If you haven't had the chance yet, I encourage you to watch the video I posted (click on or post the link in your url) in Unforgettable Moments in Ghana (Part 1). That blog describes the first half-ish of the video and now I will continue to give more details about the unforgettable moments in Ghana.
Salvation: This is a picture of myself, a man, and Kristina. We went to his house (He lives literally on the same street as the Orphanage) and prayed with him. People told us his wife was saved, but he wasn't and that he hadn't been to church in a very long time. So, we went and used the evange-cube to share the story of Jesus with him and he was so full of joy to receive the gift of salvation that God offered him through us. We prayed with him afterwards and gave him a Talking Bible. It was really neat. Every time I walked past his house and he was outside, he'd wave and still be full of joy. Sometimes I'd even hear his Talking Bible playing.
Eating at Doctor's house: I will never forget when we ate at Doctor's house. He invited us all over and as part of their culture they bless you with a meal. That is what we had- some sort of usual side dish (fufu, banku, or kenke) and a VERY spicy soup with a fish that still had eyes on it. Yup, that's right. Thankfully, Jay sat next to me and was kind enough to help me out. I did the best I could but quickly became "full". I am SO sensitive to spicy foods and do not like fish, so this clearly was a challenge. I was so blessed to have Jay's help.
Additions to the team: Next is a group photo of the team plus some additions. Becka is in there and some women who work and or live at the house. Grace is also in this photo and she is the 19 year old girl who lives there and was very helpful to our team.
Zangu: This is a town Becka and I went to a few times. It is pretty much a Muslim community. We went to a woman's house who wanted her son to be cared for at the Orphanage. It was raining and Becka didn't quite understand what the woman was saying, so we all huddled under the shelter and spent time with the kids. These kids had never seen white people before, and would rub your skin and then rub their skin, thinking their skin would get lighter. And they wouldn't stop touching you and as you can see were so full of joy.
Alvaro: Alvaro is an amazing drink they have there made by Guinness, but non-alcoholic. It is a fruity soda type thing and there were three flavors- pear, passion fruit, and pineapple. SO good.
Bofruit: Bofruit was introduced to be after the team left by another volunteer. It is an amazing ball of dough, sorta like a doughnut. After I tasted them, I was on the hunt for them everywhere I went, but the best ones! And, this is a photo of me paying the girl who is carrying bofruit on her head. They come to your tro-tro's (vans) when you are traveling and you stop at a market area.
Fanmilk: Fanmilk is also amazing. Frozen vanilla yogurt in a bag for only about fifty cents. I also got some almost daily, every chance I had. You bite the corner of the bag and eat it that way.
Market: Going to the market was interesting. It always smelled, no matter what. Market days were crazy. There were so many people in a small amount of space. But, the market is what is so cultural about Ghana that somehow I'd still find myself walking to and from the market whenever I felt like going out and doing something.
Prampram: Prampram was unforgettable because it was the day that I became very homesick. Prampram is a town in Ghana near Accra, the capital city, about four hours away from Kpando, where I lived. Grace and I traveled there to visit people I had made connections with. My friends Beau and Andria attend a church in Escondido where they know Tara and John Eissen, who started Promise Land Ranch School in Prampram, Ghana. So, I met Tara before I left for Ghana (they live in the states) and then met up with her contacts in Ghana who live there. We stayed at a beautiful hotel near by and spent the day at the school with the children. Here are a few pictures from that. We only stayed one day because I was so homesick and needed to get back to my Home away from Home, the Orphanage. This was only a few days after the team left to head back to the states.
Class One: Class one at Anglican School is where I spent most of my time when I went to school. (It is the poorest of the poor public Anglican (Catholic) school. The teacher was always there and on time. She worked hard and never caned the children. She was so nice. I was drawn to her for some reason and even her class. I can't even remember how it happened, but I ended up helping her, encouraging her, and spending time with her class. I didn't offer much more than a couple hours a day and it wasn't even daily that I was in there, but I did what I could. I did spend a lot of time preparing something to teach her how to help her students practice writing. Regardless of what I did, I know the Lord's plan for me if anything on this trip was to bless her. On my last day there, she gave me a wood carving that was a statue. She told me the statue means love. LOVE is what God kept telling me I was to do/offer or whatever when I asked him about my purpose in Ghana. It was so rewarding helping out in class one and I'm thankful to know I made a small difference in their classroom and this teacher's life. I taught them a days of the week song and months of the year song, too. I literally just made them up because I couldn't remember them and they sang them every day!
Deborah: This little girl was in Becka's class and on the last day she said to me. Is this your last day? I will miss you. It was the sweetest thing and really meant a lot to me. Again, when you feel like you aren't making a difference, you see that one child recognizes something in you and that you meant something to them. It was sweet.
Dorcas: This girl goes to the special school. It is a beautiful secluded place that is for students with special needs. Her name is Dorcas, and I was so excited when I found that out because that same morning I met her, I was reading in the book of Acts about a girl named Dorcas. It was as if God was encouraging me to read my Bible because I wouldn't have known about Dorcas in the Bible had I not read it and meeting this girl wouldn't have been as meaningful.
Waterfall and Monkey Sanctuary: The waterfall was absolutely gorgeous. I was able to go twice and it was so beautiful! The first time I went was with the team and it was raining basically the entire hike there so I decided to go in the water with the girls. It was humid out so it felt nice anyways. We walked backwards together and yelled PEACE and almost made it to the other side of the waterfall. Grace and I were scared so we all came back and some of the other girls went back again to be successful at going under the waterfall. The monkey sanctuary was another beautiful treck through the rain forest to visit monkeys who would eat bananas straight from your hand.
Meet Me There: Meet Me There is a beautiful resort I went to with the other volunteers from the Orphanage. It was quite a few changing of transportation and a long ride there but we made it to the coast and stayed at this place for the weekend. It was on a lagoon but the beach was just across the lagoon. I sat under those palm trees on the lounge chair most of the weekend, reading my book, Bible, and journaling.
Dora's Family: I met a woman at church (Vista Assembly of God) before I left for Ghana who was born and raised in Ghana. In fact, she still has family there. She contacted them and gave me their contact information. Becka, Grace, and I spent a day with them. They were so kind to us and spoiled us. They live in Accra, the capital city so we got to eat Pizza and Ice Cream at the Accra Mall and then they took us to Chinese food the next day after their nephew's memorial service. They let us stay at their beautiful home and served us plenty of food and made us feel very welcome. Thank you, Dora!!
Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage: This is the place I lived for three weeks after the team left. There are 26 kids living there total, I think. I connected strongly with some of them as you can see in the pictures. It was harder for me to connect with the older kids, just like it is here.
The first picture is George. He is the little boy I saw in a previous volunteer's video on you-tube that I thought was absolutely adorable. We connected but didn't bond as well as some of the other kids. He's still such a cutie though as you can see.
Grace is amazing. She is so sweet. She helped me so much with so many things- language barriers, walking to and from town, traveling places, etc. She always put me first- carried my stuff for me (even though she teased me) and was such a good friend to me while I was in Ghana. I miss her a lot.
Mama Florence and I really connected. It's interesting because she couldn't speak English and I barely spoke Ewe, but we'd always shake hands and smile at each other for a good length of time. I believe this was my way of showing her God's love through me. She'd ask me How are you in EWE (Airway), the language they speak, and I would always guess my response because there were two ways to ask how are you and two ways to respond. I never knew what was correct, but we'd always laugh if I was wrong or smile if I was correct. It was a fun little game :) haha The next are a couple other Mama's at the house who lived there or helped cook and care for the children. I also connected well with Juliet and wish if I could turn back time I'd talk more personally with her. She speaks English and was a sweet woman. She was always sick with something though and I never offered or prayed for her on the spot, I always prayed in my head though. Another thing I wish I could go back in time and fix. Bummer! But, she was so sweet and just like Mama Florence, Juliet and I would spend more time together, just sitting next to each other and smiling. When I left on my last day, Juliet ducked her head to see me in the taxi, and that is what triggered me to cry. We had a strong connection. She is in the lime green shirt.
Christabel is in the other green shirt and she sowed the two dresses I am wearing in some of the pictures (blue and purple) I picked out the fabric and she measured me and made them.
Mama Esi started the Orphanage. We didn't connect strongly unfortunately, but she always asked me to say the prayer when we had a celebration dinner. It was cute. It is her house that I lived at and she works hard to care for all the children she has taken in.
