Offspring Blessed by the Lord

A Letter from Josh Heikkila, serving in West Africa

Summer 2022

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Dear friends,

Although I’ve been in Ghana for almost 13 years now, to the point it’s become a second home for me, I’m still an outsider to the culture, and there are aspects of it that continue to surprise me and lead me to pause and reflect. An example of this happened on Easter Sunday at the New Abossey Okai congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church Ghana.  

Since 2011, I’ve been assisting the pastor of this congregation, preaching and administering sacraments when my help is requested. New Abossey Okai, like most Presbyterian congregations in Ghana, is part of a larger church district, which in this case includes two other congregations only a few miles away, all served by a single pastor. Because I’m free to help out one or two Sundays a month, I may only get to each congregation once every few months as I rotate through the district. But over the past 11 years, I think I’ve gotten to know them pretty well. 

This Easter Sunday, as verses from Isaiah 65 were read from New Abossey Okai’s lectern, I was struck by the nodding heads of the parishioners, the vocal affirmations, and the “Amens” that were added when the reading came to an end. Let me repeat the words of Isaiah 65 here:  

²⁰No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. ²¹They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ²²They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. ²³They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD – and their descendants as well. (NRSV) 

On Easter Monday, the three congregations of the Lartebiokoshie District gathered for a church picnic, as is common in Ghana this public holiday. I learned a new game that day, which involves tossing a chestnut-like seed toward piles set by the opponent, trying to knock over their piles and win their seeds.

Living in West Africa, it can sometimes feel like scripture is more closely linked to the ins and out of daily life than it is for us who live in Europe or the United States. Rereading Isaiah 65, I can see how Isaiah’s prophetic words speak to the hopes of a better future that Ghanaians have for themselves, their families, and the communities in which they live. Perhaps this will take a little bit of explaining, though, for it to make more sense.  

I’ve often noticed that first-time visitors to Ghana from the U.S. comment on the abundance of buildings in one stage or another of construction. Because bank mortgages are not available to most people, the process of building a house can sometimes take decades. You may acquire a plot of land in your thirties, have a few rooms of a house completed by your forties, and only really finish construction in your fifties or sixties. Whenever you get some extra money, you do a little more work. Living on the first floor – while the second floor is still being built – is a very normal sight. Furthermore, it’s not uncommon for people to die of sickness or disease before construction is complete. When people hear these words – you shall build your house and inhabit it, what the Bible is promising hits close to home. It’s a prayer people have for themselves and everyone they hold dear.  

Although Ghana has also made good progress in health in recent years, high quality care is still out of reach for many poor and middle-class people. Most forms of cancer, or any heart, kidney or liver diseases requiring surgery or intensive treatment, are almost always a killer. There is simply not enough money for people to afford the expensive care. Deaths that might be preventable in Europe, or the U.S. often are not in Ghana. In addition, diseases like malaria, which are widespread in the region, kill many children before their fifth birthday. In the countries of West Africa, between 5% and 12% of children don’t survive until age five. For families who have suffered the loss of a child or know a loved one who didn’t make it to retirement age, Isaiah’s vision of a better future resonates quite deeply. 

Across West Africa, our partners are actively involved in providing education and health services, living out their faith to improve people’s lives. I think of the times I’ve visited Evangelical Presbyterian medical facilities like Dzemeni Hospital, supported by the First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield, CT, or Wapuli Clinic, supported by Lake Erie Presbytery, and seen the maternity wards providing post-natal care for mothers and newborn children. The impact of their ministry is profound. In the United States, we have a strong legacy of Presbyterian Hospitals, but as people also struggle to access basic primary care, I’ve sometimes wondered if we need to look at the example of our African siblings and return to providing healthcare for which we were once so well-known.  

The papal encyclical Laudato Si’, released in 2015 under the leadership of Pope Francis, writes about how personal spiritual peace, the care of God’s creation, and working for the common good of society are all intrinsically interrelated. You can’t have one if you’re not actively looking out for the others. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we’ve been talking in recent years about Matthew 25, which I think says much the same thing. A church that is full of spiritual vitality must live out its faith, working for justice and wholeness in the world. Likewise, working for justice and wholeness is difficult, and it takes deep spiritual faith to sustain the efforts.  

Wherever you are in the world, I pray that the depth and vitality of your faith are closely linked to your work in the world. I’m thankful for the partnerships we in the PC(USA) have with our partners in West Africa. Through them, we have so much to learn!

Josh