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Texans Visit Africa
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*The following are events leading up to and during a recent ministry trip made by Pastor David Miller, Pastor Bo Owens and Jim Binns as they visited missionaries in the Ghana and Zimbabwe area of Africa. Hopefully some of the comments/suggestions included will help you as you make a future trip to this country. 
Anticipation is always great before you begin any journey. Our trip to Africa was no exception, especially since none of us had ever been to this part of the world. We all had our share of shots before the trip which included Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Tetanus, Yellow Fever and a good supply of doxycycline Malaria pills.
Ghana was the first place in sub-Saharan Africa where Europeans arrived to trade - first in gold, later in slaves. It was also the first black African nation in the region to achieve independence from a colonial power, in this particular instance Britain. A West African country bordering on the Gulf of Guinea, Ghana is bounded by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It compares in size to Oregon, and its largest river is the Volta.
The population of Ghana is approximately 23.8 million and Accra (A-craw) is its capital and commercial/cultural center. The monetary unit is the Cedi and it is worth a bit less than the American dollar. Major religions include Christianity, indigenous beliefs and Islam. Main exports include gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore and diamonds
Our adventure began with a flight from Houston, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia, and then on to Accra. There is a six hour difference in time between Houston and Ghana. I might mention that Bro. Bo’s luggage was the last to come out onto the carrousel – and for a time we thought that it was lost. Little did we know that this was just a warning about luggage issues to come in the future.
At the Kotoka Airport we met our Holistic Christian Ministry (HCM) missionary friends Joey and Patti Romero who live in Kotokata (Ko-To-Ka-Ta) and Vincent Konu who is vice-chairman of the HCM organization. Kotokata is about three plus hours from Accra. Before leaving for the remote village we stocked up on needed medicine and supplies. There are many “flea markets” in Accra and street vendors are selling everything you can think of including bags of water for 5-cents and lot’s of bread. The city of Accra is VERY dirty.
To drive in this area you need to have NASCAR training so you can avoid foot deep pot holes while driving 60- mph. Many times we were on the wrong side of the road avoiding these holes and the on-coming traffic was doing the same. Why there are not more accidents is beyond me.
Our arrival at Kotokata was a festive occasion as we were welcomed by all of the people that live in the village. Netting is advised in the sleeping areas because of the mosquitoes, however, with no air conditioning I found it difficult to sleep under the netting. During the late evening some of the villagers along with Vincent did a honey harvest from near-by bee hives. The men were stung numerous times but we had delicious honey to eat with our bread for the remainder of the trip. 
Day One In The Village - You won’t need an alarm clock in Africa because the roosters start their crowing just about daybreak. The morning sun crept over the horizon and we experienced our first sunrise in Africa. Magnificent trees and an assortment of foliage made up surroundings that were truly unique and pleasing. Many folks were moving around early in the morning preparing food and getting ready for the day ahead.
Our breakfast consisted of coffee, bread and jelly – and it was great! Bathing consisted of a “bucket shower” and it certainly got you going. First you pour a bucket of water over your head and then apply soap to your body. After scrubbing, you then use two more buckets of water to rinse off. It was certainly not the shower I was use to at home … and it was not hot water. 
Today we learned about the eating habits of the village people which would soon be some of the food we would be eating. Plantain (Plan-tain) are a member of the banana family and many visitors confuse plantain with bananas. Although they look a lot like green bananas and are a close relative, plantain are very different. They are a starchy, low in sugar variety that is cooked before serving as it is unsuitable raw. They are used in many savory dishes somewhat like a potato would be used and are very popular in Western Africa and the Caribbean countries. It is usually fried or baked. Plantain is sometimes referred to as the “pasta and potatoes of the Caribbean”. Our Plantains were fried, sprinkled with salt and were absolutely delicious. 
Cassava (Ka-saw-va) is a woody shrub of the spurge family native to South America that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates. The flour made of the roots is called tapioca. It has a potato-like taste. Fou-Fou is often made by adding cassava and plantain together. Banku is fermented corn/cassava dough mixed proportionally and cooked in hot water into a smooth whitish consistent paste. This is served with soup, stew or a pepper sauce with fish. There is also Wa-Chi that is a bowl of rice, peas and fish sauce.
