On the Journey...

The Big 2-6!

2011-08-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

Celebrated the big 2-6 yesterday with amazing friends...I feel so blessed! After getting a pedicure with Mary, we ran (literally) to meet up with all these lovely ladies for some incredible Thai deliciousness!

Jen and I

All the girls at the restaurant...

Then we went back to our apartment and ate this amazing cake that Mary made! I had a really great day and am just so thankful that God always provides me with such great, loving, fun friends (and a fabulous family too!)! It was a great birthday...besides the fact that I would've really liked to freeze that whole age thing about 3 or 4 years ago! :)

Farewell Wisconsin

2011-08-01T02:29:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how quickly you can get to the other side of the world... just a few naps, movies, and meals away! I'm currently in the Korean airport waiting for my last flight to Hong Kong so I can make it to work bright and early tomorrow! :) I wouldn't want to give myself too much time to get settled in...that would just be uncharacteristic of me! :)

It was a wonderful summer with family and friends and it was tough to say goodbye. No matter where I am in the world, I think a piece of my heart will always be in WI! Yesterday morning before I left my dad and I woke up at around 5, so I could fit in one last bike ride...it was well worth it! Here's a few glimpses of what I'll soon be yearning for when I'm back in the concrete jungle of HK:

The Big Race/Reunion

2011-07-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Every time I get together with my college friends I'm reminded of how blessed I am by their friendships. And then I, of course, wish we didn't all live so far away. However, I love that we've made a point to get together every summer so far. This year we met up in Okoboji, IA and rented a little cabin for a couple of nights.

What better thing to eat in Iowa than corn? Yum...having a picnic in the park.

Playing games in the park...

The inspiration for meeting in Okoboji was the half marathon race taking place that weekend. I tried to coerce more people into running, but was successful with two! :) Here we are eating pasta the night before the race!

"Pasta to make us run fasta!" as Ellen says. :)

Here we go! No turning back now! :)

You can tell by our energy levels that this is about 5 seconds into the race... it was a hot day, so the water stations, sprinklers, and home owners who dumped water on us were life savers! :)

...and we're almost there! I've never been happier to see that finish line. :) Overall, it went really well. I met my goal, and it was a fun accomplishment to check off the list! :)

With our awesome cheerleaders at the finish line!

Chelsey was able to come up and hang out with us at the park for a few hours after the race. :)

After a few days in Okoboji we went to Sioux Falls and hung out at Erin and Tracy's houses. We got to meet Tracy's sweet little girl Anah! :)

Pizza!!

Until next time...

California

2011-07-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

I'll have to blame my lack of posting on having a fantastically fun summer! I've been so tired by the end of the day that I have no energy left to blog. :) But alas, it's time... on July 5th I set off on a jet plane yet again to visit my dear friend Tawnee, who served with me at Haven of Hope in Ghana. It was such a wonderful reunion filled with good conversations, plenty of laughs, lots of reminiscing, and enjoying God's beautiful creation. We spent 3 nights camping outside of Yosemite National Park, and that was amazing. We slept under the stars all wrapped up in our sleeping bags. The days were warm, but the temperature really dropped at night-time. Here are some pictures of our time together:We went on a hike one day and that waterfall in the background is our final destination. (Warning: Objects in picture are farther than they appear!) :)

Lovin' the campfire food! We felt like such good girl scouts with our campfire skills! ;)

The first full day we decided to be adventurous and go whitewater rafting. Here are our feelings after the safety briefing before heading out on the river. I consider myself a pretty brave and adventurous person, but I was so scared! However, I jumped that hurdle of fear and went for it, and boy, was I glad I did. After the first intense set of rapids, my adrenaline was pumping and I was able to relax a bit more. (We did have one guy fall out in the raft ahead of us and one whole raft behind us flipped on some big rapids, but thankfully everyone was okay.) It was not only extremely fun, but we were surrounding by amazing scenery and I really couldn't think of a better way to spend a morning! :) Definitely a highlight of the trip!

In front of Yosemite Falls...

We thought we were ready for a dip-- until we felt the frigid mountain water! :) This was as far as we made it!

Tunnel View

As we were grocery shopping, we began to see a pattern. Our cart was being filled with many items strikingly similar to our grocery lists in Ghana! I guess that just reaffirms my idea that Ghana living was a lot like camping. We just had to get a picture with our Velveeta-- a staple (delicacy) while in Ghana! :)

Here we are on the Mist Trail on the way up to the waterfall you saw in the first picture. We were soaked by the time we got to the top, but it was so refreshing!

After our Yosemite adventures we checked out Balboa Beach on Sunday. The waves were so strong, so we had a lot of fun playing around in the water...another adrenaline-pumping activity!

What a great week! :)

Korean Finale & Fourth of July

2011-07-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Now that summer has finally come to WI (Translation: The average high is above 60 degrees.), it's more difficult to motivate myself to blog. I'm loving being outside and enjoying the weather and relaxation. However, today being the 4th of July seemed to perfect day to conclude my Korean entries. So, here goes: The last day I was in Korea, Brent and I took a two hour train ride to Seoul (sweating every minute as we thought we might be late for our tour) where we caught a bus to begin our tour of the DMZ (de-militarized zone), which is an area of land about 2.5 miles wide and stretching across the whole Korean peninsula, splitting North and South Korea, that was created as a peace zone following the Korean war. On the bus ride there was a lady who'd recently defected from North Korea (2009). She answered questions about life there and about her escape...what a sad, sad story...

South Korea has built a train station that is ready to be connected to North Korea in hopes that the two countries will one day be reunited. Knowing the pain, suffering, and persecution that happens in North Korea, that would be a beautiful sight to see and I hope I'm alive to witness it. It was strange being next to the tracks at a beautiful station that has never been used.
We were able to visit the Joint Security Area (where N and S Korean officials meet in peace) but there were very strict rules on picture taking, clothing, and gestures. We even saw one of the North Korean soldiers checking us out with binoculars! Although it was really interesting to see, it was also really sad to see the division and the paranoia and hatred that results.

Upon returning home I've been reading a book put out by Voice of the Martyrs called "North Korea". The persecution that Christians face there is unbelievable, yet their faith is unwavering and inspiring, as they give up comforts, safeties, and securities of this temporary world and trust in full expectation that their abandonment of earthly pleasures will be well worth it in eternity. What a great mindset and a lesson I too must take to heart daily as I feel the pull of the world vs. the calls of God on my life.

John gives me a good reminder of where my priorities should be in 1 John 2:15-17:

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

So as we celebrated Independence Day today I was especially mindful and thankful of the freedoms we enjoy in this country. I'm so thankful for the ability to worship, speak, and live freely. Please join me in praying for Christians around the world who do not have the same luxuries.
Enjoying fireworks at "Rhythm & Booms" in Madison with friends...
In attempt to be festive I decided to make these cake pops...take a good look, these will never be made by me again! haha....okay, perhaps that's a bit strong, but they were not easy for me to make!
We had some family over swimming today...and my mom was getting festive...check out the impressive ice cubes! Way to go Mom! :)

Happy 4th of July!

Korea, part 2-- "The Hike"

2011-06-26T18:44:00.001-07:00

After experiencing the amazing Korean cuisine, Brent and I decided that next up on the agenda was to spend my first full day in Korea hiking-- a decision I paid for throughout the next four days! Don’t get me wrong…I love hiking and it was well worth it, but here’s the story:

The night before we did a little bit of research as to what trail we wanted to take. We thought a 2 hour hike sounded good; then we could catch a bite to eat and wander around Seoul checking out some of the markets and shopping areas. However, our plans quickly changed when we met our “Korean Daddy” (the name he gave himself when he found out he was the same age as our parents) on the train on the way to Bukhansan National Park. He asked where we were going and when we told him and found out we were both headed to the park to hike, he told us to follow him.

So we followed him through the train station where we met up with his group. As we approached the group, a bit of apprehension creeped in. Every single member of the group was fully equipped from head to toe with hiking gear—we’re talking hiking shirt, vest, boots, walking sticks, visors, stools, and some even had hiking gloves! They don’t mess around! Here we wander over in our t-shirts and I suddenly felt that perhaps this hike was more than we bargained for. But…I like hiking and am always up for an adventure, so we proceeded. The apprehension grew a bit as we did group stretches and began making the climb while rarely pausing to take a breath. We made it to the top of one mountain after about one hour (Imagine doing squats and/or lunges for one hour straight and then you can imagine what my legs felt like!) and the view was beautiful.

We went down and had a great “picnic” lunch Korean style. Since we only planned to hike for 2 hours we brought some meager snacks, but thankfully our new Korean friends willingly shared their food with us and wanted us to sample everything they brought. After a short re-fueling, we were off again to conquer the second mountain. There were times during this ascent that I didn’t think my legs could make one more step, and at one point as I was plodding away, one of the men in the group looked back at me and said, “No problem?” to which I smiled, laughed and responded, “No problem!”. (What I was thinking was, “Yeah, no problem if my legs fall off! Who needs them anyways?!”)

Again we made it and admired the beautiful view for a brief time and headed back down. This time we stopped by a small stream of water to cool our feet and just relax for a bit. I got a kick out of it when our “Korean Daddy” asked us (after hiking for 4 hours) if we wanted to do a long or a short hike. Short hike? We’ve already hiked for 4 hours…how can that possibly qualify as a short hike??? Brent—being the smart man he is—said that a short one would be better because I was pretty tired. The man looked at me and said, “Yes…she DYING!” (Side note: I thought I actually held up pretty good but I was exhausted.) So we had an hour of downhill and we made it safely back to the train station with legs that dreaded every stair for the next few days! That—my friends—is the story of our 5 hour “short hike”!

All that being said, it was actually a very fun day with beautiful weather, beautiful views, and good company. I was glad we went.

Korea, part 1

2011-06-24T20:28:00.001-07:00

My older brother, Brent, has been living and teaching English in South Korea this year, so it seemed like the perfect chance for me to stop there and visit him and explore Korea on my way back to Wisconsin for the summer.

After travelling around Asia quite a bit, I kind of thought I knew what to expect—after all, a big city is a big city, right? Wrong! I was pleasantly surprised to get off the bus in Brent’s neighborhood and feel like I was in a “small neighborhood”. (I think I’ve been in HK too long!) As Brent introduced me to his neighborhood and as we gallivanted around Seoul, I was excited to discover that Korea has a heartbeat and personality of its own.

The hustle and bustle of HK was replaced by more spacious and relaxed sidewalks.

The concrete jungle and mazes of HK life were replaced by quiet pathways lined with freshly blooming roses.

Being there was a breath of fresh air (literally AND figuratively!).

Some of the most significant differences I was able to experience came with mealtimes. The first night I was there, Brent took me to Korean BBQ which I quickly fell in love with! Upon entering the restaurant, we took our shoes off and placed them on a rack and went to our table where we sat on the floor… a new experience for me.

A grill was right on the table in front of us and we ordered samgyeopsal, which is “pork belly”. I told Brent that I prefer to not know which body part of the animal I am eating. I’ll stick with “bacon”! Anyways, I was able to hop that mental hurdle no problem, and dug right into the delicious food.

