Whirling Rainbow

I forgot to mention one of the most beautiful sights from our trip to Ada. It was a circular rainbow around the sun. I mean exactly that. I was laying out in a beach chair, on the shore of the Voltic River, when I looked up into the sun, and shouted to everyone, so they too could marvel at this majestic sight. I had NEVER before seen anything like it. It was literally a PERFECT, CIRCULAR rainbow in the center of the sky surrounding the African sun. It was stunning.

I just Googled it and, apparently, I think it was "a huge, radiant, rainbow halo formed by concentric circles of light appearing around the sun." Whoa--that's crazy. It is a phenomenon that remains visible for only a few hours in the blue sky, before it disappears.

While meteorologists have their own theories about the "rainbow halo", many elders have their own spiritual explanations as this thing called the "Whirling Rainbow" or "Sunbow".

Google pointed me to another more detailed explanation, "For some traditional native people, the Sunbow or Whirling Rainbow is considered to be a sign from Creator, marking a time of great change, or transition on the Earth. This full-circle rainbow around the Sun, some elders say, can be understood as a sign to people of the necessity to live a life in respect and harmony with all the creations that make life possible: plants, animals, waters, minerals, fires, winds, and other human beings."

In mentioning the "full-circle" rainbow, I cannot fail to mention the "full-circle" parallel of community on the island at Ada. McKenzie's blog entry (see mckenziem.wordpress.com) put it so beautifully,

"I’m currently sitting on the beach of Ada, the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m facing the Atlantic Ocean, but when I turn around I’m less that 100 yards from the Voltic River. This is the most incredible place I’ve ever been. To my right is a village of Ada fishers, probably the closest I’ve ever been to an unreached people group and to my left is the end of the island; where the Atlantic meets the Voltic. The peninsula is about as wide as a football field is long. The bluest sky contrasted with the whitest sand, with palm trees scattered just perfectly, makes for the most beautiful beach I’ve ever laid eyes on.

So there you go. And trust me, that doesn’t even begin to describe what my eyes saw this weekend. There was nothing to do on this island, which was exactly what I needed. I read, I wrote, I slept, I thought a lot about life, and I just was. It was perfect.

We took a boat ride to a sugarcane village across the river and got to meet wonderful people and see incredible things. I told my mom on the phone that the way these people live is so right. It’s so simple and just how we were created to live. The men fish and provide food for the families, while the women tend to the children and prepare meals. Their entire lives consist of community and it’s so beautiful. As we walked through the village it was crazy how each 'home' simply led into another home. There were no doors or locks to keep neighbors out and they lived so peacefully together. It was so cool to see.

Carly and I were playing with some of the village children and 16 year old boy named Solomon came up to us and told us that he liked the way we played with the children. We thanked him and turned back to our games, but he continued in saying, 'Jesus played with little children, and in playing with these children, you are modeling the life of Jesus.' Pretty neat how we are entertaining angels without even knowing it sometimes."

I am so blessed to be here, halfway around the world, with an amazing friend, "sister", roommate. McKenzie has such a way with words and a way with people and it is so special that we're able to experience this journey together.

She hit the nail on the head when she described the community. It was the first time that I had been immersed in a fishing village community, and it taught me so much. It taught me patience, what it looks like to live simply, and how people can truly live in community, taking care of one another.

There were no hospitals, no orthodontists, no doctors, no formal businesses, no restaurants. There were homes, and everyone's home was everyone's home. There were no barriers, no front doors, no security systems, nor picket fences. When walking through the village, it was difficult to differentiate a bedroom from a courtyard.

Every night, the sun sets around 6:30pm. The village sleeps, because there is no electricity. There is no running water, so they bathe during the day in the freshwater of the Voltic River. They sleep early and they rise early. The village wakes up before sunrise (around 4:30 or 5:00 am) to make the most of each day, doing chores and other household matters.

The first morning, when I heard chanting at 5:30am from the straw walls of our tiki hut, I was a bit startled, angry, and confused. Later, I realized what all of the grunting was. Every morning, the entire village walks to the coast of the Atlantic ocean with a long rope, sewn with nets, to catch the fish for the rest of the day. They depend on the fish, and there is always enough fish for everyone (this is how it should be, as statistically, it is true that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone). They don't have much access to anything besides fish (like mangoes, bananas, etc.), so fish brings the community together. Everyone helps and everyone enjoys what the harvest reaps each day. How beautiful. How simple.

I later asked a Ghanaian about meaning of the grunting, chanting song I heard each morning. He said it was a song they sang in their local language, Ewe, and translated into English meaning, "Hard work never kills." How true.

A Bible verse from one of my devotions that has stuck with me: John 11:41 "Is the Lord Jesus Christ being abundantly satisfied by your life?"