I know I am not a mind-reader but your inner thoughts might be saying something like this, "Isn't she a Christian? She talks about all these random stories but never about going to church!" My inner-thoughts, "Why haven't I blogged about church yet?" I am glad we are on the same wave link on this topic so now you will hear about church in Ghana.
How do you get to church? At home, I walked at school or drove my car frantically because I was usually running late. At real home, I drove in the car with my parents and walked in to greet everyone.
In Ghana; we take a taxi and barder with him until he gives us the price we want. We then walk into a crowded room with mostly Ghanaians dressed in their Sunday best. The dresses are simply beautiful and worth coming to church to see but don't worry that is not the reason I go! Yes, church in Ghana is definitely different as they are for the majority more charismatic than Americans but a lot of the time they are just overfilled with joy and praising God's name with all of their being(literally!) It is hard to find a church to call home after having the most Godly people at IBC and UCC, I mean nothing can come close! but I think it is important for me to realize that change is okay also. I might not get to know the people as well, and I might not understand every word the preacher said(especially when everyone is laughing about a joke and you miss the punch line!) but they are still worshipping the almight Maker; my Father and Savior. I am glad that not everyone worships in the same way, I think God is thankful for the variety, but it truly makes the church universal to see the Ghanaians worshipping God in the way they know best as likewise with Americans. I think it is important for me to be submersed in the Ghanaian culture by being with the local believers because it is the only way I will understand them and get to know them on a more personal level.
I must admit that I have been to four different church in four weeks so not a good start to building relationship with a local church. I was always told at Taylor not to church hop but I promise that I will be picking one soon. Before I do pick one, I would like to describe the church we attended today which was on the campus of Accra University(bigger than Taylor!)
Today, we got to see it all; Sunday School graduation and baptism. All of the graduates(high school age) said a verse and then received a Bible for the completion of the program. After this part, the leader of the Sunday School talked and then said publicly that some of the students did not fulfill the requirements of the program as they only attended 8 meetings while others attended 28. She went on to say that this wasn't right and that there would be remedial programs for the students to catch up on so they will know the Bible better like their peers. At first I was taken back by her boldness but then I saw the truth in that statement. This is a body of believers, if we can't be honest with each other there, where can we be honest at? In America, we would never say anything to offend anyone, usually attending 8 meetings would get you a golden star, but here they see the importance of being in the word and they are not afraid to call people out on it. How differently would the church look in America if we weren't afraid to speak more of the truth without being afraid of offending others. I am not saying to just speak our mind but to speak the truth through love and the Lord's stirring. Reading and studying the Bible should be a priority and we shouldn't put it in the backseat for later.(speaking to myself on this one.) Although I might not be totally satisfied with a church body yet, I have been learning how joyful I can be in the presence of the Lord no matter where I may find myself. God is present in Ghana, in America, and throughout the World. My prayer for you is that wherever you are, may God stir in your heart so you praise Him with all your being and utter sweet words of Truth.
Thank you again for all of you who read my blog. I would love to hear from you through e-mail so I know how I can pray for you. Please keep me posted with your life as I truly want to be a part of all of yours. Week 2 of teaching here I come!
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