At most of the Korean restaurants you pay for the meat only and they provide a variety of side dishes that you can get refills of if necessary-- the most prominent one being "kimchi", which is spicy fermented cabbage and is served at nearly every meal. After grilling the meat, you wrap it in a leaf along with some fresh garlic (resulting in me having bad breath all week, but it was oh so worth it!), soybean paste, and rice and fold it up and eat it! It was delicious!

Let’s suffice to say I didn’t go hungry!

On Tuesday two of Brent's co-workers graciously offered to take us out for lunch, so here we are!

Miscellaneous HK Moments

2011-05-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Growing up in small-town America I took for granted the fact that you knew just about everyone in town...well, maybe that's a small exaggeration. BUT, my mom really did! :) (Hi Mom!) Then when living in Africa, everyone and their brother (literally) wanted to talk to the oburoni, and it was nice to be in community with people.

In Hong Kong, with a population of over 7 million people, you just don't have that kind of community. In fact, I've been living here for 4 1/2 months and I met my next door neighbor for the first time today...sad, but true. Anyways, we do have one neighbor-- Herman-- who is very friendly and loves to stop and talk as we pass by. I think he's taken it upon himself to introduce us to as much Chinese language and food as possible, so the last 3 weekends, he has rung our doorbell and delivered noodles...and lots of them. Here's what we got today... not picturing the 3rd plate that I had to graciously turn down. :) It's actually really thoughtful and definitely makes it feel more like home to have a neighbor who actually knows our names. (On that note, although he knows our names, he prefers to call us "Teacher"!)I had to take a picture of this man walking around with parakeets on him...no big deal! :)
Earlier this week, Mary and I contemplated moving as our landlord wanted to raise the rent, and as we were apt. shopping, I was able to capture this photo of the area that I live in to give you a picture. The river there is where I run by, and if you follow the river about 3 miles, you'll get to my school! :) And to think Hong Kongers call this the "boondocks"! They've obviously never been to Waupun! (Side note: I have nothing against Waupun, but let's face it...it's kind of the boondocks comparatively speaking!) P.S. We decided not to move and then our landlord decided not to raise the rent.... praise the Lord! :)

Extreme Home Makeover: Living Room Edition

2011-05-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Well, since I'm here for another couple of years, I decided it'd be nice to make our place a bit more home-y, so over the last few weeks, Mary and I have made a few IKEA runs and have had fun doing some redecorating in our living room. We both really like how it turned out and it's so much more enjoyable to be home now. :) Here's the before....

and the after....

Junk Boat Birthday Celebration

2011-05-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I headed out on a junk boat with some friends to celebrate two friends' birthdays. Even after living here for over two years, the harbor still amazes me. I can never have enough harbor pictures! :)

Beth, Abbey, and I

We cruised around the harbor and a bit into the sea for about 4 hours...eating, hanging out, trying not to get seasick :), gazing at the stars which are such a rarity in HK, and just taking in the beautiful night with friends.

Mary, Mel, and I

Mel, me, and the Birthday Queen, Cath :)

A "Ritzy" Birthday

2011-05-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

I've often claimed I could probably live on sweets and this weekend I had the opportunity to do just that. Did my claim prove true? Read on for the verdict.Over the last two weeks or so, I've had 8 friends who've celebrated birthdays! That's made for lots of fun get togethers to celebrate. On Saturday, some girl friends at I headed to the Ritz Carlton to celebrate my friend Beth's 30th birthday with high tea, which was quite the experience. I was greeted in the lobby and then escorted straight from the 9th floor to the 103rd floor! The Ritz is now the world's tallest hotel (just a little fun fact for ya!). I'm definitely not used to being that "ritzy" (pun intended) but it was fun to act for a few hours! ;)

Maria, Beth (the b-day girl), Renata, Jen, Abbey, me, and Rachel

The "tea" was in the "Chocolate Library"... now, going into this I knew it wasn't going to be cheap, so I purposely didn't eat much that morning since we met at 4. If I was going to pay, I was going to be hungry! :) So, I was a bit surprised to discover that the whole "meal" was chocolate (minus one small item). Please note: surprised does not equal disappointed... just surprised! :)
On top of the 8 desserts and one other bread-appetizer, we got their signature hot chocolate. Wowwwweee! The first 5 sips of so were pure delight, as it was literally like drinking melted dark chocolate, but after 8 other chocolatey desserts, even this addict thought enough was enough!

It was a hazy day, but still a decent view if you got close enough to the window. :)

So...the verdict? Bring on the sugar! However, I do have to admit, I was craving some broccoli afterwards...

Gee, thanks kid! :)

2011-04-19T01:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek into my day with a conversation with a student eating an Airhead during snack-time:

Student: "Ms. Neevel, did they have Airheads when you were a kid?"

Me: "Yup."

Student: "Wow, they're that old?"

Me: "How old do you think I am?"

Student: "Whoa!"

Gotta love 'em! :)

Camping

2011-04-17T04:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was able to escape the city and hit the hiking trail to do some camping. I've been feeling a bit restless in Hong Kong lately, so this was just what the doctor ordered! :) It's so nice to be out in nature and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We hiked about an hour and a half to the beach in the picture below and set up camp right on the sand.

We got there with just about 30 minutes of daylight left, so we quickly gathered some firewood, set up our tents and began to make a fire. The occasion for camping was to celebrate Maria's birthday, so I was trying to think of a way to bring a cake out there when a friend suggested these orange cakes....amazing! You cut the top off an orange and scoop out the orange (which is a good pre-dinner appetizer!) and then prepare cake batter, pour it in, put the top back on, wrap in aluminum foil, and cook in the fire for about 20-30 minutes. So easy and so tasty! :)

Beth, myself and Maria

After taking a beautiful boat trip back to Sai Kung, we decided to hit up Paisano's for some delicious NY style pizza!

What a great weekend! :)

A Subtle Hint?

2011-04-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

Each day the 4th graders have a "Word of the Day" and there's a contest for who can write a "Super Sentence" using the WOTD. Today's word was "grace" and I laughed when I read this one, so I thought I'd share:

The teacher showed grace to all 28 students when they didn't finish their homework, even though they didn't deserve it, because the teacher was kind and don't want students to miss recess. I wish Miss Neevel is like that, too.

haha... Okay, maybe not such a subtle hint! I guess I'm just not a very kind person! :)

Is there such a thing as...

2011-04-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

...senioritis for teachers?! haha... the weather is finally warming up here in HK. Today I think it got up to 84 degrees, so it's definitely starting to feel like summer. I'm getting anxious for some time at home in the States... speaking of which, I may be crazy but I just signed up for my first ever 1/2 marathon in July....can you say "yikes"?!?

P.S. I realize I'm a terrible blogger b/c I rarely write, but in my defense, I think about it a lot, but then just don't take the time to do it. I'll try to be better by just writing short blurbs, but I'm not making any promises. :)

My First Day...

2011-03-28T06:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. Ever since I was in second grade, I dreamt of being an elementary teacher, and today... 18 years later (wow...now I feel old!), I made it through my first day doing so. I started a maternity leave substitute position in 4th grade today. Now I've taught 6th graders for 2 1/4 years now, so I'm not a complete rookie, but it is different in the elementary classroom, being with the kids all day. For my first day, I think it went pretty well... I think it can only get better as I learn the ropes! My brain is overflowing with information at the moment, and after school I sat at my desk paralyzed for a few moments as I tried to determine where to start. One step at a time...

For those of you who don't know, I took a position teaching 2nd grade at ICS for the next two years, so these few months in 4th grade should get me primed for what's to come...or so I hope! :)

What's Your Motivation?

2011-02-23T05:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a fairly regular reader of Oswald Chamber's devotional, "My Utmost for His Highest", and if I'm honest, there are quite a few days where I need to read and re-read to understand what He's saying. Sometimes it still goes over my head, but other days, I feel like He is able to speak a truth directly into my life-- in a way that articulates my thoughts so clearly. Today was one of those days.

The title is "Determination to Serve" and he writes, "If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another."

Later he writes, "Once we realize that Jesus has served us even to the depths of our meagerness, our selfishness, and our sin, nothing we encounter from others will be able to exhaust our determination to serve others for His sake."

There were times in Ghana when I was so frustrated with the kids' ingratitude-- sometimes to the point where I wanted to give up, pack up, and head home early. So when I read this tonight, I had an "I get it!" moment. I was once again reminded that God has given us the ultimate example of love and forgiveness in Jesus dying for us when we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). If we are able to remind ourselves of this and our unworthiness, perhaps we can better love others and serve God-- not expecting anything in return, but only wanting to give back to God out of love and a grateful heart.

For the Love of Running...

2011-02-20T05:43:00.000-08:00

3:35 am this morning I woke up naturally...5 minutes before my alarm...amazing! Us 4 crazies met at 4:30 at the train station to participate in the Standard Chartered 10K. It was a fun adventure to be up so early and make our way down to the island for the race. The trains opened early for the race, and the only people riding the train were the runners. Here I am with Jamila, Emily, and Christine at 4:45 am!
Almost our entire race was run in the dark, since it started at 5:45 am. My favorite part was at the end overlooking the harbor filled with boats, outlined in high rises and the sky just beginning to lighten up.
Here we are anxiously awaiting the start...
...and we made it! There were 37,000 other runners running the 10Ks alone...of which there were 5 different heats. With the marathoners and half-marathoners, there were 67,000 people! So, it was really neat to be a part of such a big, city-wide event!
Here's a small section of the baggage holding area...crazy organization needed to keep this all moving smoothly...

And...perhaps the best part was heading to the Flying Pan for a nice American breakfast afterwards. :) It was some well-deserved yumminess!

Google Earth

2011-02-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

I'm amazed at how often thoughts of Ghana and the kids there fill my thoughts (and even dreams, which is pretty fun!). There's not a day that goes by (dare I say not many (waking) hours)) that I don't think of them. I find myself so often having "Africa moments" where something that was so ingrained in me from being in Africa is brought to my mind. For example, it happens almost every time I set my computer down on my bed before leaving the house. I always have this thought of, "Oh, is it far enough away from the window?" In Ghana I always had to be careful where I set it because the rain or dust would often come through our windows which didn't fully shut, and I can now remind myself that that's not really an issue here. :) I'm constantly marveling at how clean my feet are! Those are just two examples, but there are so many more examples that "bring me back" and make me realize what a different world I'm in right now. I miss the kids so much and sometimes looking at pictures of them since I've been gone just hurts to not be able to be there. I've never wanted so badly to be in 3 places at once.

All that to say, last night I discovered something incredible (yes, I know I'm WAAY behind the times on this one, but c'mon...give me a break. I was in Africa!)...Google Earth! It was amazing!!! I was able to see my parents' house in WI and my general area of apartments here in HK, but the one that shocked me is that I was able to see Haven of Hope and Akotoshie #2!!! It was incredible. I couldn't believe it, but I had a fun little moment as I tried to see if I could figure out where some of my students and friends live in the village. That is soooo cool...and a little freaky at the same time! :)

"Extreme Room Makeover"

2011-02-08T03:55:00.000-08:00

Before

With some time to spare over the Chinese New Year holiday, I took the time to re-decorate my room. I know it's hard to imagine why, but the infant-style zoo animals curtains just weren't cutting it for me! :) My friend Emily and I made some new curtains on Saturday, which was a lot of fun. Here are the results!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2011-02-06T04:03:00.000-08:00

That's "Happy New Year" to you! We've had the last week off of school for Chinese New Year and this was the first time I stuck around for it. I'm so glad I did! It was definitely full and flew by way too fast, but I also got some much needed relaxation in. :) Sticking around was neat to be able to see some of the traditions that are carried out during this holiday. Since many of them are connected to superstitions, I obviously don't believe these things, but it's interesting to learn about, nonetheless. :)

On the last Friday before school let out, we celebrate "Cultural Day" at school. Everyone's encouraged to wear cultural dress and then the afternoon is filled with an assembly where different students performed cultural dances, songs, skits, etc. Then, this year the theme was international games, so the students rotated and played games from places all around the world. Here I am in my Ghanaian garb with Ann, my student in her Japanese attire. The papers are red couplets that I "painted". These are blessings and are traditionally hung as decorations beside doors or entrances.

The rive that I run by at night is decorated for the holiday. :)

I'd like to say the mall is crowded b/c of the holiday, but unfortunately it's always like this!

A traditional Lion Dance...This was pretty cool...there are two men under the costume and they must have had a lot of training and or practice to perform the little dance they did as they jumped around on those stands.

The tradition that my students get must excited about is the receiving of "Lai See" packets (shown below). They are given out by adults to children, bosses to workers, married friends to single friends, etc. So, the students always get excited about raking in the cash! :) Here's one I got at the lion dance... however, instead of money, we got a chocolate coin...ooo la la!

Tangerines are a sign of good fortune and oranges of wealth, so you see these pretty lookin' plants all over town.

All in all, it was a great holiday and I think my body will go into shock tomorrow morning when I try to wake up at 6 am! :)

Enthusiastic Peanuts Reunion! :)

2011-01-16T05:39:00.000-08:00

Friday night my facegroup kids from 2 years ago and I got together for a reunion. After school we did a little bowling...
Then we headed back to my apartment for a little dirt-cake making lesson-- their request-- ordered some pizza, and played some games. It was great to catch up and laugh together. These kids are so great! :)

YUM!

Alpha Retreat

2011-01-16T05:20:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I was able to be a chaperone for the 9th grade Alpha Retreat. It was my first weekend back, so I was still a bit lacking in the sleep department, but I'm so thankful I was able to go. My first class is now in 9th grade, so I got to re-connect with many of my former students. The focus was on the Holy Spirit, and it was just so encouraging to see the kids thirst so much for the things of God. It was a fun and encouraging weekend.

hanging out on the beach-- getting ready to play Romans & Christians

Natalie and I :)

The retreat was held at Noah's Ark. It's a real-life size replica of Noah's Ark, and we stayed on the top floor.

I love Hong Kong!

Reflections

2011-01-13T01:24:00.000-08:00

Well, I wrote this on the airport coming to HK, so it's a bit old, but oh well...

I’ve been meaning to write this for a while as I left Ghana about 2 ½ weeks ago already, but being home the time just snuck away from me and I didn’t take the time to write. But New Year always brings reflections on the past year and projections for the future, so here goes…

First, a big thank you to all of you who’ve kept up with me throughout the last year and a half as I was in Ghana. Your prayers, support, notes, love, and financial gifts kept me going!

When I think about my time in Ghana, the one thing that sticks out the most is how little it matched my expectations. In fact, if I had to choose a theme verse, Proverbs 19:21 would be a good one: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

It seems from day one that anything I planned—whether it was an in-service for the teachers or an activity for the kids—crashed and burned in some way or another. At first it was extremely frustrating for plans to constantly change and for my plans, hopes, and ideas to not pan out. And honestly, there were times toward the end where it still was frustrating, but overall, I learned that it’s not at all about what I accomplished while I was there. In fact, it wasn’t about me saving the poor children of Africa. No, it was so much more than that.

It was about God showing me more clearly how He saved me and how He loves me unconditionally. I learned firsthand what it means to forgive and love even when it doesn’t seem to be reciprocated.

It was about God showing me that obedience is what counts. He doesn’t measure our success in the same way the world does. He wants us simply to obey. I was so blessed this year by so many of you who supported me.

I learned that it was more about the small moments. I cannot change the world, and that was frustrating. Many times the things I witnessed hurt. A lot. But the good news is that I could give hugs, bring smiles, encourage students, and hopefully instill hope in these kids… hope that there is a God who loves them and no matter what this life brings them, there is eternal hope in a life spent with him for those who believe.

In a VERY small nutshell, there are my thoughts!

Running Around the World

2011-01-05T06:40:00.001-08:00

From pot-hole filled dirt roads in 85 degree humidity to the icy roads in freezing cold WI to the happy medium of Hong Kong, I've really taken a liking to running lately. I signed up to run a 10K here in HK in February, so that's been motivating me to work toward that goal, and in the meantime I've really started to actually enjoy running...what a concept!

For many months I woke up to the sun shining in through my windows, and quickly laced up and journeyed out on the roads in Ghana. I really enjoyed this time every morning, as I was able to listen to a sermon and get to see Ghana "wake up". I really feel like I was able to observe the culture so much by getting out every morning and even make some friends, since everyone I passed was so friendly!

When I went home for Christmas, there was a slight scenery change as I ran on a nice, new, fancy treadmill with a built-in TV...a little bit of culture shock? Yeah, just a tad. While I loved the machine for keeping track of all the statistics, I'd much prefer the Ghanaian scenery-- ladies walking to market with their produce, cute children playing before school or walking to school, people joining me in running, etc.-- over watching HGTV anyday!

I did bundle up a couple of days and brave the WI winter weather by running outside. The first day was only 39 degrees so it was a bit chilly at first, but I warmed up rather quickly. It was so beautiful to run past the snow-covered fields as the sun set and made the snow glisten...wish I would've had my camera-- which is STILL in London (side note)! Grrrr....

And now I'm in Hong Kong, and I went for my first outside run tonight and it was amazing. I run alongside this river, which I'll admit, isn't that pretty in the daytime, but is gorgeous at night. The Christmas lights and lights from the tall high-rises lining both sides of the path reflect off the water, and it's just so pretty and peaceful. Not to mention the nostalgia that goes along with it since the hotel I stayed at the first two weeks I was here in 2007 is along that route, and it brings back many good memories.

So, there you have it. That's how I've ran around the world in 3 weeks! Man, I'm fast! ;)

I'm so thankful for all these experiences and for a healthy, able body to be able to run! Praise God!

First Day Back

2011-01-03T01:41:00.000-08:00

5:45 pm...I'm writing this because the only thing I can think about right now is sleep. I really want to sleep. I need to last at least 2 more hours though! So, I will tell you about my first day back in Hong Kong.

In some ways it feels like I've been gone for a really long time, but in a lot of ways it seems like I never left. One thing I really appreciate is the fact that I'm familiar with everything. The adjustment won't be as tough this time around, as I'm used to the currency, transport system, the school, the culture, and just the everyday "how to" things. Today I was reveling in how nice it was that I knew where I was going without anyone helping me! :)

So today...I went to bed around 2 am, after getting home around 12:15 am. I slept until about 6:20-- not bad for the first night. However, I'm hoping for a bit more than 4 hours tonight! Then I exchanged my money, bought my Octopus card (for transportation), and did some grocery shopping. Here was my first scare. The grocery store has adopted something new since I left. They don't use any plastic bags... you must have re-usable cloth ones, which is really great. However, I had planned on bringing my roommate's until I bought my own, but as I approached the check-out I realized that I had forgotten. So, I searched for some that I could buy... to no avail. Uh oh...was I seriously going to have to put all these groceries back, because there's no way I could carry them all?! Well, luckily I asked the lady and I was able to buy one... let's see how many times this is repeated and how many re-usable bags I end up with!!!

Went home and put away my groceries and headed off to IKEA to get a few things. After that I came home, resisted a nap, ate some lunch, and headed off to school...excited!!! :) I got there just in time to talk with some of the kids during their lunch. It was so great to see them all. The kids have all grown up so much! Some of them I hardly recognize.

I got to visit with some teachers and got the low down on teaching, which will start tomorrow. I'm really excited about it. It feels great to be back.

My feet are sore. I forgot how much we walk here, but I love it.

The weather is nice! It's refreshing, although it would've been nice if I brought a coat as it was a bit cold on the way home... it was about 50 today.

How's that for some random thoughts for the day? That's all I got. I'm afraid to stop typing, for fear that the zzzzzzzzs will take over!

Flashbacks...

2010-12-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

I just realized that a year ago today was the Christmas cookie making extravaganza at Haven of Hope where we made over 1,000 cookies! Here's a picture...oh, how I miss these little munchkins already!

And today, I just finished baking with my grandma and my cousin Jessica, along with Evelyn (her daughter). Yum! I'm enjoying being home and catching up with family and friends. The time is going WAYYY too fast, though, I wish we could just pause time for a few weeks. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year... well, summer's pretty great too! :)

There's Nothing Like Home...

2010-12-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

I've officially been "home" a little over 24 hours and can I just say that I'm loving America?! The first difference I recognized was the warm water on the airplane, which was quickly followed by the excitement of seeing my breath upon getting off the plane in London. When I arrived home it was negative 2 degrees Fahrenheit...that's 90 degrees cooler than when I left Ghana! But it's okay...because the snow is amazing, and it just feels so right. I haven't experienced this cold for awhile, so it brings back memories and the novelty of it makes it exciting still! :) Ask me how I feel in 2 weeks...

So, I lost my camera on the way over. It must have fallen out of my carry-on when I was flying from Ghana to London. Luckily, I had 5 hours to kill in the London airport, so I got to do some investigating...to no avail. However, I filed a report and today I called and it was found!!!! I couldn't believe it! So... there will be some "last moments" pictures soon along with some reflections when I'm feeling a bit more rested up. :)

Some highlights so far:

- I've eaten chili twice since I've been home! YUMMM!!!

- Got to spend the whole day with my mom today. :) (Shopping...note to self: shopping after not doing so in awhile is dangerous!)

- The Christmas lights and snow are beautiful!

- I'm just loving everything...it truly is the most wonderful time of the year! :)

Christmas Catalog

2010-12-09T05:35:00.001-08:00

The sky was dark, and the wind picked up, but with it being the last class before exams, my optimistic self was sure the rain would hold off just a few more minutes. We only had a half hour left of school. The students were working hard,

pausing occasionally to wipe the dust out of their eyes…as was I! And then boom! The rain came and it came hard, the wind picked it up a notch, and I felt in the middle of a windstorm. A couple of students quickly grabbed my two baskets with my teaching supplies in them, and we huddled in the corner of the activity center to try to avoid the rain. As I looked up, I saw students frantically trying to collect their papers and notebooks to get them into their bags. Some succeeded but I witnessed more than one math paper fly out of the activity center— caught up in the wind—never to be seen again in its original state. Others handed me soaking wet papers, covered in sand with the marks from my grading bleeding through the other side. It was- once again- another adventure, and yet, just another day in Ghana…

I write all that to tell you of the adventures of teaching in an open-air, tin-roof classroom, but also to give you a real visual of the needs we have here. As some of you know, the construction workers have been hard at work for many months now building a new school building to house the 3^rd- 7^th grade classes, which now meet on verandas, in the activity center, and the chicken coop! I can say first-hand that it will be so nice to have a school building with sides. The students will benefit so much from it, as it will eliminate some of the distractions—rain, dogs, tractors, vehicles, lizards, etc—just to name a few.

All that being said, are you looking for a gift for someone who has it all and you’re stuck on what to get them? Have you thought about making a donation in their name to people who could really use it? ECM has a Christmas catalog with many giving opportunities. Take a look and see if there’s something you’d be interested in giving this year…

For just $20 you can help start new programs designed to fight child trafficking.

For just $30 you can purchase 10 bricks, which will help keep our new school building going.

For just $5 you can provide 10 meals for a hungry child.

See more about gift opportunities by checking out ECM’s Christmas catalog.

Farewell Party in the Village

2010-12-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had a little farewell party in the village to say thank you to the people there for being so welcoming and friendly and to say goodbye...even though I'm sure I'll be back there this week. :) I just wanted to bless the people there for all the times they've blessed me in my time here. So, as I wrote yesterday, Rose and I got all the groceries at the market yesterday, and the ladies started cooking around 10 am. I had to teach until noon, so I headed over shortly after that. Our first project was picking out the "spoiled" beans, sticks, and pieces of gravel from the beans...

Seraphin was a good little helper...Look at those eyes! Precious...

...stirring the stew...

I will definitely miss these kids. It was a fun afternoon, because after the initial prep, there wasn't a lot to do except wait, so we did a lot of just hanging out with the kids. They're soo precious!
Mavis (to my left) is one of my students, and here she is with her sister, Ophelia...and I have Divine...one of the happiest, smiliest kids I've met!

The waakye is ready...let the people come! (And there was no problem there!)

Because there isn't an abundance here like other places, Ghanaians know that if they don't fend for themselves and unfortunately push to the front of the line, they may not get any. Luckily, we did have enough, but that didn't stop the mob! I did a little bit of crowd control...whew...not my career of choice! :)

...waiting...

Ahhh...waakye at last! It was definitely a hit!

The smiles say it all...worth every minute! I love you, Akotoshie #2!!!! :)

Rainy Days and Mondays...

2010-12-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

…always get me d….Nope, actually that’s not true. In fact, here in Ghana I hope, cheer, and root for the rain as it cools things off. The rain is (almost) always welcomed with a smile. However, this afternoon it made for an interesting adventure…

The black clouds directly over the town we were going to should have been a good indication that going to market was not the best idea. But the problem is, we had to. Tomorrow I’m going to prepare and share a meal with my friends in the village—sort of as a goodbye…hard to believe it’s that time already! So today Rose and I headed to Nsawam to buy all the goods!

On the way there it started pouring, just as I had predicted. We were in a tro-tro (think 15 passenger van that usually has an average of about 30 people in it), and well, you could just say this tro-tro didn’t have the best roof. The rain started leaking in through several holes on the roof, one of which happened to be right above my legs. It started as a slow drip, then there were more, and then it seemed as though it was raining INSIDE the tro-tro as there were some pretty steady streams. Nobody seemed too happy about it…personally, I found it quite humorous.

When we got out, we ran and huddled amongst many others waiting for the rain to stop. I think this was the second time in my “Ghana career” that I’ve been cold. (It was probably about 75 degrees….do you think I’m ready for WI??!!) In my defense, I was wet.

After a half an hour of waiting, the rain let up and we headed out to shop. It’s always an adventure, but even moreso after a heavy rain. I wish I could adequately explain it or give you an accurate picture, but it’s nearly impossible to explain. Just picture walking through some of the worst-smelling fish stands possible, trying to remain grounded as you quickly shift all your weight upward onto a slanted rocky path as a man with a cart comes barreling through with no intentions of slowing down. I feared for my ankles! It was slippery, muddy, smelly, and quite an experience as we continued to buy more and more and carry more and more…inside I was screaming, “Piggly Wiggly, where are you???” haha…no, really, it’s a fun experience. I enjoy all the excitement, but I think I’ll enjoy “regular” grocery shopping again too. It just seems so easy…so adventure-less, but that’s a-okay with me!

A Day on the Town

2010-12-04T11:03:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I took Esther (the girl I sponsor) and her friend Stella out for a girls' bonding day. We got up bright and early and took the 6 am train out of Kotoku. It was a 2 hour ride...it's only about 16 miles by car! :) However, no worries...it was not a boring ride...heaven forbid something would be boring in Ghana. I just don't think it's possible. :) We witnessed a man getting in a fist fight with the man in charge of collecting the fares. The man was trying to sit in 1st class when he only paid to be in second class. This is a matter of 40 pesawas...or about 28 cents we're talking about. He made quite the scene! Yikes...

Esther and I on the train...

This is a picture of the "bend-down market" on the way in, but we took the train to the end and picked out some material for the girls to get dresses made for Christmas. After that we headed to the pool!

This was the very first time either of them had been to a pool before, so they were quite hesitant at first, but when they warmed up to being in the water they didn't want to get out! :) All in all, it was a fun day!

"Tis the Season

2010-12-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

With the scorching sun blazing at about 90 degrees these days, it doesn't exactly feel like Christmas, but the Christmas spirit is in the air! :) We spent some time in the girls' dorm this morning decorating it with this beautiful tree. The girls had fun and may have had more glitter on themselves than on the tree by the time we were finished, but it was a good time. :)

I'm gonna miss these kids...

Comfort & MaaAbena being their cute selves :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:30:00.001-08:00

Mmmmm.... first of all, Happy Thanksgiving! I have to say it didn't really feel like Thanksgiving today as it was 90 degrees and I taught my normal classes. But there were some bright spots that made it a good day. First of all, I was introducing fractions to my 3rd graders, so I got to brag on my Grandma's cooking skills, share about Thanksgiving, and eat her pie vicariously through the fraction examples! :) That was fun!

Then, after school, Priscilla-- a girl who lives in the village nearby-- came over and taught Tawnee and I how to make my favorite Ghanaian food...waakye! It was really fun to learn how it's prepared and have some bonding time! Some interesting differences in cooking were that you first need to sift the small stones, rice, and "bean shells" (for lack of a better word) from the beans before washing and then cooking them. Then we put these "weeds" (as Priscilla called them) in with the beans as they cooked to color them. Here we are pulling out the weeds!

...and here's our Ghanaian Thanksgiving meal! haha...on Saturday we're planning on concocting a more traditional version. :)

After eating we walked Priscilla home, and got to see the village at night, which doesn't happen very often. And I'm sorry to my faithful blog readers for all my ranting and raving about the village, but I just love it! The stars were out, it was pitch dark, and the frogs were having quite the concert. It was fun to walk around and visit all of our friends (and students) in the village and see everyone preparing their dinner over the fires by candle light. I always feel like I'm in a movie out there, but I love it, because the people are so loving and friendly.

All in all, besides missing being with my family, I'd say it was a good Thanksgiving. I have SO much to be thankful for.

A breath of fresh air...

2010-11-21T02:46:00.000-08:00

With the way things have been going at the home lately, Friday night was a breath of fresh air. We took three girls-- Attah, AfuaKyere, and Aisha--to Mr. Fred's house for a girls' night sleepover. It was a night filled with laughter (lots of it!), games, talking, and of course popcorn!

These girls are so full of joy and remind me why I can press on! They are precious and such great encouragers!

AfuaKyere-- the popcorn expert :)

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

2010-11-20T02:15:00.000-08:00

...just like the ones I use to know."

I’ll admit it… last night I woke up dreaming of Christmas and I just can’t stop! :) I’m dreaming of the smell of Christmasy candles filling the house, sitting by the fireplace and watching Elf, wearing warm clothes, going to the Christmas Eve service at church, looking at all the pretty lights, getting bundled up to go outside, sitting inside making Christmas cookies while the slow flies outside, eating Dad’s stew, making chili, buying and wrapping Christmas presents, going sledding (maybe skiing?!), going ice skating and coming in to some nice warm cappuccino…and most of all spending time with my family and friends! …25 days! :)

Let us run with perseverance...

2010-11-18T11:49:00.001-08:00

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..." Hmmm...I sure know what that's like! That's what my body is screaming to me every morning around 6:45 a.m. in the middle of my run when all I want to do is stop and walk. But I don't...I keep "trotting" away (as they call it here).

Why? Why don't I just quit and walk? Well...numero uno, because I was crazy enough to sign up for a 10K in HK in February and if I don't keep on keeping on, I won't finish it. I want to cross that finish line knowing I did the best I possibly could. It's a goal I've had for awhile, and I was finally committed enough to sign up for it. Second, I know I'll never get faster and gain more endurance if I just stop and walk when I'm tired. Those times that I push through the pain and temporary discomfort are exactly what help me to build endurance and get faster.

I can't help but see a significant parallel in my life right now to this picture of running with perseverance, not giving up, finishing strong... Life’s been a little rough this week. I’m hurt, saddened, and frustrated beyond words—probably more than I have been since coming here. It’s probably a result of all the little things built up over time, but the straw that broke the camel's back is the disrespect from the kids this week. One of the hardest things for me is to feel like I’m pouring my heart out for these kids…giving them love the best way I know how, spending time with them, teaching them, laughing together, reading stories, providing material things, and then in the blink of an eye you can become their worst enemy simply for disciplining one child who was—for Pete’s sake—harming another child!!!!

As a result, for the past few days we’ve been insulted and given the cold shoulder from most of the girls and some of the boys. Not getting a response to a simple “hello” is so hurtful when you love these kids so much. Yesterday I’d had enough. Sometimes I wonder if it’d just be easier if I didn’t care… if I didn’t love them at all, then I couldn’t be hurt. However, I do love them. That’s not going to change. I care about them so much and only wish they would see it.

Through this all, I’m comforted by two truths. First, these troubles are temporary and don’t come as surprises to God. Jesus states in John 16:33b, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” How great to know that as followers of Christ all of our trials and troubles are temporary and so minor compared to the glory that is to come! Romans 8:18 says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Second, I’ve been comforted by the realization of God’s love for me. I have been chosen and loved by God and have been just as stubborn, rude, unloving, and ungrateful as some of these kids are being right now. Yet God does not turn His back on me; He does not refuse to have anything to do with me. His love is constant, sacrificial, and real. Romans 5:6-8 says it better than I possibly could, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In the midst of our own sin against God, He didn’t give up on us—in fact, He DIED for us!

I pray that I have the grace, forgiveness, mercy, and love that can only come from God to love on these kids, because everything inside me just wants to hide out for the remainder of my time here, but I know that’s no way to finish. Just like in my morning runs, I need to press on, push through the pain, insults, and hurtful ignorances, and realize that we are to rejoice in our sufferings because they produce perseverance, character, and hope. (Romans 5:3) Why? Because I'm running to hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)

School is school, right?

2010-11-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

Not really... :) As I walked down to the “office” last night with my trusty flashlight to make copies—in hopes that the generator wouldn’t be turned off before my copy-making-mission was accomplished, I realized all over again that so many of the things that are just normal to me now as a result of living here for over a year, really aren’t normal at all. So, I’ve compiled a list of interesting school facts that are probably pretty unique!

- All the students (Nursery through JSS1) gather for assembly in the morning, where we sing, pray, recite the memory verse, national anthem, and pledge.

- When a teacher is absent there is rarely an effort made to find someone to substitute or cover for them.

- The JSS1 class (equivalent to 7^th grade) meets in the chicken coop…don’t worry, there’s only one chicken!

