Archive for June, 2011

Although I have to admit that I am one of the few that loves change, it is so great to finally be in a daily routine here in Africa. Now that we are at Sam’s Place for the remainder of our stay in Kenya, we have been able to maintain a relatively structured day. On school days we wake up at 7, layer on mosquito repellent, and eat breakfast before class begins at 8. Then, Savannah, Bonnie, and I each teach our own classes, subjects including English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Bible, and ending with Computer or Music on alternating days. The children have come to love computer class, always asking me when our class gets to go and then not wanting to leave once our time slot is over. Music class has become one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. We write children bible songs on the chalkboard and then teach the children them in sign so that we can “sing” them together. One of their favorites is “My God is so big, so strong, and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do!” We’ve also constructed a makeshift drum out of a large water container and use sticks to beat on it with. Although the children are unable to hear the drum, they can feel the vibration and enjoy dancing to the beat. We’ve discovered that one particular boy, Elphas, has excellent rhythm. Elphas is 15 years old and came to Sam’s Place about 5 months ago. Before Sam’s Place, he had never been to school. He has progressed so much and has a desire and willingness to learn that is not surmounted by anyone!

In the afternoon, we’ve made it a routine to walk to Rongo, which takes about 30-45 minute, to visit with the locals and to explore the town and market. On Monday, Nancy accompanied us and on Tuesday, a neighbor of Sam’s Place, Ben, joined Bonnie and I. Ben taught us many words in the Luo language, the mother tounge of Rongo. As we walked, Bonnie and I greeted people with “Amosi”, “Owimore”, and “Idhi nade” and every single time the people would laugh while responding! We were starting to doubt our teacher when someone finally told us that they’ve never heard a “mazungu” (white person) speak their native language. We became quite popular after that! Wednesday is market day and we were all very excited to see Rongo at it’s busiest. Jennas and Jane, teachers at Sam’s Place, both of whom are deaf, and Naomi took us to Rongo, where we had a bit of an incident. Two men would not leave Savannah, Bonnie, and I alone, grabbing our arms and following us down the road. One even offered me a marriage proposal! Naomi, a very kind and gentle woman, became very protective and made us promise not to come to Rongo alone and we hastily agreed. Savannah has been wanting to take a “piki piki” taxi (motorcycle) this entire trip, so on the way home, we took them in the rain. It was terrifying, especially since we weren’t wearing helmets (sorry mom) After our walks, we play with the kids or help them with their homework until dinner is ready. After dinner, the children lead songs (many that we have taught them) and prayers and then Simeon provides an enthusiastic lesson that even the children who do not know sign can understand. Simeon is truly a Godly man and a blessing to Sam’s Place.

A couple of other random happenings, it has been raining every single day, which is a blessing because Kenya frequently has droughts, but also means more mosquitoes. I have discovered millions (maybe a slight exaggeration) bites on my body so let’s just pray that our Malaria medication works! Also, we’ve taught the children a new past time, hand games! The older ones we can teach more complex games such as Double Double This This and Boom Snap Clap, but the younger ones are content with just slapping your hand over and over. They’ve even moved on from just playing with Savannah, Bonnie, and I to playing with each other. For meals meat is hardly ever provided, so when they do prepare it for dinner, it is fascinating to watch the children gnaw it down to the bone. The youngest girl, Caroline, who is 6 years old, literally tries to eat the bone as well! Lastly, one of the little girl’s here named Orpah has had a loose tooth since we arrived at Sam’s Place 4 weeks ago. On Tuesday I finally pulled it out! All of the children gathered around me in awe as I showed them the tooth (which I might add was rotted). That same little girl has been sick for the past couple of weeks and we found out Wednesday that she has worms. Bonnie also woke up sick today and was unable to teach, staying in bed all day. Please pray for Orpah and Bonnie’s quick recovery!

