The azure sea is bordered by picturesque tropical beach. The waves gently roar their soothing mantra; coconut palms sway in the breeze; fishing boats nod through the swells on their way out to sea. Yet, clashing with this idyllic scene, a whitewashed monument to man’s sin and cruelty squats menacingly at the water’s edge. It’s difficult to imagine a more incongruous setting for a slave castle than the seashore at Elmina, Ghana. In the U.S., such prime beachfront would be lined with luxury hotels and condominiums. But here, the tourists come to view something much more sobering – a testimony to the African holocaust called “the slave trade.”
Starved, beaten and chained, they were marched to this location for over 300 years: seven million people fed to the dungeons of Elmina Castle; fewer than half survived to be loaded onto the boats bound for the Americas. Four million people died within these walls. The stench of death clings to the place.
Standing there as a descendant of Europeans, you feel deep shame. As a believer in Christ, you are stunned to see the chapels where the Portuguese and Dutch slavers callously worshiped above the dungeons. And yet, there is also a sense of wonder – that believers took the lead in ending this obscenity; that descendants of Europeans also brought the gospel to these shores; that multiplied millions of Africans were able to look past the messenger to embrace the Christ who gave Himself “to purchase men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”
Our week in Ghana began with this Sunday visit to Elmina Castle. If I could, I would require every American to visit there because it’s an important (and disturbing) part of OUR history as well. The next day, we left for Sunyani to begin the TOT (training of trainers) on Tuesday morning. The group of prospective trainers in Ghana numbers about 20 men, each highly influential in their respective denominations. They include senior pastors, district pastors (with responsibility for 10-15 churches) and one general overseer of an entire denomination. In fact, as we talked with Rev. Sam Oppong (EPI’s coordinator for Ghana), he stated that conservatively these men directly influence over 14,000 people! What an encouraging example of the effectiveness of Paul’s “commit to faithful men” strategy (2 Tim. 2:2).
Tuesday dawned cloudy and a bit cool. The second half of the rainy season is approaching in West Africa, and we had surprisingly cool weather along with several torrential downpours during the week. As the men arrived, we introduced ourselves and began about 9:45 am by reviewing what had been taught them in February. Dr. Caines and I usually alternated teaching, working through the material about an hour at a time. Since we didn’t have a tea break like we did in Nigeria, we gave them “5 minutes” in the late morning to stretch. Even with regular breaks, the work was challenging – both for the teachers and the students. However, we found throughout the conference that the Holy Spirit provided both energy and insight as we taught. It was a very encouraging experience.
As Tuesday progressed, we became rather discouraged by the lack of response from the men, thinking perhaps they were disinterested. Sam assured us this was not the case at all. In fact, he said, the men remembered what they had been taught before and had no questions because they already understood it and agreed with it. They were simply being polite while waiting for us to move on to the new material. Once we began the new material on Wednesday, the students became excited and much more animated. As we applied the Biblical teaching regarding God’s covenant with His people to marriage, church and culture, the questions began to come thick and fast. The men remained deeply engaged with the material throughout the remainder of the week.
They asked MANY questions – most of them about the application of these truths to the transformation of their own culture. We were able to answer most of these questions, but at times we had to say, “We don’t know.” While the truths of Scripture do not change, sometimes the way they apply differs from one culture to another. Obviously, there are many situations that are unique to Ghanaian culture and, without a full understanding of the cultural context, we could not make the application for them. However, we encouraged them to discuss these questions among themselves and to begin applying these truths in their own ministries. It was exciting to see them wrestling with the Scriptures and seeking to be consistently Biblical within their own cultural setting. By God’s grace, this training session will bear much fruit for Christ’s Kingdom in the years to come.
The conference wrapped up on Friday and, on Saturday morning, we began the long trek back to Accra. With traffic congestion, blocked roads and construction, it took us over eight hours to reach the capital again. Then, a long restless night before flying out on Sunday morning. We arrived home about 11:30 Sunday night – about 43 hours after leaving Sunyani. It was a challeging, but profitable, trip. We thank the Lord for His grace and for His constant presence. Thank you too for your prayers and support.
Grace and peace,
Dan.