- There are 11 and 18 year olds in the same class.

- The female teachers serve the male teachers at lunch.

- The kids sweep the classes (and the dirt) before school each morning, and a group is also assigned to clean the toilets before school starts.

- Classes are cancelled if it rains hard, because most of the classes meet outside with just a roof over their heads.

- Pencils are a huge problem—between handing them out, discussing who lost theirs, and sharpening them, class is always delayed.

- We usually find out about days off due to holidays the day before the holiday.

- The bell that rings to change classes is a small hand-held bell.

Just a little bit different!

Service with a Smile?

2010-11-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

Service…seems like a fairly simply concept. You do a few nice things for people who are less fortunate than you in your spare time and at your convenience, right? HA! . If there’s any lesson I seem to be learning lately it’s that my life is not my own and much to my dismay, service doesn’t happen on my timetable. I often have my priorities, preferences of what I’d like to do and when, and my ideas of how my time should be spent. However, as a follower of Christ, I am instructed to “deny myself, pick up my cross daily and follow Jesus” (Luke 9:23).

I have never been in such a position where it is so clear to me what it means to serve (even when that’s the last thing you want to do), and although it can be very challenging, I know God is using these experiences to teach me to have a servant’s heart and be more sensitive to His Spirit leading me. Back in America and even HK, I use to wake up and have a pretty good idea of what my day would look like, which is good because by nature I’m a planner and love schedules and predictability. However, being here in Africa, it seems like planning is a foreign concept and any plans and expectations are temporary and can change in the blink of an eye. There are a countless number of things that can change plans-- from rain, dentist visits, vaccinations, football matches, dorm inspections, and staff meetings—all which cancel classes—to impromptu trips to drive ill teachers out to the junction, bring one of the cooks to grind maize, take the kids home, or take the dog to the vet from a suspected snake bite.

When these “surprises” come up—especially when I have just sat down to do lesson plans or grading, have planned something with the kids, or have planned to take a short siesta—I have two possible reactions to the inevitable circumstances—I can serve with joy and sincerity or I can serve with a grumbling and reluctant spirit. Honestly, at times I react one way and at times the other. However, God has really been showing me lately that my life is not my own. I belong to Him and Him alone…whether I live or die (Romans 14:8).

Since I belong to Him, I need to be more submissive to His plans for my life, which cannot happen if I have all my plans already set in stone. So, although it’s not always bright and rosy, and I sometimes fail in the attitude department, I’m learning to put my agenda on hold and embrace God’s plans for my minutes, hours, and days. And I’m trying to serve joyfully, for Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8, “…for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

God is able to strengthen and equip us for all good works! I often find that even when I may be reluctantly helping someone out, there are blessings that quickly give me an attitude check. For example, last week when I had to take the kids and teachers home from school, which is about an hour worth of pot-hole filled, gut shaking adventure, I wasn’t feeling the most excited about it, but as I was getting in the van the kids were so excited that the “oburoni” was going to drive them home, and then when I dropped them off about 10 of the younger ones stood by the passenger door and blew me kisses. What’s not to love about that? They are precious and just melted my heart.

Service is not always convenient, fun, or easy, but it’s what we’re called to do as Christians and Jesus set the perfect example for us while He was here on earth…serving selflessly even unto death. What’s a minor (or major!) schedule change in comparison to sacrificing your life?

Costume Party

2010-11-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday we had a costume party for the kids, which seemed to be a hit. At first many of the kids were reluctant and didn't know what to be...but some last-minute creative juices seemed to flow and they came up with some creative costumes!

MaaAbena, Anna, Tawiah, Attah, and I

Kwesi

SUPERMAN! (aka Bequin)

Joshua and Father Christmas (Sylvester)

We had 5 different stations set up with games and prizes, and it's so great how they get excited about the simple things. It was a great day, and so fun to see even the oldest kids find the "kid" in them for a few hours!

What a Day!

2010-10-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

What a day it’s been! It’s definitely been one of those non-stop days, and although nothing out of the ordinary happened (well, for the most part), it was a great day. I taught my three classes right away this morning and was done by 11:35. They all went pretty well, and I think we’re getting into a bit of a rhythm…although, that can literally change in a matter of seconds!

By the time I finished grading some papers and organizing a few things, it was noon, so I was going to make some copies of sponsor letters so we could help the kindergarten teacher with those at 12:45. So in between I quickly decided to throw in a load of laundry; then I had to help the electrician find a plug some cord he was using, make the copies, and eat lunch. Well, apparently, this was a little too much, b/c I made a very stupid mistake… details coming soon!

We went on and helped the kindergarteners write letters to their sponsors, which was a lot of fun, because they are just SO adorable! This is when Amanda broke the news to me that I forgot to put the hose that drains the water from the washing machine (which we now use…instead of hand washing…yay!) into the shower. The result? I flooded Lauren & Amanda’s apartment! Haha…well, that might be an exaggeration, but I did flood their hallway and bathroom and their basket was floating. So, I got to spend almost 2 hours mopping that up! I can pretty much guarantee that will never happen again!

After that I opened the library and had some of the kids come up to read and color, while I helped some of the little ones with their sponsor letters. So, here’s my shameless plug for sponsors: We have TONS of new, adorable, eager to learn, African beauties who are still in need of school sponsors. For US$1 a day ($30/month) you can make a huge difference in their lives, and I can honestly say that the kids really appreciate their sponsors and greatly treasure any correspondence they get from them. If this is something that God has laid on your heart or you think you may be interested in, you can contact Every Child Ministries at ecmafrica@ecmafrica.org (direct your e-mail to Monica) or contact me and I can hook you up!

Okay, back to my day, just a few other highlights:

- saw a shooting star on my way to the girls’ dorm tonight

- Tawnee was in town and brought me back a Snickers bar! :)

- and…quick funny story: I walked one of the girls up to her classroom to get her books, and it was dark. A taxi just dropped some people off and it drove about ½ down the lane through the middle of our compound and stopped. I thought this was strange, so I pointed my flashlight straight at him to see what was up, greeted him, and quickly realized that he was out of his car, relieving himself! Haha…. Not expecting that one!

Just another day in Africa… :)

Lions and Tigers and Bears...oh my!

2010-10-26T13:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I took some of the little ones on a "safari walk"! We ran from imaginary tigers and lions, played dead when we spotted bears, and killed imaginary snakes.... oh, to be 4 or 5 again! So fun! Here's a few pictures and the nice sunset we came back to...

Where's Waldo?-Lizard Style!

2010-10-24T04:03:00.000-07:00

Can you spot all 13 lizards?!?

That's M'am to you!

2010-10-19T10:56:00.001-07:00

A quick funny story to share...this afternoon I had to go pick up my medical report (for my HK visa), so I picked it up, got in a taxi, and the driver responded to one of my questions by saying, "Yes sir". Thankfully just as I was about to correct him, he started laughing and corrected himself. :) (This is a common mistake here...I'm probably called "sir" an average of 5 times a week, so I'm use to it and was surprised he caught himself.)

Ironically, I open up my report and at the top of my very professional report it says:

AGE/SEX: 25 years/M

What is going on here!?! :)

Weekend Adventures

2010-10-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends & Family,

Thank you so much for your continued interest and support of my time here in Ghana. Here’s a little recap on what’s new on this side of the world. This past week was really good…school went smoothly and the weekend was great!

In school I continue to remember that small progress is better than no progress. I’m learning more than ever to roll with the punches and be flexible. This is key to keeping my sanity. I also try to remind myself daily that yes…math is important, but even more important than the sum of seven and five is that they know, understand, and see thelove of God modeled in their lives. This is a good reminder on days where seemingly nothing is accomplished.

Friday night we took seven girls to Mr. Fred’s house. He’s another missionary here who is currently back in the States. He graciously opened his house to us to use for a girls’ night sleepover. He has a really nice place and it even has…waitfor it……..electricity and air conditioning! Whoa buddy! :) Definitely a bonus! As we were pulling up to his house, Tawiah, who’s 11 years old, says, “Shangri-La!” haha… It was a really fun night, and I look forward to taking the older girls next time.Saturday felt like three days in one and was probably been one of the best days in awhile. We woke up, made breakfast with the girls, ate, cleaned up and headed home. After 2 bumpy car rides home, day one of Saturday was completed by 9 a.m.! Time feels so different here when you rise with the sun!

After a relaxed breakfast and time with God, we took about 20 of the boys for a walk to the dam. Normally walks to the dam are pretty uneventful, but then again, nothing is Africa is truly uneventful or easy…that would just be no fun. ;) So, we got to the turn-off on our path only to see it not only covered with water from the recent downpours (as I expected) but covered by a raging river! Okay…”raging” might be an overstatement, but it wasn’t a small stream. So, we re-routed ourselves and made it to the dam eventually…just took a little longer than we expected.

After spending some time at the dam, it was time to head back so we weren’t (too) late for lunch. We decided to take the shortcut knowing there might be some ri

vers to forge along the way. We were right in this assumption, but were in for even far more of an adventure than we had expected! We came to a lower part of land that is typically completely dry and it was very flooded! Only one choice now…. It was time to dive in! We made our way through it, which was really no sacrifice for any of us, since it was extremely hot. The water was so refreshing, and the only setback was that as I was getting into the water I stepped on some sand, which sucked my foot in and as I lifted my foot, my sandal broke! Not a huge deal… it just meant I had to walk the rest of the way through lots of mud, one more river, and through the village one-shoed.

These adventures definitely spiced up our walk to the dam, and it was such a great morning!

Here are a few prayer requests:

- - for the students to have the motivation and desire to learn.

- - for unity and love among all the children at the home and school.

- - Patience, love, gentleness, and understanding as we teach, train, and live with these precious, but sometimes troubled kids

- for God to ease the pain and heartbreak that some of the kids live with on a daily basis because of their past

I think that’s all to report for now! Thanks for reading, and I look forward to hearing how you’re doing as well!

Annoying Ants

2010-10-18T13:05:00.003-07:00

I write this blog for the sole purpose of gaining some sympathy! ;) haha... I feel like I am constantly fighting the ants here lately. I can understand ants in the house, but on EVERYthing?...c'mon! Here are just some of the items that I have had to remove ants from just this week:

10. our table

9. any glass of water that has sat on the table for more than 30 seconds

8. clean dishes in the drying rack

7. my bed

6. my computer

5. my body

4. the brown sugar (I have to admit, I still used it...just a little extra protein in that batch of cookies!)

3. any and all walls in our house

2. flour

and the number one most disturbing...my toothbrush!!!

The This Thing

2010-10-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Ghanaian phrases is “the this thing”. It can mean just about anything and can be used by just about anyone at just about anytime, and that’s not the only reason I love it….it’s just so non-descriptive that it just cracks me up! The crazy thing is that you almost always know what “the this thing” is referring to!

Yesterday, one of my students came up to me before school and said, “Ms. Dana, today is the this thing,” and I replied, “Yes…today is the this thing.” Of course he was referring to the test…what else? Haha…I’m going to miss all the African phrases so much… I can crack myself up pretty good with them, but I’m afraid people “back home” might not see the humor. I might just have to use them anyways… somehow. ;)

Village Visit & the Next Adventure...

