Archive for ‘Accra, Ghana’

25 Commentsby   |  07.22.11  |  Accra, Ghana

Well, tonight is the night that I will sit in my room, look at all my pictures from the summer and make sure I have everything packed up. I cant believe it is Friday the 22nd. It really does feel like yesterday that we finally made it to the Ghana airport and saw the big AKWABA (welcome) sign above the door. This summer was a blast and I am so thankful I got to spend it here with these kids again in this beautiful country. This time around I got to see alot more than last year. I was able to visit lake volta and actually feel the water with my hand as we were rowed across. How many hands i’ve held that has grown up in that water made it so weird yet gratifying to be there. In my mind I’ve always had such a negative conotation with the words ‘lake volta’. After being there, though it is a beautiful lake surrounded by lush moutains, the conotation was still there. Every child I saw on the shore line when we made it to the other side, which were many, just made me hope for them, that they weren’t being treated as badly as some of the stories I have heard from the kids here.

Also another highlight from this summer was going back to Nkwatia. Yes I honestly was dreading going up there again but when we got there and the teachers remembered me by name as well as some of the kids really made it worth it. Many of the kids ran up to me and stared for a second and said, ‘Ah! I remember your face, very familiar! Then they brought me into the computer room and pointed to a picture on the wall. A picture of Brittany, Laci, and myself as well as all the teachers. I don’t want to say I made an impact on any one there or here for that matter, but just hearing them remember who I was even though I was there for only 2 weeks last year made it really special. I feel like all in all, this summer was a little bit better than last. The homecoming I recieved when I got here I will never forget. Kids stopping their football game to run and give me a hug will forever be one of my closest memories. True Happiness. You know I let the kids just use whatever I bring, i.e my iphone, camera, video camera, etc. The other night I was looking through all my videos and ended up watching one from the first week. A boy whom I got close with last year, had my video camera and was just filming random things. I didn’t hear it the first time I watched it because the volume is not really loud on my camera, but when I put it on my computer I heard what Edmond was saying while filming. He was giving a ‘tour’ of a certain part of the village when he starts to tell his story. He said I thank the Lord for the Village of Hope, my mother died when I was 2…then towards the end he said I want to thank Shelby’s mother and Shelby’s father for letting her come here. God bless Shelby’s family. So to my family, even though you are not here, you are making an impact on these kids. Hopefully someday soon you will finally be able to meet the kids I talk about all the time!

*Very little is needed to make a happy life. It is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.*
-Marcus Aurelius
That quote stuck out to me very much yesterday when we went to the Liberian Refugee Camp. It was like a whole other world from the Village of Hope. There are guards at the front that only let you in if they know you or you are with someone they know. You walk in and it’s just like any other small town. Very runned down, houses made from scrap metal, kids running all over the place. We went and looked at the school those guys we met are helping start. In the front of the school there were alot of kids just hanging out doing nothing. Then they started a football game, and they used an empty bottle as the ball. They were still playing hard and having the time of their life from the expressions on their faces. They made something out of nothing…Little things bring them joy, if only more people thought that way. As we were walking through we found out that this place used to be the definition of a refugee camp. Everyone had tents as houses and now it looks like any other town. They made something out of nothing.

