We have now set foot back on American soil. We were very sad to leave but happy to be home and see family and friends we had missed.
I wanted to continue the blog to fill you in on our time in Kpando because it was an important part of our trip. Like I mentioned, we were hosted my Kenneth Wutoh's family who lovingly welcomed us into their home. We stayed in 2 homes. The "elders" were in one home with Paulette as their "house mother" and Stephanie as the "house mother" of the youngins. Our morning began early on Sunday with a 7:00 am church service. We wore our African dresses which were made especially for us. Alex Nash, the only male team member, might have looked nice in a dress but instead received a shirt and pants combo :D Dina, Maude and a few other family members had driven 4 hours to meet us at the airport to get our measurements so our African garb would be ready when we arrived in Kpando. Sunday afternoon, they threw us a traditional Ghana party. The band beat on their bongos and sang in their language while the women taught how to dance. Alex even took over a bongo for one of the songs. He was a natural. The rain came but that didn't stop the party :D All and all, a good time.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all spent at a different orphanage in Kpando. We painted at each of the orphanages and when finished spent some time playing with the children. I want to tell you about a young girl at one of the orphanages named Mana. She walked on her ankles or got around on her knees, which had gotten very calloused by now. Barb and Deb were able to fit her with a pair of crutches. She couldn't stop giggling and smiling.
Thursday, we took 30ish children from one of the orphanages to the waterfalls an hour drive away, fitting them on our 17 passenger bus. A tight fit but we made it safely to the falls with only one child puking. Tradition says, that the more people that visit the falls the more the water pours. What a breathtaking site.... Before you could see the falls you felt them; I thought it was beginning to rain. They were amazing!
On Friday, we said our goodbyes. What a great family! We were sad to leave. We got on the bus and headed back to Tema to spend one last night in Ghana before we headed back to the States. We were planning on making a stop at Johny and Friends Disability Center, before we got to our hotel. Samuel and Kenneth are partnering with them to begin their physical therapy center there in Ghana. The building is in the process of being built. There are no street signs in Ghana. You just have to know where you are going or ask people for directions. We finally gave up after asking multiple people for directions and on more than one occasion fearing our bus would get stuck because the roads were so bad. (fyi: I will never complain about a bad road in American again. Our bad roads would be pretty distant roads here in Ghana.)
On Saturday at 11:00 pm we headed home and arrived in Bismarck on Sunday at 2:00 pm. Ghana is 5 hours ahead of us. I don't know about the rest of the group, but I was ready for bed at supper time. I was forced to stay up until 8:45 pm. Before bed, a shower was in order. After 2 1/2 weeks of bucket showers with room temperature water, I forgot how good a warm shower felt.
Has this trip changed me? You bet.
I will never be the same....
Thank you God for what you're doing in Ghana and in me.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Efie - Home
It's been awhile since our last post so we have a lot of catching up to do. We just wanted everyone to know that we are still alive and kicking. We arrived in Tema last evening after a week long stay in Kpando. We were hosted my Kenneth Wutoh's family who lovingly welcomed us into their home. We are just going to highlight a little of our week or you'll be reading for days.
Saturday we drove to Kpando from Tema which was a four hour drive with a few stops on the way. First stop was a brigde crossing Volta Lake which is the largest man-made lake in the world. Ate a little snail from street vendors and then was off to the Monkey Sanctuary. We journyed into the tropical forest where we waded in water and got very muddy before we arrived to our destination. We got to feed Mona monkeys a half of a banana directly from our hands. They used their little hands to peel the banana and eat it. Sorry have to run...Be continued.....
Saturday we drove to Kpando from Tema which was a four hour drive with a few stops on the way. First stop was a brigde crossing Volta Lake which is the largest man-made lake in the world. Ate a little snail from street vendors and then was off to the Monkey Sanctuary. We journyed into the tropical forest where we waded in water and got very muddy before we arrived to our destination. We got to feed Mona monkeys a half of a banana directly from our hands. They used their little hands to peel the banana and eat it. Sorry have to run...Be continued.....
Friday, July 8, 2011
Sukuudan Mu - Classroom
Day 8
A lot of time today was spent traveling. I know we've mentioned the traffic already but I'm going to say it again. It's insane here. "Be aggressive, Be, Be Aggressive"...and if you're not, you don't move. Street signs and lights are almost completely none existent. Short distances take a long time. There would be no way I'd be able to drive in this...Praise Jesus for Islan!
