Blogpost for Jan 20, 2019
We started out the day getting breakfast at the usual place but we were fortunate enough to get to sleep in, so we arrived an hour later than usual. After breakfast, 9 students went to the Methodist Church of Tamale. The service started at 9 am but we were uninformed of the time and arrived at 10:30 am. Thankfully, the congregation was very kind and welcomed us despite arriving half way through the service. We really appreciated the opportunity to experience a different church service than any of us had attended before. Half the service was in English, while the other half was Twi. We learned to observe the body language and facial expressions of other people to understand what was going on. We also really enjoyed the church choir which stood on both sides of the chapel while they sang. Like last week, when we were at the Catholic mass, we were invited to stand at the front of the church and introduced ourselves as visitors. We were not the only visitors but we were the only international visitors. Several members of the group attend Methodist churches at home and they particularly enjoyed the opportunity to compare and be welcomed into a new Methodist community.
Following the church service, the class reunited at the Modern City Hotel to go swimming and relax. This allowed for us to relax and take time for ourselves after the busy week we have had.
Today’s Ghanian News:
Former Ghanaian President Jerry John Rawlings has condemned the recent murder of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale and has supported calls by US Congressman Henry Johnson and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for investigation into the journalist’s death.
In other news, a gun manufacturing base has been discovered at Alavanyo, which is near the Volta basin region. A protracted conflict between the Alavanyo and Nkonya has led to a large number of weapon imports and stockpiling of assault weapons. The police say they are afraid to apprehend the manufacturers, saying the site is heavily guarded.