Two terms that you may run into are hard chicken and soft chicken. Hard chicken is the rooster meat and soft chicken is regular chicken. Most of the villagers prefer hard chicken fried.
After a morning devotional, we took a tour of the Palm Oil factory that was developed as one of the HCM Micro Enterprise projects. Other projects we toured dealt with livestock, rabbits, soap and jewelry. We also had the privilege of sitting in on the morning school/worship session. The fifty or so students all have a school uniform and were a delight to watch. Food is given to each of the children and on this day it consisted of beans/rice and fish soup that was made with smoked tuna. These children are good students and due to the fine training most are far smarter than their parents. Peace Daziolor is the Education-Director and she carried a small stick that helps keep the children in line. 
While in a small village called Acrosso (A-cro-so) Joey delivered a nutritional supplement to a child by the name of Gracious that was being cared for by his grandmother. The baby’s mother and twin had died shortly after his birth. Gracious was very weak, suffering from severe malnutrition, and it looked like it would be touch and go as to whether he would survive. As of today there is much reason to rejoice. The baby has taken all of the nutritional supplement and has begun to eat small quantities of plantain, banana and eggs. He had gained a lot of strength. He was formerly too weak to be carried on the back in a traditional cloth wrap but is now strong enough to push up with his legs and take his place on his grandmother’s back. We will continue to pray for Gracious and his family. It was pointed out that the baby was wearing a fetish charm (voodoo) around his neck. 
At approximately 5:30 pm we drove the land rover to a small village called Edwinase. Here in the midst of the jungle under a blanket of stars using a small generator we showed the Jesus film to approximately 100 people. I don’t know where all of them came from, but when Vincent said: Free Show” on the microphone they started showing up. At a break in the film Bro. Miller gave a short sermon and then the film was completed. The film lasted about two hours, the weather was beautiful and the stars were like shining diamonds. The only problem was that the light attracted swarms of termites. We were still getting termites out of the land rover (and our clothing) two days later.
It doesn’t take long to realize that many folks in Africa do not use deodorant. One thing that has struck us as very strange is the number of people that have cell phones. They have better coverage than I do in the Hemphill area. When they need the batteries charged there are a few people with small generators that charge them for a fee. 
Clean water is a big concern in Africa. A program is in place, partnering with Living Water in Houston, to install water wells. There are so many pumps needed that you would probably not get enough installed in 20 years to meet all of the needs.
Day Two In The Village – I am getting better at the “bucket shower” but do not think that it will be a part of my routine when I return home. Our day starts about 5am and after my shower I am already sweating. Looks like today will be really hot! Chickens and dogs were running around the village and I have already decided that the rooster that crows every morning before dawn is a nuisance and needs to be used for chicken soup. We toured the location for Joey and Patti’s future home which is very close to the outside kitchen area. Only people with much faith can live here – Joey and Patti love it.
White people are rare in this area and the villagers will go out of their way just to see us much less touch us. We are the circus that has come to town. I have decided that I am not too keen on some of the meals, but the plantain and rice/beans are really good. 
Today we head to see Pastor Christopher at Abesiduasi. This has to be one of the worse roads in Africa. A messenger was sent a week or so earlier to tell Pastor Christopher we were coming but we won’t be sure he received the message until we get there. When we arrived not only was Pastor Christopher present but also about ten other people and the ladies were wearing their Sunday best. Pastor Christopher is one of the most dedicated individuals I have ever met. While working on a church project he had a beam fall and it broke his leg. He had no one available to set the bone and it just healed on its own. A doctor later saw the leg and said that he would probably never walk on it again. Pastor Christopher’s reply was that he had a mighty God that could fix anything. Today his leg is scarred but he walks an hour or so from his home to the river, canoes over and then walks and hour or so to the church. He also plans to plant at least three more churches this year. At a normal church service he has 50-75 people attend. What courage! At the end of our visit (that included singing and dancing) we headed for the Volta region (3 ½ hours away) and arrived at the Emanuel Hotel for a nights stay before we continue to the village of Avegome.