Sister Maybel is the one who made me the little pencil pouch. She works upstairs at the house sewing with many woman and we had a stronger connection, too. She has a precious daughter and I bought some stuff that she sewed at the house. She waited a very long time for me to get home the day before I left to say bye to me. I was out longer than anticipated with Becka.
Then there's laundry, which was very challenging. I don't think I ever really knew what I was doing.You put a bar of soap and your clothes in a large bowl and scrubbed your clothes with the soap and then did some hand movement that apparently washed the clothes. I didn't really ever get it, or when I did, it didn't feel like I was doing anything. I basically ended up rubbing my clothes together a lot with soap for a while then putting them into another large bowl with just water for them to be rinsed out. After one rinse "cycle" you have to rinse them again to ensure the soap is completely out. Lastly, you'd ring you your clothes and place them in a small bucket which would then go to the clothes line to hang up your clothes to dry. I remember the first day I did laundry after the team left (when I was in dire need of it) it rained A LOT and I had to wear the same clothes for a few days. I know, totally gross, but fit right in actually. ;) And, the first day I did laundry, kids that used to live at the Orphanage were visiting and helped me! The second day thankfully it was sunny and when I was almost finished, these three adorable girls decided to help me finish. (Cicilia, Ackuluy, and Mirabel)
Love is the little boy who I let crawl into my lap often and I just held him. He was so stinkin' cute, as you can see.
Aka Chief: This boy was calling himself a chief in this outfit. I found it hilarious and unforgettable :)
Mauwli is the trouble kid who just needs love. He is always getting in trouble and needs the most attention but lacks respect. He was challenging to handle, but moments like these were cherishable.
Martin is Grace's brother. He always helped at the house and he lived at the Lodge that our team stayed at for the two weeks they were there. (walking distance to orphanage) Martin washed my shoes along with another person's and is so kind. This day, we both happened to be wearing our YOUME shirts (He got his from Jay) and it was also unforgettable because I kept calling in Anthony, which is another older boy who helped a lot at the house. (I felt so bad!)
A-kway-lay (Not sure spelling, but that's how you pronounce it) is my favorite. I know you aren't supposed to have favorites, but I couldn't help it. She would fall asleep on you any day or just be held. But she was also miss independent and love to do her own style of jump rope or play by herself. She is so tiny but so cute. I kept joking with her about going in my suitcase and coming home with me and she was totally for it. lol I wish I could have kept her! She has a twin brother, Oko, so I would have had to bring them both home...and another thing they each did daily was throw a tantrum.
Kwami- He was my little boyfriend. Always gave me a big hug when I got home from being out or when he got home from school. He was a little creeper as Becka called, but I thought he was adorable. When the kids were allowed upstairs at the beginning, he'd just sit in my room on the chair waiting for me to see him. lol He also always showed up randomly in pictures (as you can see him in my laundry one). I miss him a lot.
Celebration dinner was a huge feast. The kids normally eat dinner inside. At a celebration dinner, for someone's birthday,when the team left, when people helped out, when I left, etc is when we'd have a feast outside and it was a big party. The kids get to eat chicken and fried and or joloff (Spanish) rice, which is a special occasion. It cost about $100 to provide plenty of food for everyone. But, it was my favorite thing to do. I love people and spending time with them, so for my last night at the Orphanage, I paid for this party celebration and the women spent all day cooking for this night.
Little Ones: The little ones were my favorite. There is Oko, Prince, and Akwaylay.
Silas: Silas is another one of my favorites. He wasn't the youngest but he was young and adorable.
Emmanuel: He was also a difficult one who didn't listen to me much and I didn't know what to do. On the last day, somehow I managed to capture him smiling :) He lied to me and I joked with him calling a deceiver.
Everyone is in the last picture with me, and of course my little Akwaylay is closest to me :)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Unforgettable Moments in Ghana (Part 1)
I've been home for just over two weeks now and I've finally been able to put together a video with my most memorable/unforgettable moments from when I lived in Ghana this summer for five weeks. Click on the link below and you can view it at your leisure. :) However, I'd like to share in detail with you why I chose the select few (yes, this is only a few, believe it or not, I took over 1,000 photos plus my team gave me some) and the meaning behind the unforgettable moments.
http://animoto.com/play/8w10IsXEOQQV9ivn5ngHIg
Team Ghana: Strong. Amazing. Family. The first photo is of my incredible team...minus two members who were already on the other side in Ghana for one week. My team consisted of Jay, Denise, Nathan, Barbara, Kristina, Kristal, Brianna, Me, Gayelee, and Morgan. Jay and Denise are married and very strong in the Lord. Nathan went on the last trip to Africa with me to Mozambique and acts as another father to me as well as my Redbull buddy. Barbara was the eldest on the team, 69 years old, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her, and this was the first mission trip she ever went on. (She heard Danielle and I speak at theMovement women's dinner and decided to go after that!) Kristina is a Kindergarten teacher in Carlsbad, who is going to school at Bethel Church in Redding this fall (School of the Supernatural). Kristal is a girl who loves the Lord, her son, and playing worship music. Brianna is my dear friend from high school that the Lord reconnected me with last year and has been such a blessing to me. She is a student at SDSU studying child development. Me, well, I hope if you're reading this you know me...lol But, I'd classify myself as a woman after God's own heart, nicknamed Davida, who is now a California Credentialed Teacher. Gayelee is the pastor of Cross Connection Outreach (the organization I've been to Africa with twice now) and is a very strong woman of God with a powerful spirit that is contagious. And Morgan, last but not least, Gayelee's sweet daughter who just graduated from high school and will be going off to college soon to pursue a career in musical theater...she has a phenomenal voice. Strong. Ever since the beginning, during our team meetings, I knew this team was going to be strong, and that is the word God kept putting on my heart. Amazing. Someone else on the team had the word amazing for our team and now I can understand why! Family. You become family when you are on a Mission Trip because you spend two weeks straight all the time with the same people. We all used our strengths to build each other up and it was incredible to see the Lord work through and in each of us. I definitely consider them all family now and look forward to being lifelong friends with each of them.
Airport Delay: The second picture is of two of the many African people we met at the Airport in New York during the time that we arrived and missed our flight, while waiting for Delta to book us a hotel room that was available. We needed a hotel room because our next flight to Ghana wasn't until Sunday evening. (We arrived in NY on Friday very late evening) See previous blog for more details titled Just the Beginning... where I highlight delayed with a purpose.
Walking on Holy Ground: Before leaving for Ghana, a woman had given Brianna and I a word from the Lord about walking on holy ground. Somehow, amidst my 20 something journals, I can't find the exact word she gave us. However, I do remember this woman said "To my missionary daughters, the ground you will be walking on is holy ground." And, I thought it was so neat how at the very first Bible Distribution, we had to take off our shoes/sandals and walk barefoot. I wanted to do that anyways, but God gave us the opportunity to and it was neat to see this word play out and be able to experience what life is like walking in Africa without shoes as that is part of their culture.
Bible Distributions: Each Bible Distribution is different. It is different because each church that we go to is different. Some are outside and some are inside. Some are big, some are small. Some are REALLY big. (Last day) The first distribution we did was unforgettable because the people in the church greeted us with the lovely song and it is Mama's church (the women that owns the Orphanage), she is the one who walked past the camera and said "You are Welcome". I know it happened quickly so it's hard to see/hear her. It is also a church that we learned what works and what doesn't work with teaching the kids. One thing that they enjoyed was a song Kristal prepared titled Freedom. The chorus is what they were singing in the second video.
