This morning we visited a small congregation of the Lord’s people at Waddig. We usually have to wait until the dry season to go to this village because it is cut off due to the river that blocks the way. During the dry season I can drive the pickup through the river bed that is made up of a solid sheet of bedrock. During the rainy season if a person wants to come to Yendi they will have to hire a canoe to cross the floodplain and river which has been fatal for some. Can you imagine paying for yourself and your motorcycle to cross the floodplain in a canoe? It is quite risky to say the least!
It takes about 40 minutes to get to this village that is northeast of the compound. The small congregation meets in a school block. They used to have a church building but the building fell down. When we arrived the majority of those attending this morning were children; 29. Later there were 7 men and 5 women who came. Since there were so many children I decided to teach the account of Noah and the Flood from Genesis chapters 6 and 7. Whether you are a child or an adult, the account of the building of the ark and all the many animals filling it makes for interesting study. The promised God made using the rainbow is one spectacle that God has allowed everyone since Noah to see and know that He is alive and running this vast universe.
Unlike most of the congregations the village chief is a church member. He is blind and he uses a metal rod as a cane that those assisting him will hold on to to lead him where he needs to go. The Konkomba tribal custom dictates the oldest man in the village is the chief. This is not true with the Dagomba tribe. The Dagombas disqualify any of their men who have a physical defect from being a chief. This brother, who is the chief, came to worship wearing a pair of dress pants and an older suit coat which is usual attire for the older men . He reminds me of some of the older men of the church back home who came to worship in bib overalls and a suit coat. Since he was already present at the services Timothy and I gave him his kola after services had ended.
As is our custom we presented the Church with some writing pads and pen, cups, bread, juice, and a new Bible. I also gave a new soccer ball for them to use for fellowshipping.
They were pleased with their gifts.
Before leaving the village we were requested to stop at a house and have prayer for a woman. After talking with family members and meeting the woman and hearing about her signs and symptoms we believe she has seizures. We believe she must have been having them for some time because her reactions and affect are slow and muted. I explained that the family needed to take her to Yendi Hospital for diagnosis and treatment. I gave the family 100 GH Cedis for travel and to purchase medicine that she will need. We then had prayer and left.
On the way back to Yendi we stopped at a house to look at a round metal contraption that we had seen on some semi trucks the other day. These items look like 5 feet round tubes made of sheet metal. Come to find out these are compost containers. Timothy got out of the pickup to ask what they were. Unbeknown to Timothy he dropped his cell phone. We were a mile away from the house when he got a call saying they had found his cell phone so I wheeled the pickup around and went back to the place where we had stopped. The young guy we had talked with earlier brought Timothy the phone and said a passerby had found it. We gave the young guy 10 GH Cedis for calling us. That made his day.
Tonight at Kulkpeni after the bible study Timothy informed us that one of the brothers there had contributed a ceiling fan to the congregation to thank God for His help recently.
There are already two fans working but the men were trying to decide where to place the new fan; would the men’s side of the building get 2 fans or would it be the women’s side to get it. Kandie and I decided to give the money for another fan so both sides of the building would have 2 fans. The brothers were happy to have that problem solved!
That’s it for today. Hope you had a good Lord’s Day. May God bless!
In His service,
Stephen &Kandie Taylor
Skeeter