We arrived at the hotel about 9pm. I wish I could say our night was uneventful but it was not. During the night someone came into our room (the door was locked) and stole my carrying bag that had my billfold, passport, camera and airline tickets. They also went to the other side of the room and took Bro. Bo’s billfold. When I got up the next morning I brushed my teeth and then noticed that the carrying bag was missing. I went to each room just to be sure that no one had gotten it by accident. When I returned Bro Bo stated that his billfold was also gone. We later found the carrying bag outside on the left side of the room with everything scattered on the ground except the money. It left a bad taste in our mouth for the area but not nearly as bad as it could have been if the passport and airline tickets were not recovered. Thank the Lord that only the money was taken! We filled out paperwork at the local police station and supposedly the security manager and his co-manager were going to be arrested that afternoon in another town. We were told that this was the third time this had happened at the hotel. I have traveled many places and always felt comfortable when the door was locked, etc. – But not anymore.
Day Three – Beautiful day but it will be hot. Went to Avegome where we met HCM Church Planter James Asilevi. We visited a building where he is temporarily holding church services and the nearby property he wants to purchase to build a church. The Lord works in strange and wonderful ways. The money needed had been received and he was given this funding before we left. Many of the villages we visited had witch doctors and idol worship areas.
From here we left for the village of Gordokope. Gordokope is a village that had basically burned down a few months ago and HCM had financed the rebuilding of the buildings and roofs. Later that evening we showed the film Passion Of Christ to about 75-100 people. Vincent did an excellent job of interpreting the words for the people. Bro. Bo gave a sermon at a break point in the film like we had done at the previous show and everyone was very attentive. Five adults stated that they would attend Sunday School the following week and three young men expressed the desire to be new pastors. After the two shows 44 people had given their lives to Christ. 
We attended James’ church near the river and had a good session. This area is very poor both spiritually, agriculturally and economically. Lunch today consisted of fried tilapia head, rice and a tomato-type paste. Arrived back at our hotel about 9:15pm and had a delicious supper of watermelon, pineapple, avocado and mango.  
Day Four – Beautiful day and we will be heading to Tefle (Tef-le) and then back to Accra. We had the opportunity to visit the Accra Shopping Mall before we left and it is totally air conditioned and just about like one of the finer malls in the USA. This is amazing with so much poverty around the area. Flight from Accra is at 11pm and we will arrive in Johannesburg at 7am and then take a flight to Harare (Ha-rar-e) where we will meet Sherrie Bumstead and Ricky Davis who represent the Bethany Ministry.
At this point of the trip we have each come to realize just how much we take for granted and how privileged we are to have been born in the USA. Most of the people that we have visited with in the Ghana area get up in the morning with no hope of change. They are just “existing”. There are few opportunities for the people to improve their future or that of their families. Sad  
As we visit the various villages it is clear that if you bring a soccer ball to the youth or a set of drums for the church you make many friends!
In a couple of the villages we have seen people drinking water from the same areas where cattle are grazing in the water. Water quality in many areas is very poor and in some villages they do not have a water well. Can you imagine walking a couple of blocks to fill up a jug, placing it on your head and then carrying it back two blocks to dump it into a large container that will take twenty or more trips to fill? Add to that the fact that much of the water may be contaminated to some degree. 
Harare is in the Republic of Zimbabwe which was formerly Southern Rhodesia. Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three official languages: English, Shona (a Bantu language), and Ndebele. Robert Mugabe has been in power since the country's long war for independence.
Although initially during the 1980s his administration was credited with improving the standard of living and the economy, his rule has been characterized by gross economic mismanagement, hyperinflation, and widespread reports of human rights abuses. Even though the economy is slowly improving, millions are still dependent on food aid and disease outbreaks only compound the situation.
