Sunyani Update

The burglary occurred within hours of when I landed in Accra. Sam Oppong, the EPI National Advisor for Ghana, met me at Kotoka Airport about noon and we drove to the Deon Hotel. Ken Aull, one of the team, was due in from Delaware around 6 pm, so we were at the airport when they broke into my room. It was a professional job – they moved quickly and focused on easily disposable electronic equipment: laptop, digital camera, cell phone and chargers. They searched for money, but missed the envelope behind some Folgers Singles coffee packs. And in their haste, they dropped my Palm, where I keep my schedule and contact information. But the most valuable item taken was my U.S. passport. Everyone was stunned. They must have followed us from the airport. Checking into the hotel an hour after we did, they waited in their room until we left to get Ken. Five minutes later, they were out the door and gone.
The consequences of their “visit” were much more prolonged. That evening, Sam and I spent several hours filing a police report in a crowded, run-down police station with bored policemen - one of whom was trying to sleep at the duty desk. The application for a replacement passport required three trips to the American Consulate: the first to be told I needed a copy of the police report, the second to file all the needed paperwork (including the police report and a new passport photo we had taken) and a third because the lady and I were so engrossed in our conversation that neither of us thought to have me sign the application! But by Monday evening, it was all done and we are hoping that a new passport will be waiting when we return to Accra next Friday.
[I have been amazed at the size of the network that responded to this emergency with prayer and helpful advice. Literally hundreds of people all over the world have been following this story and have been praying for us and for our work here. I’ve lost track of the number of churches that brought this prayer request before their people. I have been humbled by your concern and am very thankful for all of you. Only the Lord knows what will come from this outpouring of support and sympathy. However, I do know that He has been honored as you have upheld us in prayer.]
Refocusing on why the Lord has brought us here, the team left Accra for Sunyani on Tuesday morning. (John Herberich had flown in from Atlanta on Sunday.) With several stops along the way and road construction delays, the drive ended up taking most of the day. Sunyani is located in west central Ghana and is a booming town of over 100,000 people. It is near the gold fields (Ghana used to be called the Gold Coast) and there are lots of European and Asian mining employees in the area.
The rain forest that used to cover this entire country is all gone now except for the occasional huge Onyona tree towering over the fields and scrub along the road. As we traveled, we often saw young men displaying some animal they had recently killed: “bush meat” they call it. Passing motorists will take the pangolin (like a large armadillo) or “grass cutter” (a LARGE rodent) home for supper. These, along with softball-sized snails and other “mystery meats” are offered in little stands all along the road. Sam assures me that grass cutter is really quite good, but he declined to stop and purchase one for our enjoyment. I’m really not all that disappointed.
The conference kicked off on Thursday morning, after a day to polish up our notes and prepare. Nearly 80 church leaders from many different denominations attended the conference and they were eager to hear the Word of God. Most of those attending were senior pastors or district pastors, having responsibility for more than one church. These are the church leaders we want to equip – those whose influence will have a strong impact on the Church at large. This was our first time teaching this curriculum on Biblical Holiness, and it was exciting to see the positive response to the teaching. There is a large amount of legalism among the churches in Ghana and it shows itself through the various lists of “do’s and don’ts” that each church seems to develop. As we explained that true holiness is a heart attitude and not produced by a list of rules, we were thrilled to see them wrestling with the Word and growing in their understanding. As always, the Q & A times provided us with the best feedback: their questions were applicatory, thoughtful and challenging. They ranged from questions about whether it is possible to become totally sinless in this life, to whether sinning after you are saved can cause you to lose your salvation, to how to confess your own sin to your congregation without losing spiritual authority. Amazingly, when we show them the answer in the Word, they accept it without hesitation. African Christians are absolutely convinced that the Bible is God’s Word and whatever the Word teaches, they believe. This is what makes teaching them such a joy.
We settled into a pattern, rotating our teaching between each of us three teachers. I stepped out of the rotation on Friday afternoon since I wasn’t feeling well, but returned on Saturday and we finished with dividing the conferees into discussion groups. They summarized what they had learned, applied it to their own situations, and then discussed potential problems with teaching and exemplifying Biblical holiness in Ghanaian culture. Their group reports made it clear that they not only understood what we taught, but they were already seeking to apply these truths to their life and ministry. It’s exciting to consider that these leaders will teach these same truths to thousands of God’s people. As we finished the conference, the three of us were each given a shirt celebrating Ghana’s 50th birthday as an independent nation.
It has been a great privilege to return to Sunyani. I have been here four times now and it is gratifying to see the spiritual growth in those who regularly attend the EPI conferences. The Lord is doing a work among our brothers here, and EPI is a part of that work. While they have many challenges before them, this conference has planted a seed that, we pray, will bear much fruit for God’s glory.
Tomorrow is Sunday and each of us is scheduled to preach in a local church. Monday will find us on the road to our next conference destination. More on that later. Thanks again for your indispensable part in this ministry!
Grace and peace,
Dan.