We leave here in exactly 4 weeks from today. We are halfway through our time in Kenya and I can’t believe how fast it has gone by. I am so thankful that I am here. At night we go upstairs and hug and kiss each child, reminding them that we love them and will see them tomorrow. I have never in all my life met such appreciative children and I am beyond blessed to have been given such an amazing opportunity. God has shown me love and faith that I have never experienced and I can’t wait to see what else He has in store for us the rest of our time here.

well yesterday was the day we made it to Lake Volta. It was a day full of craziness. We had to get up at 5am because our bus was coming to pick us up at 5:30, and there was a huge storm the night before so the thunder and lightning kept most of us up, so needless to say, 5 came real early yesterday. We drove into town to catch another big bus. While waiting we met 3 guys from Newcastle England – Josh, Ed, and Doug. They are spending 8 weeks here doing something with their university…it kind of sounded like study abroad but they are medical students and one of the classes they take is to go somewhere and work with a hospital in their host country. We spent pretty much all our traveling talking to them.
The bus to the lake took about an hour and a half from where we are staying. When we got off the bus we were all standing in around in a circle just talking to each other when i noticed the crazy lady.
[[Okay now for those of your pirates of the Caribbean fans, think back to the second movie i think? well the part when they get in that tiny boat and go through a swamp type place and meet the crazy voodoo lady with dreads.]] OKAY she lives in Ghana. haha. While we were standing there talking i see her coming up to us, and no one else saw her because their backs were turned. She was giving me the death stare and moving her hands around in a weird way witch like way while talking to herself in twi so sadly i couldnt understand her. By the time she was a few feet behind us i told everyone to not freak out or turn around at the same time, but there is a crazy lady behind yall. Haha and of course they all turn around at the same time. She went a little nuts saying things and moving her hands around us like she was casting a spell upon us. We referred to her as calypso for the rest of the day. At one point, how she did this i have no idea. She ended up right behind me. It scared me so bad because i wasn’t expecting her to be there.

Anyways that was fun. We then got on a ferry to cross the Lake. For those of yall who havent heard of Lake Volta, it is the largest man made lake in the world as well as the home to many children who have been sold into modern day slavery and made to be fisherman. Many of the kids from the village of hope have been rescued off of this lake. We saw many fishing boats out on the water when we crossed. Kind of surreal. When we made it to the other side we drove a good 2 hours into town and walked around there for awhile. Went to the local hospital, radio station and school. When we were done we rode a tro tro (which is a taxi van that crams well over 25 people into it) back to the lake. Instead of waiting for the ferry to get back, we took an actual fishing boat to cross the lake. Being on an actual fishing boat on the Volta lake was crazy. I just thought of all the kids that have to be out there everyday. When we made it to the other side we were greeted by all these young boys helping us get out of the boat.When we got out we walked through mud houses and everyone said hello. This country may have the most hospitable people, i love it.

We finally made it home at around 6 and we went to bed not too long after that haha. The experience was awesome and i am so grateful we had the opportunity to go see it first hand. If you have never heard of this place, go to touch a life foundation website and watch the video about lake volta in their videos. Def eye opening!

We go back to the village of hope on thursday!!! I am SOOO excited to go back and be with those kids but i am going to miss the kids here as well. It will be bitter sweet for sure.

I hope everyone back home is happy and healthy. Everyone here is doing just fine and enjoying Africa.

Long time no blog! This week has been a little different than the previous couple of weeks. Two Thursdays ago (June 16^th) Savannah, Bonnie, and I were sent out on a special mission to retrieve the last needed supplies for Sam’s Place. So we started at Nakumatt in Kisii and picked up school supplies and toys, and then headed to a couple of book stores to pick up school books. On our way back to Rongo, we stopped at Lance’s School for the Deaf, an extremely poor school of about 50 children. The children danced for us and then invited us to dance with them! They were so much better than we were but it was such an awesome experience! After their (and I suppose our) performance, they prepared lunch for us and generously provided us the luxury of cokes as well, but our group could not help but feel guilty for eating after seeing the children’s torn clothing and makeshift buildings. The would not take no for an answer, however, and happily served us sakuma wiki and oogali. Later that afternoon, we met with the mission team, the current Sam’s Place teachers and volunteers, and Simeon (the director of Sam’s Place) to discuss the new curriculum for the children. That night we watched Out of Africa in order to prepare ourselves for the next couple of days. On Friday, we woke up at 5:45 and said goodbye to the children, promising over and over that Savannah, Bonnie, and I would be back in a couple of days. We then drove 3 hours to Nakuru, stopping for lunch at a beautiful tea room that housed monkeys that we got to feed! Once we reached Nakuru, we went shopping, and I should say bartering, at the market for goods to bring back to S. 11^th and Willis Church of Christ. That night, as we drove down the streets of Nakuru, many children banged on the doors of our mutatu (van) begging for money. It was so hard not to reach into your purse and pull out a few shillings, but the natives we were with explained that the money they receive goes to buying glue to sniff. This was an upsetting realization, however, it was reassuring to hear that there is a program called Made in the Streets created in order to help street children with glue addictions.

