"... and they shall here my voice..."

Friday night we had another Video Night where the missionaries set up a projector in the middle of the village and show two Church videos. We have done this before here in Abomosu and it was really successful for obtaining contacts for the missionaries to teach. This week was Kwabeng’s turn for our traveling video show. I rather enjoy these evenings with so many of the people of the village. It reminds me of the first missionaries sent out at the beginning of this dispensation, who stood on a box in the middle of town and preached the Word as they were inspired. Most people have not seen a movie in their lives so this is a real eye opener. We set up two large speakers and hang a large white sheet from a makeshift framework and project the video through my computer and a projector. It is most times a real effort to find power and Friday night was one I shall always remember. We had to run several small gage wires across quite a distant just twisting the wires together with no tape to cover the bare ends. We laid it on walls, across the taxi gravel parking lot, across old car bodies, and even through a small closed kiosk. O yes, I almost forgot the best part, it started from a members home and the only way we had enough length of 7 pieces of wire was to lay the first 35’ of wire across his tin roof. Scary at best but it worked for the 2 hours we needed it. Yes, it was 240 volts as is all of the power here in Africa. I marveled at the set up as we were showing the The Lamb of God video. We are in the center of the village on a Friday night with hundreds of people milling around, there is a Chop Bar across the street playing loud African R&B and people dancing in the street, merchants selling everything from belts to fried rice and chicken, people gathered in small groups talking and laughing, girls giggling with boys as they hug and sway to the music blaring from the Chop Bar, and we come on the scene with two 1’x 3’ speaker boxes painted florescent green we borrowed from a member and wires just twisted together and stuffed into a multi-plugged extension board. It was a real circus and I was in the middle of it all barking out commands to members and missionaries for this and that to make this all work. It was truly exciting and all involved were working feverishly to make this happen as we had planned. The video commanded all around to gather in an instant as we began with a prayer and started the movie. The Chop Bar emptied and soon their music was lowered a little so more could hear the movie sound. The 6 missionaries gathered people into our open theater and took names and passed out a couple hundred pamphlets as the people pressed to hear every word of the video. It was almost magical to see the transition from worldly thoughts to receiving a spiritual witness of the Saviors love for all of his brothers and sisters. It is a testimony to the power of the Word and the stirrings in all of our hearts as we learn of the Saviors life. I know He had a hand in this event and the success of the 67 names the missionaries obtained. We rolled up about an hour and a half later and all went back to normal as Friday night in the bush always does with blaring music milling people, groups dancing , and girls giggling. But for a brief time all felt the importance of the Saviors life to us all.

I want to share a tender moment in the middle of the movie. For a brief moment I stood and surveyed the crowd that had gathered. I was off to the side towards the rear standing by myself. It was dark and I had my hands on my waist. I felt a little hand slip into my rough old palm and grasp me with such a tender touch a scarcely looked down. It was a small girl about six or seven who just held my hand as she stared at the screen and strained to hear the sound. We stood there for quite some time before she disappeared into the crowd. I did not have a clear view of her face nor of her dress, but I felt as though I was holding the hand of an angel who just assured me of my worth here on this earth. I still tingle and tears well as I relay such an experience. It was most precious and tender to my old heart here in the bush of Ghana.