eunson dorothy 2001 ghana

8/13/2019 Eunson Dorothy 2001 Ghana

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AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM, INC.

Volume 8, Issue 5

^ Dorolhv Eunsoa^Box 57Accra N GhanaWest Africa

HRISTM S ONVENTION IN THE DESERT

Tim Bright andDavid Kalbeach made tripsto th e Nor th o fGhana toencourage thechurches thereduring our

DecemberbreakOur team o ffive went ratherto a regionalconvention onth e southernbank of the Volta Lake, created years ago by theAkosombo dam on the Volta River. The governmentprovided resettlement villages for the farmers who were

flooded out and forced to move to higher ground.Unfortunately, the lake changed the climate and the areagets far less rainfall than it formerly did. That is why Icall the place a desertso dry, with virtually no grassand only scrubby little trees. While we were there wesaw brush fires in three locations up on a mountain.They just keep burning till they bum themselves out.The farmers barely survive although the fishermen whowork the Volta Lake do fairly well.Our team consisted of one student, our oldest one at over70 years (he is the man doing the baptizing in thepicture , who is from that area; one Ewe speakingpreacher from a village west ofAccra; Kwame Amevor,my helper and driver; a faithful Sunday School teacher,Julie, from Abeka; and LSince the only housesdesignated rest houses in the areawere being occupied by government constructionworkers, I was a bit apprehensive about our livingquarters. I do not do very well in a situation where 15 ormore people share the same toilet and bath facilities. Toour delight, the rooms of a queen mother who wastemporarily elsewhere were made available to us. JulieandI shared a nicebig room litbya solar powered light.The Ewe preacher and Kwame shared a smaller roomright next to us. We had our own little toilet house and

A Baptism at the ChristmasConventioD

ff i l ia te o fGH N CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Barbara Barkes

66 GolfCourse DriveElizabethton, TN [email protected]

January, 2001

(The people had to have Twi and Ewe.) Kwame andJulie taught the children all three mornings and led anafternoon workshop on how to get a Sunday Schoolgoing. As has happened before, they had a few childrenwho did not even know how to hold a crayon. I taughttwo one-hour sessions on Friday morning, but near theend of the second hour I got very lightheaded fromhunger (it was close to one), heat and talking. Iwhispered to Bro. Akpessey and he took over the lastsmal l sect ion o f th e lesson I was fine a ft er s ome r es tand food. I also stayed in the room that night while theothers went to the crusade and I got a very good night ssleep.As usual there was lots of singing and dancing and atleast two tambourine troupes who did special routinesand even some drama. So interesting. On Sundaymorning the service began at 9:15 and it was 11:30 tillthe sermon beganThere had been no responses the first night of thecrusade, but there were ten the second night. Theinvitation here is often like a second sermon Theyoung people were all baptized Sunday afternoon.Our teamhad taken our own drinkingwater, as itwouldhave been too expensiveand time-consuming to boil thelake water for 20 minutes. Wetook a little food to giveto the ladywho prepared all our meals,but we gaveherplenty of money also. We had three generous meals aday, eaten at the usual very small table under a thatchedshel te r a t tached to a small houseIt seemsthey don t getmanymissionary or othervisitors.Theywere so appreciative of our visit that they gave usmore gifts than we had taken to them: three differentkinds of fish, three enormous yams apiece, a goat toshare, and 150,000 cedis for fuel for Ae truck. I wasamazed

We also were blessed by the fellowship. Kwame andJulie are now interested in going around to other districtsand regions to encourage churches who don t have themto begin Sunday schools. It s a great idea, but manydetails must be worked ou t first


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recall me to the U S The accreditation inspection teamis coming in February orApril to consider whether torenew our accreditation or not. Woe unto me, if thelibraiy causes us to fail.N EW CAMPUS

