Sukaya Bore Hole: "You gave them water for their thirst..."

“Are there any mangoes ripe yet?” I asked Pastor Mbarra in disbelief. The mangoes have been getting bigger over the last few weeks, but the only ones I’d seen thus far were still pretty green. “No, there are no ripe mangoes yet,” he replied. “Then why have I seen little boys picking them all this past week?” I inquired. “They just don’t have the patience to wait for the fruit to get ripe,” he answered.
 

"God is great!" chant militants from the Islamic terror group Boko Haram as they carry out attacks on Nigeria's civilians. Innocent Nigerians are pulled from their cars and shot, corpses left strewn about the streets. Hundreds abruptly and maliciously killed.

The militant group is only one of many in Nigeria that actively seeks to continue the spread of Islamic sharia law. Islamic law governs all aspects of daily life, with harsh punishment, such as flogging, exile, or execution, for any deviation from what sharia dictates.

Yesterday I accessed my email account and learned that Smyrna’s director had been hospitalized for chest pains. It was worrisome to read the scantiest of information and be an ocean away, unable to consult the normal grapevine for more news, make time to visit my friend in the hospital, or call his family to communicate support. All I could do was pray.
 

Americans are familiar with uniforms: members of the armed forces and police forces, package delivery service workers and restaurant staff – all wear uniforms that clearly identify their employer. But perhaps Ghanaians are even more familiar with uniforms, as all public and private school require that children come dressed in specified clothing. At a glance one can tell whether a child attends a government school, an Islamic school, a Presbyterian school.
 

Every two to three Saturdays, the morning radio announcements include a public notice that the electric power will be turned off for the entire region from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (although generally the power stays off until 5:00 or 6:00 in the evening). Americans would never stand for such an arrangement, but the patient Africans accept this inconvenience along with so many others in their challenging lives.
 

Even the simplest mosque is divided into two rooms. The divider may simply be a curtain hanging from a string, although it’s often a wall. The partition separates the front of the mosque from the back – the men’s prayer section from the women’s.
 

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:13
 

Jesus said that to follow Him, we must hate our parents, brothers, and sisters. This command always flummoxed me (“Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbor? to honor our parents?”) until my little brother asked me one day whether we were literally meant to hate our family members. As I prayed for wisdom on how to answer him, God gave me a beautiful word picture, which answered my brother’s question and mine!
 

While the east coast is experiencing record-breaking snowfalls, the likes of which I have never personally seen, Ghana has been experiencing its typical heat for this time of year. The highs where I came from and where I’m living now are both supposed to be in the upper 30s today; but that’s in Fahrenheit in the States, and Celsius here in northern Ghana – translating into temperatures that will soar into the 100s in this part of the world!