We made it to Accra without a hitch - all flights were on time and all the luggage arrived. Isaac welcomed us at the airport and from there we made the short drive to our home for the next two nights. We are staying at the guesthouse of the Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation. The organization seeks to facilitate access to God’s Word in the mother tongue in Ghana and beyond through linguistic research, Bible translation, Scripture use, literacy and community development (the official mission statement). It's a quaint guesthouse with a mango tree on the front lawn, a little restaurant, a balcony veranda, and beds that we are about to fall into for a very long sleep. Tomorrow we will visit the Cape Coast slave castle and then have a traditional Ghanaian dinner. On Saturday, the real work begins as we leave for the village. Until then, we will enjoy introducing the team to this part of the country.
Upon our arrival, we learned the sad news that more than 90 people were killed in a fire at a petrol station here in Accra. They were seeking shelter from heavy rains that caused widespread flooding in the capital city. The blast was caused by a fire that erupted at a nearby lorry terminal, then spread to the petrol station and other buildings. The tragedy causes us to remember how tenuous life can be, and so we pray for those whose families were affected by this tragedy.
Thank you for your prayers for us as we make our way to Ankaase to meet and reunite with the families in our programs. It's a blessing to be able to introduce this team to Isaac, our families, our staff, and the work we are doing in the villages here in Ghana. We are glad you are traveling along with us through the blog posts, and hooray for Wifi!
Until tomorrow, goodnight from Accra, Ghana.