Leper Colony:
When Becka and I returned to the Leper colony after the team went home, something neat happened that made me smile really big and laugh at the same time. We wanted to follow up and see how everything is going. So, upon arrival we were walking up and I heard some Christian music playing. There were other Missionaries there! I was SO excited, in fact, I was far too excited that suddenly I slipped and ate it...right in the mud! I had mud all over me, on my legs, skirt, shirt, hands, bag. It was ridiculous how dirty I got and how that happened. (It rained the day before) So, we get there, and this girl runs up and gives me a great big hug from behind. It was the sweetest thing ever. And, guess who it was? My friend from before, who helped Kristina and I. She saw how muddy I was and walked me to her house and began washing my feet and legs. She then got a skirt from her house and we exchanged clothes so that she could wash my skirt. (In Ghana, they are so hospitable, and they are so thoughtful. It was so kind of her to go to all this trouble for me!) So, there I am, with this girl, in her skirt. She kept mine and I kept hers and I told her "Now you can think of me when you wear it." I told her I will get her skirt back to her, and she said, "No, now you can think of me when you wear it." It was really cute. And, by the time we walked back to where the people were gathered, the Christian people were literally all in their van, driving away. Sad day. But, worth it ;) And, when we walked back to the street, the girl walked us until we got into our taxi (That is also Ghana culture, to walk people out) and we stopped where I slipped. The best part about it, there was a completely dry place to walk right down the middle, and I obviously wasn't paying attention because you can clearly see my markage from slipping. I think I was so distracted by the Christian music and meeting other Missionaries that I wasn't watching where I was walking. :) haha
Sweet Monica: I remember meeting this sweet girl somewhere, but I couldn't remember where. I saw her at Anglican School and knew I saw her before. I actually remembered her name was Monica and having met her previously but just not sure where. She never really spoke so I couldn't figure out where I met her. She'd just give me cute little grins when I'd tell her I remember her and try to ask about different places we may have met. Eventually, I remembered it was at Culture Day, our first day in Ghana as a team. That is where all the schools come together and compete in plays and different things at this big park. Sweet Monica ended up being in Class One, the class I spent most of my time with and I continued to see her at Anglican school when I went with Becka. I remember noticing a small scar on her face one day. Later on, it became as big as the second picture of Sweet Monica. Becka saw it and knew we needed to get her to the Hospital. The class one teacher took us to Monica's house, where she lives with her grandparents, cousins, and older siblings. The teacher explained to the grandparents that we were going to take her to the hospital. Her brother, that is only a few years older than her, came with us. (Keep in mind, this happened around noon, and Becka and I left her class without a teacher and with homework) We took Sweet Monica to the hospital that Becka knows the Doctor of, St. Patrick's. In going there, we passed the other hospital in which we saw her two older sisters, who are nurses. Apparently they didn't seem to care that their sister's face looked this way. So sad. We went to the Doctor after the nurse at St. Patrick's saw her and he gave her treatment to use for one week. The Doctor ended up paying for her treatment. It was very kind of him. And, the last picture of Sweet Monica is the way her face looked after the treatment! :)
Bible Distribution: As I stated above, each Bible Distribution is very different. This one, I'll never forget the joy this woman had as you can see as she laughs in the photo. She let me hold her precious daughter. This is the same woman I joked with when she said she liked my skirt...I told her "I'll trade you my skirt for your daughter" Shortly after I learned from Becka that you don't joke about those types of things because they may take you seriously. The picture of me with the children is when I was teaching them what a "High-Five" is. It was fun to teach them something so simple that we do so often here in the states and they have never seen out there.
Africa Hair: I decided to get my hair done with a friend from the team. I got my hair twisted and she got her hair braided. I didn't put a photo of us both in here, but you can see the process of twisting and the finished product. We sat for a total of four hours, two hours per person, I think. Or maybe it was four hours each. I can't remember, but it took a really long time! They added hair to our hair to make it long. Then, a day or two later, you return and they burn the bottom edges of the hair (it's not actually your real hair they burn because it's at a length further than your own hair) and then cut it to make it look nice. It was fun to have my hair like this, and very easy. I didn't have to wash it. But, it was heavy and it began falling out because I got it wet when I wasn't supposed to. Eventually, some of the kids and Becka helped me untwist them and I definitely felt much lighter and my hair was much less, and I shed like crazy. It was worth it though! :)
Pastor Anthony's Village: We taught the children in Pastor Anthony's village how to play Red Light, Green Light. That is a picture of all of us running during the game. The loved it! Thankfully, God provided us with their teacher who did an awesome job translating and engaging in it all with us. Pastor Anthony is an incredible man of God who lives in a village far out in the bush. While some of us were entertaining the children, the rest of the team distributed the Talking Bibles and offered prayer. Almost all the people raised their hands for prayer and joined hands in a huge circle around a big tree. I walked over and began helping the team pray for people. That is the next photo. This man was HEALED of his BLINDNESS. No joke, it was amazing. I saw it happen and prayed for it. I couldn't even believe it myself. haha I have always wanted to see a miracle like this happen before my eyes, and I knew God could perform them, so it was such a blessing to really be able to partake in it. Kristina and I prayed for this man three times. The third time, I felt something different, and Kristina had me pray for him. I think that something different was this thing called FAITH. So, when his sight was restored, I was so blown away. I asked him three times, literally, each time stepping backwards a couple steps, asking him to tell me how many fingers I was holding up, and each time he answered correctly. I literally did a victory dance after that, jumping up and down with my hands raised, full of joy.
Church: I had a vision before I went to Ghana of myself dancing freely in a church, without a care in this world. It came true in this church called Breakthrough. It was when we did a Bible Distribution and the worship was so upbeat and fun, all the kids were dancing. The scripture on the building resonated with me and my vision came true that day. It was so fun! I sweat a lot (it was SO hot that day) but it was so worth it. Then we spent some time with the children there and I met a little girl who had matching hair as me.
Adorable kids: Next I posted a picture of these adorable children I interacted with at another Bible Distribution. Check out the kid's underwear and butt crack hanging out and the other precious child.
E-Cube: We practiced doing the E-Cube at home during our meetings before we left for Ghana. Now I was using it in Ghana. The E-Cube is an evangelical tool that tells the story of Jesus and how to become saved on a rubex cube type thing.
Anglican School with the Team: The video of "Jesus Loves Me" is absolutely adorable. I like to call it Jesus Loves Me, Africa style. That day was quite interesting. We went to the school Becka teaches at to entertain the students and help give the teachers strategies for teaching. Becka warned us about them being a tough crowd, so I honestly was intimidated. But, the opposite actually ended up happening. She joked saying that they weren't Anglican kids that day. So, there were MANY of them, as you can see. And, Pastor Gayelee pulled me aside while they were singing. She told me I was going to tell the children why we are here and talk about David and Goliath briefly before we do the skit. I began to cry and she asked why I was crying and I told her I'm so happy I can't believe this is really happening. lol I pulled myself together, said a prayer, and got up there and spoke. It stretched me but was worth it.
Soviet: Oh, the town of Soviet is really unforgettable. Check out those hundreds of people, mostly children, who joined us inside a church. (The picture with tons of kids inside a church with pink walls) It was two churches combined. All of us were doing the best we could to entertain these massive amounts of people, and they sang some songs with us so that was pretty good. All of a sudden, Pastor Gayelee came back and said "We've got to get out of here, guys. Let's go now. Come on, we're all getting in the van now" We were clueless but followed orders of the team leader, and it all happened pretty quickly. She told us to begin praying over this town and the church. Thankfully, Becka has made quite a few connections in Ghana, so we went to a man named Uncle Kofi's house. He welcomed us into his home and gave us soda and cookies. (Another cultural thing to do, give food and drinks to people you have over at your house, or give a "love offering" to them when they bless you) *Keep in mind, this is a town that apparently Satan didn't want the Bibles to be distributed in. We planned to go to Soviet the day that we were delayed at the Airport, so couldn't go then. Then we planned to go another time but something else got in the way ( I can't remember what) Finally we were able to go to this town and look what happened as a result. Thankfully, Gayelee used discernment and was able to hear from the Lord about this whole situation. She stressed the purpose of the Talking Bibles to Uncle Kofi. (To get in the hands of people who can't read or can't see so that they can hear the Word of God in their native language) He sent for people to come to his house that he knew fell into this category. We completed the Bible Distribution. It was more intimate and personal this way. I remember praying for this woman and teaching her how to use her Talking Bible. It actually ended up turning out very nicely. Becka and I returned to Soviet to follow up with this man and to visit an unused building for Pastor Anthony's potential Orphanage and the children were so cute! They remembered my name and the songs we taught them. That's the video of them singing "No more shackles, no more chains, no more shackles, I am free" and me with all of them. (A few kids from hundreds remembered all this...that's what it's all about!)
http://animoto.com/play/8w10IsXEOQQV9ivn5ngHIg
Team Ghana: Strong. Amazing. Family. The first photo is of my incredible team...minus two members who were already on the other side in Ghana for one week. My team consisted of Jay, Denise, Nathan, Barbara, Kristina, Kristal, Brianna, Me, Gayelee, and Morgan. Jay and Denise are married and very strong in the Lord. Nathan went on the last trip to Africa with me to Mozambique and acts as another father to me as well as my Redbull buddy. Barbara was the eldest on the team, 69 years old, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her, and this was the first mission trip she ever went on. (She heard Danielle and I speak at theMovement women's dinner and decided to go after that!) Kristina is a Kindergarten teacher in Carlsbad, who is going to school at Bethel Church in Redding this fall (School of the Supernatural). Kristal is a girl who loves the Lord, her son, and playing worship music. Brianna is my dear friend from high school that the Lord reconnected me with last year and has been such a blessing to me. She is a student at SDSU studying child development. Me, well, I hope if you're reading this you know me...lol But, I'd classify myself as a woman after God's own heart, nicknamed Davida, who is now a California Credentialed Teacher. Gayelee is the pastor of Cross Connection Outreach (the organization I've been to Africa with twice now) and is a very strong woman of God with a powerful spirit that is contagious. And Morgan, last but not least, Gayelee's sweet daughter who just graduated from high school and will be going off to college soon to pursue a career in musical theater...she has a phenomenal voice. Strong. Ever since the beginning, during our team meetings, I knew this team was going to be strong, and that is the word God kept putting on my heart. Amazing. Someone else on the team had the word amazing for our team and now I can understand why! Family. You become family when you are on a Mission Trip because you spend two weeks straight all the time with the same people. We all used our strengths to build each other up and it was incredible to see the Lord work through and in each of us. I definitely consider them all family now and look forward to being lifelong friends with each of them.
