I was standing at the shore of the Volta Lake in Ghana, still shivering from malaria, but needing to get into a wooden outboard ferry. Just offshore, that would take Mary and me the thirteen miles across the lake to our next hosts as she negotiated partnerships between American Presbyterians and two Ghana Presbyterian denominations working in different language groups. We knew the water was badly polluted with schistosomiasis, a nasty parasite that causes bloody urine. I hesitated, trying to imagine some safe way to get aboard. Recognizing my fear, a young Ghanaian man scooped me up in his arms and by his wading, carried me over the polluted water to my seat in the skiff. Suddenly an Epiphany: he had taken the very real risk for me – and was gone before I could even thank him. I felt very embarrassed, and then acknowledged how truly he had been Christ to me in his gracious act. – John Bartholomew
Riverside Updates 