Eunson Dorothy 2002 Ghana enews

8/22/2019 Eunson Dorothy 2002 Ghana enews

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AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM, INC.

Volume 8, Issue 8

Dorothy EunsonB o x 5 72 2Accra N. GhanaWest Atirica

EN OUR GEMENT TRIP TO KER I

The long awaited visit with a year 2000 graduate inthe northern Volta region took place between the13 'and 17 of December. Our team includedKwame and Julie as usual, plus Nicholas Otumfuo,pastor in a town 17 miles from Accra. Bro.Sampson Darko had invited him because he is grayhaired and age is greatly respected. The trip tookabout eight hours, including one stop to visitHayford Ahiabou, who has planted cross-culturalchurches an hour from our fmal destination Alargepart of the journeyis ondecentpavedroads,but aboutthreehours are spenton unpaved andsome very rough roads

Kwame and Julieon theirwedding dayFora long time Bro. Sampson wasonly oneoftwoChristians in his family. An older brother stoppedsupportinghim in secondaryschoolwhen hebecame a Christian. He has suffered a lot of abuseand contempt from his family, although by thegrace of God that has been somewhat alleviated.This iswhy we chose to spend a long weekend withhim. He has taken over the oversight of fourchurches from Bro. Christopher Adjei, the man whohasjoinedthe college faculty.A ladyin the Kerichurchcooked all ourmeals forus while continuing to participate vigorously in

f f ii ia l e o fGH N C H RI ST IA N C O LI E Barbara Barkes

33 9 Wiltshire DriveGray TN [email protected]

January, 2002

every church activity. We ate around a small tablein front of the thatched roof, swish (mud plasteredwith cement) house that Sampson has built. If thesun was extremely hot and shade scarce, we movedinside th e room to eat That is also the r oo m inwhich I slept, and Sampson slept at a friend's house.The rest of our party was housed in the home of anelder W e took our baths in the usua l smal l roo fl es sshelter at a neighbor's house, and we were given thekey to the teachers' toilet at a school close by. OnSaturdaywe were joking about the difficultyour tallmissionary men would have, ducking in and out ofthe low doorway of Sampson's house. I wascomplimentedon my carefulness. That veryevening as I entered the bathhouse after dark, Iglanced down to be sureof my footingandwhackedmy forehead a smart blow on the low lintelThe very first eveningafter supper, the three menwent to one village for a Bible study, while Julieand I met with the Women's fellowshipin Keri. Itaught a lesson and Julie interpreted for me. Thelanguage of the area is Achode, but most understandTwi verywell. Kerosene lanterns were used sincethere is no electricity in the areayet.Friday was a bit difficult for me. I was still tiredfrom thejourney andwith my fast metabolism Ineed food early in the morning. Not to be.Sampson haddeclared a half-day of fasting, praise,preachingandprayer for spiritual revival. Bro.Otumfuo wasthemain leader. Itwas a very goodservice, and I did survive. I do not think I couldhave stood upforonemore prayer session. Wefinally ate about three o'clock in the afternoon. Wehadanother service in Keri that evening.Saturday Sampson hadto go toNkwantato havespare partsputonhismotorcycle. Itwas supposedtobea rest time for us. A faithful old but livelywidow in the church who was rejected andabandoned by all five sons when she became aChristian, was talkingto Bro.Otumfuo about ayoimg man she is helping to take care of, whosuffers from several health problems. We finallydecided we should take himtothehospital inNkwanta, a thirty-minute drive away. Wehada latelunch that day and then drove back to Nkwanta tovisit Bro. BuduNyarko, anotherFAME churchplanter, thenontoTutukpene to pay a short visit toJohn Newman a July graduate who has taken up theleadership ofthe church there. Kwame was veryoften busy driving the truck up and down carryingequipment or people. Sunday morning hemadethree trips toPawa No. 2where we had a jointworship service ofpeople from all four villages.


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Pawa No. 2isa largely Konkomba village and isthe newest branch . We all sat on benches underthe mango trees. Several youth responded to theinvitation. Bro. Otumfuo was so concerned aboutthe unconverted adults in that town that he andSampsonmadean arrangement with thechieftoreturn at 5 p.m. The chiefagreed to beat thegongong and call thepeople together.The men returned to Pawa No. 2 for the meeting ofvillage adults. The chiefsaid it was the first timethewholevillagehadgathered for such anoccasion.Our menwere happy withthe respect andattentiveness accorded the teaching/preaching ofthegospel message. The people also asked questions.It is our prayerthat seedhas beensown,whichwillbear fruit in the future.In themeantime Julie and I hadgoneto the Kerichapel where I was to teach ongiving. Itwas8:30p.m.beforewe startedandpeoplewere tired, so Idid not teach for very long. Mostly I emphasizedthatyoucantithe only if you love God sincerelyand trust him completely.Packingthe truckMonday morning was not a smalljob. Wewere bringing some longboards andotheritems for Bro. Christopher Adjei plus lots ofyamsgiven to all of us for gifts. Bro.Otumfuo evenbought a small goatforhis family s Christmasdinner. After the job was done, we ate breakfastandtookour leave aftera very enjoyable visitduringwhich we laughed a lot. We felt the same asSampsonwhen he repeatedlysaid, I will miss

^ c*

Our journey took more than twelve hours. The loadkept shiftinga little sowe stopped at ObandaforKwame to retie the ropes completely. Thattook anhour and thenBro.Ahiabou s family servedus food.We could travel only slowly but finallyreachedhome safely at 10:30 p.m, with thankfiil hearts.BothDavid Kalb and Tim Bright alsomade trips todifferent parts of the North during the holidaystoencourage leaders and churches there.