Tim and Twyla Bright moved into their new house onDecember 6 There are still lots and lots ofrough spotsto be smoothed out, but they are moved The roofs areslowly going on Rifes' house and the guesthouse (forvisiting workers.) By the time you receive this the floorfor the second story of the middle section of theclassroom building will have been poured. Thefoundation for the third and final wing is above groundlevel. The transceiver tower has been erected on top ofthe water tank tower and should be in operation foremail and internetby the end of this month. The secondwell isinoperation and doing well. We are working onan enlarged and updated library/administration buildingplan. That will push up the original estimated cost of 85,000, but we want plenty of libraiy space and acomputer lab. Irvin and Lena K reider are here for t hreemonths from Eastern Penna. Irvin is a carpenter. Weappreciatetheir help.CHURCHES NEED TOBUY LAND Repeat)IntheDecember Contributors LetterI presented theneedto help especially city and town churches to buy land.Otherwise, they mayface evictionsooneror later if theyare meeting m classrooms because the localgovernments are going to charge exorbitant rents. Ifanyone s h ear t is touched, th en s en d a contribution toAfrican Mission Evangelism, c/o Mrs. Barkes, marked

CHURCH LAND PURCHASE. There are threchurches right now who are struggling to raise funds.A m C O N D m O N E R AND EMAH.

The air conditioner I mentioned in September wainstalled in my study on the 2nd of October. I don tusit eveiy day and not for many hours at a time, but I amvery, veiy grateful for it. Today it has been on thlongest number of hours yet.

P R A Y E R P O W E RGive Thanks for: New campus progress; good Decembechurch/convention trips; Awoshie, Abeka's daughtechurch, have doubled Aeirgiving since they areon theiown; a great visit for Nancy Hostetter, the first sinctheir departure in 1976; contmued good health; Brian'safe return; Nelson Ahlijah s good grades; a wonderfucooperative meeting of pastors and other leaders of thGrreater AccraRegion on Jan. 13 their cooperation hanearly died a year ago); my computer.Petition God for: Continued wisdom for Brian, Nelsonand Joseph in t hei r advanced studies; a new law to bpassed that will allow the new campus and others) tuse the transceiver tower for local phone calls; mprogress on the libraiy; Agnes Adjei and her husbanChristian Agnes is back in the hospital again witcongestive heart failure and is not doing very wellPray for their spiritual strength to go through Ae deew a t e rs .

Have a wonderful New Year. In the jo y of the LordDorothy Eunson


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AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM, INC.

Volume 8, Issue 6

Dorothy EunsonB ox 5 72 2A c c r a N. GhanaW e s t A f r ic a

DEATH OF T H E P RI NC IP AL S W I FE

For several months Christian Adjei s wife Agnes had been inpoor health. She did not recover well from hernia surgery andeventually went intocongestive heart failure. Thedoctorsdidall they could for her, including taking fluid from one lung{the other was too close to the heart). At last, they said theycould not do anymore for her. The Adjeis three children areall in the U They flew their mother to the U S. in hopes ofgetting her better medical care. During her initialhospitalization in New York, it was discovered that Agnesalso had cancer. Christian did not know that before she leftGhana but found out later tliat the doctors here suspected itThe oldest son, Josiah, moved his mother to Houston, wherehe lives, andherhospitalization and treatment continued.Christian was able to finish his second term exams a weekearly. AMEboughthisplaneticketto Houston so hecouldatleast visit his wife in the hospital. Unfortunately, Agnespassed away on Friday, 20thApril,andwill be buried inHouston onMay 5. Believe itor not, itischeaper to bury herthere thanto fly a bodybacks toGhana for burial. Weareverysad forChristian. He will be very much alone since all ofhis children are in the U. S., but weare thankfulhe was able tobe near his wife for those last weeks.