Last night I was in Joy Barnett House, suprise suprise, and I was watcing ma Victoria cook jolloff rice. I was talking to Vida about how its getting closer for me to go and I hope I don’t cry like last year. She said I wouldn’t, Lebene said I probably would haha. Anyways she said one is greater than zero. Lebene just looked real confused and told her to stop talking because she isnt making sense, and Vida snapped back with a ‘yes it does you just don’t understand!’ She continued telling me that one is better than zero…and I said im not following you. She said what if you had never came here last year. You would have never met any of us…one is better than zero. You coming one time is better than never coming at all. I’ve always wondered how the kids respond to people only coming once and for just 2 weeks, that kind of answered my question. Everyday I am thankful for these kids and they are a living testimony to what God can do. They have gone through SLAVERY, through beatings, some have seen people not come up after diving down into the water, and yet they are here making an impact on me. Yesterday when we were driving to the refugee camp, someone asked Chelsea about her tattoo on her foot and what it ment. It was some tree, im not sure what kind but it is mentioned in the Bible in, I think, Isaiah. Anyways God had it as a symbol that he is there to help those in need. And she said she got it as a reminder to her to be a symbol of Gods love to the needy, the poor, and the depressed. I thought that was amazing. Tonight we are having her going away party. She knows there is something going on for her but doesnt know any details. It is going to be alot of fun, and really sad because she has been here for 2 years. She said this time saying goodbye is going to be the most difficult.

OH! the president deal…almost forgot to tell yall about it. Well he didnt come…so after the kids and pretty much everyone here at the village got EVERYTHING ready, signs got painted, flags got hung, he couldn’t come and had all these other important people come in his place. LAME. I did get to see some cool tribal dances and what not but yeah. After the program I was hanging out with Raul and funniest thing ever. All the kids had to dress nice so he was wearing dress pants and a white shirt and the big ole dock martin type boots. I was chasing him around and the way he ran made it obvious those shoes were heavy. It was SO funny I wish I had gotten it on film. I finally caught him and he laughted and screamed so loud people turned around. haha I had to make him be quiet but at the same time I couldn’t help but laugh. Oh im going to miss that kid.

But I think this is going to be my last post in Ghana! I hope for who ever has been reading this you have enjoyed it. Today’s was pretty long but I just had so much to say :] haha. Anyways I am really excited to be home and see everyone. see you all in 2 days!

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another; for he who loves his fellow man has fullfilled the law… and whatever other comandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ”Love your neighbor as yourself” Love does no harm to it’s neighbor. Therefore love is the fullfillment of the law.
-Romans 13:9-10

Cultural Comparison, Part 3

33 Commentsby   |  07.22.11  |  Accra, Ghana

My last installation of cultural comparison between Ghana and the United States will be over the healthcare systems. However, after interviewing Corrinne, the Village of Hope’s nurse, it was apparent that the healthcare systems have very little in common. Thus, for this last project, I will give a brief overview of the Ghanaian system, discuss some issues within the system, and propose a solution for improvement.

Ghanaian healthcare is a national public system. Citizens are not required to have health insurance, but it is strongly encouraged. Overall the system is not incredibly efficient: the system for healthcare is backed up, and sometimes it takes over a year to receive an insurance card, at which point the card becomes ineffective. Many villagers are reluctant to pay for an unreliable insurance card, especially when other basic needs, like food, are not being met. Thus, most Ghanaians receive medical care through a local clinic which they pay for out of pocket or they consult the village doctor. Hospitals are located in major cities, especially in the greater Accra region, though access to medical assistance is fairly limited and unreliable for the majority of the agrarian sectors of Ghana.

The Village of Hope’s nurse is a woman named Corrinne, who formerly lived in Michigan. A year ago the Lord told her to go to Ghana, so she sold all she had and moved to work in the Village of Hope’s clinic. The transition for her has been difficult, but she loves every minute of it. Having listened to her stories and inside information, it is clear that the first major issue for Ghanaian healthcare is its lack of resources. When she arrived, basic medical supplies were lacking, which is not uncommon for clinics across the country. On her first visit to the clinic, the nurses were using old IV tubing as a tourniquet because of lack of supplies. With such a lack of basic resources, it is incredibly difficult to meet even the most basic of medical needs. Secondly, the distribution of the resources that are actually available is very poor. Insurance cards are received unreliably and in an untimely fashion. Patients often cannot even afford transportation to go to the clinic, and so medication is simply not available for them because they cannot physically get there. Also, the availability of clinics is not evenly distributed, being concentrated in larger cities and lacking in small villages and agrarian societies.