East Rive r Pa rk Christian Church1207 Broad StreetElizabethton, TN 37643Address Correction Requested

IN T N W YEARBrian Jennings returned toGhana onJanuary 3^^ toresume his teaching duties. On January ^ JohnDadzie college treasurer leftforEngland to studyaccounting andbusiness for a year. Hemadehisown arrangements but the college will pay hissalary tohis family for theyear. Registration forsecond term took place onJanuary 7 and classesopened on the 8^ ^ Groundbreaking for thelibrary/administration building on the new campuswill bedone onJanuary 25^ ^. Irvin and LenaKreider from the Williamsport PAarea areagainstaying withusfor three months so Irvin canhelpbuildthenewcampus. They arrived in Decemberandare ready to move intothenewly completedguesthouse.

MRS. BARKES HAS MOVED

My faithful, wonderful forwarding agent hasmoved Her new addres s i s 339 Wiltshire DriveGray, TN 37615. Mrs. Ellen Elliott, 1600 BuenaVistaDrive,Eustis, FL32726,stillhas displaymaterial to lend you if you want it.PRAYER POW R

THANK GODFOR: Thepresence of all themissionarieson the field and in good health; JohnDadzie s opportunity to study inEngland; reopeningof a new term; safe travel and visits to severalchurches in northern Ghana during the holidays; myshortvacation; faithful longtime supporters andsomenew ones in the past year; smooth running ofiny red pickup truck.PETITION GODFOR: wisdomfor thosewritingaconstitution for Abeka Christian Church; FrancisAhadzie, a pastor imder 40 who had a mild strokethe day before Christmas; provision for drums forthe churches in Pawa No. 1 and 2 in the Nkwantadistrict; continuedand increasedgiving for the newlibrary; spiritual protection for those who work inareas of intense opp-^sition from traditional idolworship.God bless you all in the year 2002. In His service,Dorothy

Non Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage GuaranteedElizabethton, TNPe rm i t No . 183

HORIZONS Mission ServicesP.O. Box 13111Knoxville TN 37920-0111

InliiiitilliinHiillliniiiii tHliniilnilliMlluiliiinil


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AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM, INCAffillat* of

GHANA CHRISTIAN COllEGE

Dorotby Eanson _ . _ ,Box5722 Barbara BarkesAccraN.GhanaW e s t A f r i c a tvbarkes ^ahoo.coniFEBRUARY 2002 CONTRIBUTORS* LETTERDear Friends in Christ,

G R O U N D - B R E A K I N G F O R I. IRR A R V nJanuary 25 , as scheduled abus took all the students and the teachers who do not already live on thenew campus, tothenew site fora simple but interesting ground-breaking service for the newLibrary/Administration building. We all met in one of the new classrooms. The faculty sat down, but thestudents had tostand. After a short song service, Tim Bright gave anexhortation from Nehemiah. TheChief Immigration Officer ofGhana had accepted an invitation to be our guest of honor and featuredspeaker. Two days before the occasion, he remembered a previous government engagement. Iwasdrafted by the Principal to take his place If the students were disappointed, they were too polite to showit. I gave a rather humorous description of the cramped and inadequate conditions inwhich the library,the PrincipaFs ofBce, and the main business office function. Then I shifted to the importance ofadministration (it s Biblical ) and oflibraries; and related some ofthe features ofthe new building. Icompared thepresent building toa dugout canoe andtheproposed new building toan ocean liner. Threefaculty members, including the librarian, and thepresidentof theStudentCouncU eachturned overashovelful ofdirt. Meat pies and soft drinks were served aftertheprogram.One week later, during a visit tothenew site for two missionary meetings, Iwas amazed to see awholenetwork oftrenches already dug forthefooters. Ten days afterthata heavy, unexpected raincollapsedsomeof the trenches. But weare pressingon.

D ILY CTIVITIES

Whatamundane heading. Well, life Is sometimes mundane. Except for thepower outages wehave beenexperiencing again in the lastfew days. Right now the stabilizer is clicking steadity, tryingto copewithfluctuations involtage. This ismid-term exam week. I recently gotabout twenty new books ready forthe shelves (so few ) Thisafternoon I did thecalculations for theFebruarysalaryadjustments based onthe changing exchange rate of to local currency. Thefaculty meeting minutes arewaiting for metotype them,and a descriptionof ten beautiful newBiblical visual aids is to be typed for facultymembers.AsetofEnglish test papersand a setofChristian Education assignments (minor) are also waiting. Iprobably cannot finish all today. Others ar e far busier than I, believe me.

C O N S T I T U I O N A N D B Y - L A W SOur local congregationhas never had such documents, but recent eventshave deemedit important toprepare some. I am one of five on the committee to prepare a draft . I am not sure I should be. Certainlya Ghanaian document Is going to be fa r different than any I have seen. Some of the ideas I think clearand important ar e no t necessarily regarded in the same light by th e other members. We have had somepretty stormy meetings. I have to remind myself that this is the Lord s business and Hi s church, no tm i n e .