First stop was the Korle-bu Hospital in Accra. We got a tour of the Physical Therapy department which was followed by a meeting with the vice president of the physiotherapy association for Africa (and he is also the vice president of the physiotherapy for Ghana), several physical therapy professors, the head of pediatric physiotherapy, and a physiotherapist. While the team sat in awe of Deb's professional interaction with these big wigs, Jillian and Alex slept in the seats behind the team and Stephanie's eyes were glazed over. Deb received a round of applause and lots of smiles when she said she had 30 years experience in physical therapy. The two teams - two cultures - discussed the possibility of a partnership that would benefit the PT program at the University of Ghana and the hospital. It was so cool to witness this diplomatic event. At one point in the meeting one of the Ghanaians raised his fist in the air and said, "We will be the first [to establish a sister school in the U.S.]."
We stopped by Dean's Guest House for lunch where they didn't have any menus so the waitress shared the four items that they make. Many of us ordered fresh pineapple juice and then we listened as the waitress told other customers near us that the pineapple juice was "finished." I guess we drank all they had. It was heaven in a kiddie cup with a straw! During our lunch we were serenaded by big black birds (which Jillian wanted to kill).
Back on the bus we settled in for the long drive to Tema. Once we checked into the hotel the team decided to go into town for dinner because we had been cooped up on the bus for so long. We had our first taste of American food and it tasted great! Thankfully, Alex didn't tell us that he saw cockroaches in the restaurant until after we left. Because we were eating American food, we had a conversation about American things for the first time on our trip.
Sue and Caity stayed back at the hotel to wait for Bula, John's brother (John is one of the six Ghanaian students living at their home in Bismarck) to arrive. When he got there they visited for awhile and then had ice cream sundaes at the restaurant in the hotel. It was fun to get to know him.
Day 9
We left the hotel at about 8:30 a.m. and drove a good hour to City of Refuge in Doryum. We were met by the owners, Stacy and Johnbull Omerof (sp?), and they shared their vision for their ministry to children in the fishing slave trade in Ghana. Stacy is from Sioux Falls, SD and Johnbull is from Nigeria. Stacy went to the same Bible school as Pete an Steph. It is really a very small world! They are amazing people who are building a new school, home for the children, and a home for themselves on 20 acres that were given to their ministry. Currently they are living in a rented house and the children are schooled nearby. Right now they have about 20 children (orphans) in the school, but once the new school opens they will be able to have nearly 150 students. After a lunch of fried rice, chicken and salad (yes, we ate the salad after Stacy and Johnbull promised us it was washed with clean water). After lunch, Caity led a small team in teaching CPR and basic first aid to the school's teachers and young adults from the nearby village. It was a great experience and Caity was in heaven doing what she wants to do in life. Caity will return to City of Refuge after we all fly home to do some more teaching in the village and also some first aid for the residents.
Throughout the day, Stacy and Johnbull shared some stories of the children they've rescued and their approach to doing so. They are not forceful, but build relationships with the chief of the village and the masters of the fishing boats. For more information about this ministry go to http://www.cityofrefugeoutreach.com/.
On our way back to the hotel in Tema we stopped in Tema New Town, a very, very poor part of town. This coastal community is where they rescued two of their current children who were sold into slavery when they were 5 and 6 years old. These children had spent five years working from sun up to sun down with only one meal a day. Stacy and Johnbull introduced us to a group of single moms who they have been ministering to and teaching them to make jewelry as a means to support their families. We all bought some jewelry and played a bit with the children. Stephanie took out silly bands to give the children and was quickly mobbed. Six children were sitting in the dirt of the road playing a game and we stopped to watch. All they had was an old pencil and a pile of dirt, but boy were they having fun.
When it started to get dark we hopped on the bus and headed to the hotel. We all ate at the hotel restaurant and were joined by Bula, his mom and his sister. Bula's mom sells Kente cloth and many of us bought pieces from her. Now we are so tired and are going to bed.
P.S. We are leaving for Kpando tomorrow morning. This village is more remote and Internet could be unreliable. Don't be alarmed if you don't hear anything from us for a few days. We will be back in Tema Friday evening (July 15).
A lot of time today was spent traveling. I know we've mentioned the traffic already but I'm going to say it again. It's insane here. "Be aggressive, Be, Be Aggressive"...and if you're not, you don't move. Street signs and lights are almost completely none existent. Short distances take a long time. There would be no way I'd be able to drive in this...Praise Jesus for Islan!
