Well it's back to work . . .

After a week of relaxation here in Ghana, it's hard to go back to work!! 7 full days of having fun, eating good food, resting, fellowshipping with friends, all with no demands on our time (or money) and no stress (relative to life in Benin). It's hard to go back tomorrow.

We have to cross two borders to return home. The first is the Ghana/Togo border, which is a huge hassle. On both sides (leaving Ghana and entering Togo), there are constant demands for money, "gifts" that will encourage the police official to treat you fairly and without hassle. Such a pain. If you give in, you perpetuate a faulty system of corruption although it is occurring all around you. If you refuse, you can create long delays for yourself (not that big of a deal if you are alone, but with the wife and 3 kids in the car on a 9-hour road trip...well, it's just a hassle you don't want to have to think about). There are men and women who "work the border" for you, offering to facilitate some of the paperwork in hopes that you reward them in the end. I usually follow this route, because it's not a bribe and the man or woman is doing me a service by talking directly with the customs/border officials face-to-face so I don't have to. Costs me about $10/USD so it's worth it in my mind. But it's still a hassle I wish didn't exist. Why can't the borders be straight-forward, hassle-free, and most importantly, corruption-free. Why can't it be like crossing from Texas to Oklahoma (where all you do is honk at the Texas sign when you drive by!)

So it's back to work....a Leader's Meeting on Saturday and an All-Together (all 5 churches) Worship assembly on Sunday. Wish I could say Sunday was something I absolutely loved...in some ways it's a big stress. Not only do I have to prepare a lesson and actually present it in another language that I still struggle to express my deepest thoughts, but then it's the barrage of requests I get at the end ("Randy, I need to see you..." means "I need money and it's urgent!") Usually on the Sunday of the All-Together, I can get up to 5 different requests for money, or at least requests for appointments (where they come and ask for money). I love being generous, but it is hard to discern when everyone is in need. Our churches are full of people without food, orphans (who in their teens need lots of help), and women who have all but been abandoned by their husbands (who say they go the capital city to get a good job so they can send money home...only they never do). So the requests are all somewhat legitimate, yet the funds are limited. A missionary colleague in West Africa once told me,

"The hardest thing about being a missionary in West Africa is not the homesickness, loneliness or even culture shock...it's been a rich man in one of the poorest regions in the world."

True for me as well.

So while I have anticipation of reuniting with some of our close Aja Christian friends, there's the demands of ministry that I honestly do not look forward to at all! (Can I be candid on my own blog?)


Ega (old photo from 2002)

Our dear friend Ega (above) and his wife are due to have a baby any day now (may have happened while we were away, but most likely by the end of the month). Pray for her, Lokadi (low-kah-dee). They have 3 other children. I have already been commissioned to name the baby! I got to name their last child. I chose Azari (ah-zah-ree) based on the Aja pronounciation of the English name, Azariah, meaning "the Lord helps." It is the Hebrew name for Abednego from the famous trio of the book of Daniel. Azari was Ega's first son, so I chose the name because in the Aja culture, to have a son is your "social security", someone to take care of you (including food, health, etc.) when you get too old to take care of yourself. "Daughters marry men from other towns or countries so they move away" is the thought. We don't know yet the sex of this new baby, so we'll keep this blog updated as we hear the good news.

-Rockin' Randall