PR YER P OW ERThank Go d for: good health in all faculty and staff and families; enjoyable ground-breaking; IDESgrant fo r two new deep weUs; gradual recovery of th e minister w ho h ad a stroke; progress in Easterconvention preparation; about twenty baptisms InAbeka Christian Church of children 11 an d up whohave been veryfaithfbl andverywell-taught.Petition Go d for: God s will to be done concerning th e desire of a mission called Medics for Christ toestablish a degree program for Emergency Medical Technicians from a Christian point ofview as part ofGCC/S s offerings; wisdom, courage and honesty in church leaders dealing with problems of Immoralityin the church; safety from snake bite and armed robbers for al l who live and work at th e new campus;more gifts fo r th e Library Building Fund; wisdom an d patience fo r those writing a draft constitution andby-laws for our local church.Just this week I read through financial reports fo r October through December 2001. I thank God f oryour generosity and faithfulness. In Christian love, Dorothy


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AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM, INC. ff i l ia te o fDorothy Eunson GHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Barbara Barkes

Box 5722 339 Wiltshire DriveAccra N Ghana Gray, TN 37615WestAfrica [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS AND PRAYER PARTNERSPRIL 2002

Dear Friends in Christ,MOST POWERFUL LOVELY CONVENTION WE HAVE EVER HAD

This wasone pastor s comment onour recent national Easter convention of the United Christian Churchesbrotherhood, held in the river town ofDambai in the northern Volta Region. There were over 2000 peoplepresent (it s hard to get a complete accurate count). Morning teaching sessions for youth and adults and AIDSworkshops on Saturday afternoon were held insix languages. Children s sessions every morning were held innine languages. The joy ofmeeting fellow Christians from so many areas and tribes was great. Just think whatheaven will be like I ll tell you more in thebigMay general newsletter. These bi-annual conventions are apowerful factor in binding us together.Four members ofdie planning committee had made apre-convention trip to Dambai the end ofFebruary. SinceJanuary, there have been hours ofpreparation ofchildren s materials, letters to all the teachers, photocopying ofprograms and lessons and arrangement of loans to pay for up front expenses. I do not get much else done otherthan necessary school work for months. But itisworth it. And praise God, special donations from some ofthechurches and the convention offerings more, than paid back all the loans.

MISSION EMPHASIS W KGhislain Sylvester, veteran missionary serving in Mali, flew to Ghana to be our guest for the week. He hasalways planned his work to be sustainable by the local people after his departure and had many, many usej^ideas to share with our students in challenging them to reach out beyond their own people and culture with thegospel ofChrist. He is French Canadian, so itwas anew accent for our students to struggle with

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SEMINAR LEDIn the midst offinal convention preparations and end ofschool papers and exams, Iwent to an evangelicalchurch on aSaturday morning to lead in aseminar on how to manage the time in aBible study. To be frank, Idon t have much confidence in myself, but the participants made lots ofcontributions and Iheard later that theythought I did an excellentjob. PraiseGodfor that.

MISSIONARY CONFERENCE IN IVORY COASTOur West African missionary conference occurs the same year as our national convention. Six ofushired a vanand driver and went together toGrand Bassam, Ivory Coast. Tlie Shefflers had extra business to attend to anddrove their own vehicle. Staying ata beach resort was quite a change from the facilities we had atour nationalconvention. Chris DeWelt ofCollege Press was our featured speaker. I really enjoyed his talks. Iwas the songleader. We all gave field reports and had some mformal discussions on topics pertinent to our work. Averyprecious part ofthe conference is tlie fellowsliip we enjoy. Seven ofthe Iweniy-two present will not be in WestAfrica for the next conference, either because ofretirement orrelocation, so there was a note ofsadness there.

PR Y R POW RThank God for: continuing good health; asplendid Easter convention and enjoyable missionary conference;exams marked, grades prepared, and syllabi ready for third term; early rains; Brights first grandchild~a boy, inCincinnatiPetition God for: strength, wisdom, and patience for third term beginning 29 April (my last as ateacher); reenergizing of those writing aconstitution for Abeka Christian Church; productive Board ofDirectors meetingon 15 May; new missionaries for all ofWest Africa, the most heavily populated section of the continent;continued progress on Library/Administration Building.

Grateftilly in Christ,Dorothy Eunson


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Volume 8, Issue 9

Dorolhy EunsonBo x 5722Accra N. GhanaWest Africa

TH BE S T E A ST E R CONVENTION Y T

The seven person Convention Planning Committee,of which I am the secretary,worked on the plansand preparations for more than a year and a half,including two trips to the river town ofDambai inthe northern Volta Region, the site of theconvention. Especially, since January, I spentmanyhours preparing children's materials with the helpof Kwame Amevor and a young man from a church18miles awaywho is a student at the college.There were also letters to be sent to the teachers,finance committee members, and churches thatcould bring their sound equipment and/or musicalinstruments. Photocopying of programsand lessonshad to be done in stages, and loans had to bearranged to pay for up front expenses. It was alsoimportant to train anotherman to keep financialrecords so that I could be relieved of much of thatwork. I did not get much else done other thannecessary school work for months. But it wasworth it