First stop was the Korle-bu Hospital in Accra. We got a tour of the Physical Therapy department which was followed by a meeting with the vice president of the physiotherapy association for Africa (and he is also the vice president of the physiotherapy for Ghana), several physical therapy professors, the head of pediatric physiotherapy, and a physiotherapist. While the team sat in awe of Deb's professional interaction with these big wigs, Jillian and Alex slept in the seats behind the team and Stephanie's eyes were glazed over. Deb received a round of applause and lots of smiles when she said she had 30 years experience in physical therapy. The two teams - two cultures - discussed the possibility of a partnership that would benefit the PT program at the University of Ghana and the hospital. It was so cool to witness this diplomatic event. At one point in the meeting one of the Ghanaians raised his fist in the air and said, "We will be the first [to establish a sister school in the U.S.]."
We stopped by Dean's Guest House for lunch where they didn't have any menus so the waitress shared the four items that they make. Many of us ordered fresh pineapple juice and then we listened as the waitress told other customers near us that the pineapple juice was "finished." I guess we drank all they had. It was heaven in a kiddie cup with a straw! During our lunch we were serenaded by big black birds (which Jillian wanted to kill).
Back on the bus we settled in for the long drive to Tema. Once we checked into the hotel the team decided to go into town for dinner because we had been cooped up on the bus for so long. We had our first taste of American food and it tasted great! Thankfully, Alex didn't tell us that he saw cockroaches in the restaurant until after we left. Because we were eating American food, we had a conversation about American things for the first time on our trip.
Sue and Caity stayed back at the hotel to wait for Bula, John's brother (John is one of the six Ghanaian students living at their home in Bismarck) to arrive. When he got there they visited for awhile and then had ice cream sundaes at the restaurant in the hotel. It was fun to get to know him.
Day 9
We left the hotel at about 8:30 a.m. and drove a good hour to City of Refuge in Doryum. We were met by the owners, Stacy and Johnbull Omerof (sp?), and they shared their vision for their ministry to children in the fishing slave trade in Ghana. Stacy is from Sioux Falls, SD and Johnbull is from Nigeria. Stacy went to the same Bible school as Pete an Steph. It is really a very small world! They are amazing people who are building a new school, home for the children, and a home for themselves on 20 acres that were given to their ministry. Currently they are living in a rented house and the children are schooled nearby. Right now they have about 20 children (orphans) in the school, but once the new school opens they will be able to have nearly 150 students. After a lunch of fried rice, chicken and salad (yes, we ate the salad after Stacy and Johnbull promised us it was washed with clean water). After lunch, Caity led a small team in teaching CPR and basic first aid to the school's teachers and young adults from the nearby village. It was a great experience and Caity was in heaven doing what she wants to do in life. Caity will return to City of Refuge after we all fly home to do some more teaching in the village and also some first aid for the residents.
Throughout the day, Stacy and Johnbull shared some stories of the children they've rescued and their approach to doing so. They are not forceful, but build relationships with the chief of the village and the masters of the fishing boats. For more information about this ministry go to http://www.cityofrefugeoutreach.com/.
On our way back to the hotel in Tema we stopped in Tema New Town, a very, very poor part of town. This coastal community is where they rescued two of their current children who were sold into slavery when they were 5 and 6 years old. These children had spent five years working from sun up to sun down with only one meal a day. Stacy and Johnbull introduced us to a group of single moms who they have been ministering to and teaching them to make jewelry as a means to support their families. We all bought some jewelry and played a bit with the children. Stephanie took out silly bands to give the children and was quickly mobbed. Six children were sitting in the dirt of the road playing a game and we stopped to watch. All they had was an old pencil and a pile of dirt, but boy were they having fun.
When it started to get dark we hopped on the bus and headed to the hotel. We all ate at the hotel restaurant and were joined by Bula, his mom and his sister. Bula's mom sells Kente cloth and many of us bought pieces from her. Now we are so tired and are going to bed.
P.S. We are leaving for Kpando tomorrow morning. This village is more remote and Internet could be unreliable. Don't be alarmed if you don't hear anything from us for a few days. We will be back in Tema Friday evening (July 15).
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
okeraman - dog
Day 7 (I think)
We awoke in beautiful Accra to the sound of retching in room 245. Poor Alex was not doing well and Barb decided to stay at the hotel with him while the rest of the team drove to Every Child Ministries. As usual, traffic was crazy. But, we were very happy to have Islan back in the driver's seat (yesterday we had a different driver for the Compassion International bus and he was a crazy driver). We met Amanda (Katie Schindler's friend from Bismarck) and Kelsey at the junction and they jumped in the bus and showed us the rest of the way to their compound.