But behind the grim data lies one of southern Africa’s most beautiful countries. Zimbabwe is about ½ the size of Texas. Rand and USA dollars are the currency and approximately 7.5 Rand equal one USA dollar. Harare is the capital city of Zimbabwe, and it is a beautiful, light-filled, open city; high on the country's central plateau. It is a city of modern buildings, wide thoroughfares, numerous parks and gardens. A city whose streets are lined with flowering trees and a wonderful and invigorating climate.
Harare has an estimated population of 2,800,000+ in its metropolitan area (2006). Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and serves as an administrative, commercial, and communications center. The city is also a trade center for tobacco, maize, cotton, and citrus fruits. Manufactures include textiles, steel, and chemicals, and gold is mined in the area. The weather in this area is much cooler than in Ghana and you see few people in shorts. Starting to really miss my bed, but it will be some time until we get back to the USA.
When we arrived at the Harare airport my luggage and Bro. Bo’s was missing. Filled out the proper paperwork and hope that it comes in tomorrow. 
Sherrie Bumstead is an endless supply of energy and has a great passion for addressing the medical needs in this area. We will head to her home in Bulawayo (Bull-a-way-o), the second largest city in Zimbabwe that has a population of about 1,500,000.
Be careful when traveling the roads in this part of the world because radar areas are set up and if you are stopped for speeding the fine is paid before you go any further. Speed limits can vary greatly from place to place but usually you can plan on driving in the 50-70 mph range. And remember – you drive on the left side of the road in this part of the world. Public transportation is used a great deal in this area.
We spent the night at the White House Guest Villa and it is one of the highlights of the trip. The people were gracious, the facilities were beautiful and the food was great. If you are traveling in the area it is a great place to rest.
We visited the hospital in Kwa Kwa (Qay-Qay) where a great deal of the past shipments of hospital equipment has been delivered. We actually visited the hospital twice and there were very high points in each visit and also some very low points. There are 300 beds, 150-175 patients and only three doctors. There is a great need for more mattresses and beds.
Like other hospital visits, you will see people with blankets placed on the floor because there are no beds available. Patients coming into the hospital have to bring their own blankets because the hospital has no way of washing all of the blankets that are used. We saw a pile of blankets at least five feet high that were waiting to be washed in the one available wash machine. And forget about drying the items during the rainy season because no dryers are available. We did bring wiring, etc. to hook up a dryer in one hospital but the fuse in the plug was not large enough to do the job required.
A visit to other areas of the hospital used for recovery and care for babies will bring a tear to your eyes. If only they had some of the equipment that we take for granted back in the USA.
A visit to the Kushinga Elementary School showed another area of great need. There are 570 students in the public school that ranges from 1st grade to 7th grade. The children consider it a great privilege to go to school. Their smiling faces will be remembered forever. The students have one textbook for every ten students. Approximately 65% are orphans or live with extended families. If there was ever a ministry we should all be involved in it would have to be the feeding of those youngsters.
One plan which we will pursue further is the acquiring of dehydrated food that has a little meat, rice, soy, vegetables and vitamins in each package. Add water to the package and it will feed six people. What a blessing it would be to have this food available in many of the Zimbabwe and Ghana schools. World In Need is a contact point for this food (Feed My Starving Children) and we will discuss this issue with them when we return. It is estimated that 350 boxes can feed 500 people for six months. One box has 36 packages and each pack will feed six people. Shelf life for the product is 2 years. 
Later we visited the Pentecostal Assembly Church with Pastor Bishop C, Mafuruse and had a good session with him and his colleges.
I did mention earlier that we had two items of luggage that did not arrive with our flight at Harare. Later this day we made the three hour trip back to Harare to get the luggage and then made the 5-6-hour trip to our host site of Bulawayo.
In the Bulawayo area we visited a large complex that could make Sherrie’s dreams of a maternity clinic come true. The complex was built by Harvard University and then for some unknown reason is now just sitting there not being used. The complex probably has 300 rooms, huge areas for beds and examination rooms and the front area could probably park at least 400-500 cars. What a waste.