CHRISTIAN CHURCH MISSIONARY MEETING INI V OR Y C O A ST

Once a year, all the members of the Association of ChristianChurch Missionaries in West Africa who are able to attendhold a business and Field Report meeting toencourage eachother. Ayear ago at the bi-annual conference sponsored bythe Association, we made plans for this year s meeting. Itwasto include some vacation time an d a visit to fellowmissionaries Justinand DianeSylvestre in southern Mali.Several from Ghana were unable to attend but David andJonathan Kalb,Tim Bright, BobandConnieShefTler, BrianJennings and \ hired a van and a driver for the week. It s agoodday s journeyto Abidjan in southern Ivory Coast. Wemet Wayne Meece anda newyoungcouple,SteveandNickiRehn,ail working in IvoryCoast. Greta Meece was intheU.S. for a crisis inher father s health. Wespent thenight atMeeces house and then headed north early the next morning.We arrived in Pogo close to the northern border in the lateafternoon. As soon as we checked into ou r rooms and turnedon theA/C s, weheaded forthe swimming pool. This isthehottest time of year in West Africa, and the farther you getfi-om the coast, the hotter it is. 1think most of us hit the bedsoon after supper.

f f il ia te o fGHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE B a r ba r a B a r ke s

66 2 G o l f C o u rs e D r i veElizabelliton T N 3 76 [email protected]

May, 2001

Saturday, about halfthe time was spent in a good meetingcomposed of a devotion, prayertime,field reports, anddiscussions. Next year s conference istobe in Ivory Coastalso. Most ofusenjoyed a good long swim in the lateafternoon after a rest. I had taken a setofUno along but wasalways ready for bed very soon after supper. Iwas disciplinedenough to grade papers during the long drives, though. Wegot up early on Sunday and crossed the border into Mali. TheSylvestres had been with us in Pogo for the meeting but hadreturned to Mali Saturday evening. Weattended churchwiththemand about 35Christians, most of whomare formerMuslims. Their language and drum rhythms aredistinctlydifferent from those we ar e familiar with. After l unch and arest, we toured the radio station the Sylvestres established.Timeand spacedo not perniit meto describe that aspect of theworkand its results. All of uswere veiy, veiy impressed, andare praying that tiiey can help set up a secondstation about350km away that will be paid for bya mining company, butof which themission will be in charge of programming. Agreat opportunity.Mondaymoming wespent quite a bit of timeat the missionclinic. Diane, an R.N., helps, buta Zairian couple, formerlywith African Christian Mission, carriesthegreatest loadofwork. Both arenursesi Please pray thattheZairian couplecan find a way to educate their children. Itisa real problem inthe village where they live.After lunch, we drove back to ou r motel rooms and headedquickly for theswimming pool Tuesday wemade the longtripback toAbidjanand on to Accra,Ghana. Itwasa lot oftravel, but wellworth itjust to see the Sylvestreswork for usand to encourage them. God bless them.

R E G I O N A L E A S TE R C O N V E N T IO N S

My red truck went to the Greater Accra regional conventionon Thursday with thetechnical team, butpressure of papermarkingkeptme home except for the Sundaymorningservice. The village of Papaase is only about an hour s drivef ro m h er e I r od e w it h B ob a n d C o nn i e S he ff le r Bo b wa sthe day s preacher. It seemed to be well attended. Therewasn t enough shade under the canopies so we first sat in theshade of a nearby building and when the sun moved, wemoved to a school block verandah. It was hot The service,witha longappeal for fundsattached, lasteduntil 2:30 p.m.W e ha d al l taken o ur lunch a nd d ri nk s a nd a tt ac ke d t h em w it h

vigor. The best news of the convention was that morethan 25 people gave their lives to Christ and werebaptized. Bob volunteered to take a load of benches andboards back to a church about 8 miles away and then


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AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM, INC.Dorothy EunsonB o x 5 7 22Accra N G h a n aW e s t A f i i ca

Vol 8, Issue 7NEW SCHOOL YEAR OPENED

The new school year opened with jfreshmenorientation and general registration on Monday, the10^ ofSeptember We give thanks to God for 32new students in the three programs. Now we have atotal of 85 in classes. Alteugh I am stillcontributing personal money to the college toenable them to hire an English teacher to teach thefirst year degree/diploma English that I normallytaught, I volunteered to teach a class ofHigherCertificate English to prevent them firom having tostruggle alongside diploma students. I have twoclasses of Christian Education, one ofEnglish andtwo of Orientation for a total ofeight hours. Thenew adjunct English teacher is teaching two Englishclasses. She teaches in another Bible College andcomes to us only for he r five hours of classes.

