Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe

WEDNESDAY: wake up call 5:30 am. Our eager team was scheduled to depart for Tema at 6:30 am. The generator ran most of the night so the noise was quieted, sleep more restful and energy restored. Our morning schedule was to give a performance for one of Pastor Ohene’s Good News Clubs in the Ashaiman District.

This area, as Ohene described to the passengers, “it is different” he said with a reserved chuckle. “I think you would call it a slum in America – it is very different.” The girls exchanged puzzled glances, thinking silently to themselves “what have we seen that wouldn’t be considered a slum in the US?”

But as we soon saw with our own eyes – Ashiama was very different. 90% of the buildings are “lean to” corrugated tin structures. The streets are vary narrow, there are thousands more people, and the overwhelming poverty, seemed to hang like a dark cloud over the crowded streets.

We were stuck in the traffic, in the throng, in the mire too long, too late to make it to the school. Flexibility, allowed us to head back across the bridge and make it to another school (Mexico) near Tema for a morning program.

More than 300 children were gathered in the school room to receive their completion certificates for Vacation Bible School. They proudly waved them at our request for photo opportunities. They sang praise songs with unequalled passion and fervor, and they enjoyed our presence as strange witnesses of their joy.

The Apple Tree Story created an explosion of laughter and exclamation as their very serious teachers were drafted into acting out the story. The were “wowed” and we were “wooed” as our woe over the lack of boxes was temporarily forgotten. Too soon, we left the smiles behind, hopeful to have good news about delivery of the containers.

We napped, we prayed, we sent emails, we ate. We made plans, but in the end, our plans were not His.

"Interpret our Master’s patient restraint for what it is – salvation." 2 Peter

By 1:00, we moved on to “Plan W” and headed out for a short program at a school just beginning the Good News Club. We only had a short time (1 song, 1 trick, 1 evangelism invitation) but that was all the time some of the children needed to make a decision for Christ.

And as we return to our “waiting” posture, I have to marvel at how important those children were. This is the “third day” we have had no gifts to bring. We are close to 5000 children behind in the process of distributing gift boxes – but….

Would He leave the 90 and 9 to find the one sheep that was lost?