I can’t go much further without mentioning that one of our hosts was a lady from Fairmount, Texas (Fairdale Baptist Church) by the name of Katy Richardson. She is a very young 70-year old lady that is also called Go-Go (Grandmother). She made her first ministry trip earlier this year and it has changed her life. She is loved by all of the people in the Zimbabwe area and she loves them. What a blessing she is to all! Another lady that was a blessing to us is Aleta Flowers who lives in Texas and has devoted most of her life to nursing. She was a delight to talk to.
A visit to the Lancet House allowed us to meet the two nurses that work home care needs. There are about five patients now but referrals from doctors are not coming easily. Sherrie has a plan for a mobile clinic in the future that can bring relief to many of the people. Let all of us pray that the finances will become available to make this happen.
While all of this was taking place I must mention an area of deep frustration. A full container of medical equipment was supposed to be delivered from the USA to Kwa Kwa and other facilities the week we were there. Many red-tape issues were encountered and unfortunately the container and its valuable contents have still not been delivered. This red tape process is fairly common and I can only hope that by the time you read this the delivery has been completed.
Another highlight of our trip was a bible study with John Derks, his wife Sheila and approximately ten of their friends. Each of us introduced ourselves and then we gave a brief testimony and this was followed by open discussion with each person present. It was wonderful to hear these testimonies especially by a fellow by the name of Ernest Noble who was a basketball player and loved to work with the area youth. His need was for more basketballs and before the trip was completed he had 4 new basketballs.
At the end of the evening we had a chance to visit with John Derks. His story was truly an inspiration to us all. He had a good job with the railroad and then was prosecuted for embezzlement. He basically lost everything he had during this time and included his marriage to Sheila. He was sent to prison for 15 years but was released after seven years for good behavior. During this period of time he turned from a very angry person to one that accepted God and placed his life in Gods hands. He was made Chaplin of the prison and led many of the convicts to Christ. He then was reunited with Sheila, has a wonderful Christian family and is a principal player in the ministry of Farming Gods Way. John is an inspiration to many and we hope that he can combine his ministry efforts with Dave Reeves in the USA who along with his wife Rachel have a prison ministry operating out of the Fairmount, Texas area.
The homes in this area have a somewhat Spanish look. Most have fences around them with razor wire along the top. There are railroads here but not in the Ghana area. There is a vast array of flowers and the street lights are referred to as “robots”. If you see a sign that states “Give Way” that means to “Yield”. If you take your car in for service you take it to what they call a “Body Shop Panel Beater”. Unlike Ghana, few street vendors are present here.
During our stay we visited what is referred to as a “high density” area. These are usually areas with lots of smaller houses (two rooms) and are packed very close together. Even though they are lower class areas they all seem to have a garden to produce food that is dearly needed. And all of the people give you a big smile when you greet them. 
Our tour of the United Bulawayo Hospital touched each of our hearts. The tour was conducted by the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and he was most gracious. There are 650 beds in the hospital and while we were there approximately 400 were being used. They desperately need technical people to fix things that are broken. The hospital does not refuse anyone under five years of age or over 65.
More local culture was taught to us in Bulawayo. Sadza is the Shona language name for a cooked corn meal that is the staple food in Zimbabwe and other parts of southern and eastern Africa. Sadza in appearance is a thickened porridge. The most common form of sadza is made with white maize (Mealie-Meal). Preparation is a more complicated process than it may first seem from the appearance of the food. The Sadza is usually served in a communal bowl or separate plates and is taken with the right hand, rolled into balls, and dipped into meat, sauce, gravy, or stewed vegetables.
I also learned that God Is Good – All The Time in Shona was..
Mwa Qack-a-na – Ngua Dos A
There is also great nutritional value in a breakfast made of porridge with honey and peanut butter stirred in.
On the final day of our trip we visited the Hope Fountain School. Enrollment is 342 and they have no electricity .. but have a power line no more that 100 feet away. Politics have prevented the hookup of electricity to the school. 
