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Remembering Africa

by Barbara Gepford

Ghana Global Exchange host Dinah Abbey Mensah and June Ramage Rogers
share a moment on a balcony in Elmina Castle overlooking the main courtyard. The castle
was used as the center of the slave trade in Ghana in the 15th to 19th centuries.

"Imagine the excitement mixed with inevitable anxiety as 30 women, mostly strangers to one another, gathered in Detroit last October for a one-day orientation prior to a long night flight to Africa. Were we truly ready to listen to the pain and joys of our African sisters, always seeking God's spirit as we undertook the journey?

We were---and we did!

As a member of the Churchwide Coordinating Team of Presbyterian Women (CCT/PW) and chair of the 2002 Global Exchange Committee, I had anticipated this moment for more than two years. The many travel details were planned with the help of our staff liaison, June Ramage Rogers. Each exchange is guided by scripture-this time Matthew 13:13--16, and our purpose had been defined as recommended by the CCT.

"The reason I speak to them in parables is that "seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand . . . For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn---and I would heal them" (Matt. 13:13--16).

Presbyterian Women undertakes this journey, together with our African sisters, seeking God's Spirit

· to heal the wounds of our history,
· to awaken our awareness,
· to teach and lead us into truth, and
· to reconcile us to each other and to God.

Rumpled and weary, we arrived late at night in Accra, Ghana's capital city. Smiling faces welcomed us, and our adventure was underway. We joined in lively worship at Presbyterian churches around the city; we paid close attention as our hosts explained their cultural traditions; we squeezed into a 20-passenger van to drive to the picture-perfect Gold Coast, its beauty marred by the scar of the notorious Elmina slave castle; we held back tears as courageous women testified to surviving oppression.

After four days in Accra, 14 of us flew to Nairobi, Kenya, to visit the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, while the rest of our group remained in Ghana to visit the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, with headquarters in the Volta Region. Eight days later, we reunited in Kenya, where we learned more about how Presbyterians are tackling major challenges like unemployment, HIV/AIDS, education and health care.

Finally, faithful to our Purpose Statement, we spent time recounting our varied experiences and reflecting on what we learned. We humbly recognized the need for African solutions to African problems and developed a statement, committing ourselves to pray, advocate and take action on behalf of our new African friends.

Our last full day in Nairobi was fun---shopping for souvenirs in the morning, visiting a nearby game park in the afternoon and enjoying a splendidly elegant dinner with our Kenyan hosts in the evening. Many of us took advantage of the occasion to wear the colorful traditional dresses we had bought earlier.

With full hearts and suitcases, we boarded the plane for the long flight home. But the joyful task of sharing our stories with you keeps the memories fresh. In July, as 12 Ghanaian and Kenyan women complete the Global Exchange by attending the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Louisville, Kentucky, we will continue listening to our African sisters with our hearts. We hope you will, too.

Barbara Gepfordwas chairperson for the 2002 Global Exchange and has almost completed her term as a member of the Churchwide Coordinating Team of Presbyterian Women.

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