Arrival in Akropong

We have had a full first week in Akropong, Ghana! We are grateful to be here, grateful for the helpful and gracious people who we have met, and very grateful for a good start in adjusting to life here. Here are a few pictures and reflections from our first week.

The entrance to The Akrofi-Christaller Institute (ACI),

where Bob is now on the faculty.  

ACI has just completed the spring semester, so this week was full of meetings for the staff, such as a faculty review of the semester, an all-staff ‘Durbar’ (meeting to share updates and express thoughts and concerns), and a planning meeting for the rest of the year. These meetings were a great introduction for Bob to the staff, the culture, and some of the current issues at ACI.

Above photo is of the Wednesday chapel service at ACI,

which is a bit more structured than the daily devotions.

ACI has devotions every morning for staff and students. Everyone worships, discusses a short passage of scripture, and prays together for specific people or needs in the college community. This semester they have been going through the book of Romans, a few verses each day. We really appreciate that they open space for anyone to share their thoughts on the verses and learn from each other. We were able to attend this week before the college goes on break for a month.

An example of the narrow roads in town -

on the left of this photo is ACI the guest

house where we are currently staying.

We are slowly finding our way around Akropong. Many of the roads are narrow with houses built right up to the road in some places. The town sits on the ridge of a mountain range, so there are a lot of hills. We learned a few phrases in Twi and many people have been helpful and encouraging as we try to practice with them.

 

Grateful for new friends helping us to find a place to live!

We saw the house where we will soon be living, and have enjoyed getting to know the woman who owns the house and lives next door. We plan to move into our new home in July, so we will slowly find furniture and get set up in the next month or so.

Simon, pictured above expertly cutting coconuts with a machete, gifted us with a large coconut to enjoy. The coconut tree in the photo is in the courtyard of the guest house. Simon accompanied us to church on Sunday where we enjoyed worship and fellowship with some new colleagues.

We are so grateful for God's faithfulness and the gift of getting to know new friends as we arrive. We have a lot to learn and a long way to go in feeling at home here, but we give thanks for a good start. Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, and support along the way!