they talked about how Jesus brings hope, peace, joy, love and light to the world. We shared biscuits and toffees with the children to make our time a little festive. After we had shared the sweet gifts, there were still quite a few left over. Joke suggested sharing these gifts with the local children who do not attend church. However, the children’s leader had a different idea. He told us that if the children who normally do not attend church see that the children in the church have received some gifts, then next week they will join us in the hope that they will also get something. After three weeks or so they will share the rest of the gifts with them and so hope to attract new children to the Sunday school.

The Jagando church congregation

Some of the Sunday School children

After we came home, the activities in our kitchen began! In this area it is a tradition to share food with neighbours and friends when you celebrate a religious or traditional festival. We cooked a big pot of rice and made tomato stew with goat meat. We shared the food in small pans with our neighbours. Abukari also went to the prison where, together with pastors from the different church denominations in Yendi, they shared food and Bibles with the prisoners.

Presenting food and Bibles to the Yendi prison

Sharing food in small pans with our neighbours

Towards the evening we prepared our 'own' Christmas dinner and - as is our tradition each year - duck was on the menu. The next day, Monday, we had a number of visitors. Throughout the day people came to greet for Christmas. We offered them some soft drinks, biscuits and cake and talked for a little while. In the evening we put some meat (goat and chicken) on the barbecue and that brought an end to our Christmas celebrations for 2011.

Enjoying our family Christmas dinner

A BBQ on Boxing Day!

Busy - Busy - Busy

Abukari has nearly finished his thesis! All that is left are a few corrections and, hopefully, by the end of this weekend or early next week he will have printed out his final copy for presentation. Maybe the books will give you an idea about the topic he is writing on.

The boys have also been busy, helping to buy and distribute goats to poor children in the area with the support of Go4GhanaKids in the Netherlands, as part of our ongoing 'She Goat's Project'.

Joke has been streamlining activities in and around the house as everybody is so busy. She also had the opportunity of teaching the children at both the Sambu and Kanimo churches on 31 January and
13 February, during the dedications of their new church buildings. Over 200 children were present at both events- so that was quite a challenge.

By next Wednesday we hope to leave for Accra and on 8 March, Joke and the boys will fly to the Netherlands. Abukari will then follow on the 6 April. We are planning to return to Ghana on 6 July.

Thank God for:

• His daily provision and care for us

• the grace he has given Abukari to finish his studies despite his busy schedule

• the many goats we were able to buy for needy children

Pray for:

• the last week in Ghana - that God will help us with all the preparations towards our furlough

• safe journeys to Accra and then on to the Netherlands

• the impact of the Goat's Project - that both children and adults will realise that God loves them and wants to take care of them both physically and spiritually