January Newsletter: 2

Wherever you are be all their; live to the hilt in every situation.-Jim Eliot

PICTURES:

Cellphones are charged by credits. This is the shop where we buy our VodaCredit for our cell phones. 

Our version of Wal-Mart. As you can see the employees work really hard.

We buy Coca Cola from these men. Every month we return a cartoon of empty glass bottles and they give us a new cartoon. They love their glass bottles.

Julia and I buy bread from this family once a week. The bread is cooked in the oven and served fresh every morning. It is sweet and very good.

Local carpenter

Local well. This place is packed in the morning with women coming into town to retrieve their water for the day.

We may not have a Mcdonalds but we do have Allah's Food Fast.

Local bike shop. The bikes will get you to your destination but the brakes will screech when you arrive.

Local gas station. Don't worry we don't get our gas here.

The local butcher in town. Anyone want beef?

Largest Mosque in Nalerigu.

I met this man at the bus station. He had just visited the leader of the Mosque in order to have the Imam place power in that pouch which you see on his face. The power would protect him from evil spirits.

Local Nalerigu market. Market happens every third day. This is where Julia and I practice language, buy groceries, and learn about culture.

Market day.

These kids saw me taking pictures in market and were curious. You should've seen their faces when I showed them the picture.

These donkey carts are all around Nalerigu. They are usually driven by children. You have to watch out for them because they will not watch out for you.

Main Street Nalerigu.

STORY:

Life in Nalerigu begins early for Julia and I. Below is a breakdown of a typical day in Nalerigu…

T’s schedule:

5:30 am:          I am usually woken up by the cat before my alarm goes off. After feeding the cat I head out for my morning jog. As I leave the hospital compound I jog past a line of people already waiting to be allowed in. Greetings are very important in Nalerigu and as I jog past, I am saying “Naa” which is a traditional greeting. The people in line find a white man greeting them in shorts while running to be a humorous event.

8:00-9:30am:   Language study. I review the sentences which I learned the previous day.

9:30-10:00:     Chapel at the hospital. The chaplains deliver a thirty minute evangelistic sermon and at the end they challenge the patients to either accept or reject Christ. Everyday God is saving patients at the hospital.

10:00-11:00:    I pray with the patients on the various wards. I have memorized a prayer in Mamprulli and the patients love when a white man comes in and begins speaking their language.

11:00-12:30:    Language practice out in the community. I go to the market and buy groceries for the day; I sit with men and talk, etc. Anything I can do to practice Mamprulli.

12:30-2:00:      Lunch/Siesta

2:00-3:00:        Language Class

3:00-5:00:        Various ministries in town including feeding widows, drinking tea with Muslim men, Bible storing in the Witches Camp, etc.

5:00-9:00:        Relax and spend time with Julia

9:30pm:           Bed

Julia’s Schedule:

7:00am:           Devotions/preparing for the day

7:30am:           Leave for school. Julia assists with Algebra 2, Elementary Math, Chemistry, and Biblical Relationships

7:30-12:30:     Working at the school house. Julia is involved in assisting with various classes as well as organizing papers for the moms, grading papers, motivating teenagers, and assisting in a 1,000 little ways. Her ministry in the school house frees up other women to be able to plan out meals for their family, shop and clean their house. Julia’s servant heart is noticeable to all of the women on the compound.

12:30-2:00:      Siesta/Language Study

2:00-3:00:        Language Study/practice.

3:00-4:00:        Language Class

4:00-5:30:        Serving in various ministries in town including feeding and playing with orphans, ministering to families at a Tuberculosis village next to the hospital, and helping students with their homework.

6:00-9:00:        Tuesday night Julia does a lady’s Beth Moore Bible Study through the Book of James. Wednesday/Thursday nights Julia helps a high school student with chemistry and Biblical relationships and the other nights spends time with T.

9:30 pm:          Bed

DEVOTIONS:
Press on, serve the Lord, come home empty
Horde or Save

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1) Please pray we would be diligent in language study. Pray we would have ears to hear the details of the language, tongues to speak and discipline/determination to put in the hours necessary to learn Mamprulli.

2) The culture of Ghana is very different from the United States and at times we experience culture shock. Pray we would begin to lean, understand, and appreciate Ghanaian culture. Pray we would have wisdom to navigate the culture and humility to laugh at ourselves when we make mistakes.

3) Pray for the various ministries we are involved in. Pray for Julia as she feeds orphans and ministers to families in a TB village. Pray for T as he feeds widows, drinks tea with Muslim men, and shares Bible stories in a witches camp. Pray we share/show the love of Christ. Pray God blesses our ministries and draws many people to Himself.

4) Pray for T as he starts an online class this semester. The internet is extremely slow and sporadic. Pray he has patience for the times when the internet doesn't work. Pray for understanding from his professor. Pray he is able to juggle work, language learning and his online class.

5) Pray for Julia as she teaches, coaches, and motivates junior/high school students. Pray she would have the energy to keep up with the teenagers, the patience to keep them on task and the love to minister to them. Pray for wisdom as she will be helping with Algebra 2 and Chemistry. Pray the students see Christ in her teaching.

We love you. Thank you for holding the rope for us.

The Welchs