Thursday July 26th update
Today is the day: as I post this update, our participants are all en route back to Tamale. John and I moved back to the Tamale Guest House on Tuesday and began preparing for the teams return after a fun and refreshing 3 ½ week stay with our friends Dan, Di and Dzifa Dzokotoe. Today the two of us and Naaza are working on the final tasks that need to be done before they all arrive; sadly, Maame Esi's employer will not allow her join us until this weekend, so the first 3 days of debrief we will be one leader short. We would appreciate your prayers for Maame Esi, as she really wanted to be here throughout, and for John, Naaza and myself as we lead without her temporarily.
One thing we have learned over the years about Debrief is that no matter how well rested and prepared we think we are, it can still be very exhausting..it is truly both the hardest and the most rewarding part of the whole trip. We always hear such positive feedback from our participants on how helpful Debrief was at the end of it that maybe we shouldn't be surprised that it often feels like spiritual warfare. As leaders, we seem to be our most vulnerable during this time; we very much need your prayer support not to be taken out (with sickness or emotionally), diverted or distracted from what God wants to do in us and through us.
Please also pray for our participants, as they do the hard work of processing, dealing with the many wonderful things they have experienced and learned as well as the hard things. Please pray for us as leaders that we will be able to guide them through this process wisely and lovingly.
As for general life here in Tamale, people are a bit subdued, as is common for those who are in a state of mourning. While most of the official mourning activities will take place in Accra, throughout the country we are all observing a week of mourning, with flags at half-mast; many are wearing the traditional funeral colors of red and black. Everything else is normal, as Ghana had a very quick and smooth transfer of power to the former vice president. Once again, Ghana sets a wonderful example for other African nations!
I will not update the blog later today: you can assume all our participants have safely arrived unless you hear otherwise from us. Will try to post an update again on Sunday, but no promises..8-)
One thing we have learned over the years about Debrief is that no matter how well rested and prepared we think we are, it can still be very exhausting..it is truly both the hardest and the most rewarding part of the whole trip. We always hear such positive feedback from our participants on how helpful Debrief was at the end of it that maybe we shouldn't be surprised that it often feels like spiritual warfare. As leaders, we seem to be our most vulnerable during this time; we very much need your prayer support not to be taken out (with sickness or emotionally), diverted or distracted from what God wants to do in us and through us.
Please also pray for our participants, as they do the hard work of processing, dealing with the many wonderful things they have experienced and learned as well as the hard things. Please pray for us as leaders that we will be able to guide them through this process wisely and lovingly.
As for general life here in Tamale, people are a bit subdued, as is common for those who are in a state of mourning. While most of the official mourning activities will take place in Accra, throughout the country we are all observing a week of mourning, with flags at half-mast; many are wearing the traditional funeral colors of red and black. Everything else is normal, as Ghana had a very quick and smooth transfer of power to the former vice president. Once again, Ghana sets a wonderful example for other African nations!
I will not update the blog later today: you can assume all our participants have safely arrived unless you hear otherwise from us. Will try to post an update again on Sunday, but no promises..8-)
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