Three pastors and a schoolteacher were the mainlocal arrangements coordinators and churchmembers helped them. Theyall worked very, veryhard. The major facilitywas a veryneat andattractive teacher training college. Itwas a verynice place, butover 1500 conventioneers pluschildren reallyoverwhelmed the rooms, toilets,andbathrooms available. Fourpolytanks were broughtand setup onthegrounds and local men who supplyriver water with small tanks pulled bygardentractorswere engagedto tryand keep tanks full.Well, it helped, butmanypeople stillwalked downtothe river to bathe inside small shelters setup forthat purpose. People were really jammed intoroomsforsleeping. Even though canopies andchairs were hired locallyand fi om a town across theriveranda couplehours away, wewerestill short ofseating andshadefrom thebumingsun.Eight prayer warriors traveled to Dumbai on theMonday before Easter to begin their intersession.OnWednesday, mytruckcarrying fivemen, and aprivate car with four more men went to the site as the technical team. We still had exams onWednesday so Iwent on Thursday withRifes. Thetechnical team helps set up the canopies and sets upthegenerator, lighting system, sound system, andelectronic musical instruments. Itwas good toseethose men taking time offwork to serve the Lord inthis way. At night,they all stay in the sameroomwith the equipment for security. Other youth are

n i l i o l e o fGHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Barbara Baikes

33 9 Willsliire DriveOray. TN [email protected]

May, 2 2

recruited after their arrival on Thursday to help packand move things when needed.The missionaries all stayed in rest houses separatefrom the Training College, though none hadelectricity. The one I was in actually had runningwater of a sort, but I learned not to flush the toiletimmediately before taking a shower or the waterpressure dropped to virtually nil. I took my ownfoodand a littlekeroseneburner. Alsomyowndrinking water.From the first prayer meeting on Thursday eveningtill the musicand dancing celebrationSundaynight,everything went pretty smoothly. As usual, havingofferingdevotionsand announcements interpretedinto five languages dragged things out a bit, but wehaven't found a perfect solution to the problemyet.The general praise and worship services andoffering were followed on Friday andSunday byteachingsessions. All the peoplewere divided twoways - men, women, and youth, and also bylanguage - at least six of them. We studied theBible to seek the truthon two popular theologicalterms often misused in Ghana- Anointing andDeliverance . Friday afternoon there was theannual youthBiblequiz anda Leadership workshopon Team Building and two other topics. I believetenteamsparticipated in thequiz. Formanyyears,Abeka won the quiz because the village schools areoften poor in quality and there was not muchcompetition. Nowadays, there is real competitionand Abeka only tied for 4 place. was really veryinteresting.My mornings, after the general worship, were spenta hundred and fifty yards from the canopied areaunder some shade trees. We had children's classesin nine languages, each under their own tree. Thistime we had more teachers so that the same peopledidn't have to serve all three mornings.Unfortunately, because of the shortage of chairs,virtually all teachers and children stood the firstday. The second daywe scrounged a fewbenchesand the third day a few more, but some of us neverdid get tositdown. Inaddition to the two lessons,we had one picture eachday for the childrentocolor. We had planned for two, but the committeedecided we shouldprepare for 200 kids, so ofcourse, andwehadmore than that thefirst day.The first daywe had only small bucketof water forover200kids, so of course mostdidn't get a drink.Seeing thenumber of children, we broke openpackets of 4 small cookies and gaveeach child two.The second day, the caretaker of a local boreholetook pity on us and lent us a big container that


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would hold perhaps eight gallons. Unfortunately itgot to us too late to do much good. On Sunday, wegot it early, and through the morning the childrendrank every drop of it. Friday night we learnedKwame would have to make a long trip to a biggertown to take a small child to a hospital and wouldhave a chance to buy more cookies. So Saturdayand Sunday we gave each child the wrapped pack offour. We still had to buy some extra in Dumbai.Sunday, we had 341 children in our classes. It wasan exhausting bu t rewarding aspect of thec o n v e n tio n .

Saturday afternoon AIDS workshops were held inthe same groups and languages as the morningclasses. O n e o th e m e n fro m o u r c hur c h w ho h ashad special training had trained other churchmembers and college students, so we had enoughte a c h e r s .

Both Friday and Saturday evening s evangelisticservices were held on the convention grounds. Iwas always too tired to go back for that, but I heardthey went well and some souls were won.On Sunday, the preaching centered on the Lord sSupper and then everyone partook of thecommunion. This year, the pastors, elders, deacons,and deaconesses were all asked to help serve so theserving time was reduced.Sunday afternoon morethan threehundred peopleboarded the big river ferry and crossed to the otherside. Therewasmuch singing, dancing laughingandsocializing. Onthe return tripthe ferry captaineven took us on a little extra side trip.Some churches chose to leaveSundayafternoonandevening even thoughwe hadencouraged themnot to. When I saw the big crowd gatheredin theevening for the music and dancing, it was hard tobelieve anyone had left. Musical groups from thevarious churches sand tambourine troupes

performed while the congregation sang, and at leastthree tribal groups did their unique songs anddances. For once all o f us missionaries w ere seatedtogether on the windward side, and we werei n u nd a t ed s e ve ra l t im e s with clouds o dust stirredup by the dancing feet.In spite of the heat and shortage of facilities, the jo yof seeing old friends and meeting new one is justindescribable. Everyone we asked was enthusiasticin spite of minor troubles. I will miss theseconventions a lo t w he n I retire. I have left ou t ahundred interesting details, but our time has runout Praise God that special church contributionsand conventions offerings more than paid back allthe loans. Pray that the enthusiasm engenderedthere will continue to empower the churchesthroughout the year.THANK GO D FOR: a wonderful convention,including the souls on and safe travel for all hoattended; th e fact that for th e first time in threeconventions I didn t comehome sick; an enjoyablemissionary conference in Ivory Coast the samemonth; the reopening of the college for third termstudies; faithful supportersof the college andmissionaries.

