Friday 22 Jan:
Following our now familiar pattern of 'pack and go' we met with the officebearers of Kwahu Presbytery - last night strangers: this morning friends.
We exchanged gifts - we were presented with Kente scarves saying Kwahu Presbytery. We finished the meeting by singing 'Auld Lang Syne' -at the request of the Ghanaians. Then we went to visit the parish minister who is also one of the Presbytery Directors. He had been involved in a very serious car crash and had sustained multiple injuries. He is minister at the Ramsayer Church in Abitifi. Then we went walkabouts for a short time around Abitifi looking at some of the original mission buildings and a missionary cemetery and on the way meeting a local traditional healer who showed Carol the potions he was carrying.
Back on the road we reached the top of the escarpment and on a sharp bend we saw a lorry which had crashed through the barrier and was hanging over the precipice. A lucky escape for the driver.At least we learned something from the incident - the barriers were not likely to stop us.
The journey to Hohoe was longer than we had anticipated and so we had to buy some snacks from roadside stalls on the way - including groundnuts, tiger nuts (look it up on Google) roasted plantain and the ripest, juiciest, sun-warmed mangoes. We have some photos of Carol eating a mango but they are not for publication. We crossed over the Volta at Akosombo and once again the landscape changed.
As before, we entertained ourselves by singing through our repertoire of hymns, songs, choruses and Scottish folk songs - none of which we could remember properly - but at least we could remember our new Ghanaian songs.
We arrived in Hohoe (pronounced something like Haw-hoy-e with the stress on the first syllable. We had thought that it would be pronounced 'Ho'Ho' and we might be able to twin it with Macmerry Church in Lothian! But now we know how it should be said.)
However we first of all had to find it. After one or two about-turns in tight spaces in the main (and busy) marketplace Solomon phoned ahead and they sent out the catechist (a bit like a lay reader) on his motorbike wearing a T-shirt which said "PRAY WITHOUT CEASING." It turned out that his name was also Fred just like our driver.
The congregation here in Hohoe have just agreed to twin with North Queensferry Parish Church and we were able to share with the minister and some of the congregation a few of the possibilities that this twinning might open up for both churches.On first meeting everyone was a little bit shy and perhaps tense until Solomon introduced Carol by her newly acquired Ghanaian title 'Talata Abina' - which let everyone know that Carol was born on a Tuesday. The woman next to her had also been born on a Tuesday so immediately they hugged and became sisters.
The congregation is a newly established one in an area where there are not many PCG churches and the minister has only recently come but he is energetic and has a vision for his congregation and he was excited at the prospect of the twinning. We were shown around their church building which at the moment is simply a large shed that the congregation rents. However in front of the Manse is a growing pile of concrete blocks. They are being handmade by the parishioners in preparation for the building of a new church.
On the way into the compound Iain had spotted a sign saying "Grasscutters Breeding Programme" and wondered "What do you you get when you cross a scythe with a sit-on lawnmower?" but it turned out that a grasscutter is a kind of rodent which is something of a delicacy. As far as we know we haven't eaten one yet...but we may have as we just eat what is given to us.
Before we left, Iain discovered that one of the women present was the leader of the church choir and he asked the group to sing. Within a few minutes we were all joining in. They are a wonderfully happy group of Christians and we are sure the folk at North Queensferry Church will love to meet them. We'll be bringing back for North Queensferry a short recorded message from the minister.
However, we could not stay there as long as we would have liked because it was still quite a long journey to Ho. It felt quite sad that it would be our last journey with Solomon and Fred who have become such good friends.
By the time we arrived in Ho it was already dark and we persuaded Solomon and Fred to stay in Ho until the morning rather than drive to Accra in the darkness. It meant that our farewell to them would be at 5am but we didn't mind.
It was time, however, to begin making new friends and we were welcomed by Rev. Dr. Seth Agidi, the newly appointed Programmes, Ecumenical and Social Relations Secretary of the EP Church, and a short time later by Rev. Godwin Osiakwa, Clerk to the General Assembly.
Our accommodation in this instance is the Kekeli Hotel which is owned and run by the EP Church.
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