The Mthombothemba Primary School has about 305 students and we were greeted with smiles, singing and dancing. They have a 10 year old water well that was put in by a German group and are one of the schools that could benefit greatly in doing the Farming Gods Way program. Most of the schools have a plot of land in the back of the school that is worked by everyone in the community and then the harvest is shared. At this school the farming plot was somewhere around 500X300 feet. There were 8 teachers at the school and it was well organized. A bible presentation was made to each class and we were amazed by the varied selection of topics that the children were being taught.
We went a short distance away to a church and people were working on a front stage. Leveling and cement work was done with a board and it was looking quite good. Two of the unusual metal buildings in the front were bathrooms and another two were kitchens. The church is used every Sunday.
During 2008-2009 the unemployment rate in this area was 90%. Where is there hope when you have numbers like this?
We ended the day by visiting an area called Youth With A Mission. It was a rough and barely definable road that led to a beautiful selection of buildings on the top of a hill. The site was originally owned by a farmer and the buildings used by his work force. Today the buildings are used to house 11 adopted children and there are five people on staff. This was another area that tugged on your heart.
After returning to our temporary home away from home we had supper and watched a movie titled “Faith Like Potatoes”. It was an inspirational movie filmed in Africa that I would recommend to all.  
On the final day we were up at 6am and headed for a place called Antelope Park. It is a high-fenced private area that has about 3000 acres of beautiful open savannah grassland and lots of animals. We saw wilderbeast, zebras, lions, impala, giraffes and a variety of geese. Elephants are present but were not seen during our tour. The area was what most Americans refer to as safari country and we enjoyed our hour long tour very much - but we had an airplane to catch in Harare so we hit the road.  
The drive to Harare was fast and the traffic was heavy. We arrived at the airport and said goodbyes to our dear friends and even though there was a bit of confusion as to the proper gate to be used … we boarded the flight from Harare to Johannesburg. We were in the home stretch and what could possibly go wrong now/
When we arrived in Johannesburg we had to hurry because we only had about 45 minutes to make our Delta flight from Johannesburg to Atlanta. No one was at the Delta ticket booth where we needed to get our boarding passes so we went directly to the gate where our flight was boarding. At his point we were told that we needed to be at the gate at least one hour before boarding time and our seats had been given to stand-by customers. The plane was there, we had confirmed tickets in hand but we could not get on the plane because it was now full. Our confirmed seats were given to others. We were not happy!
The next hour or so was a test of patience and character for each of us. We were also told that our luggage was in the basement and would not be available until 8am the next morning. After another period of tribulation we found an angel at the KLM booth that worked with us and got us and our luggage on a 7:30am flight the next morning to Amsterdam. Delta had given us a voucher for a room at the airport hotel so at least we wouldn’t have to sleep in the airport. So what if the flight was going north to the Greenland area .. We were out of Johannesburg and heading to Texas.
The flight to Amsterdam was uneventful and we even confirmed that our luggage was aboard.
One more trauma area at Atlanta because we had tickets in hand but they were not confirmed or cleared until 15 -minutes before the flight left. More anxiety for all but we did make the flight and much to our pleasure we finally arrived in Houston.
I don’t know how many passport checks we went through during the trip but they were many. Likewise I am not sure how many miles we traveled by air and car but it was considerable. Finally we were back in the good old USA … but our luggage was lost. More paperwork and anxiety and we finally left the airport and headed home. We arrived Saturday evening and our luggage was delivered to our home on Sunday evening.
Many lessons were learned from this trip, but the one thing that stood out more than anything else was the vast need of the people that we had left in Africa. This would include not only the many people in the villages but also our missionary friends. We are so blessed and we take so much for granted. We also have so many opportunities that others around the world do not have.
Missionaries do Gods work in many isolated places that have no water, electricity or food. They live in places that many of us would not even be comfortable visiting, and they do it with a smile on their face and passion for their work. They need our prayers.
Each of us should think about the challenges that our missionaries have on a daily basis and we should open up our hearts to assist them any way possible. My heart was broken by the things I saw and I was truly humbled.
I have a deeper appreciation for these people in far off places and I know that the good Lord will watch over them and their work.
If you want to know the true meaning of missionary work I suggest that you take a ministry trip. It is truly a humbling experience -- JB 
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