Saturday was a full and fun day. We started the day off early with a safari in the Nakuru National Game Park, the location of the safari scenes in Out of Africa. Right when we entered the park, we arrived at the lake of flamingos, the famous scene in which the plane took off in Out of Africa. Bonnie, Mitchell, and I decided that we were not as close as we would like to be in the van, so we took off on foot to the edge of the flamingo lake. After exploring, we noticed a pack of zebras not too far away and walked to where we were within a few feet of them! They were beautiful! After that incident, we were advised to stay in the van by a worried driver but saw antelopes, giraffes, hyenas, wildebeests, and baboons (to name a few) from the safety of our seats (we did try to walk to the giraffes but hastily ran back to the van when the driver yelled that there could be lions…). We traveled up a steep hill and found ourselves at the picnic sight in Out of Africa, coincidentally the most breathtaking view I’ve ever seen! After the game park, we traveled to Karen Blixen’s (the main character in Out of Africa, played by Meryll Streep) house in Nairobi and took a tour of her property. Last, and my personal favorite, stop of the day was at the giraffe feeding park where we fed, petted, hugged, and kissed real life giraffes! From here we went to the airport where we dropped off the majority of our mission team. From Sunday to Wednesday, Savannah, Bonnie, and I vacationed in Nairobi, and by that I mean we slept, ate, periodically walked around Nairobi, oh and slept. We left for Rongo on Thursday, and we could not have been more ready to get back to the kids! Driving up to Sam’s Place was very similar to a scene you would see in a movie…they all ran up to the van waving and signing “I Love You!” I can’t even fathom the heartache I’m going to feel in 5 weeks when we leave for good.

On Friday, we started our first typical day at Sam’s Place: we woke up at 7, had chai for breakfast, and then Savannah, Bonnie, and I each taught our own class until lunch. Our biggest challenge so far concerning teaching has been computer class after lunch. It is very difficult to explain to people (and by people I mean the children as well as their teachers that will be responsible for teaching them computers once we leave) how to use a devise that they’ve never seen before. Everyone was enthralled with the typing program we were using and after a good 2 hours, we convinced the children to go play while the teachers stayed and practiced until one by one the computers began to die.

One of my favorite times of the day here at Sam’s Place is every night after dinner the children sign songs and then Simeon provides a lesson. The children are so enthralled with Simeon’s stories about Jesus and the bible and it breaks my heart (in the good way) to see how much excitement and love these children have for God. On Saturday, we walked to Rongo with Nancy, Naomi’s (Simeon’s wife) niece, and then helped her cook dinner…did I mention she’s an amazing cook? Today, Sunday, we had church with the children and then went to church in Kisii with Simeon, Naomi, William (their son), and Nancy. What an amazing experience! It was much less formal than church in America. When someone had a song to sing, they went to the front and lead it. They introduced us to the entire congregation and then asked us to sing a song for them, so obligingly we stood up and sang “Father God” for the congregation and they loved it! Kenyans are very welcoming and hospitable, and this congregation was no exception. They were so appreciative that we came to church and kept shaking our hands and inviting us to their homes. When we got back to Sam’s Place later that afternoon, we played with the kids until we were completely sweaty and bug bitten. This past week has been out of the ordinary and although it was fun and relaxing, I could not be more ready to get into the routine of teaching and playing with the kids! One thing I’ve already realized is that my being here isn’t only to help these children grow emotionally, educationally, and spiritually; God has placed me in this specific location with these specific people in order for them to help me grow as well. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. No matter how much you pray, read your bible, or contemplate on God, you will never be at your fullest spiritual potential. God’s will is for us to constantly be growing in Him and my experience here in Kenya is just another way that God is enabling me to grow. I’m one of those people who believes that everything happens for a reason; God doesn’t leave things up to chance. He purposefully places people in your life to change you for the better. God desires nothing more than for you to grow closer to Him. Every day that I’m here I feel God working through and within me. I hope for nothing more than to do as much good for these children as humanly possible, but I know that God’s plan might just be for them to do as much good for me as I hope to do for them.

