Written by Alan Riser
After arriving on the jungle island where the mighty Volta River meets up with the sea on the coast of Ghana, I set out to find the school. I had not been there long before I had many children around me trying to get a look at the white man that had come to their island.
There always seems to be one child that somehow stands out from the rest. In this case it was a small boy about 12 years old called Elijah.
We left the school and soon Elijah and I were exploring the island until I was hopelessly lost in the jungle. The growth is so thick in places that the only way you can move is along the maze of footpaths that wind through the island. We finally broke free of the jungle and emerged on the bank of the river where we found mountains of oyster shells.
I had not planned on spending the night (or 3 days as it turned out) but soon had a place to sleep on the floor of one of the village houses. We had a big feast that night of fresh oysters, crab, tilapia, (local fish), and bonku which is fermented corn. After the feast, I sat around with the children by the merry-go-round lights I had brought to show them.
Elijah had not left my side all day and was intently listening to every word I had to tell the children. As we sat and talked, Elijah told me “you like all the trees and jungle but I like America and I want to come home with you.” When I told him his mother and father would miss him he said, “My father is dead and the man that is with my mother now does not want me. He told my mother to send me away but I have nowhere to go. He hates me and does not want me around.”
Now, what do you tell a little boy after he tells you something like that? I forced the big lump down that had formed in my throat and fought back the tears the best I could. He asked me if there were black people in America. He was sure if he would be able to come to America, he would soon turn white and his life would be so much better.
That night I sent the light home with him and he was so happy he stayed up most of the night studying. He told me the next day, “You should have seen me study; I was just like a parrot.”
I spent the next three days going from island to island and little Elijah never left my side the whole time. I have not seen many Africans cry, but as I gave that little boy a big hug, tears filled his eyes as he held both hands high in the air and watched as I slowly paddled away.
Life in Africa can be so difficult at times!
As I arrived a few weeks later with the new swing and merry –go- round, the children all asked if they should go find Elijah. I told them, yes, I would love to see him again. When Elijah emerged from the jungle, he gave me a big hug, and we began to talk about the big events taking place on the island. It was then I remembered that as Elijah and I had talked about America, he had told me that he had never been to Accra (Accra is a very large port city and the capital of Ghana.) He had only been to the main land at Big-Ada (a very small fish trading village) so he had never seen a city before let alone a big city like Accra.
I looked at Elijah and asked him if he would like to travel to Accra with one of the EPI employees to see the city. A smile came to his face as big as the whole Volta River. He could not believe what he had just heard. “Can I really go to Accra? Are you sure?”
After I talked to his schoolteacher, he was soon in a canoe headed for the mainland.
On his return, this is what he told me: “You should have seen all the things! We passed along a very big road with many cars going very fast, even big lories. Then we came to a place that they made everybody stop (a toll road). There was a big red stick that came down so you could not pass but after you gave a lady some money the red stick would move up so you could pass. You can’t believe it, but we came to a place where there were two big roads and one was on top of the other (an overpass). Even a big lorie could pass without it falling down on the cars below, even two big lories could pass on it and it still would not fall down.
I saw many BIG buildings and some of them were stacked on top of each other, some even had many stacked on top of the bottom one until they reached the sky. I saw a big building that had so much food inside. Then we went to the place where you stay and make the swing and merry-go-round. I even saw a bed where you sleep. I saw all the big machines that you use to make the things you brought to the island. I even saw a very big machine like we use to get the oysters (an air compressor). I saw so many things you can’t even believe it!”
I didn’t bring Elijah home with me, but I did bring home a memory of Elijah. As we were finishing up the work there, I looked over and saw Elijah leaning against a pole watching the children laughing and playing on the playground equipment that generates the power that will light their homes each night so that they may study.
I implore that each of us contemplates the concept of the playground equipment. It brings joy to those who use it and at the same time generates light for all to see and use to better their lives. Each of us, through allowing the Light of Christ to work in our lives, can generate light for all to see and use and it will bring us great joy in the process.
God Bless,
Alan Riser (Mango Mango)
I have just returned from a three day trip working on four more merry-go-rounds in the back country of Ghana, and as the trip before, it was amazing. We have serviced seven merry-go-rounds now and they all now have solar panels to supplement the power when the children are not using the merry-go-round. All are up and delivering light to the children in the remote corners of Ghana.