PETITION GO D FOR: more grace for Abeka sconstitutioncommittee;good preparationfor anevangelism program in Abeka and June; God sguidance in many changes an d developments for thefuture of the college: God s mercy and blessina on u JKL u ^ ^ UAA^ i\ j S w i i u u i xC C.

E a st R i ve r P a rk C h ri st ia n C h u rc h1 2 0 7 B r oa d S tre e tElizabethton, TN 37643AddressCorrectionRequested

(FORWARDING AGENT S NOTE: Please prayfor strength andcomfort forDorothy s brother, Bill,who is suffering with pancreatic cancer and for hisfamily. Also for strength forDorothy at thistime.Contented in Christ,Dorothy Eunson

H O R IZO N S Mission S e r v i c e sP .O . B ox 1 3 1 1 1Knoxville.TN 37920-0111

Non Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage GuaranteedElizabethton, TNP e r m i t N o . 18 3


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Dear Friends in Christ,

AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM, INC.Dorothy EunsonB o x 5 7 22Accra N. GhanaWest Africa

ffi l ia te ofGHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

AUGUST 2002 CONTRIBUTORS LETTER

Barbara Barkes33 9 Wiltshire DriveGray TN [email protected]

GRADUATION AND ENTRANCE EXAMS; AN ENDING AND A BEGINNINGthe close ofavery busy third term graduationwas held on July 2 ^ ^ at the partially completed new campus.The work crew some students and some of the faculty had loads ofwork to do to prepare aclean flat spacebetween the classroom building and rising library/administration building, hire and set up canopies, chairs andportable toilets, and get everything needed for the stage , which was the verandah ofthe classroom building.

Students, Abeka faculty, and some ofthe visitors rode to the site in rented buses, college vehicles or a fewprivate cars. Because the campus is a bit far out ofthe city, only 800 chairs were hired. Attendance was lowwhen we started, and we felt abit sorry for the graduates; however, people continued to pour in, and well beforethe end every chair was full, people were sitting on the steps ofthe classroom building, and hundreds had tostand for the rest ofthe program. As usual, it turned out to be acolorful, exciting, joyous celebration. Aboutforty-four graduated from the four different programs.Entrance exams on the 30 ^ and 31^ July brought 47 hopeful candidates for the tests and interviews. Some wereunable to do well enough and were referred to the short term August course. Two had not yet reached ourminimum age requirement of23. Thirty-five were accepted for the fulltime programs beginning in September.School fees have more than doubled this year, so pray that these men (only one woman) can find sponsors sothey can study. We have a few scholarships butwill need more as the years go by. Late entrance exams will beheld onSeptember 3 and 4^ \

RECORD BREAKING CHURCH LEADERSHIP RETREATLeadership Ethics was the theme ofthis year s retreat held in the college chapel. Brian Jennings did anexcellent job preparing the lesson materials and making the main presentations. Athree man Ghanaian paneljoined him to make responses and to answer questions from the audience. Many people said itwas ofgreatvalue in applying scriptural principles to their lives as leaders. The second day is aday offasting, prayer andreports from various individuals and churches. It is a blessed time.In between sessions, people converse and various meetings are held. I heard heart-touching accounts ofdailyproblems encountered by the cross-cultural evangelists in the North. Right after the retreat I bought awaterfilter for one couplewhose only source ofwater is apond in which the cows also wade to drink. Even boilingthe water does not help the taste.At the end ofApril, some women decided that Women s Fellowship leaders in the churches should have speciallessons and programs during the retreat. They were given permission toplan it. There were a total of35women who came and benefited, even though it taxes our facilities to the limit.The men numbered 154 for agrand total of189. TTie annual retreat is one ofthe functions that encourages theleaders andpromotes the bonds of loveamong the churches.

^ PR AYE R POW RThank God for: my good two week visit to the U. S. in June to visit my family, especially my brother Bill whois ill with pancreatic cancer; completion ofmy last term offull-time teaching (in September Iwill teach onlyOrientation); great graduation and Leadership Retreat; new staff being hired for September; the safe birth ofmygrand-daughter Dorothy Ameyo Amevor toKwame and Julie Amevor by C-section onJuly 6 (mother andbaby doing fine ; interest of potential students.Petition God for: wisdom and good time management as I tackle the library work that has been piling up foryears; wisdom and strength for the Administration and Academic Affairs Committee as they guide the collegethrough doors of change andopportunity all opening almost at the sametime; comfort forthe Kalbs andforthefamily ofMr. Kalb s driver who was inamotorcycle accident and died inthe hospital ten days later; (Dan was agood man and a very hard worker); safe return to Ghana inmid-August for Tim and Twyla Bright, who went tothe U. S. for several importantfamily milestones.God blessyou all. In Christ s loveand service, Dorothy Eunson


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Honoring Long-term ServantsTforotHy Eunson