We took a quick tour of the boarding school which ended abruptly when the owner, Jim, was showing us his prized dog (a South African Boara bull (?) - which weighed about 150 lbs. He said we should look at his eyes because they appear to look right through you. Sue decided to take a gander when, all of a sudden, Zach (the dog) lunged at her and took her whole face in his mouth. Thankfully, he didn't bite, but his teeth bumped her cheek bone on one side and under her jaw on the other. The blood running down her face actually looked worse than it was. After making sure the dog was up-to-date on his shots, we all spent some time with the 150 children who attend the school, playing and taking pictures with them.
When the students went back to school, the team split up and got to work. Deb and Paulette spent some time with a 16-year-old girl who had had a stroke when she was nine. The rest of the team gathered paint supplies and attacked the boys' bath house with a coat of fresh paint inside. When school was almost over, Caity, Katie, Jillian, Stephanie and Sue spent about 15 minutes teaching the students about washing their hands properly, brushing their teeth, and how to poop when there is not a 'washroom' nearby (We did a skit that was hilarious!).
We spent the afternoon finishing up the painting, playing basketball and futbol, teaching the boys to juggle, throwing oranges at each other, and visiting the rabbit hutch. It was so hard to leave all these wonderful people, but we eventually said our goodbyes and hopped on the bus.
We arrived back at the hotel to find Alex doing a little better. Everyone took a shower and we congregated in the restaurant in the hotel to share a meal with Marfo (Samuel's brother), who stopped to visit us on his way home from work. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to Barb reminisce about Samuel's time in North Dakota and learning about Marfo's job at the UN.
Now it is time for bed. Tomorrow we head to Tema.
We awoke in beautiful Accra to the sound of retching in room 245. Poor Alex was not doing well and Barb decided to stay at the hotel with him while the rest of the team drove to Every Child Ministries. As usual, traffic was crazy. But, we were very happy to have Islan back in the driver's seat (yesterday we had a different driver for the Compassion International bus and he was a crazy driver). We met Amanda (Katie Schindler's friend from Bismarck) and Kelsey at the junction and they jumped in the bus and showed us the rest of the way to their compound.
We took a quick tour of the boarding school which ended abruptly when the owner, Jim, was showing us his prized dog (a South African Boara bull (?) - which weighed about 150 lbs. He said we should look at his eyes because they appear to look right through you. Sue decided to take a gander when, all of a sudden, Zach (the dog) lunged at her and took her whole face in his mouth. Thankfully, he didn't bite, but his teeth bumped her cheek bone on one side and under her jaw on the other. The blood running down her face actually looked worse than it was. After making sure the dog was up-to-date on his shots, we all spent some time with the 150 children who attend the school, playing and taking pictures with them.
When the students went back to school, the team split up and got to work. Deb and Paulette spent some time with a 16-year-old girl who had had a stroke when she was nine. The rest of the team gathered paint supplies and attacked the boys' bath house with a coat of fresh paint inside. When school was almost over, Caity, Katie, Jillian, Stephanie and Sue spent about 15 minutes teaching the students about washing their hands properly, brushing their teeth, and how to poop when there is not a 'washroom' nearby (We did a skit that was hilarious!).
We spent the afternoon finishing up the painting, playing basketball and futbol, teaching the boys to juggle, throwing oranges at each other, and visiting the rabbit hutch. It was so hard to leave all these wonderful people, but we eventually said our goodbyes and hopped on the bus.
We arrived back at the hotel to find Alex doing a little better. Everyone took a shower and we congregated in the restaurant in the hotel to share a meal with Marfo (Samuel's brother), who stopped to visit us on his way home from work. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to Barb reminisce about Samuel's time in North Dakota and learning about Marfo's job at the UN.
Now it is time for bed. Tomorrow we head to Tema.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Debbie - NO
Day 5
Today was an early day with Megan taking student pictures and a group picture at 7:30 a.m. The kids all loved having their pictures taken. Big smiles all around. We were all surprised at how smoothly the event went. Then each student was given a MAD Designs shirt, made by Breanne Skalicky (MAD stands for Make a Difference). They loved them!
After the students went back to school we packed and ate lunch. After lunch we had coconuts that were given to us by the mother of a girl that Collette gave a Bible to yesterday at church. Payne, a worker at the boarding school, cut open the coconuts with a machete. It was awesome! He had quite the audience.
