Name (age)

1015 Munchkin Drive, Modesto, CA  95351

150 S. Wood Avenue, Apt 217 Oakdale, CA 95361

Backup

Support team coming with speakers above.

Site Name -- Picture

Safety and Security:  I am have checked with the U S State Department to see if they raise any caution in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and none has been issued. I will continue to monitor this and place any warnings here.

1) Campaign dates: The Campaigns will begin on Friday evening, March 8,  2002 and conclude on Saturday night, March 23. That means there are 16 evening meetings plus three more on Sabbath mornings, making a total of 19. The last Sabbath may be "non-standard" if a mass-baptism is planned.

2) Travel dates:  I've tentatively blocked off Tuesday and Wednesday, March 5 as the date to travel from each individual's home to an agreed-upon transition city in Europe where all would meet the morning of the 6th.  They they could continue on the same flight to Accra, Ghana where to arrive on Wednesday evening, March 6.  The Campaign concludes on Saturday night, March 23 and homeward flights can begin on Sunday, the 24th.

3) Orientation: We will spend Thursday, March 7, in general Campaign orientation with Elder Gibbs, the Ghana Union leaders, and Elder Folkenberg.

Graphics Equipment:  Speakers for the campaigns listed above who have an "X" in the column on the extreme right (labeled "CCG") will need to send a check for US$50 to the: Carolina Conference, Attn: Mr. Raymond Earle, P O Box 560339, Charlotte, NC 28256.  This will cover the cost of shipping the equipment from Charlotte, NC to the address we have listed for you on the Campaign website.  Please take care of sending these funds before the end of December, 2001.  It will be up to you to cover the cost of shipping the equipment back to the Carolina Conference, 2701 East W. T. Harris Boulevard, Charlotte, North Carolina 28213. This return shipment must happen within 24 hours of arriving in the United States since the equipment must be cleaned up and shipped out for the next Campaign!

Hotels: The group will be staying in the Miklin Hotel in Accra.  It is a 3 star hotel with 47 rooms. Our teams do not need to think about this as camping in the bush of Africa. There will be AC and they will not need mosquito netting. They should bring repellant but this will be more for outdoor usage than anything else. Telephone numbers for the hotel are: 233-21-500708, Fax 233-21-500558.  Gary Gibbs reported that a website with the picture of the hotel is available at:  www.africaonline.com.gh/Miklin/

Sermon Titles, Order, Decision Cards, Appeal Songs: Click on this heading for sermon information used in advertising.

Insurance: Insurance coverage is being requested from General Conference Risk Management Service for all those participating in this evangelistic campaign whose names, age, address (postal and e-mail) and phone numbers appear on this list.  Coverage will begin on the day of departure and last for 21 days or until arriving in the United States, whichever comes first.

Decision Cards: (Cards 1-7 in Adobe Acrobat Format)  Local Campaign leaders should download the Decision Cards.  They are in Word Perfect format.  They should without editing, print them out in sufficient quantity for distribution to every individual attending the meetings.  Guest Evangelists can also download cards by clicking on the bold sections just after the heading for this section, and print these out for the purpose of familiarization.

Translation: The graphics which will be projected during the Campaign are in English since virtually everybody in Ghana has a working knowledge of English.  On the other hand, English is their second language. For that reason the sermons will be translated into the predominant local dialect in the region. 

Telephone: You can make a call from Ghana back to the US and charge it to your ATT Calling Card if you dial: 0191.  You will be prompted to enter the phone number you wish to call followed by your Calling Card number. Elder Mensah notified me that you can buy a pre-paid phone card and call directly from a public phone booth to anywhere in the world.  Furthermore, such phone calls are cheaper.

Electricity: The country uses 220 v, 50 cycle electricity so you will need to bring transformers for any electrical appliances that are not dual-voltage (Note: Most laptop computers and video projectors are).  Many outlets will accept American-style plugs, but it is safer to bring some adaptors to the European-style plugs (two round prongs).

Compuserve access:  There is a number in Accra that you can call to log on to CompuServe.  The number is 233 21 233643 and you will need to select "Scitor" instead of CompuServe, as the name of the Network setting.  Compuserve is the only internet service available to those who transit through the country.

Climate: In March we can expect temperatures to range between 75 and 90 degrees farenheit, cooling down in the evenings into the 70s.

Water:  It is important for every guest to assume that tap water is not potable.  However, bottled drinking water is available.  Guests may want to purchase a hand-held water-purification system at your local camping store to use to purify the tap water.

Medication: Gastro-intestinal disorder (Montezuma's revenge) is the traveler's scourge when visiting a part of the world in which you must consume anything that is unfamiliar to your digestive track!  Problems are inevitable, even to the most cautious. So the word is, be careful, listen to your body, and then respond quickly.  I'm no doctor and will not give you medical advice, but I will tell you what I do (and these steps have worked during some of the most "trying" situations).

(1) I am careful what I eat and drink, but I don't worry about it.  (2) I listen to my body.  If know from experience it is easier to stop the problem before it becomes serious than waiting to address it after it's too late.  Meanwhile, I'm miserable and my work can be undermined.  So, as soon as I realize trouble is "on the way" I will take one or more of the following medications: a) Imodium (treats the symptoms, but provides welcome relief), and/or b) one of two antibiotics prescribed by my physician:  Either Cipro (one 250 mg. pill in the morning and the other in the evening), or Avelox (one 400 mg pill per day).  Either of these has an immediate and positive effect on me and helps eliminate the problem before it become serious.  If I didn't "catch it" in time, then I may take Imodium to provide short-term relief, as well as take the antibiotics.  Obviously, you must consult your physician before you leave on your trip and secure such medication as he/she recommends, since you are unlikely to find the same medication sold under the same name in another country.

Malarial prophylactics: Malaria is endemic to much of the African Continent.  I do urge you consult your physician and/or your area public-health department about taking medication to help prevent this disease.  For many years Larium (or Lariam) was the medication recommended by the General Conference Health Department for their traveling staff. Recently a new mediation has been placed on the market which was recommended to me by County Health Department.  It is called "Malarone."  Since I'm away from home I don't have the documents with me to confirm the spelling but I will correct this paragraph when I get home.  However, this should be sufficient for your to mention to your physician or health department and to get their recommendation.  What is important is that you take the medication prior to, during, and upon your return home, in harmony with the recommended dosage pattern.  While you're in country be sure you go out you spray yourself with mosquito repellant.

Inoculations: While the government of Ghana does not require any particular vaccinations, on general principles I  recommend that travelers secure some of the readily-available vaccinations such as: Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Meningitis, and Tetanus.

Hyperlink: It is very important that guest evangelists read very carefully the section on "personal health" found on the "General Information" page.  Be sure to go to the organization linked here (www.tripprep.com) and read the information on that page regarding inoculations and prophylactic medication for Malaria.

Meals: The Union will arrange for meals to be provided to the entire team, probably at the hotel. The cost information will be posted here when available.

Airline tickets: Each participant is free to secure his/her own tickets wherever he/she pleases.  I do encourage each one to secure a competitive bid from Mrs. Julia Reid, at Mission Travel.  She has long experience with the General Conference with international travel arrangements and access to discounted tickets through contractual relationships with the airlines.  Her phone number is 240-568-6300.  Her fax number is 301-725-6492.  You can also reach her by e-mail at:  MissionTvl AT Juno.Com

Travel Documents: Each guest evangelist MUST have a valid passport prior to leaving the US.  Click here on "Visa Application" to download a sample visa application blank.  Select the line that says, "Print Visa Application." If you don't have an Acrobat Reader installed you will need one and you can download a free reader from that page.  The traveler must have a vaccination certificate for Yellow Fever and airline tickets for the continuation of one's trip.

NOTE:  You cannot submit the downloaded application to secure a visa!  You must secure their original, multi-colored application that is completed in quadruplicate!  I have asked Diana Jo Beeler  (see below) to send an application to every person on the Accra Campaign website. Any person who's name is NOT on the website as of December 19 will need to call her directly and ask for an application to be sent.

Please send 1) Your passport,  2) TWO completed application blanks, 3) four photographs to:  Ms. Diana Jo Beeler at the General Conference (12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904), along with $35 ($20 for the cost of the visa and $15 for the courier service to submit your passport and application and retrieve it for you).   This should be in her hands NO LATER THAN January 15, 2002.   If you have any questions in this regard, feel free to call Mrs. Beeler at (301) 680-6258.  You may also fax her at: (301) 680-6197.

On the application check the box labeled "business."  And for names and addresses of references in Ghana use:  1) Pastor P O Mensah, Ghana Union Conference, P O Box 1016, Accra, Ghana;  and  2) E A Odonkor, South Ghana Conference, P O Box 803, Accra, Ghana.

Immigration: When you arrive in Ghana you will go through both immigration and customs. Be sure to tell immigration that you will be in the country until a date of your choosing, but it should be a week or so beyond your scheduled date of departure.  It's better to give yourself a few extra days to cover any eventuality. Though it is standard operating procedure BE SURE your  passport is stamped with the date of entry when going through immigration. Immigration authorities will be looking for that stamp when exiting the country and not having it is likely to cause may create unnecessary and frustrating delays, questionings, etc.

Customs: Church leaders will do their best to notify customs officials of your arrival and the graphics equipment you are bringing.  In spite of that, it will be FAR better if your laptop and video projector arrives in something looking like a suitcase or a briefcase and NOT in a box.  If a customs inspector happens to review your bags it could be that you will be delayed and they could ask you to pay duty, a situation that is less likely to develop if you've packed the equipment as I mentioned. The Carolina Conference graphics equipment does come in a heavy duty case designed to be carried on or checked.

If a customs inspector should happen to open your bags and find the equipment explain that you've been invited to present some lectures and you need this equipment for that purpose.  If their concern continues it is because they are afraid you will sell the equipment to someone in the country and leave it without someone paying duty.  In that situation invite them to note in your passport that you are bringing the equipment in the country so, on your way out, you can show it to Customs so they will see that the equipment is indeed leaving the country. 

In the worst case, you may need to leave it with Customs and then we'll have to ask church leadership to go through the formalities to retrieve it--hopefully in time for the opening meeting.  As you can see, all these problems are likely to be avoided if you pack this equipment in something that doesn't attract the attention of the inspectors. 

"Jesus" Videos: I will send each guest evangelist a videotape on the Life of Christ in the local language that will be compatible with the local video format.  We will request the union to arrange for a video tape player to be loaned to each campaign and the video can be projected on the projector each evangelist will bring.  However, don't forget to bring that tape with you since we will not have any extras.

Local Transportation: The Union will be responsible, at their expense, to assign someone to transport each evangelist from the hotel to the meeting site and return him/her to the hotel each night..