Standing perched on a small rock mountain, our tour guide pointed to oval scratches worn into the rock: “These are used to create paint for the Trokosi women. For girls who are of age to become women.” He said it so simply, describing the art they decorate the girls arms with. It wasn’t until two weeks later, however, that I learned of the deeper, and much darker, truth behind this word - Trokosi: slave of the gods. In the Volta Region of Ghana, an individual who feels they have been wronged by another can go to the fetish priest and demand payment - a virgin girl from the opposing family. These girls become wives of the gods, forced into slavery to “pay” for the sin of their family. The priests act on behalf of the gods and are allowed to use these girls however they desire; for farming, cooking, and sex. This is a life sentence of slavery; a cycle that repeats itself over and over again. Because when one girl dies or runs off, the family is required to pay with another; a never ending payment. One woman, 97 years old, shared she was 3 years old when her family brought her to the priests. The sin she paid for with her life? A stolen hair brush.
Some of the girls don’t even know the offense they are paying for. While illegal in Ghana, Trokosi women are viewed as a cultural tradition by many. Others choose not to get involved because they are afraid of being cursed.
Victoria and Joshua Baah-Binney, New International missionaries, saw this and decided they would not be a part of the crowd that chose to ignore the reality of what is happening. Joshua shared trying to free the women often feels like “fetching water with a basket”. They liberate one woman, only to have another one fill her place. They began to change their tactic: change the system. It’s a slow process, befriending the priests and elders to form a relationship that can lead to the Gospel and eternal change. The Baah-Binneys are in the process of building a vocational school that will be open to the community, but will serve as a place where the Trokosi women can live and be trained. Gifty, a 35 year old who was a Trokosi woman for 5 years before being liberated is preparing to graduate from seamstress school. “When I graduate, I can be on my own,” she shared. “God is good.”
Pictured above: Liberated and active Trokosi women gather at a local shrine to thank priests. Below: Joshua Baah-Binney in front of the future vocational school
During our first two weeks in Ghana, we partnered with Meaningful Life International and Feeding the Orphans to serve in a variety of orphanages and schools. Our team thoroughly enjoyed signing with the Deaf students, dancing with the special needs kids, and seeing bright smiles as we introduced them to puppets. We repeated a simple VBS program at each place we went.
Our team departed for the States and my Mom and I stayed four extra days to work with Joshua Baah-Binney, our affiliates mentioned in the first story. We were able to travel to several different villages where Joshua is mentoring church planters and leaders. He will use the photos and stories I collected to share about their ministry with their supporters.
The end of June I flew to Boise, ID for my second Ends Cycling event! The mountains were beautiful and the lovely mid-summer Boise heat hit around 100° everyday. I can selfishly say I was thankful to not be riding a bike on those afternoons. Rodrigo, a New International video intern, and I drove a van throughout the week capturing videos and photos, while also offering additional Support and Gear for our riders. With a heatwave all week, it was all hands on deck to make sure everyone was hydrated and eating enough! We were able to stop along our route to visit a hot spring, see a portion of the Oregon Trail, and travel in a loop from Boise to Nampa, OR, and back to Boise. Wipe Every Tear, the ministry this tour was riding for, is based in Boise and offered us the opportunity to get to know the President of the ministry and his staff! Each night they shared prayer points and more about the Filipino women that work in the bars of the sex trade and how they build relationships with these women to help get them out of these environments.
When plans in July changed, I was able to spend three weeks in Ft. Myers working from the home office. It was a blessing to be able to spend time with the media team and other home-office staff. I was able to hear from our six summer interns as they debriefed and shared about their experiences both overseas and in the States. I try to use this time in-office to the best of my ability and meet face-to-face with other missionaries in the area and co-workers who can help me brainstorm projects.
Pictured below: Interviewing Kristin for a video about her ministry.
As the summer came to an end, I was approached with a two month opportunity to serve as a mentor for a gap year program. As I was settling back home after four busy months where I had traveled more than I had been home in Tennessee, I prayed and considered this offer a lot before accepting. EnterMission is a 10 month gap program that helps students (18-25 years old) deepen their relationship with Christ and experience local and foreign missions. The first two months are spent at Johnson University (my alma mater) where the six students are being mentored, discipled, and working on classes such as Gospels, Finding God in Culture, Life Mapping, and more! My role was to build relationships, encourage the students, share about missions, and participate in the classes. It has been a great learning experience for me as God used these students, fellow leaders, and classes to teach me more about myself and God. I split my time between EnterMission in the mornings and continuing in my role with New International in the afternoons! Now that our two months have ended, the students will continue on to the next stage of their program where they travel to various states to serve; it has truly been a blessing to get to know these students and I’m so thankful for the time I had with them.
Please pray as I help recruit and represent New International at ICOM (International Conference on Missions) in Richmond, VA Nov 18-21. If you'll be there, please make sure to let me know and swing by our booth!
I am so thankful for you and your partnership. Please let me know how I can be praying for you!
Love, Bekah