November Newsletter

All people hoe to eat.-Maumprulli proverb

STORY:

Julia and I are an hour’s drive away from paved road and a three hour drive away from a large city. We enjoy living in rural Africa and would not want to live anywhere else. There are numerous benefits to living and ministering in the “bush”. One of the downsides to living in Nalerigu is the lack of grocery stores. We are able to find bread, sugar, flour, and other basic (and I mean basic) necessities but if we want to eat a decent non-Ghanaian meal we have to purchase all of our groceries three hours away in Tamale.

Tamale is the largest city in the North. To put it into perspective Nalerigu has a population just shy of 7,000; however, Tamale has a population of 537,000. I travel to Tamale once a month in order to make a supply run. I depart Nalerigu at 4:00 am in order to arrive in Tamale by 7:00. Trust me; if you arrive later than 8:00 you will be in trouble, the traffic is unbelievable! There are several tasks which I seek to accomplish in Tamale. I must buy all of our groceries for the next month, pull money out of the bank for the next month, check the post office, exchange US dollars for Ghana Cedis, pay internet/television bill for the guest house, and enjoy a hamburger at Mike’s restaurant.

Tamale shopping is always an adventure:

The main grocery store is an adventure! The store is about the size of your living room. You never know what you are going to find. Sometimes you are able to find everything on your list; however, there have been numerous times where basic items (cheese, cereal, milk, etc) were not in stock and we had to go without for a month. There was one time I went and all of the food was knocked off the shelves and on the floor. You had to sort through piles of boxes to find what you were looking for.

The post office is an adventure! Nalerigu only has one address which is the hospitals; so when I go to the post office I end up leaving with my mail as well as the mail for people in Nalerigu. I’m not sure why they give me other people’s letters; I guess they figure I am more responsible than our post master.

The restrooms are an adventure! There is no such thing as a free (the man who runs the public restroom charges a ridiculous amount to non-Ghanaians) public restroom, so it is a good idea to always bring a roll of toilet paper; just in case you need to stop by a bush on your way home. Using the restroom behind a bush is the main reason why Julia has stopped going with me to Tamale.

The restaurants are an adventure! One of the restaurants which we like to eat at is known as Swabs Fast Food; I’m not sure why they call it “fast food” because it always takes at least an hour to receive your order.

The driving is an adventure! Defensive driving is a must in Tamale. I am always watching out for cars, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, beggars, three-wheelers, donkeys, goats, and other farm animals. If the driving is not hard enough with all of the people on the road, you have to watch out for the police officers on every corner who are looking to issue a ticket to a white person so that they can receive a bribe. 

Tamale shopping is always an adventure.

PICTURES:

Yes, this is a kitten in the grocery store. Cats roam the grocery stores in order to take care of the rats.

The green shop is where school aged children purchase their hot lunches before going to school. Lunch is usually fried rice with a boiled egg.

This is the main grocery store in Tamale. Don't worry the picture is the actual size of the grocery store. We buy all of our groceries for a month.

Appliance, food, and knick knack store. Picture a very ghetto Kmart

Typical early morning in Tamale

I leave Nalerigu at 4:00 am in order to drive 3 hours to reach our nearest town to purchase groceries. The road is unpaved for the first hour of the trip.

Tamale has a population of 537,000. This is a fairly typical picture of what traffic is like when I go.

We have to pull our money out before heading back to Nalerigu. After taking this picture the security guard yelled at me and told me I wasn't allowed to take a picture of a bank. I'm not sure why. I guess he didn't want the bank to end up on someone's blog or something.

If you mail us a package this is where it waits until I arrive. I have made friends with the customs officer and he is trying to convince me to name my daughter after him. I don't think Shadu is a very good girls name.

Typical traffic in Tamale. You always have to be on the lookout for motorcycles. 

Heading home after another long day in Tamale.

Happy Fall from the 3 Welchs

We have chosen a name: Piper Christine Welch!

DEVOTIONS:

One year, Ten Lessons:

Operation Christmas Child

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1)     Piper Christine Welch is due on December 11^th. The International Mission Board will be flying Julia and me from Ghana-Senegal in order to give birth. Julia will leave a month before I do. Julia will be leaving on Tuesday, November 5^th. She will fly to Senegal with a friend and stay at the guesthouse in Dakar until I arrive the first week of December. Please pray for Julia’s flight to Senegal. Pray her flight/entry into Senegal goes smoothly. Pray there are no complications and her first doctors’ appointment goes well. Pray for me as I wrap up everything here in Nalerigu to join Julia the first week in December.

2)     Saturday mornings I meet with a young man who is one of the Pastors for Alafiafungo Baptist Church. We are going through a book entitled Starting and Strengthening New Churches. He is expressing a desire to be a church planter and evangelist. Pray that God continues to set aflame a burning desire to see others come to know Christ. Pray for myself as I seek to disciple him. Pray for wisdom as I seek to answer his questions and teach him all I know about evangelism and church planting.

3)     The month of November will be long and boring for Julia as she is in Senegal, a French speaking country all alone. Pray she is able to find activities while she is there. Pray she is able to rest while she awaits the birth of our child. Pray she does not go stir crazy hanging out in a guesthouse for a month.

4)     Volunteers come and serve at the hospital every month. Most of the volunteers who come are Christian but a few are not. For those who are not Christians there stay in Nalerigu might be the only time they have interacted for a prolonged period of time with Christians. Pray God saves them during their time here. Pray God gives wisdom to all of us who live on the compound to answer their questions. Pray they see Christ through our actions and hear about Him in our communication.

5)     I will be spending the month of November wrapping up everything in Nalerigu as well as preparing for classes which I will take in January. I have to read over 1,000 pages and write three papers before joining Julia in Senegal. Please pray I would take advantage of the time and get all of my work finished. Pray for wisdom as I seek to write academic papers after being away from school work for a year. Pray I am edified, educated, and equipped during my studies.

Thank you for holding the rope for us!

Serving Him,

The 3 Welchs