During the Christmas Season, it is easy to think of decorations, special music and even going to church early so you can get a parking space. Some churches have the challenge of figuring out where to seat all of the people who attend their worship services. Not so in Kunyukuo. On Christmas Day, a Sunday, I arrived at church at 9:15 for a 9:30 service. NO ONE WAS THERE! I was so surprised! What was happening? Even the few that are usually in church early were not there. Did the village of Kunyukuo do something special on Christmas Day that no one told me about?
I tried calling Mama Jane and Matthias. Neither of them picked up. So, I called Razak. He had relatives in Kunyukuo, maybe he knew. He told me that maybe people go to church on Christmas Eve. I said, "Razak. Even if they went somewhere else last night, today is Sunday. We have Sunday worship." He told me he would try to find out what was happening. Then, the network went down and wasn't working for the next two hours or more.
I walked over to Mama Jane's house. She said, "I am on my way coming." She was still getting ready. But, she also said, "It's so cold outside. I am moving slow." COLD? In Ghana? We really don't have cold. But, wait...I am from Pennsylvania. This weather in Ghana, even a morning Harmattan temperature in the 70s is nice to me. But, to a Ghanaian, it is freezing! I walked back to church. Oh, we now had five people. None spoke English. After waiting a bit longer, we had ten people, and Matthias had arrived from Lawra. He began the service....
I have been here almost six years. It sense to me that people would come late because of bad weather. Yet, in my American mind, this isn't bad weather. And still, I sometimes forget to look at things/circumstances from a Ghanaian point of view. I still have a lot to learn!
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