Airport Delay: The second picture is of two of the many African people we met at the Airport in New York during the time that we arrived and missed our flight, while waiting for Delta to book us a hotel room that was available. We needed a hotel room because our next flight to Ghana wasn't until Sunday evening. (We arrived in NY on Friday very late evening) See previous blog for more details titled Just the Beginning... where I highlight delayed with a purpose.
Walking on Holy Ground: Before leaving for Ghana, a woman had given Brianna and I a word from the Lord about walking on holy ground. Somehow, amidst my 20 something journals, I can't find the exact word she gave us. However, I do remember this woman said "To my missionary daughters, the ground you will be walking on is holy ground." And, I thought it was so neat how at the very first Bible Distribution, we had to take off our shoes/sandals and walk barefoot. I wanted to do that anyways, but God gave us the opportunity to and it was neat to see this word play out and be able to experience what life is like walking in Africa without shoes as that is part of their culture.
Bible Distributions: Each Bible Distribution is different. It is different because each church that we go to is different. Some are outside and some are inside. Some are big, some are small. Some are REALLY big. (Last day) The first distribution we did was unforgettable because the people in the church greeted us with the lovely song and it is Mama's church (the women that owns the Orphanage), she is the one who walked past the camera and said "You are Welcome". I know it happened quickly so it's hard to see/hear her. It is also a church that we learned what works and what doesn't work with teaching the kids. One thing that they enjoyed was a song Kristal prepared titled Freedom. The chorus is what they were singing in the second video.
Leper Colony:
When Becka and I returned to the Leper colony after the team went home, something neat happened that made me smile really big and laugh at the same time. We wanted to follow up and see how everything is going. So, upon arrival we were walking up and I heard some Christian music playing. There were other Missionaries there! I was SO excited, in fact, I was far too excited that suddenly I slipped and ate it...right in the mud! I had mud all over me, on my legs, skirt, shirt, hands, bag. It was ridiculous how dirty I got and how that happened. (It rained the day before) So, we get there, and this girl runs up and gives me a great big hug from behind. It was the sweetest thing ever. And, guess who it was? My friend from before, who helped Kristina and I. She saw how muddy I was and walked me to her house and began washing my feet and legs. She then got a skirt from her house and we exchanged clothes so that she could wash my skirt. (In Ghana, they are so hospitable, and they are so thoughtful. It was so kind of her to go to all this trouble for me!) So, there I am, with this girl, in her skirt. She kept mine and I kept hers and I told her "Now you can think of me when you wear it." I told her I will get her skirt back to her, and she said, "No, now you can think of me when you wear it." It was really cute. And, by the time we walked back to where the people were gathered, the Christian people were literally all in their van, driving away. Sad day. But, worth it ;) And, when we walked back to the street, the girl walked us until we got into our taxi (That is also Ghana culture, to walk people out) and we stopped where I slipped. The best part about it, there was a completely dry place to walk right down the middle, and I obviously wasn't paying attention because you can clearly see my markage from slipping. I think I was so distracted by the Christian music and meeting other Missionaries that I wasn't watching where I was walking. :) haha
Sweet Monica: I remember meeting this sweet girl somewhere, but I couldn't remember where. I saw her at Anglican School and knew I saw her before. I actually remembered her name was Monica and having met her previously but just not sure where. She never really spoke so I couldn't figure out where I met her. She'd just give me cute little grins when I'd tell her I remember her and try to ask about different places we may have met. Eventually, I remembered it was at Culture Day, our first day in Ghana as a team. That is where all the schools come together and compete in plays and different things at this big park. Sweet Monica ended up being in Class One, the class I spent most of my time with and I continued to see her at Anglican school when I went with Becka. I remember noticing a small scar on her face one day. Later on, it became as big as the second picture of Sweet Monica. Becka saw it and knew we needed to get her to the Hospital. The class one teacher took us to Monica's house, where she lives with her grandparents, cousins, and older siblings. The teacher explained to the grandparents that we were going to take her to the hospital. Her brother, that is only a few years older than her, came with us. (Keep in mind, this happened around noon, and Becka and I left her class without a teacher and with homework) We took Sweet Monica to the hospital that Becka knows the Doctor of, St. Patrick's. In going there, we passed the other hospital in which we saw her two older sisters, who are nurses. Apparently they didn't seem to care that their sister's face looked this way. So sad. We went to the Doctor after the nurse at St. Patrick's saw her and he gave her treatment to use for one week. The Doctor ended up paying for her treatment. It was very kind of him. And, the last picture of Sweet Monica is the way her face looked after the treatment! :)
Bible Distribution: As I stated above, each Bible Distribution is very different. This one, I'll never forget the joy this woman had as you can see as she laughs in the photo. She let me hold her precious daughter. This is the same woman I joked with when she said she liked my skirt...I told her "I'll trade you my skirt for your daughter" Shortly after I learned from Becka that you don't joke about those types of things because they may take you seriously. The picture of me with the children is when I was teaching them what a "High-Five" is. It was fun to teach them something so simple that we do so often here in the states and they have never seen out there.
Africa Hair: I decided to get my hair done with a friend from the team. I got my hair twisted and she got her hair braided. I didn't put a photo of us both in here, but you can see the process of twisting and the finished product. We sat for a total of four hours, two hours per person, I think. Or maybe it was four hours each. I can't remember, but it took a really long time! They added hair to our hair to make it long. Then, a day or two later, you return and they burn the bottom edges of the hair (it's not actually your real hair they burn because it's at a length further than your own hair) and then cut it to make it look nice. It was fun to have my hair like this, and very easy. I didn't have to wash it. But, it was heavy and it began falling out because I got it wet when I wasn't supposed to. Eventually, some of the kids and Becka helped me untwist them and I definitely felt much lighter and my hair was much less, and I shed like crazy. It was worth it though! :)
Pastor Anthony's Village: We taught the children in Pastor Anthony's village how to play Red Light, Green Light. That is a picture of all of us running during the game. The loved it! Thankfully, God provided us with their teacher who did an awesome job translating and engaging in it all with us. Pastor Anthony is an incredible man of God who lives in a village far out in the bush. While some of us were entertaining the children, the rest of the team distributed the Talking Bibles and offered prayer. Almost all the people raised their hands for prayer and joined hands in a huge circle around a big tree. I walked over and began helping the team pray for people. That is the next photo. This man was HEALED of his BLINDNESS. No joke, it was amazing. I saw it happen and prayed for it. I couldn't even believe it myself. haha I have always wanted to see a miracle like this happen before my eyes, and I knew God could perform them, so it was such a blessing to really be able to partake in it. Kristina and I prayed for this man three times. The third time, I felt something different, and Kristina had me pray for him. I think that something different was this thing called FAITH. So, when his sight was restored, I was so blown away. I asked him three times, literally, each time stepping backwards a couple steps, asking him to tell me how many fingers I was holding up, and each time he answered correctly. I literally did a victory dance after that, jumping up and down with my hands raised, full of joy.
Church: I had a vision before I went to Ghana of myself dancing freely in a church, without a care in this world. It came true in this church called Breakthrough. It was when we did a Bible Distribution and the worship was so upbeat and fun, all the kids were dancing. The scripture on the building resonated with me and my vision came true that day. It was so fun! I sweat a lot (it was SO hot that day) but it was so worth it. Then we spent some time with the children there and I met a little girl who had matching hair as me.