2010-10-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the village to read to some of the kids for the first time in quite awhile. I was greeted by little Priscilla (a sweet, sweet, precious little 1 or 2 year old) and her brother running up and giving me hugs… ahhh…this is why I come here! So, I rounded up some kids (and of course the adults like the stories, too) and read a few stories. I just love being in the village. Something about it is just so simplistic…so relaxing… so real. I love the fact that they are so community-based. So much of their time is spent together.

I love just being able to get a glimpse of their everyday activities…a group of 4 little boys (young—probably between 2 and 5 years old) stood a couple feet away from where I was reading, ground their own hot pepper, and dipped their akpale (made from cassava and cornstarch) into it, looked over and laughed as I sang parts of the story… so precious!

I will definitely try to be more conscious of getting over there before I leave, which reminds me… some of you know, but I will be wrapping up my time in Ghana in mid-December. I’ll be in WI for the holidays (whoo hoo!...already put in a special order for lots and lots of snow!) and then Lord-willing, I’ll be heading back to Hong Kong at the end of December. I have been given the opportunity to take two long-term maternity leave sub positions. One is for 6^th grade Bible and Math (my exact old position) and the other is for 4^th grade… I’m very excited to go back and be reunited with everyone there in HK, share my experiences here in Ghana, eat lots of curry , and I’m hoping it will be a good time of discernment as I decide what God has next for me. So far He’s been more than faithful to line up all the details, so I am confident He will continue to make my path clear.

My New Identity

2010-10-09T04:10:00.000-07:00

It never fails that when I introduce myself to a Ghanaian, they say, "Oh, Tina...such a nice name," to which I usually respond by correcting them. Then they go on to say, "Oh Dena...oh, okay." About half of the time I try to explain "DANA" and the other half I just smile and nod. :)

However, my favorite story is the guy who upon hearing my name responded, "Oh, Dinner...I like your name SO much. I will never forget your name, because I love dinner." After some laughter, I tried to explain, but of course to no avail, so I was called "Dinner" for a few months. Well, at least it always gave me a good laugh!

So, it's official...Tina it is! :)

The Call of Duty

2010-10-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

Lesson plans, teaching, grading papers....I never imagined having one of my "teacherly" duties be spotting poisonous snakes, but I'm proud to say that today I did just that! :) I was walking to the library today after my class when I noticed a little slippery, slithery creature slithering just within feet of me... my first live-out-of-the-car snake spotting! :/ Always when you least expect it! So, I called to Tawnee to get one of the older boys to come kill it, and in the second I turned my head to say that, I had lost the snake! Well, thankfully we were able to spot it again...man, those little things can move! Freeman had come to kill it, and he took a rock and threw it at the snake... miss... Now it had slid behind the dog cage, so one of the teachers stepped in and used a stick to swat at it... success! :)

Havin' a Ball at the Mall!

2010-10-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

Saturday we were able to take the younger kids to the mall in Accra where they have a playground set up. The kids were ecstatic to be able to ride the train, jump around in bouncy houses, play in the balls and just be kids. They had a blast and I think us adults had just as much fun watching them!

When times are tough, all I have to do is find one of these younger ones, and I am guaranteed a smile and some love! :) (Here's a funny side story: When I got back from a run the other day, Moses (in the middle of the 1st picture) ran up to me and gave me a hug, so I picked him up. And of course I was extremely sweaty, which he quickly noticed and stated, "You are hot," to which I agreed. Well, before I knew it, he touched my neck and licked his finger! haha... he went back for more and then went to lick my arm...couldn't help but laugh, but I put him down and decided it was time for a shower! Gotta love that salt! :) haha....

They just make my day and are truly too precious for words. I love the innocence and love of children...

Comfort, Moses, and Nii

Seyram

Aseidu and I

Boti Falls

2010-09-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday we loaded up the van with 15 kids and 5 adults and headed off to Boti Falls, a waterfall a few hours away (give or take a few). :) It was by far the best excursion since I've been here (excluding the 7 hours in the car!).... the landscape was beautiful and the kids were absolutely fabulous! The hike we took to Umbrella Rock was no joke and the kids were such troopers! It started out pretty flat, but turned quite steep-- as in straight up bouldering for a couple of stretches. We crossed a little stream, saw a cave, and after some more bouldering, finally made it to Umbrella Rock. Probably about 3/4 of the kids climbed the ladder to the top...I even conquered my fear of ladders and made it up there myself...what a gorgeous view from the top!
Then, we hiked down to the waterfall. There are 2 beautiful waterfalls and a wonderful mist that cooled us down from our big hike! The kids had fun wading in the water and just taking in the breath-taking beauty!

Amanda, Tawnee, and I with Bequin

The troopers!

A beautiful rainbow was across the waterfall!

Tawnee & I

What We'll do for French Toast!

2010-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

For any of you who loathe grocery shopping, let me bring you a little encouragement! :) Yesterday morning about 8:20 I said french toast sounded good for breakfast. Tawnee and I quickly realized we didn't have any bread and would need it over the next couple of days, so we'd just run and get some quick (ha!) and then make our french toast. Well, by the time I took a quick shower and we tried to figure out which vehicle we could take, it was quickly 9:40.

The store we were going to is less than 2 miles away, but when we got there they were sold out of bread, eggs, and all the other items that we wanted and are always there. So, in order to go to a gas station fairly close by, you have to drive about 1 to 1.5 miles to turn around and get on the other side of the highway. So, we did that-- in hopes of getting some bread...sold out! We were out of options so we decided to head home, when voila...we saw someone selling bread on the side of the road! Whoo hoo! Well, at this point we remembered that we hadn't found eggs yet, so we decided to head a mile and a half down the road the other way toward Kotoku. We asked someone there where we could find eggs, so he agreed to help us find some. So, we cross the railroad tracks and end up walking through the town onto some dirt path that finally led back to what was actually this man's house! ...and his wife sold us some eggs! Ahhh...mission accomplished!

All this time I was really building up an appetite for this french toast. Well... by the time we got home it was 11:30!!! So, breakfast became "brunch" just at noon! Nothing here is ever quick!!!

Spit it out, buddy!

2010-09-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

We met a little boy in the pool today named Albert and he was quite high maintenance, but a cute little guy…6 years old. He was very talkative and inquisitive, so we started asking him questions in return, and asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. He quickly responded, “I want to be a rich man.” Wow! Not what any of us were expecting! So after some laughter, we asked him if that would make him happy and he said “yes”, so we asked how being rich would make him happy. Here’s a little 6 year old just swinging around in the water “ummm”-ing and “hmmm”-ing away trying to think of a response, so Tawnee jokingly said, “Spit it out, buddy….spit it out!”, and Albert turned away and spit into the pool! Haha….so funny!

1 John 2:17 says, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” And I’m convinced that we are on earth for such a short time that in the grand scheme of things, money, fame, and prestige don’t matter…the only thing that matters is bringing glory to God. I hope Albert agrees when he “grows up”!

A "Swimming Lesson"

2010-09-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today was pool day for the older boys and it was sooo much fun! Because the big van is "in the shop", we were only to take the oldest 15 boys and the others will go at a later date. It was probably better this way, because we were able to spend more time with the ones there. Sometimes the older boys are harder to relate to...there are a few that come around a lot, but many of them seem to be in their "own little world" and sometimes it's difficult to get more than a glimpse into that world. However, in some mysterious way, the water in the pool seems to break down those barriers and allow them to just be kids, have fun, laugh, and play together. Wow...it was such a great day! Beach balls were flying, piggy back rides were given, kids were launched, and smiles were in abundance! :)

I just loved watching their faces light up as they played in the water. One boy in particular will literally run from us whenever we see him around the home, but today he was asking for piggy back rides. It made me so happy whenever he would ask, because he never talks to me or comes around, and the fact that he was asking for help just made me smile.

It reminded me of how God must feel with us sometimes. I think we often adapt a "I can do it myself" type of attitude, and then there are moments where we are at the end of our rope and we realize that we really can't do it on our own. We are dependent upon God to receive any type of true and lasting joy, peace, hope, and the list goes on...

This is just like Kobby in the pool....He can do most things on His own, but in order to go to the deep end and experience something new, he has to ask for help. He is dependent on us, and just as it was a joy to help him experience this, I believe it's a joy for God to give us good gifts. In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus says, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" God delights in our dependence on Him.

We, too, can choose do things on our own, but if we do this, the results are tragic. We are a sinful people, deserving of death (Romans 6:23), but God in His grace offers us eternal life through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we refuse to admit our fallen nature, our inability to be holy on our own, and our need for a Savior we will never truly live the life that God intended for us here on earth, and even more importantly, we will not be given the gift of eternal life and will spend eternity separated from Him.

So, I’m using Kobby in the pool today as a reminder to daily surrender myself to God and admit that I need His help to go through everyday. I can’t do it on my own.

Great Expectations

2010-09-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a meeting with all the teachers to find out our teaching positions for the upcoming school year. I don't know why I still expect to know what's going to happen...you'd think I'd have learned by now that things never go quite as planned! :) It turns out they are moving to subject teaching this year, instead of having one teacher assigned to every class. Because of this, we will be able to start the JSS (Junior Secondary School) at Haven of Hope this year. The new school building to house the JSS is currently being built and is a huge task, so Naa Naeraoh said, "The chicken coop only has one foul, so we will convert that to the JSS." So, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen...the "7th graders" will be meeting in the chicken coop! :) Never a dull moment here... I love it!

I will be teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade math and hope to also continue doing some acceleration of students who are far behind their grade level-- depending on how it all works into the schedule. All in all, we seem to be off to a good start and I'm really excited to see how the year (or semester) goes. I'm very excited to actually be teaching and really looking forward to pushing the kids to excel in math....I know, I'm a nerd, but I see the importance of an education soooo strongly here in Ghana. It can really make or break the course of their life. I do have to admit, though, that I'm also a little nervous about the teaching part, because classrooms are operated so differently here. I'm hoping the students catch on to the expectations and procedures and classes start up smoothly on Monday. :)

Pool Par-tay!

2010-09-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Miss Lauren treated all the girls to a pool trip on Friday and what a good time was had by all! I think the pictures will tell the story. :)
Tawiah, Rebecca, Fauzia, and Aisha with the Martha Washingtons... I think the Martha on the left was due for another hair appointment! ;)

Heart-Breaking Inspiration

2010-09-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today Lauren, Tawnee, Amanda, and I headed into Accra to help out with the street ministry, which Auntie Felicia (ECM's street ministry director) heads up. Many of the kids at Haven of Hope have been "rescued" from living here. Many of these kids lay down to sleep every night on the platform of the train station or on the concrete porches of the buildings in the station. They are not well attended to at all and many are left to fend for themselves from a very young age.

Going there was very heart-breaking, yet inspirational in a way. Let me explain: As soon as I stepped out of the van, I was greeted by a child whom I had never met before, just eager for a hug....for love and affection.

There were probably about 100 kids altogether, and we started out by reading some educational books. The kids gathered around-- eager to listen and learn. Then, they gather all the kids together and sing some songs and have a short lesson (today about the alphabet)-- since some of them don't go to school.

After that we had a little first aid station where the kids could come if they had any cuts, scrapes, boils, etc. that needed some doctoring. This poor little boy I worked on had 18 band-aids by the time I was finished with him. :( What a sweetheart...I can't even imagine. It's difficult for them to keep these clean, as they need to pay 50 pesawas to use the public showers...and yet more to use the soap and sponges. My heart breaks for these kids.

