Ghana Team Journal

Journal by: Kathleen

After a night of little sleep, I left the guesthouse at 9:30am to meet Samuel at church. As I arrived, the service was in full swing with preaching and singing exploding through the windows. I love attending church in Ghana because I feel the power of the congregation’s devotion expressed in their vocal and physical abandonment. These people know how to pray! When the preacher preaches, while in TWI, I absorb his charisma and the congregation responds enthusiastically with shouts of “Halleluiah”. Once the music begins, there is lively swaying, singing and dancing that fills the space as the commitment to faith sweeps the room and surrounds your body to carry you high on its power. Oh to have grown up in a church such as this!

I think that I am particularly affected, as I have spent several months this summer reading and re-reading the book called, “Living Buddha, Living Christ” by Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk with a brilliant message. However, his teachings are soft and reflective. Therefore, the contrast between my summer’s reading and my current church experience in Ghana…..why I feel that I have just been run over by the love train!

I am fortunate to have Samuel beside me for he is able to translate the communications taking place within the congregation. After about an hour of preaching, singing and praying, the minister opened up a question to the congregation. “Do you see any conflict between the religious teachings of the bible and the actions you see in everyday life?” Well, the conversation that continued for an hour and a half was the most profound I have ever experienced in a church. People shared their problems, their conflicts, their values, their fears, their frustrations as well as humorous stories.

The entire congregation was engaged in a spiritual, no holding back group therapy session. And, there was no judging and there was no embarrassment. There was only honesty, compassion and understanding. I just sat there thinking how deeply the members of this community must know each other.

At one point, a young boy of about 10 stood up and the person with the microphone approached him so that he could share his story. This young boy said that he was angry with his parents. He went on to explain that his younger brother was disturbing him while he was trying to do his homework so he hit his brother and told him to go away. His younger brother went crying to his mother who came back to him and hit him for hitting his younger brother. He said that he felt this was unfair.

After hearing this story, I raised my hand and the person with the microphone came over to me. With my heart pounding, I stood up to speak.

I began by asking a question. “If you parents see one of your children hit the other, do you think that this is wrong?” I asked. The congregation nodded its head and answered, “Yes.” “Well, I continued, I have been in the school classroom when a teacher has hit one of his students for misbehaving. Do you think that this is ok?” I asked. Again, the congregation said, “Yes.”

“Where do children learn to hit?” I questioned. No one responded, so, I continued. “Many believe that children learn their behavior from their parents, their teachers and other adults in their lives”, I stated. “So, when a teacher hits a child for misbehaving, do you think the child learns that it is ok to hit their sister or brother or friend when they believe that he or she is misbehaving? Are we adults teaching our children to hit?” I proposed.

“Well, I have learned that there is another way,” I continued. “The way that I punished my son was to take away his privileges. Sometimes, I would make him sit in a chair, other times I told him that he could not go outside and play with his friends. Taking away his pleasures was another way for him to learn a lesson not to do something naughty. What do you think of this approach to discipline?” I asked. Then I sat down.

From my seat, I saw several individuals nod their heads in response. Next, Samuel stood up and translated into TWI what I had said in order to insure that everyone in the congregation understood. Once Samuel sat down, the following two individuals who stood up to speak said that they believed that removing privileges was a better way than corporal punishment.

As I sat in my chair, I reflected, did I take a risk and offended some members of the congregation as a result of my comments. But, then I was reminded of two things: first, I thought about the Obibinie’s at the library, whom I love so dearly; and, secondly, I remembered what I love most about the Ghanaians…..their directness, their openness, their honesty. This is a culture that expresses itself. People here believe in speaking their mind. It is accepted. This is Ghana.

So, besides having experienced one of the most interesting days that I have ever experienced in Ghana by participating in this engaging, open and learning religious service, I hope that I may have encouraged one parent to consider a new approach to disciplining his child. The answer to this, I shall never know.