Adorable kids: Next I posted a picture of these adorable children I interacted with at another Bible Distribution. Check out the kid's underwear and butt crack hanging out and the other precious child.
E-Cube: We practiced doing the E-Cube at home during our meetings before we left for Ghana. Now I was using it in Ghana. The E-Cube is an evangelical tool that tells the story of Jesus and how to become saved on a rubex cube type thing.
Anglican School with the Team: The video of "Jesus Loves Me" is absolutely adorable. I like to call it Jesus Loves Me, Africa style. That day was quite interesting. We went to the school Becka teaches at to entertain the students and help give the teachers strategies for teaching. Becka warned us about them being a tough crowd, so I honestly was intimidated. But, the opposite actually ended up happening. She joked saying that they weren't Anglican kids that day. So, there were MANY of them, as you can see. And, Pastor Gayelee pulled me aside while they were singing. She told me I was going to tell the children why we are here and talk about David and Goliath briefly before we do the skit. I began to cry and she asked why I was crying and I told her I'm so happy I can't believe this is really happening. lol I pulled myself together, said a prayer, and got up there and spoke. It stretched me but was worth it.
Soviet: Oh, the town of Soviet is really unforgettable. Check out those hundreds of people, mostly children, who joined us inside a church. (The picture with tons of kids inside a church with pink walls) It was two churches combined. All of us were doing the best we could to entertain these massive amounts of people, and they sang some songs with us so that was pretty good. All of a sudden, Pastor Gayelee came back and said "We've got to get out of here, guys. Let's go now. Come on, we're all getting in the van now" We were clueless but followed orders of the team leader, and it all happened pretty quickly. She told us to begin praying over this town and the church. Thankfully, Becka has made quite a few connections in Ghana, so we went to a man named Uncle Kofi's house. He welcomed us into his home and gave us soda and cookies. (Another cultural thing to do, give food and drinks to people you have over at your house, or give a "love offering" to them when they bless you) *Keep in mind, this is a town that apparently Satan didn't want the Bibles to be distributed in. We planned to go to Soviet the day that we were delayed at the Airport, so couldn't go then. Then we planned to go another time but something else got in the way ( I can't remember what) Finally we were able to go to this town and look what happened as a result. Thankfully, Gayelee used discernment and was able to hear from the Lord about this whole situation. She stressed the purpose of the Talking Bibles to Uncle Kofi. (To get in the hands of people who can't read or can't see so that they can hear the Word of God in their native language) He sent for people to come to his house that he knew fell into this category. We completed the Bible Distribution. It was more intimate and personal this way. I remember praying for this woman and teaching her how to use her Talking Bible. It actually ended up turning out very nicely. Becka and I returned to Soviet to follow up with this man and to visit an unused building for Pastor Anthony's potential Orphanage and the children were so cute! They remembered my name and the songs we taught them. That's the video of them singing "No more shackles, no more chains, no more shackles, I am free" and me with all of them. (A few kids from hundreds remembered all this...that's what it's all about!)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Teaching in Africa
Teaching in Africa is VERY different than teaching in America in many ways. School begins around 8:00 a.m. and ends around 2:00 p.m. Students come late to class and even the teachers do, too. (I am guilty of this, too) Teachers sleep during class. Students sleep during class. Students don't care about learning (most of them) Class sizes are larger (37) in most cases. Students hi one another. Teachers "cane" students for not doing their homework or whatever reason they decide. That is when teachers use a "cane" / stick to hit children. Students come and go to class as they please. Students stand and greet you when you enter the classroom. "You Are Welcome, Madame. How are you?" Age range of students vary because many students repeat the class when they don't pass. To sum it all up, there is no consistency with school so it makes sense that all of the above is happening. I am not known as Ms. Elder, but instead Madame Katie.
My role as a teacher in Ghana has been inconsistent. I didn't know what it should like like and even though I have just less than two weeks left, I am still figuring out what I can do to help the school. I've been going with Becka to Anglican school. It is the poorest of the poor. Honestly, it is really hard because I want to make a huge impact and change as much as I can for the better but that is unrealistic at this point. Maybe when I get home I will be able to reflect and pray more about it and God will guide me with what is next in regards to me teaching in Africa in the future. One thing too is that I'm recognizing I can't do everything so I've got to find one thing that I can do and make an impact.
My experiences with teaching in Africa so far are as follows.
First, I observed Becka teaching class 5 (5th grade). The students had a good day and a not so good day, meaning one day they were interested in learning and behaving better and the other day they didn't care and misbehaved often. It seemed as though Becka did more disciplining than teaching. She shouted at them often (seems necessary here though to catch their attention and the culture generally speaks louder anyways). Some students were sent outside to weed (cut weeds with a machete) until after break as a consequence for misbehaving or not listening to the directions from the teacher. At one point, Becka sent all of the kids who were wanting to learn at the front of the class. It was basically one third of the class. The back half of the class were supposed to listen still, but she wasn't acknowledging them. Becka's class had to memorize a poem and had 3 weeks to do so because she was busy with the Talking Bible project. Only four of the students were able to complete the poem and say it all.
Second, I spent time in class 1 (first grade). I am not even sure how I ended up in that class but the teacher is very great. She teaches well and enjoys teaching. She wants to be there. I helped her learn the days of the week and months of the year songs and teach it to her class. It was so cute to hear the children sing these songs especially when I left the classroom and they were still practicing it. It was rewarding for sure. I felt like I accomplished something and could go home happy knowing that I made a small difference in one classroom at Anglican. I continue to go to this class whenever I go to school. The teacher and I went to buy school materials and I created books for the students to practice writing the letters of the alphabet. Being in this woman's class has been nothing but a good experience. Her students want to learn and she doesn't cane them.
Lastly, I taught class 4 (4th grade). I only taught them for a short time but it was when they had math problems on the board. They were doing multiplication problems so I helped them with it. Then the teacher came in and it was the man who enjoys caning. I told him I was finished and he said I could stay but I didn't know what else to do. Later I saw him cane someone and it broke my heart. I don't think there is any change I can make to that because it is "their culture" and they think it's effective. I don't want to sit back and watch it happen because that seems as if I am accepting it. Maybe I will question why they do it and explain what it is teaching the students.
Overall, teaching in Africa thus far has been quite an experience. I was shocked and overwhelmed by what I saw the first day I went to school. I am still blown away by it but I understand more of why it is this way. Teachers, imagine your toughest student without support multiplied by your entire class. I've gained a new appreciation for American schools since I've been here. I am actually looking forward to teaching in the states when I return. I recognize some things will remain the same such as students who don't listen, but I see that in a whole new way now. I definitely want to come back to Africa and still teach here, but I'm just not sure what that looks like yet. I will be reflecting and praying as I return home to pursue that more. As of the rest of my time teaching in Africa, I'll be spending it in class one. Tomorrow will probably be my last day because we are going out of town this weekend and next week the students have exams and we are following up on the Talking Bible Project.
My role as a teacher in Ghana has been inconsistent. I didn't know what it should like like and even though I have just less than two weeks left, I am still figuring out what I can do to help the school. I've been going with Becka to Anglican school. It is the poorest of the poor. Honestly, it is really hard because I want to make a huge impact and change as much as I can for the better but that is unrealistic at this point. Maybe when I get home I will be able to reflect and pray more about it and God will guide me with what is next in regards to me teaching in Africa in the future. One thing too is that I'm recognizing I can't do everything so I've got to find one thing that I can do and make an impact.
My experiences with teaching in Africa so far are as follows.
First, I observed Becka teaching class 5 (5th grade). The students had a good day and a not so good day, meaning one day they were interested in learning and behaving better and the other day they didn't care and misbehaved often. It seemed as though Becka did more disciplining than teaching. She shouted at them often (seems necessary here though to catch their attention and the culture generally speaks louder anyways). Some students were sent outside to weed (cut weeds with a machete) until after break as a consequence for misbehaving or not listening to the directions from the teacher. At one point, Becka sent all of the kids who were wanting to learn at the front of the class. It was basically one third of the class. The back half of the class were supposed to listen still, but she wasn't acknowledging them. Becka's class had to memorize a poem and had 3 weeks to do so because she was busy with the Talking Bible project. Only four of the students were able to complete the poem and say it all.