Afterwards they had a Bible story and then fed the kids a meal. We helped serve the food and it's also hard when you run out of food, but still have a line of kids waiting... it seems that as much as you help, it will never be enough.

However, as I said, it was inspiring--Auntie Felicia takes the time to really get to know these kids, love on them, understand their stories, and she just truly loves them and wants the best for them. It's good for me to see this and be reminded that one person really can make a difference...one child at a time. There is too much need to look at the big picture... I will aim to love one child at a time and it's my hope and prayer that that will make all the difference for that one child.

Village Bible Study

2010-09-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had our second Bible study in the village and I worked with the kids today. We had four of our older girls at Haven of Hope prepare some educational materials and songs to use with the kids while their moms were at the Bible study. We were hoping this would take away the distraction of having literally 40 extra little bodies crowded around the blanket spread on the dirt ground.

All was well for the first hour and 15 minutes as we sang songs, learned colors, shapes, the alphabet, and read stories...and then chaos ensued! Yikes! Please pray that we can think of more ideas to keep the kids actively engaged.

Praise God that there were many new faces at the Bible study tonight and they are so hungry for God's Word. It really is neat to see.

My Other "Home Sweet Home"

2010-08-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Lauren, Tawnee, and I

Sylvester being goofy...this was hilarious! :)

I’m thoroughly enjoying being back in Ghana. I arrived late on Tuesday night and was given a wonderful welcome at the airport by Tawnee, Lauren, Mama Carolyn, and Papa Jim. After all my naps on the plane I was ready to go for the day when I got home…the only problem is that it was 11 pm. So, in true Ghanaian fashion, we got out our flashlight and began unpacking bags , and I think it’s safe to say that I made a tornado in our apartment that Tawnee had just neatly cleaned and picked up. We finally went to bed about 3 a.m. and woke up around 7:15 to some boys outside our window who were peeking in to see if I was back. Although I was still tired, I couldn’t lay there knowing the kids were out there…. I was so anxious to see them, so the hugs and happy reunions quickly followed, and it was so fun to be welcomed back so excitedly. I feel right at home. My favorite continuous welcome was by a little boy named Nii and he has said to me with his big ol’ beautiful smile, “You come again!” at least 30 times! Not even kidding.

During the past couple days we’ve kept very busy with the kids and just getting re-settled in. One exciting thing is that we started a Bible study in the local village, and we’ll be meeting Thursday nights for that. We had our first one this week and had about 15 adults and of course, about 3 times as many kids huddled around! It was so encouraging to hear their eagerness to learn the Word of God and their gratitude for having someone come who is willing to teach. Please pray for wisdom, guidance, and for the Holy Spirit to be very evident in all we do there. I am excited to see how God will work through this Bible study.

I have many new Oburoni faces joining me this year, so in addition to Mama Carolyn and Papa Jim, Tawnee has been here since April, Lauren came in June, and Amanda flew over with me. So, needless to say, it’s such a blessing to have them here!

Also, when I drove in on Tuesday night, I noticed a big ol’ pole in the middle of one of the roads and quickly realized that this was indeed a very exciting thing. We are happy to report that we did a little cheerleading yesterday as we drove by a crew of men putting up the wires that attach to these poles to provide….you guessed it, ELECTRICITY! Rumor has it that it will be up and running in about a month or so…I’m not holding my breath, but it would be great if it was operating before I left.

We have about two more weeks before school starts, so I’m looking forward to spending some good quality time with the kids. Today as we were driving through a “rougher” part of Accra, I had to be very watchful as people ran across the road in front of me and children were out playing in the streets. It really hit me when I realized that many of the children at Haven of Hope come from this area of town, and those kids out there on their own at the age of two or three are just as precious as our little Moses, Kweku, Comfort, and Seyram (our little ones) and that because God has given two people a vision to make a difference in these “forgotten” childrens’ lives, these kids are given hope for this life and for eternity. Praise God for His plan is greater than we could imagine. As always, thanks for being a part of it through your prayers and support.

I'm back in action!

2010-08-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have been MIA for over 2 months and it's time to get back to the blogging. I've had a wonderful summer with family and friends, and have been able catch up with so many people and take in all the wonderful luxuries of home! Some of my favorites that I will be trying to soak in as much as possible over the next 4 days are: a refrigerator-- especially pressing a button to get ice cubes!, electricity 24/7, snuggling under my covers and actually feeling cold (a foreign concept in Ghana!), eating lots of veggies and meat, and enjoying the outdoors...biking, swimming, rollerblading, playing tennis, etc.

I've started packing, and thanks to so many generous people, I have lots and lots and lots of luggage to take back... anything from vitamins to shoes to clothes to socks to band-aids for the kids...and much more! I'm sure I will make quite the scene in the airport, but I'm just hoping it all makes it there. :)

Ghana Garb & Dinner Friends

2010-06-08T02:25:00.000-07:00

Sunday after church with our Ghanaian dresses on...we are true Ghanaians now...that's what they said at least! :)

The Ghanaian Girls (Tawnee, Mama Carolyn, and I)

Last night we invited Rose, a friend from the nearby village, and her son Abednago, over for dinner. We had chicken and rice burritos, and Abednago seemed to enjoy it, but I'm not so sure about Rose. It's interesting how we think we'll have this great meal, and they probably just prefer the akpale they have everyday! haha...oh well, it was fun to have them over...and of course we had to round off the evening with Rice Krispie treats which were a hit! :)

Abednago was constantly taking care of his mom-- just making sure she got enough to eat...so cute!

Adorable!

This is not fake!!!

2010-06-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

...and I think the picture will do it justice! YUCK!!!

Rainy Day Adventures...

2010-06-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after school Tawnee and I took off on a bike ride while the kids were in siesta. It started to drizzle as we were leaving, and the clouds were pretty threatening, but against our better judgment we decided to still go! ...and it was awesome. The rain steadily picked up and we got thoroughly drenched! It was so great to ride through the rain, but even better was the COOL AIR!!! Rainy season is here...remind me again why I'm coming home NOW??? (Oh yeah, 'cuz I miss you all like crazy! Okay...) So, I think all the Ghanaians got a kick out of watching the crazy oburonis ride through the POURING rain. :) When we got back we really couldn't get any more wet, so we grabbed the frisbees and found the boys! Frisbee and 500 are so much better in the rain! :)

...10 days! Please pray that my flight won't get cancelled (British Airways is striking.) and that I finish strong here. :) See you on the other side of the "lake"!

Food for Thought...

2010-06-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today Tawnee and I were driving into Accra to go to immigration (for her, not me!), and it was pouring buckets, which meant the bumpy, dirt roads were filled will small lakes which we got to drive through! The people who stand in the middle of the roads selling bread, blankets, phone cards, and food items were still out despite the rain, and we watched one lady squeeze between 2 cars, while running through puddles of mud, WITH a big box of fried something-or-other on her head....now that's dedication!

It really made me think about the tough lives that so many Ghanaians lead. They work sunrise to sunset just to be able to get enough money for their food for that day. So much of their existence is centered around survival, which is so different from Americans, which I would say in general live lives centered around enjoyment, entertainment, and being comfortable. Because we've been blessed with so much, we come to expect things to go well. We consider certain things, like clothes, food, medical attention, education, etc. to be "rights". We have the right to these things, and if we don't get them there's disappointment and frustration. However, in Ghana, if the people do get these things they are seen as "gifts" not things to be expected. This generally results in a much more grateful attitude, because they don't expect to get everything they want or even "need", so what they do get is seen as a privilege or gift. On the other hand, for people like myself who are use to having things go right and leading a relatively easy life, when things go wrong we are easily frustrated and discouraged.

These thoughts were sparked when an ambulance passed us and we realized that this is not a common occurance. There are not many people who would call an ambulance in an emergency and expect it to come in a timely manner...something we take for granted in America. Therefore, in a lot of ways they are forced to be more dependent on God, the one in control anyways. For Christians here anyways, life takes more of an eternal view. In reality, all of our lives are so short, and we never know how much time we have left, but I feel like the people here understand that better.

"As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more."
(Psalm 103:15-16)

How would life be different if I had no expectations? If I saw every good thing as a gift from God...not something that I deserve?

"EVERY good and perfect GIFT is from ABOVE, coming down FROM THE FATHER of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)

Being so use to having everything at my fingertips, I'm not even sure that's possible to shift my mindset, but I do want to remind myself that my treasure is in heaven, and my life here is to bring God glory! Reminds me of the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21). "...a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (verse 15) If we store up treasures for ourselves here on earth and die tonight, what will happen with our treasures and what kind of impact have we made during our time on earth??? Just some food for thought...

Snakes-n-Lovin'...

2010-05-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Those two words should not be in the same phrase! :) These boys sure look cute (I'm sure that's the word every teenage boy wants to be called!) and innocent...I'll give 'em the cute, but the innocent...no way! So, tonight Tawnee and I came back from Bible study with the girls and the boys had placed this (dead) cobra on our step to scare us. Well, thankfully I'd already gone inside, so Tawnee was the one to be punked! :) However, I went out to check it out, and let's just say the boys had a little fun "lunging" it toward me-- which was then followed by loud laughter after my shrieks! Oh, gotta love 'em!

On another note, Bible study with the girls has been going really well. Tawnee takes about 1/2 of the girls and I have the other half. We've been talking about loving your neighbor the last few weeks, so please pray that God would really work in the girls' hearts and give them a desire to love those around them...what a beautiful place this would be if there was just a little more love to go around! :)

The Countdown...

2010-05-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

Nope, I'm not sick! That's good news, but even better is the fact that 3 weeks from today I'll be leaving on a jetplane heading back to WI for the summer, and I can't wait! My (day)dreams are filled with grilling out, playing cards, bike riding, and playing tennis with my family, getting together with friends, rollerblading, swimming (if I'm not too cold!) playing ultimate frisbee, RELAXING, enjoying non-95 degree days (Although today Tawnee and I put my thermometer in the sun just out of curiosity...114 degrees!!!), electricity, and a refrigerator...and all that goes along with that one! :)

You may be wondering, "Why the picture of the malaria pills?" Well, I came with 2 of these big bottles full and another small bag, and they sort of became a visual countdown. I knew they'd be gone by the time I went home. Whenever I had visitors come, I counted out the number until they'd be there, and that was my smaller countdown. There were days (mostly in the beginning)where the container seemed like a bottomless pit, but now looking back I feel like the time went pretty fast. I thank God for getting me through the hard times and giving me encouragement through my visitors at just the right time. I've fallen in love with the kids and learned so much from them about what it means to truly serve.

When I think about my time here, these verses from Colossians 3:12-14 really seem to sum up what I've been learning to do here, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, KINDNESS, humility, GENTLENESS, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues PUT ON LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

The Big Birthday Bash!

2010-05-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Tawnee and I planned a birthday party to celebrate all the birthdays of the kids who live at Haven of Hope. I guess the pictures will do better than words to show that a fun time was had by everyone! Above Douglas and Bismark are doing a fine job decorating the cupcakes on Saturday morning!
Comfort all dolled up with her face-paint...don't you just want to squeeze her?!?

