A few months ago I flew to Ghana, a country very different from my own. At the airport, I experienced the first in a series of unexpected delays. No one was there to take me to the orientation site. After waiting and wondering, someone finally arrived. The lesson: I would need to trust in God.

The weather was hot and dusty with temperatures in the 90s. We saw lizards, crows, vultures, and bats. When I found a lizard in my room, I was not too pleased. The lesson: Things can be difficult in the mission field.

The streets were lined with people selling everything from food to caskets. When we changed our money, we received 9,200 cedis for a dollar. We thought we were multimillionaires! But we soon learned that cedis were practically worthless. Our hotel room cost 200,000 cedis a day. The lesson: Don't trust in money.

I was scheduled to preach an entire ShareHim series at the Durber Grounds in Jumapo, which was at a crossroads in town. There was a platform but no sound system, no suitable screen, and no chairs. I wondered if it would be ready by evening. When it was time to begin, the members were still getting things ready. At the last minute, a sheet was hung to serve as a screen. The lesson: Flexibility.

The roads were not paved. There were deep ruts that caused the bottom of the car to drag on the rocky ground. Cars barreled down the road, barely missing people. Cars were old and broke down often. My pastor's car had windows that couldn't open or close, a windshield wiper didn't work, and often we couldn't open the right door. The lesson: Be thankful for our roads and cars.

The electricity was rationed in Ghana, and every fifth day a community was without power. This meant we had to use a generator. Our microphones often failed, but we continued to preach without them—as loud as we could. Sometimes the lights went out and we were in the dark. The lesson: Patience.

Evangelism in Ghana is not necessarily easier than in the United States. They face many of the same obstacles we have here. Other denominations opposed us and started revivals of their own to prevent people from attending our meetings. One reason evangelism was successful was because the church members actively shared their faith. They visited every home in Jumapo to invite people to the meetings and encouraged them to make decisions. The pastors in Ghana are very busy. One pastor has 22 churches plus a conference position. The lesson: Evangelism is not just the duty of the pastor, but the church members as well.

My translator said our meetings were heard on a mountain more than ten miles away. The sound echoed off the mountains. People could hear the sermon but couldn't see the pictures. Although nightly attendance at our site ranged from 200–350, and 100 were baptized, we have no idea how many people listened to the gospel. The lesson: God can do marvelous things!

Ruth Ann Plue is a member of the Muncie (Indiana) Church.