Second, I spent time in class 1 (first grade). I am not even sure how I ended up in that class but the teacher is very great. She teaches well and enjoys teaching. She wants to be there. I helped her learn the days of the week and months of the year songs and teach it to her class. It was so cute to hear the children sing these songs especially when I left the classroom and they were still practicing it. It was rewarding for sure. I felt like I accomplished something and could go home happy knowing that I made a small difference in one classroom at Anglican. I continue to go to this class whenever I go to school. The teacher and I went to buy school materials and I created books for the students to practice writing the letters of the alphabet. Being in this woman's class has been nothing but a good experience. Her students want to learn and she doesn't cane them.
Lastly, I taught class 4 (4th grade). I only taught them for a short time but it was when they had math problems on the board. They were doing multiplication problems so I helped them with it. Then the teacher came in and it was the man who enjoys caning. I told him I was finished and he said I could stay but I didn't know what else to do. Later I saw him cane someone and it broke my heart. I don't think there is any change I can make to that because it is "their culture" and they think it's effective. I don't want to sit back and watch it happen because that seems as if I am accepting it. Maybe I will question why they do it and explain what it is teaching the students.
Overall, teaching in Africa thus far has been quite an experience. I was shocked and overwhelmed by what I saw the first day I went to school. I am still blown away by it but I understand more of why it is this way. Teachers, imagine your toughest student without support multiplied by your entire class. I've gained a new appreciation for American schools since I've been here. I am actually looking forward to teaching in the states when I return. I recognize some things will remain the same such as students who don't listen, but I see that in a whole new way now. I definitely want to come back to Africa and still teach here, but I'm just not sure what that looks like yet. I will be reflecting and praying as I return home to pursue that more. As of the rest of my time teaching in Africa, I'll be spending it in class one. Tomorrow will probably be my last day because we are going out of town this weekend and next week the students have exams and we are following up on the Talking Bible Project.
Embrace every moment.
There are many things that I've experienced here that pictures don't do justice. I am certainly taking photos but it is mostly to show you all and look back on. There are many moments where I feel God telling me to simply embrace each moment because you can't turn back time.
Last Saturday, I was enjoying a peaceful walk through the rainforest to see monkeys and a waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful. I felt the Lord tell me enjoy this very moment while I was walking. Even when a young girl held my hand God reminded me how precious that is and that I can't duplicate that very moment. It made me think about parents who have children and blog about them or share about cute things the children say or do that are priceless. :)
On Sunday, I was walking to church and carrying the youngest girl from the Orphanage on my back while holding another boy's hand the entire time. Again, a precious moment that the Lord reminded me to embrace. On the way home from church, I was walking with all 27 kids and we stopped at their teacher/tutor's house. He broke his leg playing soccer and we were stopping there to pray for him. It took me a while before I understood all of that, but it was so neat to squeeze all the children into his small room and be able to pray for this man. Then I asked one of the boys to pray for him as well.
Becka and I went to a town that we hadn't really visited before and not too many white people visit apparently. The children were touching our skin and rubbing themselves as if they would take some of our lighter skin color and put it on theirs so that they could be lighter. It was super cute. They kept touching us, and wanted to be holding our hands or something at all times.
The other night I was upstairs on the phone with a friend. After I got off, I heard some people singing. Churches are close by and everywhere so I assumed there was a church service going on. When I went downstairs, I realized it was actually all of the children in the Orphanage singing. I picked up the smallest girl who was sleeping and rocked her in my arms as the children sang "I am so glad for this day, I am so glad for this day, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you for my life, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you for this day" in English and Ewe. Another moment where I did not have my camera and it was pouring rain outside so I could not get my camera. I was forced to embrace this moment and it was well worth it. :)
Since my last blog, things have changed greatly. I feel much better and have a new attitude and mindset. I officially changed my flight so I am coming home one month earlier than my original plan. This means I only have 1 1/2 weeks left here in Ghana. I feel very good about this decision and look forward to reflecting on everything as I travel home. I leave Ghana July 25th and arrive in the states on July 26th. I am guessing that changing my departure date has contributed to my new mind and Spirit since now I only have a short time left in Ghana. I am really enjoying it and will miss it. I also believe it is the many prayers and words of encouragement that I have received which have also greatly contributed to this change. THANK YOU if you are and have been praying for me and sending encouraging words. I really appreciate them all.
So, my encouragement to you is to EMBRACE EVERY MOMENT. Don't let anything slip past you and don't regret not doing something because you don't feel like it or whatever excuse you may make. Embrace each day that is given to you and embrace each moment that is before you, wherever it is and whatever it is you are doing. This is a great lesson I've learned here and I look forward to bringing back home with me. I hope that as I return I am able to continue with it.
Last Saturday, I was enjoying a peaceful walk through the rainforest to see monkeys and a waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful. I felt the Lord tell me enjoy this very moment while I was walking. Even when a young girl held my hand God reminded me how precious that is and that I can't duplicate that very moment. It made me think about parents who have children and blog about them or share about cute things the children say or do that are priceless. :)
On Sunday, I was walking to church and carrying the youngest girl from the Orphanage on my back while holding another boy's hand the entire time. Again, a precious moment that the Lord reminded me to embrace. On the way home from church, I was walking with all 27 kids and we stopped at their teacher/tutor's house. He broke his leg playing soccer and we were stopping there to pray for him. It took me a while before I understood all of that, but it was so neat to squeeze all the children into his small room and be able to pray for this man. Then I asked one of the boys to pray for him as well.
Becka and I went to a town that we hadn't really visited before and not too many white people visit apparently. The children were touching our skin and rubbing themselves as if they would take some of our lighter skin color and put it on theirs so that they could be lighter. It was super cute. They kept touching us, and wanted to be holding our hands or something at all times.
The other night I was upstairs on the phone with a friend. After I got off, I heard some people singing. Churches are close by and everywhere so I assumed there was a church service going on. When I went downstairs, I realized it was actually all of the children in the Orphanage singing. I picked up the smallest girl who was sleeping and rocked her in my arms as the children sang "I am so glad for this day, I am so glad for this day, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you for my life, I thank you, I thank you, I thank you for this day" in English and Ewe. Another moment where I did not have my camera and it was pouring rain outside so I could not get my camera. I was forced to embrace this moment and it was well worth it. :)
Since my last blog, things have changed greatly. I feel much better and have a new attitude and mindset. I officially changed my flight so I am coming home one month earlier than my original plan. This means I only have 1 1/2 weeks left here in Ghana. I feel very good about this decision and look forward to reflecting on everything as I travel home. I leave Ghana July 25th and arrive in the states on July 26th. I am guessing that changing my departure date has contributed to my new mind and Spirit since now I only have a short time left in Ghana. I am really enjoying it and will miss it. I also believe it is the many prayers and words of encouragement that I have received which have also greatly contributed to this change. THANK YOU if you are and have been praying for me and sending encouraging words. I really appreciate them all.
So, my encouragement to you is to EMBRACE EVERY MOMENT. Don't let anything slip past you and don't regret not doing something because you don't feel like it or whatever excuse you may make. Embrace each day that is given to you and embrace each moment that is before you, wherever it is and whatever it is you are doing. This is a great lesson I've learned here and I look forward to bringing back home with me. I hope that as I return I am able to continue with it.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Homesick.
It’s been a little over two weeks now that I have been in Ghana and not a day goes by that I am missing home. Just to be honest. Living here is much harder than I thought. In fact, the challenges that I wrote on my prayer list have not been as challenging as I thought they would be. (Maybe that is because I have all you faithful prayer warriors praying for me) But, what I find the most challenging is being far from friends and family and being “alone”. I never would have thought that the biggest hindrance for me during my trip to Africa would be homesickness.
I remember back to when I was home preparing for this trip and everything was coming together. The finances, the encouragement, the scriptures, the prophetic words…there was no question that God’s will for me was for me to come to Ghana and stay for an extended time after my team headed home. And, now that I am here, I am experiencing tremendous amounts of warfare and daily wondering what I am doing here. I left home calling myself Davida, a woman after God’s heart.
It’s pretty amazing how challenging it is to literally live by faith. I came to Ghana solely because God told me to go. I said yes to His calling. Sure, I love kids. Sure, I love Africa. Sure, I love serving God. But, the main reason I came to Ghana was because God told me to go and I was being obedient to Him. It seemed easy to say yes especially because everything fell into place. Little did I know what I was in for after my team left- loneliness, lack of passion for Africa, desire to be home, and questioning what my role is in staying for two months.
