It has been a busy weekend of celebration here at BMC and it has been interesting to be a part of it. Yesterday was the farewell ceremony for the George and Elisabeth Faile here at the Baptist Medical Center. It was a 5 hour long ceremony!!! It was scheduled to begin at 9 am, didn't start until after 11 and went on until almost 5 pm! And there was no lunch break, only “refreshments” - glass bottles of coke that they handed out to everyone. Africans do not do anything halfway and the ceremony was evidence of that! It was all outside and there were over 300 people present! There were many speeches, with everyone first addressing all the important people present (apparently it's a cultural thing and a way of showing respect). There was also music and dancing – African style! And the funniest part was that they had shirts made with the Failes' picture on the front and people wore them, including George and Elisabeth! And then today in church they had another celebration and time of thanking, praying and giving – a 3 hour long service! My favorite part of the celebrations were when they received the gifts and they had to leave and come out wearing their new outfits!
For people who don't like to be in the spotlight, it has been quite a weekend. Dr. Faile told me today that he would rather have been on call. :) But it was an important weekend, especially for the Ghanaian people to have the opportunity to thank the Failes for all they have done. And it was awesome because God received all the glory. It was not hours and hours of people crying but instead of people thanking God for the life of this couple and for bringing them to Ghana. People talked of the Failes' obedience to God's call, their perseverance during these 22 years and the hard work both of them have demonstrated here at BMC. I pray that the words that were spoken touched the hearts of those that do not know the Lord. I know that for me personally, especially after a long, hard week at the hospital, that it was good to see the big picture and be reminded that God is at work and uses us for His glory. As I have heard people talk all weekend about the Failes and their faithfulness, I have been thinking a lot about legacy. I encourage each of you to think as well about what kind of legacy you want to leave. What really is important in this life? What do you want people to say about you at the end of it all?
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