Pacific Union College

Walla Walla College

Campaign Site Information

Kumasi, Ghana

Church

South Central Ghana Conference

Additional Information

1) Crusade dates: The crusades will begin on Friday evening, August 30,  2002 and conclude on Saturday night, September 14. 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, August 27 & 28 as the dates to travel from PUC and Walla Walla to the transition city in Europe and continuing the flight to Accra.  Orientation for the team will be on Thursday morning the 29th and then the group will continue to Kumasi by bus on the afternoon of the 29th.  Opening night will be Friday evening the 30th.  The series will continue with meetings every night and will conclude on Saturday night, September 14 and homeward flights can begin on Sunday, the 15th. 

Hotels: The Union will arrange for a hotel for the guest evangelists at a Hotel in Accra the night of the 28th.  Elder Mensah is making hotel reservations at the La Saab Hotel in Kumasi.  To call the hotel from the United States the caller should dial:  011-233-51-24111.  The cost for this hotel , including three meals, will be US$20 per night, and must be paid for in cash (no credit cards).

Sermon Titles, Order, Appeal Songs: Click on this heading for the suggested order of sermon topics that is being 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)  Local crusade leaders should download the Decision Cards.  They are in Adobe Acrobat 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: It is likely that sermons will be translated into Twi, the language of the Ashanti.  It will be up to the Union and Central Ghana Conference to arrange for translators.

Telephone: If an individual has an ATT telephone calling card it is possible to dial an  "ATT-USA Direct" number.  In Ghana you dial 0191, wait for the tone, and dial the US number and then enter your calling card number.  As you might imagine, the price per minute is quite expensive.  However, if you call ATT prior to leaving you can activate a discount rate that has a monthly fee.  If you do that you will need to remember to cancel that service upon your return.  I have not checked, but I presume other long distance carriers have the same type of calling plan.

Electricity: The country uses 220 volt electricity. The laptop computers and video projectors are designed to operate on multiple voltages.  Be sure to check any other electrical equipment you bring to be sure it operates on 220 volts -- or bring a transformer or converter with you.  The electrical outlets are the European style, two-round-prongs, but this will be confirmed.

Health:

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 (especially leafy vegetables) 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.  DO NOT go to Africa without taking a malarial prophylactic!  Please consult your physician and/or your area public-health department.  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 the State Health Department.  It is called "Malarone." I understand this medication protects against more types of malaria and has very few side effects.  It is the medication I use on my trips to Africa.  You begin taking a pill the day your arrive in Africa and then daily throughout your stay and for seven additional days after returning home.  Additionally, be sure to spraying yourself with mosquito repellant when you go outside.

Inoculations: While I do not believe the government of Ghana requires any particular vaccinations (If that isn't the case, I will report it here), 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. If there is any cost above the cost of the hotel room, I will post the information here.

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 and visa for Ghana prior to leaving the US.  I have asked Ms. Diana Jo Beeler to send Drs. Ashworth and Thomas a package with visa applications that are provided by the Ghana embassy. She must receive for each person a completed application, current passport, four photographs, and $65 (per visa).  The check(s) should be made out to: "General Conference of S.D.A."These should be sent by FedEx to Ms. Diana Jo Beeler at the General Conference (12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904).  The embassy charges $50 per visa and the $15 charge for the courier services is to take the passport and supporting documents to the embassy, pick them up and send the passports back by FedEx.  If you have any questions you may contact Mrs. Beeler by e-mail at: beelerd AT gc.adventist.org  or call her at  (301) 680-6258 or by fax at: (301) 680-6197.

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 up to a total of 30 days.  It is 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: Please note, 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 have already ordered a video on the Life of Christ in Twi, in PAL format, to be shipped to Drs. Ashworth and Thomas (PUC & WWC respectively).  They will give one to each guest evangelist to include in his/her luggage.  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 or Central Ghana Conference are responsible, at their expense, to assign someone to transport each guest evangelist and his/her support team (if any) from the hotel to the meeting site and return him/her/them to the hotel each night.