It took me some time but I finally realized that I cannot do this on my own and I need God’s help to make it through each and every day that I am here in Ghana. I learned that in order to do so, I must spend time listening to worship music, journaling, praying, and reading my Bible. Just as these are spiritual disciplines at home, they are the same here too. I noticed a change in my attitude and day when I chose to put God first in the morning.
I also learned that even though I am remaining connected to God, there is still a spiritual battle going on that I am entangled in. Spiritual warfare is something that I read about prior to coming and even experienced at home. However, I am on the frontline of the battlefield out here right now. Satan is not happy that I am here and he is doing everything in his power to remove me from completing God’s purpose for me here in Ghana.
Today I experienced the worst of this spiritual warfare. I became incredibly homesick, the most yet. I was ready for my mom to change my flight so that I could come home on Sunday. I texted most people that I knew were praying for me and asked for prayer. I talked to a few people from the states and received encouragement and support. I finally let out a cry.
The things that I was sharing with these people that were on my mind were as follows. I felt as though I have not been myself here. I put on a fake smile and try to be joyful everyday. I don’t have the same passion for Africa and the people here like I did before I came and when the team was here. I was discouraged about many things. The culture is so different- lots of waiting time and no rush, most of the time entails being late. The children beat/hit each other often and I don’t know how to stop it. The teachers even sometimes beat the children. Apparently it is called “caning” because they use a cane to hit the children. Isn’t that abuse? I was battling today thinking there is no way I can change this part of the culture. I tried telling a child not to hit/fight and he didn’t listen. I told him a few times. Also, the teachers don’t even watch the kids during break. They take a break, too and let the kids play and do whatever on school grounds. Children here do many things independently, even walking on the side of the road with cars passing at fast speeds is not something you see in America. I tried teaching today and the kids were not so into what I was teaching them and I gave up. I do not know what I am doing here and if I am feeling miserable and being fake, what good is that doing me and anybody else?
My friends responses were either stick it out and give it more time, or don’t worry about other people’s responses if you come home early as long as you hear God’s voice and He gives you permission. My phone eventually died and all I had ahead of me was a four hour “tro tro” ride in a van from Prampram to Kpando with my friend Grace. That was plenty of time to pray and reflect on everything. As we were traveling, I felt something change. It must have been the prayers from people because I felt at peace. I thought to myself I will stay for one more month because that is meeting in the middle and I won’t be giving up if I do that. I asked God to make it more clear to me, to speak to me as we travel back.
In Ghana, there are stores and places that contain names with God in them or religious of some sort. They are literally everywhere so I asked God to reveal some to me that pertained to my situation. Sure enough, He did. Here are the ones that I saw while we were driving that stood out to me the most. GOD FIRST. PRAYER IS THE KEY. JUST SMILE. NOT I, BUT CHRIST. PSALM 39. At this point, it was pretty clear to me. I need to keep putting God first. Prayer is the key to living an abundant life here in Ghana. My purpose is simply to just smile. I am not here because I “want” to be here, but because of Christ choosing me.
Here are some other encouraging words that I’ve received recently from people that pertain to all of the above.
In a card from a friend at home: Remember that God has already gone before you and prepared the path, all you have to do is PRAYERfully take ONE STEP forward at a time, and He will do the rest.
A word from a friend before I left: Don’t look up from where God has you. Don’t ever give the storms a second look. The waters will never overcome you. Isaiah 43:1-3 and Luke 10:19
Jesus Calling Devotional: Discipline your thoughts to trust Me as I work My ways in your life. Pray about everything; then leave outcomes up to Me. Do not fear My will, for through it I accomplish what is best for you.
From a friend’s bookmark, in an email: GOD IS WITH YOU. Although each day brings challenges and things that are unknown, you don’t need to face them alone. For others care about you and will keep you close in prayer. And, above all, God will guide you- for His love is always there. – Emily Matthews
DON’T QUIT. When things go wrong as they sometimes will. When the road your trudging on seems all uphill. When the funds are low, and the debts are high. And you want to smile but you have to sigh. When care is pressing down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is strange with its twists and turns. As everyone of us sometimes learns And many a failure turns about when he migt have won had he stuck it out. Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, you may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned upside down, the silver tint of the clouds of doubt. And you can never tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems so far. So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit. It’s when things seem the worst, that you must not quit.
From the travel agent, whom I don’t know very well: The Lord showed me a basket of pomegranates…and as the basket was emptied, the fruit continued to flow…it was an “abundance” that came to mind…and then, I thought of the fruit and its many seeds…and it was then that I thought of how one fruit can multiply into many trees and I saw trees for as far away as the eye could see and they were full of fruit, and the sun shining brightly upon them. *I think this speaks to your own relationship with the Lord, the fruit of your labor, and the riches of His grace. Jesus says you can do nothing apart from Me, but in Him, you are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. He is calling you to a place of deeper intimacy and reliance on Him. You don’t have to “do” anything, but be a conduit of His love. I see a revelation of His grace that will bear much fruit.
Devotional from a friend: Paul learned that the only way to experience God’s power is in our weakness. If we think we can do something on our own, God lets us, that we will never know God’s transforming power in our lives until we acknowledge our inability.
Songs at church the kids were singing: Through it all, I have learned to trust in Jesus. Through it all, I have learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I have learned to depend on His word.
All that being said, I have decided to stay one more month. My mom is looking into changing the flight so that I can leave Ghana July 25th instead of August 24th. Becka has challenged me to not use the internet or my phone for three days. She said that probably has to do with my homesickness. So, if you email me, text me, or call me within the next few days, I apologize in advance for not responding. I think this will be good for me so that I can fully immerse myself in the culture and what God has for me here in Ghana. Whenever I pray, I also recognize that I may not know God’s purpose for me here in Ghana ever or this time around. Please continue to pray for me as I enter into this daily battle. Miss you and love you dearly and I really appreciate your prayers and support.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Just the beginning...
It is already day 15 here in Ghana for me! I think there is far too much for me to catch up on so I will try to recap the highlights of the trip as best I can. I bought credits for my friend Becka to have unlimited internet, so hopefully I will be able to give more updates. She has a computer here with her at the Orphanage that I am using right now.
Many delays on our way to Ghana:
1. Engine check at LAX caused our flight to leave at 10:15 am instead of 8:30am. 2. Bad weather at JFK airport caused pilot to circle around a couple of times before landing. JFK Airport was shut down so we flew to Syracuse airport and stayed there until JFK opened again. 3. Our flight out of JFK to Accra, Ghana was held for two hours but we landed 10 minutes after it took off (11:45pm) We were supposed to land at JFK at 5:30pm! 4. Waited in 4 hour line for accommodations for the team (Thanks, Denise for standing all that time!) 5. Slept at the airport overnight, journaled, read, etc. 6. Shuttle to hotel accommodation was more waiting. 7. Waited at hotel before able to move into room. 8. Waited at hotel for two hours before we could eat dinner
-Next day, flight left in the evening so the girls had fellowship and worship time at hotel, getting to know one another better. This was an extra day for resting and relaxing before we got to Ghana and hit the ground running.
Purpose of delays?
1. Met people from Ghana and Senegal at the JFK Airport when we were waiting overnight and during the day to head to the hotel. (22 people on their way to Ohio to learn how to coach soccer) 2. Shared the Evange-cube (story of Jesus on a rubex cube type thing) with them and let them have it to take home with them. 3. Gave them a Talking Bible 4. Divine appointment that we prayed for before leaving San Diego 5. Witnessing to others around us; we didn’t want to leave because we made such great friends with them. We showed love between two different cultures by getting to know them and praying for them in a big circle before we left. 6. Preparation for Ghana time- Lots of waiting and very slow pace in Ghana
*At first we didn’t understand why we missed our flight and went through all of this waiting until after. We lost two days of being in Ghana, but as a team, we came together in patience and this experience brought about more unity. We were able to rest up so that when we arrived in Ghana we were ready for the work ahead of us.
As a reflection thus far into the trip, I wrote in my journal:
Can’t rush God’s timing. Rest up so you can push through and work hard. Reward for patience = hotel and good food. Divine appointment prayer was answered. 2 Corinthians 2:14 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” Brianna found these scriptures and they were so fitting and timely. Jay said his prayer was that wherever we go, people will sense God’s presence and feel it. They will see something different. He prayed this and I thought about this as I prayed before our team left, too. That wherever we’d walk, people would see something different and feel it. I didn’t think it would happen before we got to Ghana territory, though.
