A Journey Surprised by Joy
“Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.”
Psalm 40:5
Our family has traveled to Ghana numerous times, but on December 26th of 2021, we took a trip so special that I can only summarize it by saying that it was a journey “surprised by joy.”
Together with my wife Helen and eldest daughter Jennifer, we embarked on this journey with great excitement. We were going to celebrate my youngest daughter Janice’s wedding ceremony to Enoch on January 1st, 2022. Because we traveled during the height of the Omicron variant of the pandemic, it was a stressful journey to say the least! We were required to test negative on our PCR tests 72 hours prior to our boarding flight time. We booked our test for Christmas day at 9:30 A.M. and arrived at the clinic before our scheduled time, yet so many people were already waiting in the parking area. We all seemed very anxious, for the clinic had not yet opened, at which it even crossed my mind that we had been scammed! We waited for some time before a car sped into the parking lot, with a man dashing out to open the clinic door. He was over an hour late and the frustrated travelers rushed into the building in a disorderly fashion. However, we were able to complete our tests and received our negative results earlier than expected. On the morning of the 26th, we embarked on our long journey.
We finally arrived at the Accra International Airport, exhausted from the many hours of travelling. Yet, we had to do another test to enter Ghana. Hundreds of travelers were ushered into a tiny hall to wait for the test with no mind of social distancing. Shoulder to shoulder, we waited another hour to administer our tests and another hour for our results. We thank God that after 24 hours of traveling, we were greeted by Janice and Enoch by the exit door! We spent a night in Accra before taking a domestic flight to Tamale the next day; in which we arrived in time as expected, but our luggage did not! To our surprise, we learned that our luggage would be brought by the next company flight an hour later in which we waited for before we finally made the hour drive to Janice’s mission base in Nyankpala.
We were surprised by the mission compound in Nyankpala. It houses a place of worship, a training school and dormitory for midwifery students, houses for local pastors and staff. Janice’s living quarter was also nicely designed for rest and ministry. It includes a place where Janice turned into a classroom where she ministers to many children in the area. Helen and I were pleased to see the place and people she served since her arrival in January 2020.
At midnight the flower arch was completed
Enoch’s family hosted a dinner for us on the eve of the wedding. This was the first time we met his family. It was not a casual meeting, as they were all dressed up in their traditional clothes and presented us with gifts. To my surprise, Enoch’s mother presented all of us handmade local stone necklaces and bracelets. In return, we presented gifts we brought from Canada. After a brief introduction of all the family members, Enoch’s mom stood up and gave a speech praising God for how blessed she was to have Janice to be her daughter. In turn, both Helen and I also gave words of thanks to God and to the Jabab family.
After all the formalities and a busy day, we needed to rest to prepare for the big day! On our way back to our living quarters, we found out the wedding ceremony was going to be held on a piece of grassy land which was empty. We wondered how they would prepare the barren land into a wedding venue! Before midnight, with the help of Tomson’s engineer design training, Jennifer and Janice’s artistic skills, and Pastor Isaac and Enoch’s handiwork, they built a flower arch from branches, greenery and flowers. When I awoke the next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see a hundred chairs neatly placed with the completed flower arch. I was told that a group of young men moved the chairs from the chapel and turned the piece of ordinary grassland into a beautiful area for the ceremony.
Guests poured in from near and far, some from the nearby villages and others from different cities across Ghana as the wedding started at 9:00 A.M. Finally, it was our time to take center stage. I counted beforehand the number of steps along the aisle, which was about twenty. The children were lined up along the aisle and sang praise to God. I took Janice’s hand and walked these twenty steps with mixed emotions. I remembered holding her tiny hands when she was born. I held these hands for so many years and now, it was time to let go. At the end of these twenty steps, I let go of her hands and placed them into the hands of a man whom Helen and I prayed for. A godly man who loves God and my daughter. Indeed, it was a surprise that a young junior high schooler whom I met and served with in one of my short-term missions trip almost 20 years ago, is now the husband of my daughter! We thank God for giving our family two Godly men; both Ben (Jennifer’s husband) and Enoch are indeed our answered prayers. With great joy, I officiated Janice and Enoch’s wedding.
A joyful wedding ceremony
Tea ceremony
Couple present tea to Enoch’s mother
After the ceremony, a Chinese tea ceremony took place. The newlyweds honored the elders of the family by serving them tea. In return, the elders presented them with gifts and words of blessing. We were delighted that Enoch’s family were all well prepared to honor our Chinese custom. It was a time filled with words of blessings as bible verses were quoted and prayers spoken to encourage the newlyweds. We were overjoyed that this event turned out to be both a Chinese and Ghanaian Christian family worship time. In the evening, a family banquet was hosted while more photos were taken and more well wishes conveyed to Janice and Enoch. We discovered that guests were quiet while dinner was served. In fact, the only loud noise came from the Canadian table, in which an American missionary told us that it is not typical for Ghanaians to converse while they dine! This special day ended beyond our expectations, and we give thanks and praises to our Lord.
The loudest table at the banquet
We bid farewell to them the next day and started our journey back to Calgary. To conclude; our journey was filled with wonderful surprises. At each turn, we witnessed God’s blessing and care. Indeed, it was a journey filled with joyous surprises!
To all CIM families and all readers, I wish you a Happy New Year!
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
Rev. Kenny Wong
CIM Board Member
December Financials
1. General Fund - for general and administrative purposes, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar
Pray With Us:
Pray for Ukraine as Russia continues their invasion of the country. Pray for House of Mercy and the HOM community as they are helping refugees who have flocked to their area. Attacks have increased in the recent weeks and many civilians have been killed.
Pray for the pastors and teachers that CIM supports in Ghana and Togo. Inflation is currently very high and the cost of living including petrol, food, and power have increased significantly and many are struggling to get by financially.
Pray that we will be able to send STM teams again this year and also that we can support pastoral development in Ghana, Togo, and also the Roma communities in Ukraine.
Pray for CIM USA as they are currently recruiting for an Executive Director successor, as well as a Director of Ministry.