ok so ghana is really cool.

lately i have moved from the classroom to construction work. i was having a lot of fun teaching, but i really love construction work. the workers are so much stronger and faster than me so i feel like i have to outwork them to keep up. the only problem is their work ethic is also a lot better than mine.

we leave nkwatia to go back to the village on thursday and tho im really looking forward to being back with the kids and the beach, but there is a lot i will miss about nkwatia. first there’s the van that takes us to and from school. its a vw bus circa whenever vw busses stopped being cool. the battery is by the door, the engine is under the drivers seat and the radiator is under the passenger seat. the back windshield is made of scotch tape, the doors are all stuck and they cram like 40 kids and there. and thats a conservative estimate. then there’s richmond. richmond is the headmaster at church of christ school nkwatia. he looks shockingly like randall from monsters inc. he loves the kids so much and our wellbeing is so high on his priorities. he’s one of the most gentle people i know. then there’s christopher, the preacher. he is such a man of god. his knowledge of the word is so solid and he’s so goofy. he’s such a character i love him. then there’s the whether. its a lot cooler up in the mountains than down in fetteh.

more updates later.

Wow! What a week! Last week was the week-long lectureship that included a teen camp called Camp Alofa (love), the VBS, and the main speaker. It all went so well! We woke up Monday morning ready to go and headed off to Camp Alofa. It all started out with an hour of great devotional time of singing, a devotional talk, and the daily memory verse. I led the singing each morning and it was such a wonderful blessing to be in front of those kids doing what I love to do and watching them really getting into the songs. The Samoans love to sing and sing their hearts out on every song. It’s really a great encouragement. We played Ultimate Frisbee, had a speaker each day who gave a great lesson and activities each day, and learned some new songs at the end of the day. On Friday, we hiked 3 miles up to the top of the Mount Alava. It was a beautiful hike and not very easy, but every single person made it and we all had a great time during the week. Kristen and I acted as counselors/leaders and did what we were asked to do and helped where we could help. It was a successful first year of Camp Alofa and we look forward to seeing it grow and see what it will become in future years. It looks to have great potential. This year was only a day camp from 10-4 each day, but it is sure to become a week of camp where the campers come to stay for the week!