We took some pictures and then sadly said our goodbyes to Andrea, Joe and Joshua and all the wonderful kids. We boarded the bus for the two-hour ride to Dorothy's village. She is a 10-year-old girl who Samuel and Kenneth had met before and she was in need of some fore arm crutches. We met her and her family and Barb, Deb and Katie Schindler worked with Dorothy to stretch her legs and demonstrated the exercises to Dorothy's mother so she can help her continue to grow strong enough to walk. Several of our team members needed to use the 'washroom,' a small 3-wall room, with a tile floor sloping toward a corner. No paper, no water, no nothing! It really got ugly when actually attempting to relieve ourselves. Pee hit the tile and flew everywhere, including the legs.
Back on the bus, we headed to Sam's parents' home where we dined on fried chicken in the back yard in the middle of a herd of goats, a flock of chickens, a gackle of cats and an audience of little Ghanaian children with their noses pressed to the wire fence. We heard a noise above us and looked up to see a chicken in the tree. Haha! Sam's parents were thrilled to see Barb and the team.
Back on the bus, we finished the drive to Accra where we settled into our very nice hotel with running water and flush toilets, which we haven't had since we arrived in Ghana. We were almost too pooped to poop, but since we had flush toilets we did it anyway.
Day 6
After very few hours of sleep (because Jillian kept Sue awake until the wee hours of the night), we met for breakfast and devotions in the lobby at 7:30 (it was supposed to start at 7). A few of the team members were on time. But, we won't mention who they are so their heads don't get too big. Today was Compassion Day. We were picked up by Albert from Compassion and took their bus to the Compassion offices. We were each given a sash with "Akwaaba" written on it (Do you readers remember what that means?) and a bracelet. We sat in the office and were told the history of Compassion in Accra and about Abigail, Barb and Dave Nash's Compassion child. Then the fun began! We took the bus to Abigail's school where we got to go into her classroom. Bennett, the Compassion coordinator, asked Barb to pick out Abigail. Barb's anxiety meter peaked! But, she walked slowly down one aisle and when she neared the end, Abigail stood up. All the students sang a song to us and the Ghana National Anthem. Then her teacher told the class to stay in their seats and wait for him. He got on our bus and rode to Abigail's house to meet her mother. Gifts were exchanged and then Abigail's teacher went back to school and we took Abigail and headed to the beach.
At the beach, we were talked into eating at tables on the sand right near the ocean. It was beautiful! After we ordered our food the vendors started swarming us, trying to sell their wares. Paulette was quite the bargainer. She "stuck to her guns" and never paid full price, but boy did she buy a lot. The vendors always start at a high price knowing that we will offer a lower price - it is the Ghanaian way to shop. Jillian spent a wad on a horse ride along the beach. She teased the man for ripping her off the rest of the afternoon every time he walked by with a new victim.
Abigail wanted to go into the ocean. She was hesitant at first, but soon she had Barb and Stephanie chest deep in the water, all laughing hysterically. They did this over and over for about an hour only coming out of the water when our food was ready. Barb and Abigail went for a horse back ride along the beach and bought matching necklaces and bracelets.
On the way back to Abigail's house, we stopped so Barb could buy Abigail's family some groceries. Then the time came to take Abigail back home. We all said our goodbyes and Barb even left her shoes for Abigail to keep.
Caity, Jillian, Sue and Sherif stayed behind and Caity and Jillian got their hair braided by three Ghanaian women near Abigail's house. When all was said and done and the 10 cedis were paid, Caity looked like a soccer ball and Jillian looked like Schmeigel from Lord of the Rings. If they didn't stand out already just being an abruni, they sure do now!
It was another great day.
P.S. Stephanie misses her hubby, Pete! ;)
Today was an early day with Megan taking student pictures and a group picture at 7:30 a.m. The kids all loved having their pictures taken. Big smiles all around. We were all surprised at how smoothly the event went. Then each student was given a MAD Designs shirt, made by Breanne Skalicky (MAD stands for Make a Difference). They loved them!
After the students went back to school we packed and ate lunch. After lunch we had coconuts that were given to us by the mother of a girl that Collette gave a Bible to yesterday at church. Payne, a worker at the boarding school, cut open the coconuts with a machete. It was awesome! He had quite the audience.