QUanayW^iait motivated or influenced you to leave the UnitedS ta te s for the foreign mission field?My parents brought us up to know and love th e Lord and missions. They gavegenerously to missions, hosted visiting missionaries in our home and receivednumerous newsletters which I read avidly. The Great Commission is there forall to read, but th e challenges and stories from missionary speakers, the encouragement at church camp to commit one s life to full-time Christian service as itwas termed then, and the example of my parents increased my interest. Aftergraduating from Milligan College, I went to Florida to work in youth, music, andsecretarial ministries in Eustis and Orlando, not forgetting my dream, but stillfeeling unqualified. While at First Christian Church, Orlando, Francis Reid perceived my great interest in missions and began to encourage me to ac t upon it.With his guidance, I moved ahead and came to Ghana in 1968 with the backing of that church, the church inEustis, my home church in Bloomburg, Pennsylvania, and others.

was special that drew you to the people among whom you serve?There was no attract ion to any particular continent or people. I was ready to go anywhere. It happened thatwhen Mr. Reid began to probe my interest, Kent Taylor had just visited the church and told about the needs inGhana and his plan to join the faculty of Ghana Christian College. I decided to write to jnrilSimkins, whowas the one person I knew working with the college, and ask if a person with my education and experiencewould be of help. He and Dick Hostetter wrote back and said, yes. That is how the Lord led me to Ghana.

Ui as your commitment to devote your lif etime to miss ion work madefrom the beginning or did i t develop over a period of time?In the beginning I don t recall thinking about either a lifetime or a particular span of years. I just became amissionary. When people asked me during furlough when I was coming home to stay, I told them I didn tknow. I have also said that God will have to hi t me over the head with a two-by-four to let me know I shouldstop. With my declining strength, sight, and hearing. He may be using a little gentler method.

at have you done to cope with being separated by mile s and t imezones from your family?When I arrived in Ghana, I had the feeling that at last I was where I wanted to be. The first Chris tmas was a

little difficult, and letters were always eagerly received and read; bu t the only time I was seriously homesickwas when I went to a village for seven weeks of language study. At that time I was homesick for Accra andmy friends and colleagues there, no t America. My parents and brothers and sisters never made it difficult forme to leave them and return to Ghana. They have always been very supportive.I became a very active member in the local Christian Church that meets in the college buildings. Theyhave been my church family, with one young family being especially close to me during these slowing downyears. I also have personal friends among the other preachers and their wives in the brotherhood.

Most of the time I have had the fellowship and caring of other missionaries working with the college,although there have been a few times when, for a period of months, I was the only non-Ghanaian present in

HORIZONS


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6

at mistakes have you made in ministry from whichyou le arned and a lte red your approach to the peopleamong whom you serve?Like many idealistic people I thought I could correct what I perceived as excesses in the life of th e church, such as very loud congregational prayer, very loudmusic a delight in uniforms for various groups in the church, and heavy expenditures of time energy and money in the observance of funerals. I was unhappywhen my advice was not taken. I finally learned to participate in and enjoywhat I can, and refrain from or observe quietly (most of the time) what I cannot.There is no such thing as an acultural church, and there is much to thoroughly enjoy.

Some years ago some other Christians and I worked very hard to organize a shepherding plan for ou rlocal church. It was well-structured and clear in it s requirements for th e shepherds. Soon after its inception,it was time for my furlough. When I returned to Ghana, the shepherding plan had collapsed and nobodyseemed to care. The ones designated as shepherds had been unabl e to mee t th e d emands of sustained commitment to visiting their sheep. My expectations had been too high and I viewed th e collapse of the plan asa personal failure. It took me a long time to accept th e fact that the program had been too demanding and th epeople were just not ready f or it .

One mistake that has not been corrected is my failure to learn a local language. Al l the Ghanaian facultyof th e college many church leaders, and all the college students speak English, but their mother tongues ar emany. Even though th e latter fact was ou r excuse for not learning one the great benefits of learning a locallanguage have been los t to us .

at has been your greatest source of encouragement as you have servedod among these people?In th e early days of the brotherhood of Christian Churches in Ghana, the care of the churches fell mainlyon th e shoulders of one Ghanaian, Chris tian Adjei who is also th e President of Ghana Christian College andSeminary. Today the re a re many capable committed leaders who are faithful i n the ir local churches but ar ea lso conce rned and active in th e area a ro un d th em

It is also a joy to see one s local church family grow and see young people growing up and acceptingresponsibility in t he church and in the brotherhood.

Additional encouragement comes from the faithful long-term service of the Ghanaian faculty and thegrowth of the college from a body of 25 to 30 students to close to 90 today with some doors opening rightnow for great expansion of our programs and potential growth on a brand new campus.

a t are the strongest cultural obstacles to the Gospel message amonge people of your coun try?Animism has shaped Ghana s culture for centuries. The fear of retribution from the gods if one repudiatesthem for Jesus Chris t is very real and prevents some from accepting Christ. Even after accepting Christ somewill slip back to the old sources of spiritual power in times of extreme poverty illness childlessness hur t, o rambition. Christians planning to travel abroad do no t spread the news freely for fear someone will spoiltheir opportunity by using juju. The heavy expenditure for funerals is rooted i n th e traditional belief that ifthe elderly are treated well at death, they will bless the living from the spiri t world of the living dead.

a t would you say to anyone considering devoting their life to missiono r k ?

