Praise be to God, we have arrived in Kumasi, home of the Ashanti Kingdom, where the Asante people originated!
Most of what is present-day Ghana was known as the Kingdom of gold. Development in Ghana started from the coastal areas inward from the Portuguese to the Dutch to the British.
The Ashanti fought valiantly to maintain their rich culture.
Bishop Christopher Andam met with us at the Freeman Methodist Center to welcome us, provide an orientation to Kumasi and to share our vision for liturgical dance ministry.
Although we were unable to begin our dance sessions the first night, that actually was a blessing as it provided us an opportunity to refresh our bodies and minds. Most of us woke up in the wee hours to follow the progress of the 2016 Presidential Election. With this on our hearts, our morning reflection and prayers were focused on our country and world.
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We visited the Manhyia Palace Museum and the Kumasi Cultural Center. This was very informative. One of our members, Leslie Duroseau, met family members for the first time whileft in Kumasi . Her young cousin, Mohammed Abdul Samad is an entrepreneur and world traveler. He shared so many interesting experiences about working in New York, Los Angeles, Morocco and other places. He was so highly motivated and determined to make smart decisions about his life and how he conducts his personal affairs.
After an eventful travel experience from Accra to Kumasi, Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie, with the team, joined the Bishop and Rev. Alex Yawith Boateng at the Kumasi Diocesan office.
As we entered, we heard the Kumasi Singing Band in practice . It was as if the gates of Heaven were open and the angels were singing high praise to God! I wanted to dance in the Spirit for the rest of the evening.
We were introduced to the Kumasi dance teams--Vessels of Honor, Temple of Praise, Zoe Theatre, Pearls of Honor and Swich and their leaders.
They danced praise to God and thanks to God for his saving grace.
Tomorrow, God willing, we will collaborate to blend our cultural styles into one for our one God. Amen.
We started off the day a little late. We were supposed to get up and be in the cafeteria by 8:30, but by the time everyone got up and ready for breakfast, it was closer to 9. After breakfast we headed out to church. Church was very fun, everyone sung and danced. The service was very lively and it caused many laughs. This Sunday was Children’s Sunday in the Ghana United Methodist Church, so the children did all the reading and even the sermon. After service, we went outside and started talking with locals for a short time. Some of them even asked us to take pictures with them. It was like we were famous. We went back to our home base where we sleep and we began to sort, and count all of our mission supplies that were to be donated to Ghana.
Today started out waking up at 5:00 am, followed by the coldest, quickest shower I have ever taken. Before breakfast, which started at 6:00, was eaten my family led the group in devotion. After breakfast, we headed on the bus and drove to the worksite. Once at the worksite, a clinic run by the Methodist Church, we loaded off bags of supplies and waited for further instruction. While we waited, the small group of women waiting slowly grew to be more and more. Women clad in bright colors, some carrying babies, others baskets, all began to trek to the clinic. While at the clinic, we worked to clear away rocks, rotting wood, and other garbage in front of the nurses’ quarters that were being updated. We also worked to dig holes to put posts into. This was the worst because the ground was full of large rocks. After lunch, we visited a village near the clinic. The people here lived in compounds, which are mud huts connected to each other by a wall where a whole family would live. The people we met were very welcoming to us, and small children followed us around wherever we went. One woman even handed me a baby. After leaving the village we returned to where we are staying.