We took some pictures and then sadly said our goodbyes to Andrea, Joe and Joshua and all the wonderful kids. We boarded the bus for the two-hour ride to Dorothy's village. She is a 10-year-old girl who Samuel and Kenneth had met before and she was in need of some fore arm crutches. We met her and her family and Barb, Deb and Katie Schindler worked with Dorothy to stretch her legs and demonstrated the exercises to Dorothy's mother so she can help her continue to grow strong enough to walk. Several of our team members needed to use the 'washroom,' a small 3-wall room, with a tile floor sloping toward a corner. No paper, no water, no nothing! It really got ugly when actually attempting to relieve ourselves. Pee hit the tile and flew everywhere, including the legs.
Back on the bus, we headed to Sam's parents' home where we dined on fried chicken in the back yard in the middle of a herd of goats, a flock of chickens, a gackle of cats and an audience of little Ghanaian children with their noses pressed to the wire fence. We heard a noise above us and looked up to see a chicken in the tree. Haha! Sam's parents were thrilled to see Barb and the team.
Back on the bus, we finished the drive to Accra where we settled into our very nice hotel with running water and flush toilets, which we haven't had since we arrived in Ghana. We were almost too pooped to poop, but since we had flush toilets we did it anyway.
Day 6
After very few hours of sleep (because Jillian kept Sue awake until the wee hours of the night), we met for breakfast and devotions in the lobby at 7:30 (it was supposed to start at 7). A few of the team members were on time. But, we won't mention who they are so their heads don't get too big. Today was Compassion Day. We were picked up by Albert from Compassion and took their bus to the Compassion offices. We were each given a sash with "Akwaaba" written on it (Do you readers remember what that means?) and a bracelet. We sat in the office and were told the history of Compassion in Accra and about Abigail, Barb and Dave Nash's Compassion child. Then the fun began! We took the bus to Abigail's school where we got to go into her classroom. Bennett, the Compassion coordinator, asked Barb to pick out Abigail. Barb's anxiety meter peaked! But, she walked slowly down one aisle and when she neared the end, Abigail stood up. All the students sang a song to us and the Ghana National Anthem. Then her teacher told the class to stay in their seats and wait for him. He got on our bus and rode to Abigail's house to meet her mother. Gifts were exchanged and then Abigail's teacher went back to school and we took Abigail and headed to the beach.
At the beach, we were talked into eating at tables on the sand right near the ocean. It was beautiful! After we ordered our food the vendors started swarming us, trying to sell their wares. Paulette was quite the bargainer. She "stuck to her guns" and never paid full price, but boy did she buy a lot. The vendors always start at a high price knowing that we will offer a lower price - it is the Ghanaian way to shop. Jillian spent a wad on a horse ride along the beach. She teased the man for ripping her off the rest of the afternoon every time he walked by with a new victim.
Abigail wanted to go into the ocean. She was hesitant at first, but soon she had Barb and Stephanie chest deep in the water, all laughing hysterically. They did this over and over for about an hour only coming out of the water when our food was ready. Barb and Abigail went for a horse back ride along the beach and bought matching necklaces and bracelets.
On the way back to Abigail's house, we stopped so Barb could buy Abigail's family some groceries. Then the time came to take Abigail back home. We all said our goodbyes and Barb even left her shoes for Abigail to keep.
Caity, Jillian, Sue and Sherif stayed behind and Caity and Jillian got their hair braided by three Ghanaian women near Abigail's house. When all was said and done and the 10 cedis were paid, Caity looked like a soccer ball and Jillian looked like Schmeigel from Lord of the Rings. If they didn't stand out already just being an abruni, they sure do now!
It was another great day.
P.S. Stephanie misses her hubby, Pete! ;)
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Aiy yay - fine
Day 4
We woke up early again, for a genuine Ghanaian Sunday. First we had french toast for breakfast. Andrea does her best to make us comfortable by switching between American and Ghanaian style meals. So for lunch we got fish, complete with heads and fins, and mac and cheese, for the ones with weaker stomaches. aka me and Caity.
Then, we rounded up all the Mephibosheth children and made trips to get them all to church. Normally, when our bus isn't around, it takes them six trips to transport them all. GOD BLESS HER SOUL!
The youngest ones got to attend "Sunday school" in a small building beside the church. The different age groups were assigned a corner. It's amazing to see how people work with what they have. The service lasted about four hours, including Sunday school. Americans would have a fit if they had to miss opening -kick-off of their football games for a couple extra hours at church..
