Showing the Jesus film in Wa, Ghana

Q.) What do evangelism, police detention, hippos, African bees and a five-hour drive on washboard gravel roads have in common?

A.) An almost complete African experience (we gladly missed out on snakes and health issues)!

Recently, Central sent a team to Ghana, West Africa to observe the showing of the Jesus film in a remote area, centered around an ancient trading town called Wa. The Jesus film is a powerful depiction of the Gospel of Luke, and it is being translated worldwide into local languages (often it’s the only media ever viewed in a particular language). Central sponsored a translation into the Wali language. Part of our sponsorship included the hiring of a local team to spend the next twelve months traveling and showing this film through the entire region. We were able to be present for the first showing of the film in two different localities.

We had the privilege of watching God’s Word, depicted on film, have an amazing impact on these people. Just as in Jesus’ day (and ever since) we observed a wide range of reactions; from indifference to total engagement. It was quite moving and powerful for all of us. We realized something as we watched the film alongside villagers and city dwellers: the daily life of rural Africa is quite similar to the rural life of the New Testament. We saw women at the well; we saw men washing the dust off their feet; we saw marketplaces and long, dusty roads; and we saw sheep and goats. We began to understand that the story of Jesus continues to be relevant in context with the daily life of much of the world. Sometimes in our Western culture we have a harder time with context because we feel so far removed from it.

We came away with deep gratitude to you, our church family and your love for people of this world. We were humbled and honored to represent you. Thank you for letting us go! Thank you for your generous support through Faith Promise giving, which makes a difference in this world every day.

(As for hippos and African bees: we saw a sign saying Hippo Sanctuary and expected to zip in and zip out (very American of us)! Instead, we embarked on a three-hour tour that included awful roads, leaky wooden canoes, a swarm of bees, a grounding and near capsize mid-river, and a 30-second glimpse of two hippo ears 500 yards away. The day before in Wa, a local official stopped our guide and said we needed a permit to take photos. Unfortunately, the police chief wasn’t sure what to do. He called Immigration, and after a few hours let us go. Thank the Lord!)

Mike McKay