Wa is a shunned area. Even local Ghanaians avoid it. That was a draw for the Russells, whose call is to help bring the Gospel where it’s never been heard.

In the words of missionaries John and Bess Russell, the town of Wa is “Ghana’s Samaria.” A recent massive baptism in this remote area proved that the Holy Spirit continues to bless efforts to spread the Gospel to “Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Part of the UpperWest region of Northern Ghana, Wa is in an area with few Christian churches, in the poorest and most underdeveloped segment of the country. Most residents are illiterate, and the majority of the population is Muslim. Another strong spiritual presence is traditional African religion, both animism and JuJu.

“Many times we find people of the cities and towns having a mixture of Islam, animism, and Christianity in their beliefs,” say the Russells, who serve through an appointment by The Mission Society. “We have also found areas with no Christian church or community. Some areas have not heard the Word of God before.”

The Russells, who hail from Alabama, developed a burden for Wa when they learned about this area while serving as missionaries in the city of Kumasi, Ghana. Then they visited Wa. “The church is not that strong in the area; many Ghanaian pastors in Ghana try to avoid the area. They feel that if they are assigned to the North, they are being punished. After much prayer we felt that Wa, Upper West was the place for us to serve.”

Going to Wa, the Russells felt, would enable them to help to strengthen the local church and serve the poor. The Lord also placed Muslims and the disabled upon their hearts. As a result, one ministry that has emerged has been the Wa Methodist School for the Blind.

“We also wanted to help bring the Gospel to areas that had never heard the Word of God before,” the couple notes. The Russells’ obedience to offer Christ to Wa’s unreached has led to tremendous fruit. This past September 23, in the Wa village of Kaangu, John Russell and other local church leaders baptized 47 individuals – the first new believers in a church that had launched just eight months earlier.

Kaangu’s new church
The Russells found Kaangu, because they were looking for an area with no Christian church or school. They first visited thisarea in December 2006 after learning of this village through the contacts of a governmental official and a friend of one of their ministry helpers.

“We initially simply visited with the people, talking with them and listening to their needs and wants,” the couple recalls. “We also visited several times. Bess treated some with simple medical care. Out of these medical outreaches, we found Dennis, a father to one of the boys Bess treated. He could read and write and wanted to help us with the church.” Dennis, the Russells continue, became the first “caretaker” of the Kaangu Church.

The couple quickly learned that its members generally did not know the Bible.

“They did not know of the Creation story, Noah and the flood, Abraham, or about Jesus,” the Russells say. “A small group had heard of the name Jesus before, but did not know Him. When sharing the story of Jonah, only one young man inthe village had heard the story before.”

Over time, the couple’s relationships with the churchgoers developed. They helped the Russells hold their first Christian service under a tree in the village. They shared the Creation story and introduced Jesus.

“One of the elders told us that he had never heard of these things before. Another man told us, ‘We believe you because of the good things you have done.’ We introduced the local Methodist pastor to them and then the elders gave land for a church building. The people of Kaangu worked and built most of the structure with us simply helping with supplies and the roofing,” the Russells recall.

This past Easter, the church held its first service in its new building. Many persons professed Christ as Savior for the first time. Several others did so during a medical outreach in late May with Asbury United Methodist Church of Madison, Alabama.

Down by the riverside
After ongoing teaching, sharing their faith and visiting the village, the Russells realized that a group of persons had formed seeking baptism. This group was baptized in conjunction with the Ghana Methodist Church, particularly the Rev. James Salia of Lawra Methodist and the Rev. Isaac Nsia Berko of the Wa Methodist Education Unit. Salia and John Russell performed the baptisms, and Berko assisted (along with the outgoing and incoming lay leaders for the Northern Diocese).

“We offered the people a choice of immersion in a nearby stream formed from the recent rains or sprinkling the chapel,” John Russell recalls. “About two-thirds were baptized in the chapel and one-third in the stream. The people were very excited. We sang and danced and smiles were seen everywhere. In the chapel some heart-moving baptisms took place, particularly with Angnayage, a crippled boy who is one of the most faithful church attendees; and Abobo, a young girl whose life was saved by the recent Asbury UMC medical outreach.”

After the baptisms in the chapel, the full group walked down to the stream singing praises to the Lord. The people of Kaangu stood along the banks and encouraged those being baptized. It was a special time of following the old tradition of baptizing “down by the riverside” out in God’s creation, John Russell notes.

“Since the baptisms, we are continuing with normal visits to Kaangu and participation with the people in Sunday worship,” he adds. “There are others who are ready and will be baptized soon. In addition, since the baptisms, the first teacher for the first school in Kaangu has just arrived. She will teach kindergarten in the chapel at Kaangu.”

Looking to the future, the Russells are encouraged to see the excitement flowing from the people of Kaangu and the involvement of the Methodist Church.

“We are also encouraged at the good response from the U.S. Church from hearing of the Kaangu baptisms,” the Russells add. “We also look forward to the baptisms soon to take place among the other churches in the Wa circuit. Every society or church has a list of those ready for baptism.”

At the Wa Methodist School for the Blind, about one-third of the students and staff are Muslim. John Russell leads devotions with them each Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, revival meeting are being conducted at the struggling Methodist churches, where the Russells note people’s faiths “rekindled and set on fire.”

Jim Ramsay, a former missionary to Kazakhstan and now The Mission Society’s director of field ministry, visited Wa last year and is very encouraged by the Russells work there. “It was neat to hear the excitement of the people as they heard the Bible story for the first time,” Ramsay says.

“The way the Russells are preaching is telling the story of the Bible. And the people see the respect for their culture the Russells have. John goes right away to the village chief, and always shows that person respect and deference.”

The key for missionaries such as the Russells, Ramsay adds, is to move in and let the Gospel take root in the culture – without destroying the culture. Ramsay observes, “I was really impressed by how they were doing that in very practical ways.”

John Michael DeMarco is a United Methodist deacon and a freelance writer, speaker, and trainer based in Central Florida.