Though the first two main issues are concerned with resources, the last main issue with the healthcare system is a lack of education on health issues. Concerning medical personnel, many nurses and doctors lack proper training and management skills to efficiently run a clinic. Concerning the general population, there is still a persistent belief in superstitions and herbal medicines. Many witch doctors tell the local people that they will die if they go receive medical help from a clinic. Moreover, certain diseases and health issues, like STD’s and tuberculosis, are considered taboo, and so the afflicted persons will refuse to receive medical help. Overall, the attitude towards health is not focused on prevention, but rather on reactive solutions. Because of this, clinics are forced to play a game of “catch up” by having to focus on simple issues that could have been prevented with proper knowledge.

Considering the overarching challenges for the Ghanaian healthcare system, the solution that would lead to the greatest amount of national medical improvement would be to focus on increasing the caliber of education available to the country. By focusing on and improving the quality of the educational system, many preventive health issues would be eliminated, and superstitions would not hold back persons who truly needed medical assistance. Additionally, a better educational system would produce medical personnel equipped to properly handle health clinics. Thus, higher educational standards would lead to higher health standards. However, it is also still important to consider where the country is at in its history. With Ghana as a country being little more than half a century old and having an even newer constitution, Ghana is considerably better off than many of its neighboring countries. One of the issues in comparing Ghana and the United States is that America has a considerable advantage simply because it has had more time to shape and perfect its society and government. Keeping in mind the timeline for Ghana as a country, I have high hopes for its future. Though its healthcare and education systems are not as polished as those in a country like the United States, I believe they are on their way to considerable improvement. The government is pressing for education among the people, and health campaigns and advertisements to the population are abundant. If Ghana continues to grow and mature with its new constitution, it is my hope that, step by step, as a country, the people will see improved standards with education, leading to an improved healthcare system.

last week

32 Commentsby   |  07.20.11  |  Accra, Ghana

its crazy to think that we have less than one week left in africa, but that is indeed the case. im ready to be home but there will be some sadness too.
the kids are going to take it pretty hard, cuz lets face it- im pretty cool. seriously though, saying goodbye to the kids is going to be tough but im ready for american life again. cleanliness, fast food, and people that speak good english, not so early mornings, late nights, cars, satellite television, and bacon, hot showers, cold drinks and reliable internet being among them. these are the things i am looking forward to.

the next couple days offer some excitement though. the president of ghana comes tomorrow so thats pretty cool. also we might get the chance to visit a liberian refugee camp before we leave. im pretty pumped about that.
its difficult to process this trip while i am still on it so i will not attempt to do so at this time.

Cultural Comparison Project, Part Two

15 Commentsby   |  07.13.11  |  Accra, Ghana, Uncategorized

One of the more curious subjects for observation when traveling cross-culturally is the family unit. Families are integral to our lives and development; they are such a constant that we hardly ever stop to think what makes them “normal.” However, the ever present family unit looks and operates in vastly different ways in different cultures. When comparing the United States and Ghana, factors which contribute to these differences include the view of self, the level of industrialization, and the distribution of authority.

In the spectrum of the view of self, there reigns individualism on one end and collectivism on the other. Individualism is a type of the view of self which is highly independent and does not rely on surrounding persons. Collectivism, on the other hand, is a more communal approach to the view of self in which a person is more defined by who they are surrounded with. On the whole, the United States is a country in which individualism is valued. As a people, Americans value individuality, being unique, and entrepreuneurism. The idea of the American Dream is that everybody has the ability to “go out and make it on your own” and to follow their own idea of happiness. In regards to the family unit, individualism plays a major role. In America, it is custom for the parents to raise children who will one day go to college, get their own job, move out, and live on their own. The American conception of family is nuclear, rather than extended. However, in a community-centered country like Ghana, family as a cohesive whole is more important than the individuals within it. Together the individuals work and support each other, which creates a safety net for them all. Rather than the family catering to the needs of the individual, the individuals cater to the needs of the family. Thus, family units remain together, and there is less branching off and separation than there is in a country like the United States.

