Dear friends,
Greetings from Ghana! We arrived in Accra about 10:30 Monday morning, several hours later than expected because of flight delays in New York. We immediately got on a bus for a four-hour drive to Cape Coast, much of it on dirt roads. Fortunately there was nothing planned for the rest of the day beyond checking in to our very nice hotel and resting. I cannot sleep on a plane so I was awake for about 36 hours. I was ready for rest.
This is not a vacation or mission trip. It is a pilgrimage. The Diocese of Cape Coast is our companion diocese. We were royally welcomed today by Bishop Victor and members of his staff. It was a joyful welcome, but then we got to the heart of why we are here — to learn about the slave trade from this side of the ocean. The bishop and his assistant told us stories of the history and gave us things to reflect on. Then we went to a sacred spot — the river where men, women, and children who had been kidnapped and forced to 400-600 miles shackled and barefooted were bathed before they were sold at auction. It was a profound experience that I need to reflect on before sharing it with you.
That experience will continue tomorrow when we visit Cape Coast Castle, where people were crammed into the dungeon for weeks or even months before a boat arrived to take them to America, or some of the islands, where they were sold into slavery.
You’ll be hearing and reading my reflections about this experience much more. Today I’m sending pictures of our welcome and of me presenting gifts from St. Dunstan’s to Bishop Victor. At the vestry’s suggestion I gave him a St. Dunstan’s coffee mug, a prayer card of the Covid icon, and my book. Deborah Silver and I are visiting a local church on Sunday, and I have the same gifts for them, as well as beautiful photos of StDunstan’s taken by Tom Wilson, and little (brown skinned) Jesuses.
We will be back next Tuesday evening. Please keep us in your prayers.
With love,
Tricia
Also, please share this link to a story about the pilgrimage:
