It's Time for Church - African Style

Well, Saturday was certainly filled with excitement.  We did not want it to get boring.  So lets go to church.  Going to an African Church was high on my priority list.  It is truly amazing how we worship so differently to the same Jesus.  It is just a great experience up front and in person.  The membership dresses in their very best when they go to worship.  If that is full Ghanian church attire, so be it.  If it is jeans and tee shirt and thats your very best for God, come on.  You are welcomed either way.  Now lets just say we could not hide very well in this service.  In America you can sneak in and hide.  Not happening this time or anytime here.  After much praise and worship, ( I about wore the fist pump out) if you follow me, it was time to announce that there were "very special guest in the house"  I was looking around to see if there were some African politicians in the room.  Well, they just say come on up front and introduce yourself and tell us where you are from and what brings you to Africa.  After our adoption lady started walking up front we quickly discovered we where very special guest.  Really don't like all that attention but no choice this time.  I later was discussing the reason we are so special to them.  I was told it is not so much that "we are white" as much as "We are Americans".  That really spoke loud to me as I think about how we carry ourselves in America often times. It should really make you understand the blessing you were born as. Very humbling to me.  After the 2 1/2 hour service (step it up Pastor Doug and Pastor Keith) we were not able to get out of the church without plenty of "Thank you for being our very special guest today".  Humbled again.  Then before we got in the Taxi the Pastor made sure he made it to us with special thanks.  Humbled again.  Get the point.  No kidding. By the way, Esi and Samuel sat through church like two mice.  Did not know they were there.  We did not feed them the first piece of candy.  I must confess we had it available.  Did I mention tithes and offerings.  That is a bit different then I am used to.  They took regular offering twice.  Apparently the first did not go well so we did it again later in the service.  They speak about the blessings in your life before offering.  You actually go up front to give your offering at the alter. This is good.  I like that.  I said regular offering because when the choir was singing the offering plate is put up front for you to give if you like the music. (Pastor Keith, not a bad idea.  Think about all the compliments we pay to the choir and orchestra.  Here you put your money where your mouth is)  Take that one to the business meeting. Well, after church we were invited to a church families home for lunch.  I know for a fact that this family had a hard time feeding as as they did.  This family has five kids of there own and built an addition on the house where they keep 12 additional orphaned children.  They were not bored.  Humbled again.  Really wakes you up.  The meal prepared was awesome Ghanian all the way.  They feed you way too much and they do not eat until after the guest leaves.  I was told that food left on our plates is not wasted.  Not to worry. After the lunch we went back to the Hotel and let the kids draw and doodle in their books.  At dinner we went to a nice hotel where you could wade along the ocean and collect shells.  This was very pretty and relaxing.  We soon called it a day.  more later.