The level of industrialization also plays a large part in how family units operate. Ghana is a more agrarian state than America, which is incredibly advanced in technology and industrialization. Because of this, Ghanaian families tend to stay more local. Work is more physically strenuous and the value of manual labor is more appreciated. This agrarian state plays into collectivism because families must work together to support themselves. Children do chores not merely because they have been assigned them, but because they are necessary to the livelihood of the family. In contrast, the amount of technology available to families in the United States pushes them farther along the path of individualism. With the level of efficiency offered in the majority of America, there is less of a need for communal effort. There is more opportunity to be individualized in the United States.

Finally, the distribution of authority also affects how family units are shaped. In an American family unit, authority is fairly evenly distributed between the parents. Both have authority to make decisions, and much value is placed on gender equality in the United States. Additionally, families are often catered to the children, who may not have direct authority, but still have many resources given to them. Ghanaian families tend to be more paternalistic. Most of the authority lies with the father figure to make decisions. The mother is often in charge of the household, but in terms of how the public and culture views the family unit, the man will always have the final say. Also, families are not catered to their kids. Children are expected to contribute to the livelihood of the family, and, though admittedly my population pool may be biased, I have yet to meet a spoiled Ghanaian child.

When comparing the types of family units in the United States and Ghana, it is difficult to say whether one is superior to or better than the other. In truth, both have their strengths and weaknesses: the individualism which is rampant in American families can isolate individuals and weaken community development, while the collectivism of Ghanaian families can hold back individuals who have the opportunity for further education or advancement. To conclude, one system of family is not necessarily better than the other; rather, the two capitalize on different sets values. The value of connectedness, group unity, and working as a part of a whole which are learned in Ghanaian families are values which are just as important as individuality, independnence, and uniqueness that are learned in American families.

Village of Hope, Round Two

9 Commentsby   |  07.12.11  |  Accra, Ghana

Hey Everyone! We have been back at the Village of Hope for about a week and a half now, and I simply cannot believe we only have 11 days left! I just wanted to give a quick update on what we as a team have been doing since coming back from Nkwatia. 

First, it was Ashton’s birthday on the 5th! We didn’t have much celebrate with, but we did manage to whip up a very successful pineapple upside down cake.  It was so good! We have also gone on a day trip to visit a national park and the oldest slave castle in Africa, called El Mina.   On the way back we also drove past a parade in which all the local chieftains were being celebrated.  It was really neat to be able to experience even more of Ghana as a country and culture.  After the trip, a group from the United States came and set up a health fair so all of the children could receive medical and dental checkups.  We helped out by organizing and assisting at the different health stations.  Since the group has left, life has settled down a little bit and has become more routine.  I have been helping out in the nursery, the library, and with afterschool reading programs.  It has also been awesome to grow and focus in on some of the closer relationships I have built with the kids.  Because there are so many kids, it can sometimes be a little overwhelming, but I am trusting that God is working in the midst of it all. 

We are now on the home stretch before we return back to the United States.  It has gone by so fast, and I am sure these next days will go by even faster.  Please pray for endurance as we press in for the final week and a half.  Grace and peace to you all!

Home stretch!

21 Commentsby   |  07.10.11  |  Accra, Ghana, Uncategorized

Our team is now at the Village of Hope in Gomoa-Fettah! It is so good to be back and see the children. We arrived thursday, June 30th, in the evening! After we meet with Fred Asare that evening to let him know we made it safely, I could not wait to see the kids. When I walked into the Linary House I was welcomed with so many hugs and hellos! It is good to be back.

The kids were out of school the next day; friday, saturday, sunday, monday and tuesday for mid-terms! It was nice to be able to spend time with the kids those days. On tuesday, July 5,  we took our travel day, which also happened to be my birthday, to Kakum National Park and Elmina! 

