OSMOND — Kenzie von Rentzell of Osmond shared a very interesting story of her summer spent in Ghana, a country in West Africa.
She left May 21 for training and to meet the rest of her team. They were scheduled to fly to Ghana on May 25, but weren't able to fly out until May 31 (as she explains in her story).
They were in several areas/villages while in Ghana including: seven days in Tumu, 22 days in Banda, seven days in Srafa, three days in Cape Coast and five days in Accra. The team returned to Orlando on July 21 for debriefing and she arrived home on July 25.
The following is her account of their trip.
Orlando, FL
Before leaving for Ghana, I flew to Orlando, FL, to meet my team in person for orientation. We spent the months leading up to this trip in Microsoft Teams meetings, getting to know one another and going through our mission preparation workbook. We spent time in sessions learning about emotional intelligence, conflict, communication, culture shock, expectations, and much more! Various team-building activities included an escape room and a scavenger hunt around Orlando!
As a part of a scavenger hunt, we were dropped off at a park and had to take pictures with various statues. We also had to find our way to an oriental market and take pictures with certain foods . . . not being allowed to ask store workers for help! This was training to help us prepare for navigating stores overseas.
My team and I had few preconceived expectations for the summer, knowing plans were uncertain due to our multiple field mentors. On the second day in Orlando, one of our teammates left the team and returned home. We discussed how going as a team of 6, not 7, was a disappointment we did not expect.
Preparation For The Trip One way we prepared for this trip was by sending our passport and visa applications to the Pioneers-Orlando headquarters early. There the staff sent a mass delivery of visas to the various embassies. We were told we would receive our passports upon arrival in Florida.
As the days drew closer to leaving, my team and I were informed that not all of our visas had arrived. Our original departure date of May 25 was quickly scratched. We discussed how our delayed departure date was another unmet expectation we encountered. My team and I quickly learned that we were not in control of all the situations concerning this trip.
Over the next few days, we kept busy by playing hide-and-seek in IKEA, taking a day trip to Daytona Beach, and helping a church in Tampa prepare for VBS. While playing hide-and-seek in IKEA, one of my teammates, Gavin, stumbled upon an article describing how the Ghanian embassy in Washington, DC, had temporarily shut down due to an embezzlement scandal over the past five years! The delayed passports and visas finally arrived by May 29! The next two days were busy preparing to officially leave and packing our suitcases. We took a direct, overnight flight from Boston to Accra, Ghana.
I am always humbled when the LORD shows me how He works in the small ways. On our flight from Boston to Accra, we were all scattered across the plane because our tickets were booked at the last minute. As we were scanning our tickets, a flight attendant stopped four of us and asked to see our tickets.
She asked who we would like to sit by and took our tickets to the desk. She shuffled other passengers around so we could sit in pairs. I wanted to cry out in relief seeing God work through the kindness of a stranger.
KENZIE von RENTZELL SHARES STORY OF GHANA My team and I stayed at the Pioneers Africa headquarters for orientation and to recover from jet lag. We spent most of our evenings playing card games and getting to know each other better.
Culture Shock
Culture shock set in the moment I stepped off the plane! Traffic was backed up for miles; but motorbikes would weave in and out, and people would walk between vehicles trying to sell their products. Bottled water was expensive, so we drank bagged water! As a team, we often emptied the bags into our water bottles.
Homesickness hit me like a freight train! I called my director in Florida in tears, not knowing what to do. I didn’t know how I would survive the next eight weeks, but I didn’t want fear to rule my life. By faith and through prayers, the Lord strengthened my conviction to pursue this mission as the Holy Spirit gave me the courage to finish His work.
Tumu
Our field mentors booked us tick ets for an overnight bus from Accra to Tumu. The journey usually takes around 18 hours . . . it actually took us 28 hours! Our bus sideswiped two different vehicles. The second time the mirror came off so we had to pull over and wait for law enforcement to file a report.
Sometime later, the AC broke and the temperature almost reached 100 F inside the bus. The bus stopped in Wa to deliver packages and fix the issue.