You will not regret it. Besides the joy and satisfaction of helping others to know Christ and grow in Himyour own faith will be stretched and strengthened as you practice it in a different culture. You are forced tore examine your life and determine what is truly Christian and what has been influenced by your culture.Your life wil l be enriched by knowing and loving people of other cultures.

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Accra with our mission. When I was in the hospital for six days with severemalaria and typhoid fever it was Ghanaians who took care of me. It wasalso helpful to have a c lo se and close-mouthed friend in another missionwith whom I c oul d blow off steam when things got stiessful within ou r ownm issi on . Now e-m ai l is a g reat means of communication for sharing the joysand the worries with family and friends at home. And last, but not least, th eLord is always present with a listening ear when we pray and cry.

a t changes have you observed in mission concepts over the years?Others have mentioned the shift from long-term missions to shorter terms,and the popularity of mission trips by youth groups and work teams or other representatives from supportingc hur che s. I wo uld like to focus on one c hange in mission strategy that I have observed in Ghana. In the 70sall the missionaries associated with Ghana Christian College agreed that we would not support local preachers in o rd er to p re ve nt the churches from becoming dependent on foreign help. Somewhere along the linethings changed. A few of us have been instrumental in getting foreign support for some local preachers andsome foreign support comes through other missions for church planters. Such support has fostered muchfaster church growth especially in northern Ghana which was largely neglected until fairly recently. I dono t support people but I am a channel for a modest contribution to a brotherhood Roofing Fund to whichlocal churches can apply for help.

Teaching women at a LeadershipRet r ea t

at are some specific ways in which you have seen God s blessing uponyour mini st ry?My arrival on the field in April 1968 was nearly cut short in July of the same year when some Ghanaiansmade eff or ts to d ep or t us b ecau se we had not given them the material help they expected. Then PrincipalRon Rife w or ked with a l aw ye r to get the college s own i mmig rati on q uo ta so we w ou ld be independent ofany particular group of churches but could serve them all. The quota was signed the day before the officialwho was sympathetic to us left office.

Years later my truck was seized by a quasi-governmental body for five weeks during a period of politicalu ph eaval. It was the only vehicle th e college had at the time. We had to beg the people to le t us borrow thetruck to pick up David and Debbie Couch at the airport whowere returning from furlough and then give it back to them.Even though it had always used oil mercilessly, t he t ruck waseventually returned to us with only minor body damage.

Though not as dramatic God s blessing has been seenagain and again as we pass through th e waters. I have livedthrough several serious illnesses, three or four coup d etats,government intimidation of churches, discovery of a breastlump (benign), interpersonal conflicts among missionaries,and disappointment in churches and/or thei r leaders. Godgives us th e strength to keep going.One of the current blessings keeps us al l in awe. In planning a badly needed new campus, we could not see how wefew missionaries with limited support could ever do it. First

God provided the money to purchase land. Then He proceeded to provide the money step-by-step. So fa r wehave five beautiful faculty houses, one guest house, and a very large classroom building that some local folknicknamed t he castle. A library/administration building is g oi ng up, and God continues to provide.

Another great blessing is th e fact that I have had the same forwarding agent for al l my years of service inGhana. Mrs. Tom Barkes and I became friends at Epachiseca church camp in the ear ly 50s. We both attended Milligan college near Johnson City Tennessee and she responded readily when I asked her to be a part-

Monitoring an exam at Ghana Christian College

ner i n my work in Ghana. She has said she wil l s tay with me till the end.OCTOBER 2 2 5


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Volume 8, Issue 10

Dorothy EunsonBox 5722Accra N. GhanaWes t Af r ica

Dear Friends in Christ,NINETY STUDENTS BEGIN NEW SCHOOL

YEAR

Thirty- threenewstudents came to join returningstudents tomakeupthisyear s student body.School fees were more than doubled in a movedesigned to require students to foot more of the billfor their education.At the same time, we have triedto obtainmore scholarshipmoneyfor thosewhoreally donot have the resources to pay. Since theyare required to finishpayingbefore they can taketerm end exams, the next few weeks will show uswho is really struggling.

NEW TEACHER H IREDTheAdministration moved quickly to hire oneoflast year s degree graduates,Mr. James Yamoah.Jameswas alreadya Universitygraduateand hadtaughtfor several yearsin secondaiy schools (highschools) before theLordledhimto prepare forvocational ministry. He was an excellent studentand presidentof the student coimcil duringhissenior year. He continues to hold the role ofnational youth pastor in the Christ ResurrectionChurch. Presently, he is living in the men s hostel inthe same roomhe usedas student council president.James wife and three children are still in Kumasi,169miles fi:om Accra,prayingfor the daywhen theapartment the college has its name in for becomesvacan t

ONLY A LIBRARIAN-ALMOSTIt is a wonderful relief to be freeofEnglishclassesand ChristianEducationclasses, I enjoythestudents, but the physical and mental stamina toteach and to prepare lessons andmark assignmentsand exams is not there anymore. I still teachOrientation, largely library skills, two hours a week.I also take part in the twice-weekly chapelservices,facultymeetingeveryWednesday (I am thesecretary), theweeklyfacultyprayermeetingor themonthly prayer meetingwith our student advisees,andmonthlyAdministrativeConmiitteemeetings(another secretarial job ofmine). Because our officemanager (also a fiilltime teacher) is overloaded, hehas asked me to take care of textbook orders. Noneof the responsibilities is huge, but altogether, theytake time and energy. On behalfofourmission,AfricanMissionEvangelism, I keeptrackof studentscholarships and also figure out the amount neededfor themonthlygrantto the college. Thelatter israrely the same two months in a row. In the middleof OctobertheActingTreasurer and I finally