MUSICAL (CHAIRS) PROFESSORS ANDH O U S E SMrs. Akua Eghagha was bid a fond farewell at herretirement dinner a few days after graduation. Sheis a lovely patientChristian whotaughtEnglish andBible Survey for many years. A new teacher, Bro.Christopher Adjei, has been added to the staffin thearea o f Practical M i ni stri es si nce t hi s is a transitionperiod, he is also teaching Bible Survey and oneEnglish class. Christopher has been a cross-culturalmissionary planting churches in the Northern VoltaRegion for 13 years with FAME mission. He is amature Christian, married, with five children. Tomakeroom for him on the old campus,BrianJenningsagreed to move his belongingsto the newcampus in lateAugust in the hope that his housewill be ready for occupancy when he returns fromEngland in January. As soon as he moved, thepainter quickly refiirbished the empty house. TheAhlijahsmoved into it in one day from their smallerduplexnext door. Then the painter repainted thathouse soChristopher could begin moving inbyI'September. Other teachers have taken on extraclasses for two reasons:Nelson Ahlijah needs extra

Affi l ia t o fG H A N A CH RI S T I A N COLLEGE Ba r b a r a Ba r k e s6 62 G o lf Cour s e D r i veElizabethton, TN [email protected]

O c t o b e r 2001

Library/Administration Building since I have beenthe librarian for many years. When I returned toGhana, discussion contmued about the future goalsand needs of the college. It was decided that onfaith we must enlarge our vision for the latterbuilding in order to effectively meet those needs.T he architect m e t w it h the relocation conmiittee aneventually plans for a much larger library with anadjunct computer lab were drawn up. It is a grandplan and will cater for modem informationtechnology that will enable students to do distancelearning even on a graduate level. These new plansof necessity require more funds. We hope to breakground in January 2002 and build thelibrary/computer lab wing and part of the officewing as a first phase that will cost approximately$100,000.00. Our target date for moving thelibrary, students and classes to the new campus isSeptember 2003. The library fimd stands at$68,000.00.ERM OF SERVICE E X T E N D E D ONE Y E A RAfter my previous four-year term of service inGhana, I was adamant that I would never stay thatlong at once again. It had been a difficult fouryears However, for several reasons, this term hasbeen somewhat less stressful, and I still stay so buswith tasks other than teaching, both in the collegeand in the churches, that I spend all too little timeon library affairs. Itwould be disgraceful for me toretire from the college and leave behind the manyboxes o f books, b ot h n ew a nd used that ar e stillwaiting for processing. My new plan, Lordwillingisto make ^s yearmy final year ofteaching andthen to spendone more year in Ghanaworking onlyon the library and teaching Orientation thatdevelops library and research skills in the newstudents. That means I will still be here to help witthe move to the nev/ campus before I say good-byeThe Lord has blessed me with good health in thetwo years I have been back in Ghana. Please pray


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registration andselling ofBibles, so I enjoyed moreofthe sessions. Besides the teaching sessions andprayerand reporttimesa surprise highlight wasthepresentationofmotorcycles to four of our oldestpreachers. Thefour sparkling red cycles weredrivenintothe chapelitselfwith a dramatic flourishby current FAME missionaries wh o are used toriding. Itwasan exciting andhappy timeandnoone was jealousTheotherhighlight wasthe seventeen dayvisitofmyoldestsister, FaithLong myyounger brotherDavid Eunson and his two dau^ters Jennie andKatie. Togetherwith GhanaianChristians, weconducted a on e week V. B. S. f or s om e o f th echildren from ou r local Abeka Church. We couldnot have themall becauseonlyone classroomwasavailable. Theother rooms werebeing usedinthecollege short termprogram. We also enjoyedthreedifferent congregations for Sundayworship, visitedcollege chapel services twice. Women s, Men s andYouthFellowships, and of coursedid tourist thingsand souvenir shopping. Thanksgivingfills my heartthat all ofmyfour siblingshavenow visitedme inG ha na .

