A Day of Missionary Life Serving on the Field
One of the things I am learning quickly about missionary life serving on the field is that no two days are exactly alike. Some days are filled with travel, some days with ministry opportunities, and other days with intense learning. Day three of Bible Institute in Ghana turned out to be a mixture of all three.
The morning started early, although not quite as early as some days. I woke up around 7:20 A.M., which felt like a small luxury after several long days of activity. After heading downstairs, I grabbed some breakfast and sat down to review my Bible Institute materials.
One of the realities of missionary life serving on the field is that ministry does not replace preparation. If anything, preparation becomes even more important. Teaching, preaching, and ministry opportunities come quickly on the mission field, and you want to be ready when they do.
So before we ever left the house that morning, I spent time studying through my notes and reviewing the lessons we would be covering later in the day.
Preparing the Church for a Day of Training
Around 10:15 A.M., we left the house and headed toward the church where the Bible Institute classes were being held. By the time we arrived, most of the setup had already been completed. Chairs were arranged, materials were ready, and the classroom areas were organized.
That meant there was only one major responsibility left before class could begin.
Coffee.
Now, I personally do not drink coffee. However, Bro. Ruckman seems determined to make sure that changes before I return to the United States. He insists that missionary work and coffee somehow go hand in hand.
Whether that is true or not, I am not entirely convinced. But one thing I do know—the people at the church absolutely love coffee.
They drink it fast.
In fact, they drink it so quickly that it is almost impossible to make it fast enough to keep up with them. As soon as one pot finishes brewing, it feels like another one needs to start immediately.
Moments like this may seem small, but they are part of missionary life serving on the field. Ministry is not always about standing behind a pulpit. Sometimes it is about making coffee, setting up chairs, and preparing the environment where teaching and training can happen.
A Full Schedule of Bible Institute Classes
Classes began around 11:15 A.M., and once we got started, the day moved quickly.
The first class of the day was English, taught by Mrs. Angie. English classes are extremely helpful in this setting because many of the students desire to improve their ability to read and understand English materials, especially when it comes to Bible study resources.
After English, we moved into the theological portion of the day.
The schedule included several classes:
- Homiletics 1
- Old Testament Survey
- The Book of Romans
- Baptist Distinctives
Each subject plays a critical role in preparing men and women for ministry. Homiletics focuses on preaching and sermon preparation. Old Testament Survey gives a broad understanding of the Bible’s historical and theological structure. The Book of Romans dives deeply into one of the most foundational doctrinal books in Scripture. Baptist Distinctives helps students understand the biblical principles that shape Baptist beliefs and church practice.
Training like this is essential to missionary life serving on the field, because the long-term goal of missions is not simply to preach sermons—it is to train leaders.
Missionaries may begin the work, but national pastors and teachers must eventually carry the work forward.
Bible Institute is one of the ways that happens.
The Quiz That Nearly Ruined My Day
Although most of the day went smoothly, there was one moment that nearly ruined my entire afternoon.
The quiz.
I had only one quiz scheduled that day, which sounded encouraging at first. One quiz is not so bad, right?
Well, that one quiz turned out to be far more difficult than I expected.
I had studied the materials quite a bit beforehand, so when the quiz started, I felt fairly confident. But as the questions progressed, that confidence began to fade.
Something was not lining up.
Either the questions were harder than expected, or my brain decided to take a break at the exact wrong moment. Either way, by the time I finished the quiz, I had a pretty good feeling that my grade was not going to be impressive.
I joked with a few of the other students afterward and asked how they thought they had done.
Their responses were not exactly encouraging.
Several of them said they would be surprised if they had gotten even half the answers correct.
When I heard that, I told them I was probably right there with them.
So maybe it was not just me after all.
Still, I can guarantee one thing: I will be studying a little harder before the next quiz.
Moments like that are humbling reminders that learning never stops in missionary life serving on the field.
Exhaustion After a Long Day of Learning
After the final class ended, we spent some time cleaning up and organizing the church for the next day. Once everything was finished, we headed back to the house.
By the time we arrived home, everyone was completely worn out.
My head felt tight across my forehead, which I am convinced was caused by a combination of two things:
- The amount of information I had just absorbed.
- The stress from that quiz.
Either way, we all needed a break.
Before taking a rest, I stepped outside and set my phone up to record a time-lapse of the sunset. I placed it in a spot where it had a clear view of the sky and then left it running while we went inside.
We have seen some sunsets here in Ghana, but we have not seen many that were particularly spectacular.
This night was different.
A Sunset Worth Watching
When I checked the time-lapse later, the sky looked incredible.
God had painted the horizon with layers of color—deep orange, purple, red, and gold blending together as the sun slowly disappeared below the horizon.
It almost felt like God had decided to put on a special show right when my camera happened to be pointed in the right direction.
Moments like that are easy to miss in the busyness of the day. But they are one of the blessings of missionary life serving on the field.
In between classes, ministry responsibilities, studying, and travel, God occasionally reminds you to stop and look around.
The mission field is not just a place of work. It is also a place where you see God’s creation, God’s people, and God’s work in ways that you might never experience otherwise.
Supper and a Much Needed Rest
While the time-lapse continued recording outside, we ate supper together.
The food was excellent.
In fact, I have yet to try something here that I did not like. That may change eventually—but so far everything has been surprisingly good.
Hopefully I did not just jinx myself by saying that.
After supper, everyone went their separate ways to relax for the evening. It had been a long day of studying, learning, and ministry preparation.
As for me, I still had a little homework left to finish.
So the plan for the rest of the evening was simple:
Finish homework.
Take a shower.
Get to bed early.
Tomorrow would be Sunday, and we had church in the morning. Falling asleep during the service would not be a great way to represent the Bible Institute student body.
And knowing my luck, that would probably be the exact day someone called on me.
Always good to start with a tough quiz so that you will stay on your toes and work hard. Your sunset was a blessing to us. Keep working hard, we love you.