VBS was Kristen’s and my thing. We were completely in charge and had a great time. Each day we taught a different aspect of God’s love. To go into detail would take pages and pages, so a brief overview should suffice. We had about 50 kids each night. I think our lowest number was 42 and our highest was 57. Usually it stayed right around 47-48. We began with a few songs and had a memory verse for the week that the kids had memorized by the end of the week with no problem. We would then split them up into 4 color groups. Each of the groups would go to different stations: craft, activity, and story time. Two groups would go to the craft so they had 20 minutes there while the other 2 groups had 10 minutes at each station, then switched. The first day was ‘God Loves Me.’ Our big thing for the first day was the craft. Each of the kids had paint put on their hands and they positioned their hands so that the thumb and pointer finger on each hand joined to make a heart. Then we wrote God Loves Me in English and Samoan off the other fingers and took a picture of them for us to put their picture in the middle of the heart. We gave those back to them at the end of the week after we had time to put those together for them. They really liked those. Day 2 was God’s Love is Giving. We did thank you cards to God for that. Day 3 was God’s Love is Unfailing. I did the activity for that day. It was my favorite activity. We started with everyone in a circle just touching fingers. I told them that their fingers represented God’s love and that I was the Devil. I just walked in and out of their fingers and asked them if that was a good example of God’s love if I was able to just walk through it like it was nothing. Then they all held hands and, while it was harder to get through, with a little fighting I was able to break their hands apart and make the same point. Then they linked arms together and no matter how hard I tried, I could not get through their arms. They really liked that example and really understood it. God’s Love is Unfailing. Day 4 was God’s Love is Never-ending/Forever. They made bracelets with Kristen and they played follow the leader with me until we were in a circle that represented God’s love going around and around forever. Day 5 was God’s Love is Shining. It was a big day and it was a lot of fun. They made magnets for their friends and we played a game to show how quickly God’s love can grow if you just tell a few friends and they tell their friends. At the end of our time there we gave each of them a glow-in-the-dark cross that they wore. Kristen had a glow-in-the-dark heart wand and I had a night light in the shape of a heart. We all got in a big circle and turned out all the lights (the one light we had under the tarp we had VBS in) and it was just so cool. We sang This Little Light of Mine and some other songs and just had a blast.

All in all, the week went extremely well. Kristen and I are so blessed to have had such a successful time here and are looking forward to getting back to the states and presenting what we did to all those who supported us. We leave out of American Samoa on Monday. We could not have asked for a better summer…and it’s not over yet!

The words delirious—cold—and sweet-awesome come to mind when I think back on camp. 

Delirious—I had the privilege of running a ridiculously high fever the entire time I was there, so my experience was a bit different than it would have been otherwise.  However, looking back I still would have gone even if I knew that the bronchitis was going to get worse.  In the end the good moments made up for the bad.

Cold—This adjective ties into my feverish state more than anything, but in my defense it was pretty cold to everyone else as well.  I spent a good deal of my time standing or sitting by the fire [keeping warm], and I got to know some of the more cold blooded people in church.  Yes, I am looking for the bright side, but nevertheless fire and nice conversation are indeed blessings from God. 

Sweet-Awesome—Now for the fun stuff.  There were plenty of times when my fever subsided for a bit or whatever activity it was captured my attention enough that I didn’t care.  For starters, during every free time period different people would break out their guitars, and form jam sessions/sing-a-longs with everyone.  Percussionists would pop out from everywhere to play along.  I did not always know the songs, but the music made me want to join in anyway. Argentines definitely know how to have a good time.

There were two planned group activities for everyone to be involved in.  The first was a scavenger hunt with four teams.  Lets just say they can be pretty competitive.  There were even two accounts of someone [not a young person—that would be more common] telling everyone that the game was over when it was not.  We actually lost a few teammates during the first mass confusion.  One of the tasks in the scavenger hunt was to get everyone on a bridge and take a silly picture, which is what one of the pics portrays.  In the end team rojo won [with some thanks to their devious ways] and to celebrate their victory they formed an earth shaking mosh pit that roared ”team rojo” continuously [adults too/Osvaldo].  :D  It was a sight to behold. The second activity was just a computer version of wheel of fortune, and yet somehow it reminded me of the Superbowl. 

The camp as a whole brought Brooke and I a lot closer to the church here.  It was a good way to get to know everyone.  There were about three classes per day for everyone.  Brooke and I helped plan [ahead of time] for the childrens classes.  I wish I could tell you more about what was said in the main classes, but I was half out of it so much that I honestly can only tell you that there were deep discussions on being “bold and courageous Christians”.  The relevence of that topic is greatly due to the impact of being a non-Catholic church in a Catholic world.  I got to speak to several people about this, and everyone that I spoke to has been affected by this reality.  Many come up against friends at the Universities or even relatives who are confused by “their” Christianity or simply disagree with it.  The church at Caballito is definitely a minority and they struggle with the majority every day.  

