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AAKAWABA – WELCOME
(the church in
Africa)
by
Nita Hammersmith
Jesus will return one day to judge us all
and to gather His own unto Himself. We all want to be
numbered among His sheep when He sits on his throne and
welcomes us. He will say, “Come; you blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34 Jesus’ welcome
will be the most glorious welcome we will ever know.
A short time ago, I learned that the
word for welcome in one of the 53 Ghanaian dialects is
Aakawaba. A group of four from our congregation spent a
few days with a brother and sister from Ghana, Africa.
Although it has not been a blessing of mine to go to
Africa, the time spent with them welcomed us into a
world of people who have less than most Americans yet
they seem to appreciate the blessings from God more.
We are blessed to be here in this life
and sometimes we take the blessings of God for granted.
In America we share the rich blessings of freedom and an
abundant life. These blessing have never been clearer to
me than during the time we spent with Gabriel and
Theresa.
The missionary work started in Ghana in
1961. Africa is the new frontier for the church of
Christ because the church there is spreading and growing
faster than anywhere else in the world. This fact makes
me grateful that God blessed this congregation in Camp
Hill, Pennsylvania to have the foresight to send someone
to minister to people on another continent. It makes me
grateful that the Ghanaian people have welcomed us and
the Gospel with an open and receptive heart.
Some of our congregation has gone to
Africa and visited Ghana. We have supported the
missionary work there for more than two decades. In
Ghana people do not call each other by their first name
in public and they have an intense appreciation of those
older (elders) than themselves. Therefore, we found
ourselves calling each other brother and sister.
In Africa Brother Opong, Sister Theresa’s
husband is a minister to a congregation of 853 people
and there are only fifty of them who own a car. They use
public transportation to go to and from church and it is
not a big bus. It is a small truck. Sister Theresa calls
it a dump truck. Women there have only been allowed to
cook or clean in the universities. They haven’t been
allowed to go and learn as students until recently. The
women there feel they need to work to have money to buy
little things. Their struggle seems similar to the ones
we fought for in the late sixties, and still fight for
to some degree.
Ghanaian women wear bright colorful
clothing and scarves around their heads as they carry,
on their head, produce and whatever the household needs
for the day from the market. Sister Theresa has no
refrigerator and she uses a small wood and charcoal
burning stove to cook and prepare her meals. The life
she lives seems hard to me and while listening to her
talk, with much pride, about her country her passion
grew in swells of warmth, filling me with humiliation.
Why? Because we have so much and take most of the things
we have for granted.
We live in a land rich with resources of
all kinds. Most of us carry pocket telephones and at
least two credit cards in our purses. We eat out once or
twice a month or more. Some of us have maids to come in
and clean for us. Almost every one drives one of the two
cars in our garages, and some of us have children who
are still living at home driving cars as well. What if
we had to walk every where? Would we still be faithful
to the church?
The most exciting day of our time
together was Sunday when we accompanied Brother and
Sister Opong and drove to the Ghanaian congregation in
Harlem, New York. The entire trip took almost nine
hours. Upon our arrival at the Ghanaian church we were
greeted and welcomed as if we were in their immediate
family. The Sunday morning Bible class was conducted
with much detail. We studied a lesson about the birth
of Jesus. The teacher took the time to go back to the
Old Testament and read prophesies as they related to the
birth of Christ. We couldn’t help but feel that they
embraced God’s word with much fervor and dedication.
Something we don’t see as much as we would like to see
in God’s church here in America.
When Bible study was over they sang “The
Lord Bless You and Keep You,” in the most beautiful
inspiring voices. We listened to songs we have come to
know and love with a new appreciation. Although we could
not understand the words we knew the melody and we could
not help the smiles that appeared on our faces. “Send
the Light,” sung in Ghanaian brought new meaning to the
words. The congregation in New York is the first
Ghanaian Church of Christ in America. These people from
another country want with all of their hearts to spread
the good news of Christ and Him crucified to everyone
whether Ghanaian or not.
A new kinship was developing between
Sister Theresa and me during time spent there. After
services the Ghanaian brothers introduced us one by one
and as our names were being said the entire congregation
said aloud, “Aakawaba!” The brothers then addressed me
as Sister Mum which is quite an honor. They acknowledged
me as not only an older woman, but a spiritual older
woman in the church. My heart leapt with joy as the
words they used to describe me were spoken with much
appreciation. This was something I had never experienced
before.
In my minds eye the song, “Jesus loves
the little children. All the children of the world. Red,
and yellow, black and white they are precious in His
sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world,”
played its melody and the meaning of the words were
clearer than ever before. Jesus does love all the people
of the world. When we teach this song to our children we
make an affirmation to God that we know it to be true
and we need to teach it more.
The customs are different, the people
have different pigmentation in their skin, and their
hair is different, but the love of the Lord is the same
wherever God’s people worship all over the world. We
felt at home. We felt welcomed. It is an important
lesson for us all to learn. We need to make sure our
visitors are truly welcomed.
Sister Theresa says meeting the people
she has known or has met before makes her think about
meeting them coming into heaven saying, “Hi. I know you!
Good to see you again Aakawaba!” Our Lord will also say
the same words as He invites us into His rest. “Come
enter in you good and faithful servant.” It will be the
most glorious welcome of all.
Contact Nita at
richnitarich@aol.com
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