Aff t l io le eGHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Barbara Barkes

339 Wiltshire DriveGray.TN [email protected]

November 2002

completed this year s college budget, which shouldhave been ready AugustAm I a librarian or what? Yes I am. Doris Rifehelps a lot inmending books, and I, too, mended 30or 40 in August. I also organized students holdingvacation securityjobs to clean the library and allfour thousand books in i t before the new schoolyear began. This requiredwiping inside the frontand back coverswhere mold sporeswere growing. Ialso did the selectionand crosscheckingnecessaiyfor a 3,000.00 plus order for new books. Thesebegan to trickle in the second halfofOctober. Andyes, I haveprocessed someof the books in storage,produced cards on the computer, and got them onthe shelves. Not as many as I would like, but some.Doris helps in filing the cards.Most of the daily supervision of library use is doneby student librarians,with one nominated by thestudent council and confirmed by the faculty to beHead Student librarian. Last year the studentcouncil judged that a Higher Certificate student-would make the best Head this year. Usually, welook for degree or diploma students. This year sstudent is superb:veryconscientious and thorough.He has learned the method thatworks to callmyattention to something that I need to helpwith: hewrites it in a note. Then I don t forget to do it. Yearsago, it was like pulling teeth to get students tovolunteer their time to help. We havenomoney topay them. Gradually, through the grace ofGod, theob hasincreased in popularity, andthisyear is thebest so far. Somany have volimteered that theirshifts a re much shorter and no one isoverburdened.

VICTORIES BEHIND-CHANCE ANDOPPORTUNITY AHEAD

Graduation and AccreditationWeall gave thanksto God and breatheda sighofrelief, when, at the graduation ceremony in mid-July, the Chairman of the National AccreditationBoardannouncedthat our accreditation as a tertiaryinstitution had been renewed for another threeyears. The students were jubilant. It was part of avery happy day: the first graduation ceremony at thenew campus. Wewill not move for another year,but thanks to a Herculeanlabor by the constructionand maintenance crew, including David Kalbwith agrader and a hedgehog, the area in between theclassroombuildingand the library/administrationbuilding (under construction) was cleared and setwith hired canopiesand chairs. Only800 chairswere hired because we thought the distance, about


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15 miles from the present campus, would preventmore people from coming. At first, the attendancewas very low, but as the program progressed peoplekept pouring in until every seat was taken, peoplesatonthe numerous steps ofthe classroom building,and hundreds stood forthe ceremony. It turned outtobea very exciting day, with graduates partiesbeing held in empty unfinishedclassrooms andunderthe canopies afterthe ceremony.Overseas Council International

For two years or more, Ron Rife has been in contactwith OverseasCoimcil International, a U. S.organization whose mission isto help upgradeevangelical theological education in second andthird world countries. We have had several visitsfrom various representatives, and last year they heldtheir annual conference for institution^ leadershiptraining herein Accra. Manuel Adjei, oneof ourteachers, did muchof the legwork for localarrangements for the conference OCI was sopleased thatthey are holding it here again thisDecember. OCI has taken a shine to our school.Although wearenot their typical evangelicalschool, they respect our theological stand andouropendoorpolicyto Christ-loving students of allchurches. In answer to prayer, early this year theygave us a Category Three status, which means wecould apply for grants. Wedidso,andthey havepledged, as they raise the necessary funds, to sendus some funds for construction, some for learningresources library, tables and chairs for classrooms),and money to support Joseph Nsiah s doctoral-studies througli distance Icamnig. When this~heip actually materializes, I willinform you of the moun t s

Academic DevelopmentsWhenwe movethe library, offices and students tothe new campusin August 2003, we will alsochange from a trimester academic year to a semester

East River Park Christian Church1207 Broad StreetElizabethton, TN 37643Address Service Requested

system. The curriculum is being adjusted in order toallow the students to choose areas to minor in alongwith their Bible major. At the same time, Lordwilling, a new Master s Degreeprogram inChristian Leadershipwill begin. All of this takeshours of discussion, planning, writing and rewritingon the part of the Academic Affairs Committee,especially Ron Rife, our educational consultant aswell as professor. Pray for the Principal, ChristianAdjei, the Academic Dean, JosephNsiah, Ron Rife,ManuelAdjei, and Brian Jennings now in the U. K.continuing his doctoral work untilJanuary. Theworkload they cany is incredible~far, far greaterthan mine

PRAYER POWERThankGod for: a great college graduation andanother superb record-breaking Christian Churchesleadership retreat in July; a fine student body,faithful support from churches and individuals forand throughus missionaries; the encouragement,challenges andhelp given and pledged by OCI;renewal of accreditation by the Ministry ofEducation; my 65^ birthday inNovember.Petition God for: wisdom and strength to completethorough preparation forallthe coming changes;the helpof Seminary of the Nations ChristianChurch college professors inourMaster s programthrough mini-courses to be taught here; mysensitivity to God s will concerning my future plans.There is more to tell, but it must wait till January ifChrist tarries. God bless you all, _In Christian love,Dorothy Eunson

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