After church, we had to rush to get the children home before the rain came. We did not make it. It POURED. But it was so refreshing and beautiful. We finally had a break from the constant sweating today. We've all basically never so much in our lives. You could straight up ring us out.
We were so pooped when we got home, most of us fell into a nice afternoon coma. I had so much trouble waking up, they had to bribe me with lunch. Katie, Sue and Stephanie, didn't take a nap but instead brought the kids toys today that we had brought as gifts. They were bombarded, literally. It was complete chaos. But the happy kind. :) They loved them. They brought them colorful rings, that the kids put on their ears for "earrings." pretttyyyy.
The kids giggled forever when they saw their reflections in Sue's phone.
This evening, we attended youth group for a few hours, which was fun. We danced and sang and shook hands. Stephanie lead youth group again. The "Clap" game was an unbelievable sucess. In this game, Stephanie would clap her hands and they had to clap with her. If she stopped, and they clapped, they had to sit. It was so fun to see them really get into it. It is intended as a individual game but their interaction made it more of a group game. They had almost more fun "policing" each other than actually playing the game. The prize for winning was a gideon bible or snickers. The last 4 standing won a prize. Once the youth knew a bible was one of the prizes, a few of the youth ran up to Stephanie begging for a bible. "How can you say know to someone begging you for a bible?" said Stephanie. There wasn't enough, breaks a persons heart..... The service was interupting by Andera saying they had to rush Richard, one of the cerbal palsy children to the ER for stiches. We paused the service immediatly for prayer. Andera, Sue and Caity drove Richard to the ER. He probably actually needed about 10 stiches but the hospital here only gave him 5 after they talked him into 2 more. Andera had to pay before they would do anything. They had to hold him down while he was getting stiches because he was thrashing so much...poor guy!
All and all, it was a good day full of excitement. I think a few of us have found their home away from home...
We woke up early again, for a genuine Ghanaian Sunday. First we had french toast for breakfast. Andrea does her best to make us comfortable by switching between American and Ghanaian style meals. So for lunch we got fish, complete with heads and fins, and mac and cheese, for the ones with weaker stomaches. aka me and Caity.
Then, we rounded up all the Mephibosheth children and made trips to get them all to church. Normally, when our bus isn't around, it takes them six trips to transport them all. GOD BLESS HER SOUL!
The youngest ones got to attend "Sunday school" in a small building beside the church. The different age groups were assigned a corner. It's amazing to see how people work with what they have. The service lasted about four hours, including Sunday school. Americans would have a fit if they had to miss opening -kick-off of their football games for a couple extra hours at church..
After church, we had to rush to get the children home before the rain came. We did not make it. It POURED. But it was so refreshing and beautiful. We finally had a break from the constant sweating today. We've all basically never so much in our lives. You could straight up ring us out.
We were so pooped when we got home, most of us fell into a nice afternoon coma. I had so much trouble waking up, they had to bribe me with lunch. Katie, Sue and Stephanie, didn't take a nap but instead brought the kids toys today that we had brought as gifts. They were bombarded, literally. It was complete chaos. But the happy kind. :) They loved them. They brought them colorful rings, that the kids put on their ears for "earrings." pretttyyyy.
The kids giggled forever when they saw their reflections in Sue's phone.
This evening, we attended youth group for a few hours, which was fun. We danced and sang and shook hands. Stephanie lead youth group again. The "Clap" game was an unbelievable sucess. In this game, Stephanie would clap her hands and they had to clap with her. If she stopped, and they clapped, they had to sit. It was so fun to see them really get into it. It is intended as a individual game but their interaction made it more of a group game. They had almost more fun "policing" each other than actually playing the game. The prize for winning was a gideon bible or snickers. The last 4 standing won a prize. Once the youth knew a bible was one of the prizes, a few of the youth ran up to Stephanie begging for a bible. "How can you say know to someone begging you for a bible?" said Stephanie. There wasn't enough, breaks a persons heart..... The service was interupting by Andera saying they had to rush Richard, one of the cerbal palsy children to the ER for stiches. We paused the service immediatly for prayer. Andera, Sue and Caity drove Richard to the ER. He probably actually needed about 10 stiches but the hospital here only gave him 5 after they talked him into 2 more. Andera had to pay before they would do anything. They had to hold him down while he was getting stiches because he was thrashing so much...poor guy!
All and all, it was a good day full of excitement. I think a few of us have found their home away from home...