Finally in Ghana:
First Bible distribution entailed taking off our shoes, which brought true a word a woman gave Brianna and I about being missionaries walking on Holy ground. Working with the children here was challenging. We had a translator but he didn’t even understand the message I was teaching. So, we adjusted and learned from it as best as we could. Went to culture day, where many schools come together and compete doing plays and stuff. Morgan fainted because it was very hot and so she went back to the hospital and the rest of the team headed to the Orphanage.
Lunch was sardines and Kenke , not really sure how to describe it. Played at the Orphanage with the kids, then had chicken, rice, and salad for dinner (my favorite!) J
Next day:
Breakfast was hardboiled egg, tea bread (amazing sweet bread), and tea/coffee/hot chocolate. Bible Distribution (handing out talking Bibles) at a church nearby. I taught a blind woman how to use her Talking Bible and that was a neat experience. Afterwards, we went to the pastor’s home and he served us crackers and a drink called Malta (also indescribable and not tasty at all) *Everywhere you go and bless people, they give you a gift in return. You have to eat it and drink it out of respect to them and toughen up if you don’t like it…then pray your stomach can handle it when you are finished ;) The bathroom here was concrete, and I couldn’t go because I didn’t want to make the team wait, but I did attempt. Lol
*Also, everywhere you go, people greet you by saying “You Are Welcome” It is really nice. Everyone here is very nice. I slipped and people around me apologized for me being clumsy! Haha
Leper Colony:
Before we went to the Leper colony, I prayed that I would see these people as God does, to have the same perspective as Him. I wanted to treat them the same as all the other Africans I’ve met so far. God certainly helped me with that. I never saw any wounds though because they were covered when we were there. The entire team worked together to make this a successful bible distribution. We learned what worked and didn’t work from the previous one, so it was completed effectively and efficiently. I prayed over many people with Kristina here. Two women that I prayed for and did not receive a Talking Bible were kind enough to help Kristina and I with the language in asking people if they would like prayer. It was really neat to be able to bless these people with a smile, handshake, hug, and love that they do not receive on a regular basis because they have Leprosy.
*That evening, Kristina and I waited for at least one hour to get our hair done and the woman never showed up to do it. Welcome to Ghana J
For dinner we had Red Red with stew and fried plantains. I know this means nothing to you but you will see pictures when I get home and am able to post them. I didn’t mind this dinner, it was actually fairly good.
Next day:
Breakfast was an amazing omelet with the usual tea and coffee. The next Bible distribution was at one location but three different churches. Becka heard people talking in Ewe, the local language and lying so that they could get a Talking Bible. She talked with them and we did not give them Talking Bibles. The whole purpose of Talking Bibles is to give them to people who cannot read (illiterate) or are blind so they cannot see. Those who can read and understand English can read and understand an English Bible. We had a good assembly line going with the Talking Bibles and the team worked well, again. God showed me that we don’t have to have a set plan on who does what because it all works out anyways. We had noodles for lunch and that was tasty. We went to the Doctor’s house for dinner and here is where the challenge came. He served us Talapia (fish) in a bowl of soup that was very spicy. The talapia was served literally skin and all, head eyes included, inside the bowl. It was served with a rice ball. I had some as best as I could, and thankfully Jay kindly helped me out. I began feeling a bit homesick today and overwhelmed by eating the food here, wondering how I was going to make it for two months. I remembered that God is good and He will bless me as He already has in many ways. I also felt a little overwhelmed today thinking about teaching for sure this summer in Ghana, with no set curriculum or anything. Not really any supplies either. Going to be a challenging and growing experience. Becka said I will be teaching because there is a need and I am qualified.
This is just the beginning of my blog. I have been on and off the computer all day so I feel really bad and will continue on when I can. Just wanted to give you some sort of update. :)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Tentative Ghana Itinerary
Tentative Ghana Itinerary:
*John, Tara’s husband, from Ghana said that Ghana is the SAFEST country in Ghana. People in other countries in Africa actually retreat to Ghana because it is so safe and peaceful. Dora also said that Ghana is very safe.
Contact-EMERGENCIES only: (while team is in Ghana)
Sandy Riner, Vista Assembly of God
760-724-7099
June 17-June 29: Team will be travel from LAX to NY and NY to Accra, Ghana. From Accra, we will travel to Kpando, our final destination. We will be staying at a hotel nearby the Orphanage. Kpando is about 3-4 hours away from Accra, to my understanding. Over the course of two weeks, the team will be working closely with Ryvanz-Mia Orphanage. (P.O. Box 161, Kpando, Ghana, Volta Region, Ghana, West Africa) We will teach the Fruit of the Spirit Vacation Bible School here. We will also be doing Bible Distributions to different villages, where we will pass out the Talking Bibles to the poorest of the poor and the least educated and hang out with the children at the distributions. We will be visiting a Hospital to pray for the sick to be healed. This is a tentative schedule because Missions Trips are all about flexibility.
June 29-August 25: I do not know exact dates, but here are some things I have planned that God has put together and/or Becka has set up for us:
-June 18-28: Cross Connection Ghana Trip (All expenses already covered)
-June 29-July 10: Western Region of Ghana to work with FL Faith Child Orphanage (travel-$20, food/lodging $120)
-July 11-24: Return to Kpando: Work in schools or other volunteer placements (Food/lodging $100/wk)
-July 24: Accra to pick up Sam from Airport: Visit the children of a KG/lower primary school
-July 25-August 25: Work in Kpando (Food/lodging $100/wk)
-August 24: Head back to Accra, return to States (travel $5)
-Possibly at End of July: Visit Cape Coast for Panafest (Celebration of last American Slave trade) and see the slave castles and so forth. ($150.00/wk)
-Visit Dora’s Family: Dora is a woman I met at Vista Assembly of God. She was born and raised in Accra. Becka and I plan to visit her brother and niece for a few days at least, maybe one week. He will host us. Dora has been such a blessing to me and our team so I want to bless her family in return by visiting them and spending time with them.
-Visit Promise Land Ranch School: This is the only tuition free Christian School in Ghana. I met the founders of the School, Tara and John Essien. John is from Ghana. They live in the States. Tara has given me money to pay for Becka and I to stay at a nearby hotel so that we can spend time at Promise Land Ranch and with the staff and students. I met Tara and John via some friends who attend the same church as them San Diego Christian Center in Escondido.
Contacts in Ghana:
1. Dora’s Brother(Dora is who I met at Vista Assembly of God): Nsiah Akutteh
-He is an attorney
-His cell # is: (0244) 260-494 (You dial the 0 inside Ghana)
-His email address: nsiahakutteh@ghana.com
His Daughter: Teki 0244-099-541, tekiahkutteh@yahoo.com
2. Bashiru (Bash), Project Manager/Chief Financial Advisor/Director of Promise Land Ranch
-John and Tara Essien are the contacts in USA, founders of Promise Land Ranch (email is qstnlil@aol.com) John is from Ghana. This couple lives in Escondido. Tara’s cell # is (619-894-0797) if you have any questions feel free to contact them.
-Promise Land Ranch School is located in a seaside, fishing village named Prampram. The nearest, largest city is Tema. Prampram is about a 10 min drive from Tema.
-My plan is to visit this school and meet the students and teaching staff. Tara said she has spoken to Bash and he is expecting me. The hotel she stays in nearby is called SeaLane Hotel. (http:www.sealanehotel.com) She said we Becka and I can share an air conditioned room for $20.00 each night. Most of the staff there as well as the owner know Tara and John.
-After meeting Tara and John here, they offered and paid me for Becka and I to stay in Prampram and spend time at Promise Land Ranch and with the staff. The staff will show us around town, too.
3. Frank Adinkrah (Danielle Parker, a friend from my old Lifegroup, friend who used to live here but moved back to Ghana and is originally from Ghana) I can contact him if I need anything when I’m there. He has offered to help me with anything I need when I am in Ghana. He lived in the US for a short time a few years ago. He lives in Accra, now.
- Frankadinkrah@yahoo.com
4. Harley Phillips, chief in Ghana (He is my friend Kristina’s patient. I know her from the Movement. She gave me his contact info because he has contacts there) He is the chief in the Volta Region, which is near Kpando and has two villages there. If I hear back from him, I may visit his contacts there.
-African Angels Foundation
-www.africanangelsfoundation.org
-email: Harleysif@yahoo.com
5. BECKA Birman, the friend I will be living with in Kpando:
-Cell #: 011233200803327
-Email: beckabirman@gmail.com
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