Sleepover

There is nothing like a sleepover to bring a group of girls together. Tanya and I hosted 18 high school girls and various teachers to spend the night in our compound last weekend. There is one apartment empty in our complex right now, so we pulled in couches and some extra cushions (although no one really planned on sleeping), set up a projector, broke out myriads of nail polish, and began a photo/video scavenger hunt. It will probably be one of my favorite memories with these girls. It was a great chance for some shy ones to show their wild side and for people to interact with others they didn’t know very well. One of their photo assignments involved John. He hid on the compound and jumped out to scare the searchers every once in a while, resulting in shrieks and giggles. 

Probably because of my lovely Denali and Desiree, I usually see students as little brothers and sisters. I admit that I carefully walk the line between authority and camaraderie as a teacher.  The value of a teacher having fun with her students outside the classroom is priceless. It can lead to so much more trust and even learning inside the classroom. More importantly though, the love that is growing among us is opening doors to the important conversations: Why is it such a big deal to wait for marriage to have sex? How can I get along with my Mom? Why does God let bad things happen? Are you afraid to die? We also just started discipleship groups at school (Yea!!!!). We’ve been planning them for a while. I have a group of middle school girls. I don’t know them well yet, but I can wait to change that! 

The boys will get their turn. John and Josiah and some others are planning a camping trip. They also have discipleship groups. Please pray especially for our discipleship groups: we need wisdom. I often feel inadequate in the face of their questions and their needs. The fact that I am growing to love them so much just adds to my distress at times. But God loves them more and is worthy our trust. 

The Church

We are blessed this year to experience The Church in a new way. Somewhere in the midst of theological differences, a cultural gap, hailing cabs, feeling like a carnival side show everywhere we go, and missing my comfortable excitement at Meridian Point, I despaired of finding a church here. Which goes to show you that I forgot what it meant. But now I remember: He said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” So let me show you around my Church here in Ghana:

Every other Sunday night we gather at Chris and Nichole’s down the street with a handful of believers to eat, talk, read the Word, sing some praises, and love each other.

Every Tuesday night John goes to the coffee lounge to get deeper with a small group of men. They are getting ready to learn from 1 Peter. 

Every Thursday night Daesha meets with a group of women. We cook dinner for each other and study King David, the ancient Israelites, and women of the Bible.

Sundays you can find us all over the city: visiting the congregation at Ghana Christian University with Barb and Roy, taking our students to lead Sunday School at Pram-Pram (a children’s home), meeting with the international congregations of Elim or Hope City, tagging along with Mrs. T. and her husband to the Churches of Christ, and sometimes sitting on our couch, holding hands, Bibles in our laps, Hillsong music on iTunes, and a sermon from Barry or my Dad on the internet.

We do most of our foot washing and Gospel sharing at school on a daily basis. 

I am learning to love The Church here with a deeper understanding. I am also reading a book right now called Safely Home by Randy Alcorn (highly recommend it) about the underground church in China. Everywhere I look, there seems to be reminders that The Church is everywhere: a living room, a classroom, an auditorium, a coffee shop. We pray that God continues to show us how He wants to fill us spiritually so that we can pour ourselves out for others. We long to Be The Church, this week and every week.