Most of the Presbyterian churches in Ghana  have what we would call blended services. They have two choirs, a traditional choir like the one pictured and a contemporary praise choir called a "Singing Band." The traditional choirs are a legacy of the missionary movement and sing traditional anthems and hymns. They all wear black robes and mortar boards and process with the clergy at the beginning of the service. This is the choir from the congregation at the Kalende church, rehearsing before the service on a Sunday morning. The Singing Band wear casual clothes and lead the congregation in praise choruses and dancing.

We were invited to attend a wonderful African tradition, a naming ceremony for a new baby. It is the custom for the father to choose the name for the baby and to keep it a secret until it is announced at the ceremony. Even the mother doesn't know and the name isn't spoken aloud until it is announced.  The father in this case is a staff member at the Training Center. In honor of having some Americans at the Center when his daughter was born, he asked us for suggestions of American names.

So we did some internet research and gave him a list of the most popular baby names in the US last year. We were delighted when he chose the name Isabella, the name of of one of our granddaughters! One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was when an elder in the family, in this case the baby's grandmother, shouted her new name in her ear three times! I had the honor of offering a prayer for baby Isabella and her family.

One of the challenges for the Northern Presbytery of Ghana is language.  There are several different tribal groups in the north, each with its own language which is different from the rest of the country. It is difficult for the churches to worship or work together when they don't share a common language.  Jerry, Rose, and I teach two sections of English each week for church leaders.

Rose has made many new friends here in Tamale.  Goats and chickens roam all over the Training Center grounds.  As you probably know, Rose has a special affinity for God's creatures and the goats have been a source of unending joy, entertainment, and sermon illustrations!

This is a church in one of the rural villages called Adubiliyili. Our experience worshiping with this congregation last Sunday was amazing.  The people there worship, sing, and pray with all their hearts. The chapel is simple but well-loved. Some cows ambled by and looked in the door during the Scripture reading. The only instrument they have for music is drums. Yet God was so powerfully present among them that we were profoundly moved.

Dianne had been invited to preach at Adubiliyili last Sunday for a baptism service. Twenty-one people were baptized, most of them teenagers. Since the village does not have their own pastor, the baptisms were performed by the visiting District Minister, Rev. Haruna.  It was thrilling to be part of this special day in their lives. Please pray for this faithful congregation and these young people as they take on the challenges facing them as Christians in this area.

One of our favorite discoveries in Tamale is this bakery.  These are the ovens, heated by firewood.  Our favorite bread is called "tea bread," perhaps because people have it for breakfast with tea. We can take an early morning walk to the bakery before breakfast and bring back warm bread right out of the oven.  It has no preservatives so with the heat and humidity here it needs to be eaten that day, but that hasn't been a problem!

Our water for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth comes from Living Waters for the World.  This ministry from the Synod of Living Waters of PCUSA has provided life-giving clean drinking water for the people around the world for more than 20 years.  This is Susanna.  She is a member of the Training Center housekeeping staff who brings our water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth. We are very grateful for her.  We estimate that each jug weighs at least 40 pounds. She joyfully delivers them for us carrying them on her head. We manage to tote the empty ones back which only weigh a few ounces.