M Y S U R R O GA T E S O N S W E D D IN GKwame Amevor, 36, has brought muchjoy into mylife for 18years. We worked together in the church,he cleanedmyhouse every Mondayfor years, andwe enjoyed conversing. In the last two years, wehave grown even closer and he frequently took onthe jo b of driving for me. He was very committedtoTieTpttgliisyoimprsiblings ^>ecomegrounded^educationally and vocationally, and he was contentto remain single. After Christmas last year, the lovebug hit The young woman agreed to marry himand both of them have prayed and worked towardth at end. H e built a basic o n e b e dr oo m h ou se on h isfather s land, and struggled to get all the gifts andmoney laid aside for the customary rites of marriageand a church wedding. At last, they were able to dothe customaryrites early in the morning ofSeptember 16 (Kwame did not even have to attendonly representatives from his family did), and thewedding was on the following Saturday the 22 ofSeptember. Both Kwame and Julie took me intotheir confidence and shared their hopes and dreamsand plans with me. The night before the weddingKwame moved her things from her former rooms

into the new house. Julie spent the nightwithme,ate breakfast the next morning, and then dressedhere for her wedding. Spacewill not allowa fulldescriptionof the festivitiesexcept to say it wassimpler than many I ve seen but very lovely.Kwamewore the traditionaldrapedhand-woven,brightly colored kente cloth, and Julie wore amatching kente skirt with a beautiful whiteembroidered blouse,matching overskirtin theback anda whiteveil. They arestill sharing theirlives with me, and I am truly grateful.

M I S C E L L A N E O U SThe collegehireda newofficesecretary and he isSUPER. He happens to be an alumnus also...ThePrincipal,ChristianAdjei, married a lady fromAbeka Christian Church onAugust 4^. He saw thaas t he b e st solution to his loneliness and need fo rphysical care in his disabled condition...mytelephone was out oforder for seven weeks, but isnow working.. .the new campus worker who wasknocked down by a car April 29was finallyreleased from the hospital sometime in Septemberafter two surgeries.

PR Y R POW R

Thanksgiving for: excellent leadership retreat, goodshort term program in August, and a fine studentbody; safe return of Rifes and Clines, and Rifesmove to the new campus; well-qualified newteacher and secretary; slow but steady progress onthe classroom building; my children s wedding andtheirwillingness to ^ a f e their lives with me; awonderful forwarding agent and her husband..Petition God for: wisdom from the Lord in dealingwith local church problems; physical strength andself discipline to Mfill all our responsibilities withgrace and skill; generous gifts to the Library Fundan d other constructions needs; trustful hearts foryo u in the U. S. wh o bore th e more direct shock o fth e terrorist acts on th e World Trade Center, eventhough I was watching it on CNN before 1 p.m.your time.

Prayerfully yours.

Dorothy Eunson


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AFRICAN MISSION EVANGELISM INC.Dorothy EunsonBox 5 7 22Accra N. GhanaWes t Af ri ca

Af f i l i a t e o fGHANA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Brbsira Burkes