We first went to Kakum National Park we went on the canopy walk! It was amazing, we went across many bridges that made a horseshoe shape. The bridges hung above the trees with boards as wide to walk only with one foot in front of the other!  The scenary was beauitful…

Fifteen minutes away we drove to Cape Coast and Elmina. At Elmina there is a slave castle, we took a historal tour. Our tour guide was animated and told us the history of the castle. What I enjoyed the most about this visit is that we had the opportunity to enter cells called, ‘the room of no return’, and we were able to walk out of the cells alive, when years ago no one would be able to leave alive or free. I felt like I was making histroy.  Our drive home was safe and I was able to spend the evening with the children on my birthday!

During my stay here at the Village of Hope, I try to process everything that is going on, to understand my enviroment the best I can. I have found it difficult to do so for two reasons.  One reason is because our enviroment in Ghana changes frequently, with different visitors and locations. Secondly, I also realized that I am still in the mix of everything and when I get to America I will be able to stand back and look at my time here. I have made several obeservations to keep me going in order to improve opportunities to minister. At times I m overwhelmed at the need here. I look at my self and feel that I have nothing to give because I am not a counselor, nurse or teacher and these are the things the kids need! How can I help? I know this may sound discouraging, but being here has increased my urgancy and excitement to complete my studies at ACU! The harvest is pentiful, but the labors are few, Luke 10:2 !!

I look forward to these next two weeks with expectancy in the Lord’s faithfulness, freedom and love!

Blessings

Nkwatia News

12 Commentsby   |  07.10.11  |  Accra, Ghana

Hello Family and Friends,

First I want to apoligize for this late posting, but I would like to inform all of you what we have been up to these past four weeks.

Nkwatia, the location we were at in the mountains, was a wonderful experiance.  Saying goodbye a week ago was a challenge. During our stay there I taught Jr. High science and math. Most of my time was with second grade. I taught second grade all subjects, except Twi and French. These kids were a hand full and full of personality! So everyday was a new adventure.

One day during the week at school the headmaster (principal) put on a soccer match for us. The teams were the staff and interns verses the school team! Guess who won! The children won with a score of 2:1!! We also had the opportunity to travel to a competition the school was is in. Various schools gathered to test their knowledge of the Ghananian goverment. We took 5th place, the children preformed well. Lastly, we took a day long excursion to the Lake Volta region. This is where many of the kids at the Village of Hope were resuced from chid slavery.It was an incrediable experiance to travel in one of the fishing boats across the lake and imagine what life was like for the young children.

That concludes our stay in Nkwatia!

One nugget of wisdom I took away from this experiance is to recive the Lord’s daily bread, taking one day at a time, reading His word and watching him work.

One day at a time!    

Blessings

Cultural Comparison Project, Part 1

23 Commentsby   |  07.06.11  |  Accra, Ghana

International traveling always provides the opportunity to compare and contrast different cultures. This comparison is natural, and if analyzed outside of an ethnocentric lens, can be instructive and helpful. As part of a contract with the Honors College, I will be conducting a cultural comparison between Ghana and the United States in an attempt to broaden my worldview and take advantage of this wonderful blessing of cross cultural interaction. The Village of Hope is composed of a school, an orphanage, and a medical clinic. Thus, this project will focus on three topics for comparison: the educational system, the family unit, and medicine. The following post is installation one of my project and focuses on the topic of schooling. Enjoy!