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Abruni-White folk
Day 3
Our relatively sleepless night ended in an early start this morning at the crack of dawn. aka 6 a.m. We got to be tourists today and visit some cool sites. First we went to the Kaukum National Park for a canopy walk. BEWARE OF HEIGHTS. It was basically the Amazon, but with all the animals scared away. Its much too noisy for any sane animal to be within eyesight. Anyways, it was pretty much creaky boards nailed together the hotdog way with ropes to hold on to at arm's length (for a false sense of security) about three stories above the floor of the rainforest. P.S. no one died.
Next stop, Elmina, to visit the slave castle along the coast. We took a tour and lots of pictures. It was very powerful and we learned quite a bit. You could feel the mist of the ocean in the air, and the sand was unbelievably soft, but unfortunately covered in garbage and decomposing fishies. The city of Elmina is in extreme poverty-it really made us think about how good we have it.....
Before we left the house this morning, Andrea gave us a few tips. Stephanie and I had trouble...
#1. Avoid eye contact with the street vendors (tons of children with products in bowls and baskets carried on their heads.) The reason being, they will automatically assume that they can persuade you to make a purchase. They are extremely persistent and it's really hard to turn them down. They're good at what they do... We feel so compelled to help them. #2. Never tell them your name. They will find you later and have bracelets or seashells with your name on them. They make you feel bad if you don't purchase them, because who else would they sell a Stephanie bracelet to? And that is why Stephanie will never forget her name. She ended up with two bracelets and a seashell. She also gave away her hat and sunglasses and emptied the food from her bag, which is a little bit crazy. It sounds super compassionate and awesome of her, but she pretty much just cracked (she wanted me to make sure you understand it was out of love. :) )
But don't worry, we will try to tame her down a bit so she doesn't come back to America in the nude.
Then we went to Cape Coast to shop and see the beach. Colette, Paulette, Stephanie and Barb took pictures by the ocean while the rest of us wandered. I found so much awesome stuff, the team began to worry I would run out of money on my third day in Ghana. Katie and Caity played futbol with the kids in a dirt lot in the middle of town. They had a lot of fun and got a great workout, too. Alex and I sat on the curbs with the younger kids and goofed around. Then Andrea sent us to a vendor friend of hers for some good deals on Ghanaian fabric. Even Alex got into that shopping.
Our relatively sleepless night ended in an early start this morning at the crack of dawn. aka 6 a.m. We got to be tourists today and visit some cool sites. First we went to the Kaukum National Park for a canopy walk. BEWARE OF HEIGHTS. It was basically the Amazon, but with all the animals scared away. Its much too noisy for any sane animal to be within eyesight. Anyways, it was pretty much creaky boards nailed together the hotdog way with ropes to hold on to at arm's length (for a false sense of security) about three stories above the floor of the rainforest. P.S. no one died.
Next stop, Elmina, to visit the slave castle along the coast. We took a tour and lots of pictures. It was very powerful and we learned quite a bit. You could feel the mist of the ocean in the air, and the sand was unbelievably soft, but unfortunately covered in garbage and decomposing fishies. The city of Elmina is in extreme poverty-it really made us think about how good we have it.....
Before we left the house this morning, Andrea gave us a few tips. Stephanie and I had trouble...
#1. Avoid eye contact with the street vendors (tons of children with products in bowls and baskets carried on their heads.) The reason being, they will automatically assume that they can persuade you to make a purchase. They are extremely persistent and it's really hard to turn them down. They're good at what they do... We feel so compelled to help them. #2. Never tell them your name. They will find you later and have bracelets or seashells with your name on them. They make you feel bad if you don't purchase them, because who else would they sell a Stephanie bracelet to? And that is why Stephanie will never forget her name. She ended up with two bracelets and a seashell. She also gave away her hat and sunglasses and emptied the food from her bag, which is a little bit crazy. It sounds super compassionate and awesome of her, but she pretty much just cracked (she wanted me to make sure you understand it was out of love. :) )
But don't worry, we will try to tame her down a bit so she doesn't come back to America in the nude.
Then we went to Cape Coast to shop and see the beach. Colette, Paulette, Stephanie and Barb took pictures by the ocean while the rest of us wandered. I found so much awesome stuff, the team began to worry I would run out of money on my third day in Ghana. Katie and Caity played futbol with the kids in a dirt lot in the middle of town. They had a lot of fun and got a great workout, too. Alex and I sat on the curbs with the younger kids and goofed around. Then Andrea sent us to a vendor friend of hers for some good deals on Ghanaian fabric. Even Alex got into that shopping.
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