33 9 Wil t sh i re DriveGray,TN 37615tvbarkes(vahoo.com

CONTR IBUTORS AND PRAYER PARTNERSDecember, 2001Dear Friends in Christ,

F I R ST TERM CCMPLETEDCHRISTMAS CCMENGThe co l l e ge f i n i shed c l a s s e s and exams and had its a nn u al C h ri stma s pa r t y on November29th Once again I was in cha rge o f d e co ra ti on s , and once again t he d e co ra ti on s t h a t someo f us dona ted a few yea r s ago were nowhere to be found. I s topped b y M elco m s , a l o c a lb les sed equ iva l en t to WalMart, and bought some i ne xp en siv e g old r e fo ldab le ga r l ands . Theylooked qu i te nice and they pack very f l a t . I wi l l keep them a t my house un t i l I r e t i r e ,so I am su re t h a t t h ey w i l l be ava i l a b l e when we need t h em.I have j u s t f in i shed a l l my grades and prepa red sy l l ab i fo r January . Now I am f ree tof i n i sh prepara t ions fo r a weekend church t r i p coming up and fo r the facu l ty and s t a f fch i l d r en ' s par ty on th e 22nd. I am t eaching a s pec i a l song to th e f acu l ty and s t a f fch i ld ren to s ing a t th e Chris tmas Eve se rv i ce . One o f th e boys who had a f ine t r e b l evo ice announced r eg re t fu l l y , My vo i ce i s gone , and I was t h e r e when it wen t . Isn t t h a ta wonder fu l way to de sc r i b e a s ign o f beg inn ing manhood? Ac tua l l y , he is l e a rn ing th ea l t o p a r t and doing very we l l .

DED ICAT ION O F DAY CARE CENTERIn ea r ly November, Kwame and Ju l i e , th e i n t e rn Maggie Fi t z roy , and I drove to Kumasi tot ake pa r t in the d ed ic ati on o f a brand new daycare cen te r bu i l t by a Ghanaian, Kwaku Twumwho l i v ed abroad many years and has now r e tu rned to he lp h is coun t ry . The family wereac t ive and loved members of Southwest Chr i s t i an Church of Eas t Point , Georgia , and cameback to Ghana wi th t h e i r b l e s s i ng . The grand occas ion s t a r t e d l a t e , bu t t h a t i s no tunusua l . It was very e l a bo r a t e with l o t s o f speeches and cu l t u r a l dances , th e r ib bo n-cu t t i ng and then fund- ra i s ing . I made a th ree minute speech as p lanned and was given as ea t o f honour nex t to an impre ss ive - look ing ch i e f up on a p la t fo rm . Of cou r s e , my speechw a s not filmed for TV

MOTHER -DAUGHTER PLANOur l o c a l Women s F el low sh ip h as s t a r t e d a new program des igned to help us fulfill th er e spons ib i l i t i e s ou t l ined in Ti tus . Each mature woman i s ass igned one or more daughtersin th e church to pay s pec i a l a t t en t i on to and he lp encourage to growth in t h e i r Chr i s t i anwalk. I am enjoying t h i s new arrangement . One of my daughters has f in i shed secondaryschoo l and i s working in a n u rs er y s ch oo l. The o the r i s a r e c en t un ive r s i t y g radua t e andi s doing her Na ti on al S e rv ic e in admin i s t r a t ion a t a nearby hosp i t a l . Graduates work fo rone year in a government i n s t i t u t i on a t a subs i s t ence a llo wa nc e a s a way of repaying p a r tof the cost of their education

FORWARDING AGENT MOVEDMr. and Mrs. Tom (Barba ra ) Barkes r e c en t l y moved i n to a brand new house t h a t i s d i s a b l e d -f r i end ly in orde r to be of a s s i s t ance to t h e i r daughter and her husband who w il l b ui ldn ex t d oo r. You may remember t ha t daughter Car r i e Lynn was in an acc iden t s eve r a l yearsago in which she s uf fe re d b ra in s tem damage. She has made l o t s o f p ro gr es s, i s beau t i fu land ha s a g r e a t s e n s e o f adven t u r e and humor bu t still needs facilities t h a t meet he rneeds . The Barkes* new ma il in g a dd re ss i s : 339 WILTSHIRE DRIVE, GRAY TN 37615 PHONE:(423) 467-572 EMAIL: tvbarkes@yahoo .com

PRAYER POWER


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eunson dorothy 2001 ghana

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