This morning we went to the Elim International Church in downtown Accra. (I have to say that it was a much less interesting drive than the first trip to Accra b/c there was very little traffic.) It is truly an international church. I saw people from Ghana, Liberia, America, Asia, S. Africa and Great Britain. Very neat to worship with so many of God's people from around the world. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I knew almost all the choruses that were sung as well as the hymns. It was a fairly charismatic type church but nothing that shocked me. And the pastor's sermon was good and quite applicable. His primary focus was on being willing to leave behind the things that we cling to so that when God sends us forth to serve him we are ready to go. There was good encouragement in the message also as he spoke from Joshua chapter 1 and reminded us that wherever God sends us he promises to go with and never leave us. I found it an interesting and encouraging message and service. But oddly while having a good experience it was all I could do not to cry as I missed my home church in Lake Forest, IL and all the people I know there. It is a hard place to be -a stranger at a new church and it takes awhile to become part of the fabric but it does come with time. Of course this was the church my teammates, Lee and Michelle, attend and it doesn't necessarily mean that that will be the church I attend long-term but for now I anticipate that I will continue to go there.
By the way, it has been pouring rain here for the last couple of hours! Praise the Lord. We need it.
