Full Altars, Goodbyes, and a Brand New Motorcycle

The last thing anyone expected to see loaded into the luggage bay of a Takoradi bus was a brand-new motorcycle, but there it was, and Bro. Richard was grinning ear to ear next to it.

Today was Laura's birthday, and it turned into one of the fullest days of the whole trip.

We started at the church for the closing session of the conference. Bro. Ruckman preached, and when he gave the invitation, the altars filled up. I am so glad we got to be here for this conference and see it end the way it did.

After the service, we had brunch, waakye with beef and gari, then headed back to the house. That is also where we said goodbye to Bro. Triano. He has been a missionary to Ghana for nineteen years, and we have known him that whole time. We do not get to see him often, but every time we do, it is a good time.

From there, Laura and I rode into town with Bro. Ruckman, Bro. Reno, and Bro. Richard, a pastor from the central region. Bro. Reno's church had bought Bro. Richard a brand new motorcycle, and the plan was to get it purchased and delivered to the bus station so it could be transported out to the village where he pastors. That bike is going to help him reach people with the Gospel who would otherwise be a long walk away. It cost a little over fourteen hundred dollars, and I could not help but think about how many people might hear about Jesus because of it. Kind of like the beast that carried the good Samaritan.

While they handled the purchase, I took Laura birthday shopping. We walked the streets of downtown Takoradi and saw all the ways it has changed. Some of the stores we used to frequent are still there. Most are not. We hit a few cloth stores and tailor shops, a grocery store, and a school supply store that used to be one of our regular stops.

We kept running into old friends the whole time we walked. A man from Niger who speaks excellent French spotted us and ran across the street for a reunion. A woman we used to have over for meals with her British husband, who has since passed away, saw us on the crowded sidewalk and burst into tears. It was so good to see familiar faces in familiar places. Laura found two dresses for her birthday, which made the whole afternoon worth it.

Then we went looking for a book I had seen the last time I was in Ghana, one that teaches Ghanaians how to say things properly in English called "We Don't Say…" I thought it would make a fun addition to our missions display table at churches. The man who sells it was not at the bus station, but he is supposed to be back tomorrow, so I am hoping we can track it down before we fly home.

We ran into Bro. Richard again at the bus station, right after his new motorcycle had been loaded into the luggage bay. He was still smiling from ear to ear. We caught a taxi back to the Ruckmans' and got a few minutes of rest before Bible Club. I did not sleep, but I spent the time thinking through the messages from the conference and how God had used them.

The Ruckmans run a neighborhood Bible Club in their front courtyard, and today about thirty kids showed up. Mrs. Tonya Kearney, a missionary who grew up in Ghana before moving to the Bronx at thirteen, walked over from her church with her teen girls. She and her husband have been missionaries in Ghana for eighteen years, and they are as much fun as anyone we know. She told me she wished she had a neighborhood Bible Club like this when she was a kid growing up here.

Her teen girls led the singing, and they did a great job. Bro. Ruckman handled the Scripture memory work and then broke into a silly song, clearly enjoying himself more than the kids were. Laura taught the Bible story, and the kids were leaning in for every word. Mrs. Angie followed up with the review and questions.

Once Bible Club wrapped up and we cleaned up, we headed into town for supper. Bro. Reno took all of us, the Ruckmans, Pastor Prince and his family, and Pastor Dare and his family, to the nicest restaurant in Takoradi, and he paid for the whole table. It was a great way to relax and enjoy some fellowship after a conference where everybody had worked so hard.

Thank you for praying for the conference. On Saturday there is a Ladies Meeting with about one hundred and twenty women expected, and Laura and Mrs. Angie are already excited about it. If you want to keep up with the rest of this trip, you can follow along at consfords.com/connect.