Not even 10 miles outside of Wa, an air compressor broke on the bus! We waited for almost three hours on the side of the road waiting for a new part.
The last few hours of our journey were spent praying the bus would not tip over as the driver was navigating a low maintenance road in the dark. We could hear the front of the bus scraping when we hit the dips. Praise the Lord we made it safely to Tumu!
Tumu is located in the Upper West region of Ghana. We stayed with a local missionary and his family for seven days.
This region had the heaviest Islamic influence out of all the places we visited. My team and I happened to arrive during Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday. As we drove through town, we witnessed people slaughtering animals and burning shrines in the middle of the road. We girls wore head coverings as a sign of respect for the women in the village.
One of the highlights was traveling to a Fulani village. The Fulani people are traditionally Muslim. These people were completely unreached five years ago. Through the work of local missionaries, a handful gave their lives to Christ. Due to persecution, they had to settle their roots in a new village. My team and I spent time encouraging them in the Word and showing them a video from a series of clips called the “Jesus Film” on persecution.
Gavin shared a message after the movie. He spoke on Daniel 3 and how we can stand firm in the face of persecution.
While we were on our way back, Gavin informed me he felt chills and extreme waves of nausea at the village. I was praying that he was experiencing heat exhaustion and a good night’s sleep would set him right.
A sense of foreboding occurred when his temperature read 102F ! You could call an awful night’s sleep a blessing in disguise since I was awake when Gavin got sick in the morning. Gavin, Uncle Saani (our host), and I went to find treatment.
Although the hospital was closed due to hospital workers being on strike, we eventually found an open pharmacy. I sat next to Gavin on lawn chairs with cartons of eggs next to us as he got the necessary IV medication he needed. Thankfully, Gavin was feeling much better by the time we left for Banda.
My team and I stayed with Kuorumua Seidu Saani (Uncle Saani) and his family. He was Muslim just less than two decades ago but converted to Christianity when a missionary visited his village. Spiritual warfare was evident all around us; but it was a joy to hear parts of his story and how God redeemed him.
Uncle Saani gave us lots of advice and words of wisdom how to lead faithful lives for God as young adults. My team and I visited local schools and offered words of encouragement and advice to the students. We also spent lots of time with Uncle Saani’s children.
Banda
Banda is located in the northeast part of the Bono Region. We stayed for 22 days at the Pioneers-Ghana base on the outside of town. Our first few days in Banda were filled with rest and orientation. During the week, we would walk to local schools to teach about STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) using electronic snap circuit kits and connect it to the Gospel, assist teachers, and hang out with the students. In the evenings, students would come to the base to play games and hear Bible stories. We would also walk into town to share the Good News with the people.
On Sundays, we would travel up to a two hours distance to share the Word with villagers. They praised the Lord with all their being. The concept of “those who have little have the most joy and contentment in the Lord” became true. I gained a greater understanding that the church is the people, not a building.
We often received gifts when we would go to the villages for church. In total, we were gifted four chickens, a ram, and many yams! It was always interesting making the trek back to base with animals under our feet! Eventually, these gifts were prepared by the cook into nutritious meals for us to eat.
Srafa
Srafa is a village outside of Cape Coast. My team and I stayed there for seven days. In the school, we as- sisted the teachers with students' final exams and played with the students. In the evenings, we would travel on a tricycle to another village to evangelize and show them “Jesus Film” episodes. We slept on the floor of the classroom while we were there! Some of the “mundane” highlights were trying fresh coconuts and surprise Pizza Hut pizza! Ultimately, we all loved staying in the heart of the village and witnessing how people do life.
While we were in Ghana to serve, we also had the opportunity to see the country! We went on a boat to see hippos, toured the Elimina Castle (a past major slave port), walked on bridges in the Kakum National Rainforest, stayed at a beach for rest and reflection, and attended a mega church in Accra!
Coming Home
Before flying home, I spent four days in Orlando in debrief sessions and getting tips on how to share my story. Thank you for all your support in this chapter in my life!
