Africa Visit in January 2005
Thank you so much for your prayers. The trip to Africa went very well. Our purpose was to visit Adopt a Village programs initiated by USA churches in the COMINAD network. There were a few difficulties along the way, but we were able to see the hand of the Lord with us, helping us along.
Brian Johnson led the group on a scenic route to Benin and Mali. First, we flew on Ghana Airways from Baltimore, Maryland to Accra, the capitol of Ghana. In Ghana, we visited a Liberian refugee camp and met some friends and family of Brian. This visit was a stark reminder to pray for the current turmoil in Liberia. The journey to Cotonou, Benin was hot and dusty as we continued by bus with an overnight in Lome, Togo.
While in Benin we had opportunity to visit Ouidah, a historical port where slaves were sold and shipped to the new world. We rode down to the beach to see a historical marker called La Porte du Non Retour (The Port of No Return). Slaves left Africa never to return. One of the highlights of the trip was our visit with Benin's President, Mathieu Kerekou. He was pleased to visit with African Americans visiting his country. We spent about an hour with him. He was very warm and cordial. When he heard that we were going to go to northern Benin, he provided transportation for us there and back. What an unexpected blessing.
The trip to Tanguieta in northern Benin was a long 10 hours through semi-desert terrain. The season was called Harmetan, a dry time when dust from the Sahara Desert overcasts the skies. Thankfully, our travel was on good roads most of the way although the last part of it was unpaved and bumpy. We arrived safely in the night at the Baobab Hotel. The next morning I got up very early to visit the Wild Animal Preserve with the group. Gertrude used the time to meet with Bible translators and literacy workers at Tanguieta. We were able to spot deer, antelope, crocodile, even a lioness.
That afternoon we visited a couple of villages, where Carl and Ursula Williams are doing Bible translation with the Neteni people. Carl and Ursula Williams had just left for the USA so we visited with local people. The next day we headed back to Cotonou stopping a few times at roadside markets. On one stop Gertrude decided to try her hand at mashing yams for fufu. In Cotonou, we visited Akpali Kpevi Village which was adopted by Calvary Evangelical Baptist Church. It was exciting to see the different projects that Calvary was able to accomplish in partnership with this village. Now Christians from Akpali are reaching out to some 22 different villages with the Gospel.
On January 24th we flew to Bamako, Mali and on to Kayes, Mali to meet some Fulani Muslims. It was the last of four countries and we could not help but notice the difference-cooler temperature, greater percentage Muslims, slower pace and more time to visit and interact with local people. The highlight of our stay in Kayes was spending the night in a small Fulani village where Jim Bowers of United World Missions is doing church planting.
Created on ... March 06, 2005..................................Last edited March 14, 2006