Our team of interns landed in Accra, Ghana on June 1st and has been here for two and a half weeks. Since then, we have traveled to Village of Hope’s satellite school in the small town of Nkwatia. This school is understaffed and is in need of teachers, and thus, I have been teaching in the school and assisting the teachers. Needless to say, in this position it has been relatively easy to compare and contrast American and Ghanaian schooling. Three main factors which contribute to the differences between the two educational systems are the way in which the two cultures approach time, the amount of resources which are available, and where the responsibility for learning rests. A nation’s or culture’s approach to time can either be tempo-centric or event-centric. A tempo-centric culture is one in which time itself has value. Efficiency is considered incredibly valuable. In a country like the United States, the schedule itself is important and not just the events. However, in an event-centric culture like Ghana, more value is placed on the interaction. The schedule forms around the events and is subject to change depending on how the events turn out. The concept of time is held loosely in comparison with the task at hand. One way in which a culture can reveal its tempo-centricity or event-centricity is through its educational system. In the United States, the school systems are structured and scheduled literally down to the minute. Regulations about time spent on certain subjects and topics are stringent. However, in Ghana the school system is much more relaxed. Instructors teach on a subject until they are finished, at which point they move on. Start and end times are flexible and depend on the day and the teacher. Thus, while similar content is being taught in both systems, the way in which it is taught is vastly different due to the correlation of how time and events are valued in each culture.

The second main factor which dramatically affects both educational systems is the amount of resources available to the schools. Resources may include books, paper, school supplies, and technology. One main difference between Ghana and the United States is that America has vast amounts of resources, while Ghana is rather limited with resources. In America there is an increasing amount of not only learning and teaching tools, but also of technology in the classrooms, including computers, smartboards, and digital media centers. Additionally, Internet is available regularly for students who need to research for papers or projects. In contrast, Ghanaian classrooms typically consist of a chalkboard, wood desks, and a cement or dirt floor. Textbooks are not always readily available for all students, technology and computer learning is limited, and Internet cannot be accessed readily for research. Having spent time in Ghanaian schools has personally taught me how to rely solely on my teaching skills to give a lesson, rather than relying on any outside resources. However, even if the instructor’s teaching skills are adequate, outside resources bring dimension to the classroom and body to the lesson. If Ghana could improve in one area to bolster its educational system, I believe better access to resources would be the one which would have the greatest impact. That being said, the one area in which Ghanaian education tops American education in regards to resources is with languages. In America, typically English is taught in addition to one other language, usually French or Spanish. However, in Ghana the local language Twi or Fante is taught, as well as English and French. All students are at least bilingual. Thus, while Ghanaian schools lack material resources, the language learning skills taught are impressive.

The last main contrast between American and Ghanaian education deals with whose responsibility it is for learning. In America, the student is very much the recipient of learning and the burden rests on the teachers and administrators to convey the information in such a way that the student can best understand. Thus, learning tends to be catered to the student. However, in Ghana a student must be proactive in their education to continue on with schooling. Not all students are guaranteed entrance or have the opportunity to attend university or even high school. The responsibility for learning lies solely on the individual student to make it their priority. Obviously, these observations about proactivity are general and are not true for all Americans or all Ghanaian students, but it is still interesting to note the overarching comparison. While neither extreme of responsibility is most beneficial, a blend of the two would provide the ideal learning environment in which the faculty and student work together fairly towards a common goal.

To conclude, Ghanaian and American cultures differ from each other in several ways, which leads to differentiation in everyday life, including schooling and education. These differences include their views towards time, the resources and tools available in classrooms, and the amount of responsibility the student holds for his or her education. For the age of Ghana and its current constitution, the nation is doing relatively well for itself as a younger country. Though currently the United States may have more academic opportunities and resources, I believe Ghana has a realistic hope for its educational future. As the country continues to grow and progess, I look forward to seeing expansion in educational resources and opportunities for the youth of the country.

nothin comes close to the gold coast

16 Commentsby   |  07.06.11  |  Accra, Ghana

we have been back in fetteh at the voh for almost a week now which means we only have like 2 and ahalf weeks left before we leave to america. sad stuff.

