Bishop Vincent of the Diocese of Yendi has a beautiful residence. It is quiet and secluded, full of trees and plants that can stand the harsh Ghanian weather and, most importantly for us at this moment, it is relaxing! Last night as I was answering some emails, I tapped on the link to my blog and read it. I never do that. I read my blogs from January sometime during the summer to prepare myself for returning to Ghana, but other than that, after publishing them, I usually don't reread them. I was surprised to find all the emotion and work we did packed into the past two months. I know I did that work and felt that emotion, but new things came along that demanded my concentration and everything shifted to the back of my brain. I was captivated by the writing, staying up late reading despite my tiredness and desire for sleep. All I can say is that the Holy Spirit must be alive and active in my fingertips because the person who wrote all of these blogs is much smarter and more faithful than I am!!
Part of our stay here at the Bishop's home is to receive an orientation on Ghana, it's history of family life and the change of society over time, the reasons behind child abandonment and the ways to help stop it. Bishop Vincent is an extremely knowledgeable man, strong in his faith, proud of his heritage and open to help all in need, whatever that may be. His concern for the children at The Nazareth Home for God's Children is endearing and his love of God is evident in all that he does. He has made Mary Clare and I feel right at home here, for which we are both supremely grateful!!
Over the past two days, we have learned about the traditional family structure of Ghanians. In the United States, for instance, a family would be a father, mother and their children. In Ghana, the traditional family is father, mother , children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins all living together in a tribe. This family tribe is all inclusive, meaning everyone within the family is cared for, no one is left alone. In the traditional family, if a parent dies, there are others who can take over as guardian. If a child is born with a physical handicap or a mental disability, he or she is cared for by the entire family. Families were generally big and it was thought that the more children you have, the more help you have doing chores and farming. This lead to a rise in polygamy, having more than one wife, so there would be more children.
However, over time, parents began to realize that more children meant more mouths to feed, and sending children to school became more attractive because then the children, when grown, could make more income for the tribe. However, school costs money and the more children you have, of course, the more you have to pay. So families became smaller, taking care of your sister's children became a financial burden. Then the question of why things happen came into play. Not what is the cause of bad things that happen, but who caused them? Why are my crops failing? Why did my brother die? Why is there no rain this season? The people sought out diviners or soothsayers who placed the blame on a particular person in the tribe. This person is the cause of the bad things happening to you, so they must no longer be part of the tribe. In most cases, the cause of these problems is placed on children, "spirit children" or witches, and the people abandon them or hire a judoman to destroy them. So instead of being an all inclusive tribe, now birth defects are seen as a sign of evil, unexplained deaths are blamed on children who do not develop in a "normal" way, and instead of everyone caring for the children in need of the most love, these children are held responsible for the unfortunate things that happen to the tribe. Families stay small, parents can afford school, life goes on. Can you imagine, though, if the entire tribe believes a child is responsible for the bad things happening, how much pressure, pain and ridicule must be put on the parents in question? This is their family unit, where else can they go? I certainly am not condoning the practice, just flipping the coin. What side do you choose? Your family who has been your life support forever, or your child, in which case you would have to abandon everything familiar and, in the eyes of the tribe members, be hated, outcast and have no where to go.
In the meantime, Christian communities are growing in the areas where the practice of abandoning spirit children is practiced. As word spreads about these life ending ceremonies, the Christian people turn to their priests to help. The priests go into these communities and remove the children in danger, but where can these children go? At about the same time that the new Bishop of Yendi, Bishop Vincent, was dealing with the issue of how to care for these children, Sister Stan came along and, having heard about the practices of these tribes, shared her desire to help. It is easy to see here the work of God... spreading the message of Jesus Christ among communities, calling courageous men to be priests and save the lives of children, creating a new Diocese in the Northern Region for the new Catholics and calling Sister Stan to a life of serving His children. It is like connect the dots!!
So Bishop Vincent believes education is the way to stop the terrible practices of the tribes of the Northern Region. If the people can be taught that human beings are not to be blamed for natural tragedies or acts of nature, that children born with physical handicaps and mental disabilities are to be loved and cared for as everyone else, that it is a sin and a crime to end anyone's life, perhaps things will change. He says people need a reason to change, that they have to see the need for change. When these children living at the Nazareth Home for God's Children grow up and prove that they are good, fine, strong people just as worthy of love as anyone, perhaps the people will see the need for change. He would like the Catholic Church to be part of a task force of police, social workers and cultural educators to go into these areas and speak with the people, but putting together something like that does not happen easily here. It seems like a long process, an insurmountable task, to bring about peace and love for all among the tribes here. But with God, all things are possible. With God, all things are possible.
It all sort of reminds me of Christ on the cross, pleading with His Father to forgive those responsible for His death, for they knew not what they were doing. Perhaps these people really do not know what they are doing. But if the Church here in Ghana can spread the Word of God and the Truth taught by Jesus Christ, they will know, and they will know that it is wrong. Did you ever hear the phrase "Prayer can move mountains?" Well, if we storm heaven with prayers for the Church in Africa, we can all be a part of saving the lives of these children forever. Below is an example of a prayer you can say, but any prayer is good as long as it is sincere and said with love.
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Heavenly Father, Giver of Life and Strength of the faithful, I come before You full of sorrow for the suffering of Your children in Ghana. I humbly plead for Your aid and guidance for my brothers and sisters in Christ as they spread the Truth of Your mercy, love and forgiveness to their countrymen. Help them to bring an end to the ignorance that takes the precious lives of innocent children, give them the strength to fight the evil flourishing there and be their Light. In solidarity with Your servants in Africa, I offer you ________________________________________ and ask that You hear and answer my prayer made with sincere adoration and devotion to You. Amen.
For your offering, choose something meaningful to you: so many holy hours or rosaries, fasting, something that will be a sacrifice for you, for I can assure you the task set in front of these Christians is not easy, and they need all the help they can get. It can be said one time or, if you'd like daily, weekly or monthly. If you choose to pray this prayer, make it however the Spirit is moving you to.
Together in Christ, we can accomplish anything!!! xo
