Week 68 - Night Watch & Dogby wisdom

Our apartment building sits right next to the Accra High School. 

 

This somewhat prestigious school was founded by the late Rev. James Thomas Roberts on 17 August 1923. He arrived from Freetown, Sierra Leone on 2 August 1923, and within 2 weeks set his sights forward to accomplish what he felt called to do. 

The co-educational school today has more than 1500 students. From the beginning, Accra High School has been a leader and trailblazer. It was the first secondary school in the Eastern Province, the first to have a school magazine, and the first to have a motto: 

Redimentes Opportunitatem - "Make hay while the sun shines, Strike while the iron is hot." 

If you make hay while the sun shines, it means that you take advantage of the chance to do something while conditions are good. In other words, you make good use of your time or make the most of an opportunity while you have the chance. The saying has been around for hundreds of years. 

If you strike while the iron is hot, it means you take advantage of favorable circumstances while they last. The image is from a blacksmith's shop; the smith can shape iron only by striking it with his hammer when it is red hot. 

Some of the students live on-site, and others show up daily. For those fortunate enough to attend this school, some of them must sacrifice by living far away from home and residing in the dorms on campus. 

Just below us are the girl's dorms. There is always a flurry of activities going on from washing, sweeping, and gathering fallen leaves and debris to laughing and playing together as schoolmates.  

Last year the school celebrated its 100th anniversary. There was lots of loud music and what we now assume were celebration activities. Should have investigated what was right under our noses a year ago.

Of recent, the school must have acquired or been gifted a new LOUDspeaker system. There are regular loud announcements from 4:30 am to 10 pm for wake-up time, class time, lunchtime, end of day for supper time, and of course bedtime. There is always a bit of chime or musical sound associated with each announcement. We aren't too fond of the EARLY morning wake-up call that sounds like an ice cream truck. The first, second, and third time the evening bedtime announcement played, I could not quite catch all the words and had never heard the song. Every night I ran out promptly as I heard the music begin and finally caught enough words that an extensive Google search helped me find the song! I was so excited and then launched a new investigation into the life of Jim Reeves, an American singer-songwriter and "the gentleman of country music." 

He was born on 20 August 1923 in Texas. His musical style was said to be a smooth and sophisticated Nashville sound. He had a few big hits that established him as an international star (including Africa). His life and career were tragically cut short on 31 July 1964, when he died in a plane crash near Nashville. But, his legacy lives on! Here is the song:

The Night Watch

Bright stars are watching the world as it sleeps
Shepherds watch over the little white sheep
The lighthouse is shining for ships far at sea
As God keeps the night watch for you and for me.

So sleep, sleep in peace and rest
Don't be afraid of the darkness
All's well for over the land and the sea
God's keeping the night watch for you and for me.

I love walking out on the patio at night to hear this song, watch the girls scatter quickly toward their dorms, and hear, "Lights out! It's time for bed!"

I've now learned the song on my ukulele and will serenade you when I get home! ;)

I began to wonder how an American song made it all the way from Nashville to our backyard here in Accra. Apparently, Jim was a pretty popular guy in Africa also... and now I hear him send me off to bed at night! Very cool.

BISHOP DOGBY WISDOM 

Our sweet bishop here in the Trade Fair Ward shares many little tidbits of wisdom from the pulpit at the end of our meetings. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Mountains & Valleys - we all have mountains and valleys in our lives. Sometimes things are going great and we are on top of the mountain, we can see clearly and everything looks great. Other times, we are in the valley, where things look dark and our perspective is limited. The Lord in His wisdom, never leaves us too long on the top of the mountain or in the depth of the valley. Staying on top for too long, we may forget to work hard and fight for a better life. Staying in the valley for too long, we may get discouraged and want to give up. Climbing out of the valley and back up the mountain requires courage and strength and builds strong muscles in all areas of our lives. God knows how long to leave us on top and when to let us struggle and build muscle.

Overcome fear - I was recently thinking about the man who was given a talent but did not improve upon it. I believe it was because of fear. We have many gifts and talents. Trust God and do not fear man. Do all you can to overcome fear. Do what you can to build the kingdom of God and use your talents wisely. Let God prevail. Matthew 5:37 - But let your communication be ‘yea, yea’ or ‘nay, nay’... Be willing and ready to say yes, or no, and don't halt between the two on middle ground. Know what you believe and live true to those principles. Respect and love God in all you do!

We are grateful to be serving a full-time senior mission in Ghana! 

Are there difficult days? Yes! Have we learned sooooo much? Yes! Do we want to stay another 18 months? No! 

We will finish strong and see you all in 68 days!!!

Much love from Ghana! 💘💛💚