i love how unscripted my days at the village are. every morning i wake up (usually around 4 due to all the noise of the kids and the birds and the light of the sunrise) and think to myself ‘what do i feel like doing today?’ most of the time the answer is ‘go to the beach!’ i usually lay in bed for  an hour and a half or two hours and go to tills beach resort to read the bible and have some hang out with jesus. its so beautiful. when i get back its time to eat breakfast at which point i get to decide if im going to help teach, work at the clinic, or help out at the nursery. also, they started a construction project at the church so i might help with that.

im so honored to be a part of the ministry that is taking place here. maybe day to day im not doing anything that groundbreaking or spectacular, but im sowing into what God is doing in ghana and that has eternal ramifications.

im also very blessed to be here with shelby ashton and michelle. shelby is a baller shot caller and everybody knows it. she she’s cool without trying. ashton has gods heart for kids and it shows all the time. all the kids love her because of the holy spirit inside of her. michelle is so gifted as a teacher and a goalkeeper. also she loves jesus so much its hard to describe and creates a culture of positive peer pressure.

i like it here.

peace out girl scouts.

Oh Happy Day..

60 Commentsby   |  07.03.11  |  Accra, Ghana

WE ARE BACK AT THE VILLAGE OF HOPE!!!!

Oh it is the best feeling ever being back here. We got back last night at around 7:00 and was welcomed the best way ever. First off, the drive here was absolutely awful. I think we went a different way or over the past 3 weeks more pot holes were made. I don’t ever get car sick but I almost asked our driver to pull over 3 times. He would speed up by pass cars than slam on the breaks to try and avoid random pot holes. It was terrible…I guarantee at one point he was pushing 95 and then swerved to the right to not hit something. Needless to say when i saw the gate to the village I was more happy to be here than ever before!
Before I get to our homecoming here, I just want to give y’all a little story about the driving here. When we were driving to lake Volta, we went in a big old greyhound type bus. Now were trekin along and then bam, or driver slams on the breaks but doesnt stop…just keeps going and we all hit the seat in front of us but eh its Ghana. I am sitting in the back of the bus next to a window and right after the break check, I see, and I am not exaggerating, a sheep flying through the air with its legs up facing me. He lands on his back and rolls down the hill…and thats when we found out why we break checked. haha Also almost saw someone run over a dog in that same outing. If your not watching where your going you WILL be hit or run over…whether you are human or animal.

OKAY so we have been here for 4 weeks so far, insane. The first day we got here was absolutely heart warming, but last night was almost better. We got in at night so it was getting dark and the kids were inside eating so no one saw us drive in. Well I started my walk up to the different houses and kids literally ran and jumped on me giving me hugs and yelling my name. I almost fell over twice. I think alot of them completely forgot we were coming back that how suprised/excited they were when they saw me. Lebene was the best one though…I was walking down the road toward his house and I could see him sitting on the steps but I didnt think he could see me cause it was dark and he was under a light. Somehow he did and he came running full speed, i had to move out of the way or i guarantee you id of been on the ground. But he gave me the best hug ever. Oh words really cant describe the love i have for some of these kids. They all expressed how much they missed us and some had said they’d been counting down the days till the 30th :]
Leaving Nkwatia was bitter sweet, as much as i was ready to get back here, i held back some tears. I went and gave my favorite boy godfren a hug buy and then we were saying bye to the teachers and the ones that remembered me from last year held my hand a little longer and said some sweet things. And Richmond made it clear that if we dont see each other again on this earthly world, we will be seeing each other again in Heaven. That was super sweet.

3 weeks left in Ghana. It blows my mind but I wouldn’t honestly want to be anywhere else than where i am right now. Ive already been asked what day im coming back next year and if it could be in January. Haha. They want me to come twice a year and stay long, so in other words I just need to make the VOH my current residence.

Well just wanted to let everyone know we are doing good and we are all healthy. Well I take that back, Michelle and Zach have a sore throat and hopefully it doesnt turn into anything. I am the only one who hasnt been any kinds of sick! Thank you Jesus.

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts…they are working :]

God is good, all the time
Lovetoall