Looking back I find that my favorite part was getting the bus stuck in the mud just 10 feet away from camp. We thought we were home free, but nope.  There is nothing like pushing a bus to bring people together.  So if ever you are planning an ice-breaker get a bus.  :D  

Chau for now!

Interesting fact:  They always served cookies for breakfast [Argentines like their sweets in the morning].

So around this time last year, we were here in nkwatia and Brittany Hunt got the news that one of her grandparents had passed away. I dont know what the deal is with being here, but today we got the news that one of the drivers at the Village of Hope passed away. His name was Michael and one of my favorite adults here. I really got to know him last year on our numerous trips here and there. The second Sunday we were in Ghana this summer, he came up behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and when i turned around he had the biggest smile on his face. I screamed and gave him a big hug and he said its so good to have you back here. Though I only knew him for a short time in my life, he is going to be missed. He leaves behind a wife and kids. He was up here last week dropping some things off and i was outside talking to him and he said he wasnt feeling good. Never in a million years thought that goodbye was going to be the last.
I hope that his family and everyone at the village of hope knows hes with our father and is in no more pain. I pray that his family feels God’s arms around them in this time of sorrow. Anytime id run into Michael he’d always ask how i was doing and hoped i was well.
Michael – ‘Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
-Philemon 1:7
I just want everyone to cherish the life they have. Whether they are going through a tough time or are having the time of your life, you can never say i love you enough….to the ones who mean the most to you.

So to my family and friends, i love you to the moon and back. You each have played a certain part in my life who have made me the way i am today.

This is my first post. Sorry I have been so bad at blogging! Paige and I have been in Singapore for almost 3 weeks now. The church we are working with is Church of Christ Moulmein. It is hard to put all the experiences into a blog post. When we arrived in Singapore we went straight to Malaysia for the church’s camp. The camp was at a hotel and the whole church went. Everyone from babies to elders. It was really great getting to meet the whole church and start forming relationships so fast. Paige and I helped out with the kids and did the vbs with them. The young adults in the church are so welcoming and fun to hang out with. Since we returned from Malaysia Paige and I have done some exploring of the beautiful city and our new friends have showed us around. We are putting together teaching videos of the speakers the church has had in the past so that they can put them up on the website and other churches can use them. We have also been working with Friends of the Disabled Society and have hung out with them. Paige also taught them how to do one of her own crafts. We have been working with the children’s ministry, the youth, and hanging out and doing bible studys with the young adults. God has been so good! I hope everyone else is having the time of their lives and growing in the Lord. I’m praying for all of you!
Berkeley

For a more aesthetically pleasing blog, complete with pictures, see http://jkthailand.blogspot.com.

You may have noticed that we seem to be doing very little “work” here in Thailand. That’s the impression I get when skimming back through my blog posts and scrolling through the pictures I’ve posted to Facebook. You may be wondering what we’re doing out here besides teaching a few English classes, eating, hanging out, and climbing waterfalls.

Okay fine, so we’re pretty much just eating, hanging out, and climbing waterfalls. And teaching some English. But that’s exactly what we should be doing, and I promise I won’t just be using subtle rhetorical tricks and clever word choices to make a summer of having fun seem like “ministry.”

When we eat all the delectable Thai food I’ve talked about, we’re usually eating with Thai and Chinese students we’ve met at Payap University or with members of the Payap Church. Many of them also join us for dinner on Thursday nights when all the church members get together for Cell Group. When we spend entire afternoons hanging out and playing games and going to local coffee shops, then evenings wandering the city and seeing movies, we’re with these same students and church members. Many of these students start coming around because they want to get to know a bunch of “farongs” and practice their English; then, we try to encourage them to continue coming and get to know the church members so that when we leave they won’t leave too.

We’re here to have relationships with the Thais. Most of them are college-aged students, so these relationships look a lot like “just hanging out.” Everyone who works here long-term says that without us being here, very few new people would ever end up coming around to begin with. We try to welcome them and invite them to be a part of the community here, so we take group trips to spend a day at a waterfall or have dinner downtown. The rest can develop from there if they want it to. Just look at how youth ministers spend their summers; I rest my case.

