I, Brenda, met John Inusah when I lived and taught school in Yendi in 2009-2010. John shared his testimony in 2012, after meeting Gary and Jim. He was raised Muslim, but in his teens became Christian. His parents disowned him and would not let him live with them. He went to Nalerigu, Ghana to live with his grandfather and uncle, who were Christians. They worked for the Baptist Medical Center, which at that time was run by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. John gives a wonderful story about living with his grandfather, meeting the doctors and missionaries and the encouragement they gave for him to continue his education. He finished Senior Secondary School in Nalerigu and went on to become a police officer. He tells of the pride he felt when he went to visit his father in his police uniform and of reuniting with his family.In 2009, when I met John, he was married to Dorcas, a fabric dyer and seamstress and had a baby daughter, Elpis. Dorcas helped my roommate and I navigate the market and "dressed" us in beautiful clothes. I got to know both John and Dorcas over the year and they became dear friends. There was the time the wheel fell off the car in which Dorcas and I were riding - at 60 miles an hour; and the time that Dorcas prepared groundnut soup, okra soup, banku and rice for the teachers and me on my last night in Yendi.
Fast forward, the fall of 2016. I picked up On Mission magazine in my churches foyer. There, towards the back was an article about the Baptist Medical Center in Nalerigu. The Medical Center is now managed by the Ghana Baptist Convention, but has a surgeon sent by the International Mission Board. Heidi Haun, her husband William and two children live and work in Nalerigu with the Mamprusi people.
Fast forward again to 2018. By now John, Gary and I have built and started a school and community center in a village near Yendi. Along with friends and family support, we have built the school, pay teachers and cooks, feed the children a hot meal with protein and dug two boreholes in the community. Jim has been a major supporter as well as helping John with his own school fees for Bible College and purchasing Bibles for the community and the police officers. As Jim, Gary and I begin preparing for our trip to visit the school and to attend John's graduation, Jim mentioned that he wants to see the Baptist Medical Center on this trip. I decided to take the magazine so John can look at the pictures and read the article.
June 2018 - We are sitting at John and Dorcas's dining table. Their three girls and a nephew are playing in the living room.John is looking at the magazine and mentions that Dorcas is also from Nalerigu, although they did not know each other when they lived there. He shows Dorcas the picture of the chief and the missionaries. He turns the page and there is a full page picture of an older woman. The caption reads, "A senior Mamprusi woman leads songs at a courtyard pounding in Nalerigu, Ghana". Dorcas gasps and puts both hands over her face. She peeks again, turns around and is speechless. I'm thinking something terrible has happened. Then she says, "That is my Auntie Tani! She helped raise me." I am not sure if Dorcas ever understood exactly how her auntie got in a magazine that I brought from the United States. The next day John, Gary, Jim and I traveled over muddy and washed out roads, a short cut, to Nalerigu. We were not able to meet the Hauns as she was in surgery (we didn't call ahead of course) but we toured the hospital. We then visited with John's uncle and grandfather and Dorcas's uncle. When we visited Dorca's brother, he showed us where we could find the "old woman". We drove a short distance, John interpreted and they called her out of her house. There she was. Using interpreters and John we explained who we were and showed her the magazine. She thought is was wonderfully funny. Yes, she remembered the photographers, but had never seen the picture. She was fascinated. We chatted awhile and then prepared to take our leave. Ghanaians have a great sense of humor so I said, "Jim saw your picture in the magazine. You are so beautiful that he has traveled across the world to ask you to marry him" She laughed and laughed and replied, "Yes, I will follow you to the United States and marry you!" Well, Jim, what will Barb think?