And now for the cast of characters:

Tum (“Tuhm”) is studying linguistics at Payap, and he and I study advanced English from a TOEFL book three times a week. I also get a ten-minute mini-linguistics lesson because I find it fascinating and because Tum is incredibly intelligent, even if a tad awkward. He’s studying linguistics so that he can develop a written language for the hill tribe he comes from. Which is suutnyaaht, awesome.

Palm (“Pahm”) is a Payap student who wants to learn English, graduate, and one day start his own business modeled after philanthropic ones like TOMS Shoes because he grew up poor, is paying his own way through college, and wants to help other people like himself. He doesn’t have many friends, at least that we can tell, and he’s already become a regular part of our group and comes around nearly every day. He also really likes rabbits and brought his pet rabbit, Moo Grawbp (Crispy Pork) to visit us one day. That’s (mostly) why he wears Playboy glasses, he says—they have a rabbit on them. Right…

Sea Game (by the way, these are all nicknames because their given names are all exceptionally long; but don’t ask me how they come up with ones like this one) is a high school student who wants to learn English so that he can pass the TOEFL test and study in America. He’s a great teacher when it comes to learning Thai.

Iris, Ivy, Faith, Michelle, and Piiyao are Chinese students studying abroad in Thailand for the year. Remember the little aliens from Toy Story who all look similar and respond to things in unison? Well, just envision them as 19-year-old Chinese girls, and you’ve met this group. I study English with them, and Fish is continuing some Bible studies that they’d already started, and they teach us some Chinese. Ivy wants to be a tour guide, so we let her practice by showing us around, and Piiyao wants to become a professor in China. They’re all going back to China in a few weeks, and we’ll miss them.

We also spend a lot of time getting to know the church members. Ball (“Bon,” don’t ask), the other intern here, is a self-proclaimed soccer “superstar” and likes to teach us various slang Thai phrases. Berm (“Bum”) was the first member of the church here and is now an art teacher who breeds chihuahuas on the side. Then there’s Ying and Ahn and Ohn and Uhn and several others whose names sound the same except for a slight difference in vowel sound or intonation. And they’re all wonderful, even when you call them the wrong name.

Hope that gives a somewhat better idea of what we’re up to all summer. Miss you all and love you all! Now off to coffee…

Hello Everyone! So we all have been here three weeks in Africa, and everything is going well.  Sorry about the lack of updates; the Internet access is pretty limited up where we are currently staying!  About a week ago we traveled to Village of Hope’s other school location in Nkwatia, a small town in the mountains.  It is much cooler here and less humid (praise the Lord!), but it is still tropical.  I love it here in this location: it is truly beautiful.  The school here is understaffed and in need of teachers, so we have been going up everyday to each and assist in any way we can.  This has been a wonderful experience for me personally, especially since I desire to go into teaching.  I have been learning so much.  It is very different from the U.S. (on the first day I had to take away a machete in class, rather than a cell phone), and teaching has been excellent way to learn about the Ghanaian culture and people, as well as connecting with the kids.  We are all doing well, though Ashton had a malaria scare after falling ill a few days ago.  However, it turns out it was not malaria, and she is already feeling much better.

We will be in Nkwatia for the next week and a half, and will then travel back to the Village of Hope in Fetteh.  Out time here so far has been full of interesting adventures, including exploring the town and hiking to the highest habitable point in Ghana, killing spiders as big as my palm, tasting starfruit, riding in a small van with thirty kids to and from school, coming up with creative ways to eat rice and potatoes, and planning the demise of the rooster that wakes us up at 5:30 a.m. everyday. Next week we will be having a soccer match at the school (faculty vs. junior high), so hopefully I will be able to recall the skills I had in high school!

Thank you for all your prayers – God has been so good to us here.  I feel that I am learning more about Him everyday that I am here and how to be more fully led and guided by the Holy Spirit in all of my actions and words.  Learning to have complete reliance on Him is a wonderful adventure.  I hope to update you all again soon, hopefully with good news about the soccer match!