I had three friends who work at American International School in Accra come and help out with the party. It was fun to see them again and great to have them help out. Lauren is an art teacher, so she did a print-making art activity with the kids, which seemed to be a hit! Above is Attah...and in case you didn't see the first one, here she is again. :) (Can't figure out how to erase it!)

Tug-o-war!

This is one of my students, Enoch. He is a very energetic, goofy, and loveable boy with a cute sense of humor. (I'm sure by this picture you could never imagine him being distracted in class!) ;)

Attah & MaaAbena gearing up to blow out their candles...oh wait, the wind did it for them...multiple times! :) It was the thought that counts.

And now for the highlight of the day...it's not truly a fiesta without without 4 pinatas!

Look at how well-mannered and structured our kids are (don't look at the left-hand side!)! :)

We ended the day with some limbo, a sardines eating competition (which the boys just savored as extra dinner food...only in Africa), and an outdoor movie in the activity center. It was such a fun day, and so great to see the kids all smiles all day!

Mud's for Dinner!

2010-05-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

I love it...I went to the village to read the other night and these girls who come to school at Haven of Hope (who are quite often doing "big girl chores"-- like the laundry, dishes, or cooking real food) were playing "house" Ghanaian-style. They weren't making "mud pies" but cooking "mud akple"-- a staple food here (well, minus the mud!). They were imitating exactly the way it is done...grinding up the mud, holding it between their feet the same way, and stirring it...so cute!

Enyonam, Lydia, and Patience cookin' up a storm!

Francisca, a 7-year-old student doing the real deal!

My friend, Rose, and her son, Abedenago

Conquering the "Mountain"

2010-05-16T09:31:00.001-07:00

The Haven of Hope and Rafiki crew together
Stephen paving the way...

Me, Joshua, Tawnee, and Fauzia striking a pose at the top...

Yesterday we took 8 of the older kids from the home and went out to conquer the nearby "mountain", which is actually more like a big hill. We met up with a group from Rafiki, a nearby orphanage, and set off with water and snacks to accomplish our mission-- amidst the 90+ degree weather. The green lush-ness of the hike and the great company made it all worthwhile! A great time was had by all!

The Cat Sat on the Mat with a Bat

2010-05-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

This week Tawnee and I launched our homeschool/tutor/small group teaching (whatever you want to call it) program! It's been sooo great! We are working with four students who are way behind in their education, due to various circumstances that didn't allow them to get an education when they were younger. We spent last week assessing them, and began teaching them this week. We are focusing intensely on phonics and math, since none of them have a good grasp even of the letters of the alphabet. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but it's so fun b/c for the most part they are eager to learn and are soaking up the information. We get so excited when they blend the letters together and pronounce the word correctly! Who knew the word "at" could be so exciting!? It's been fun and I look forward to seeing lots of progress as we continue! :)

Pictures from the Day

2010-05-09T15:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day...especially to my mom whom I especially miss today! I celebrated with my "kiddos" here today, so here's a few pictures:

The boys had a football match, so Tawnee and I took some kids to watch our victorious team! :)

Going to save this before my computer crashes in like 2 seconds...love to all! :)

Quote of the Day

2010-05-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

As I was going out the gate for my occasional morning run this morning, I was greeted by one of our guards and he decided to greet me this way: "You are growing very fat."

So, quite shocked with his bluntness I responded with, "Oh, well...(uh) that's not good." To which he said, "Yes...your face is HUGE!" haha...only in Africa (okay...and maybe Asia too) could you get away with that!

I'll just try to remind myself that it's looked upon favorably to be pleasantly plump here in Africa...it's a sign of wealth. For me I think it's a sign of all the Reeses peanut butter cups that Ellen brought me!!! :)

Who Needs a Laundry Basket???

2010-05-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

...not Rebecca! :)

The New Do!

2010-04-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I went to the village with Tawnee and some of the girls (Tawiah, Yawson, AfuaKyere, and Abby) to have sister Okos (one of the cleaners at the school) do my hair in braids. It took about 3 hours to do my whole head. Unfortunately, my hair is really fine and with the small braids she just used some of my own hair to tie them at the ends, so already this morning many of them were coming out. I had some of the girls come to the rescue this afternoon and "beautify" my head...they re-braided some and then braided like 3 strands together. Tawnee and I were laughing b/c it now looks like I was a victim of the lightning storm that hit earlier yesterday! :) haha...oh well, they were fun for a few days!

Drumroll please...

2010-04-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls...the moment we've all been waiting for...the library has opened! :) I'm so excited-- could it be even moreso than the kids? I don't know! haha...they're pretty excited too! We had our "grand opening" yesterday where I went over rules and how they could check out a book, etc. and then they had some time to look for books, read, do puzzles, color, etc., and it was just so fun for me to watch them-- all so intent on what they're doing. I'm so happy that they'll not only have books in their hands, but also that there's now a fun, welcoming place for us to go to do activities. There were many hands involved in this project and we couldn't have done it without you...many thanks to Mama Lorella (who did all the sorting), my mom (who tirelessly cleaned books as we strived to "just do 2 more boxes"!, Kenny (a volunteer who came and made many shelves for us), Tracy and Ellen who also worked extremely hard to clean books, move shelves, etc., the students at Meadowview Primary school who raised money for us to buy the tables, and so many of the kids who were so willing to lend a hand in their spare time to sort, clean, or sticker books!

Ventures with Visitors

2010-04-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's been such a long time that I've written and so much has happened since then that I hardly know where to begin! So, I guess I'll just begin with letting you know that I am currently feeling overwhelmingly blessed and loved by so many people across the world. It's been so amazing and so humbling to see people come together to bless the kids (and me!) here at Haven of Hope. I'm so blessed to have two communities (both in Waupun & Hong Kong) that are SO supportive and willing to help and show their love.

It's been a couple of weeks full of visitors, which is always full of fun and adventures. Jenn came from Hong Kong, and it was just great to reconnect with her and share stories and adventures together. Some of the highlights were:

- We spent a few days near the coast and had the opportunity to go to a village called Asanfo where we got lessons on how to dye batik fabric. It was so cool to learn how the fabric is made (basically by dipping stamps in wax and then onto the material), but it was also neat to spend the day in the village and see how everyday life there is-- women preparing fufu, all the children sticking around to eat it, kids going to and from school, and lots of hanging out with the kids who are beautiful!

-cooking mashed potatoes and glazed carrots in the village for my friends who taught me how to make the akple (which I mentioned in the previous blog)...plus about 50 of her friends and neighbors! :) I'd say it was a hit!

(Happy, Jenn, me, and Rose getting the fire ready to cook the mashed potatoes. The village women do all their cooking on these little fires outside.)

- The kids were so excited to receive their soccer jerseys and I couldn't thank the ICS family enough for your generosity in so many ways! :)

Then, last week Lisa Grosz came with her mom and daughter and it was so great to have more enthusiastic visitors and people to love on the kids. They helped the kids to paint beautiful murals in both the girls' and boys' dorms, which was lots of fun for the kids. Then, one day we took the students who are pen pals to Lisa's students in Waupun to the pool in Accra...what a fun day that was! It was the first time that many of the kids have ever been to a pool and I think they would've stayed all day if we let them. :) (picture at the top)

It was a sad day to say goodbye, because I love having people visit. However, I wasn't alone for long...it was to the airport in the morning to drop them off and back later that night to pick up Tawnee (my new roommate), who will be serving at Haven of Hope for the next year, and her mom (just here for a few days). It's been a great day getting to know them and I'm so excited to have some more permanent "company"! :)

I love this place!

2010-03-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those non-stop days. The kids had a football match in the village this morning since they're finished with their exams (picture above of me with part of the cheering section), and then I was busy around home...I was exhausted after doing lots of laundry, cleaning 2 apartments, and washing just about every thing in my apartment! Add a temperature of 94.5 to that, and I was dragging! :) So, I really didn’t feel like going to the village, but also didn’t know what else to do…I was really just looking forward to going to bed!

However, there’s a lady named Rose in the village who’s been teaching me Ewe (the local language). So, I was supposed to go for my "quiz" yesterday, and I couldn’t because of dinner club, so I thought I’d go today as life will probably get crazy with all the visitors here. I didn’t bring any books to read tonight as I just wanted to talk with the people and practice all 3 of the Ewe phrases I know…haha…just kidding, but really…we’re talking very limited skills at the moment! Regardless, they seem to get a kick out of teaching me, and I think it’s a great way to get connected with them and show them that we (as missionaries) are not there to change them, but rather to walk alongside them and show them how Christ desires to be a part of their life, as well as the hope and peace He can bring them.

Tonight’s visit to the village was probably the best yet. I did get a chance to practice my Ewe, but also got to be a part of lots of other everyday occasions: I watched Freeman climb a really tall coconut tree to cut some coconuts down. Then they cut one open and shared it with me. This was after my very exhilarating and exhausting workout of learning how to stir/cook the akple, which is a main staple of their diet. It looks a lot like mashed potatoes—but much thicker, and doesn’t take as good (in my opinion). :) They ball it up in their fingers and dip it in a soup. All their cooking is done outdoors. They have 3 large rock-like bumps set in the ground in the shape of a triangle, and the pot sits on top and the sticks for burning go below. (The one day I didn't bring my camera! Ahh!) Anyways, Rose wanted me to try to stir the akple that she was making, and let me tell you, you'd never know by looking at it that it required so much skill...haha...but they definitely had a method...and I was not getting it! :) It definitely made for lots of laughter, though, and there were literally 25+ people gathered around cheering for me...and laughing at me. :) I was exhausted by the end of it, and then Francisca, a 7 year old who goes to school at Haven of Hope, called me in to show me that she is an expert at it...guess I'll have to keep practicing...or continue to let the kids show me up! :)

It was just so great to be there in a real community and feel like I was welcomed and a part of it. I'm no longer "Yevu" (white person)-- although they still call me that! I'm now Miss Dana-- learner of Ewe, friend, and professional akple stirrer-- to-be! :) I love this place!

Never Underestimate...

2010-03-24T14:37:00.001-07:00

..."Kidpower"! See what I mean about helpful kids??? They're quite amazing! We hauled this shelf from the office into the library today with the help of (according to my counting) 24 wonderful little helpers! :) I've been working overtime (with lots of help) in the library lately, with the hopes of opening it up for the kids over break.

Labor of Love...

2010-03-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about the kids here is their willingness to jump in and help. You can barely get a foot out of the car before being bombarded by many willing hands ready to take your groceries in. They're always ready to lend a hand.

That came in handy for me today as I am getting ready to host lots of guests in the next 2 weeks, as well as welcome a new missionary here as my roommate. As a result, today was "moving day"...with the help of 5 of the boys, we set up and/or moved 4 bed frames and lots of matresses! I was a bit intimidated by this seemingly "manly" task, but it wasn't so bad after all...especially with all the help. For their hard work, we baked up some chocolate chip cookies and I got a mini drum lesson from Eric (left) as we waited for the cookies!

Lots of laughter as we worked made a not-so-fun job not so bad. However, it feels so good to have it done...bring on the people! :)

Walking with God...

2010-03-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Sounds easy...walking with God. I've realized, though, that I am such a "do-er". Give me a to-do list anyday. I get a thrill checking things off my list. In fact, don't tell anyone, but sometimes I add things to the list after they're already completed-- just so I have another thing to cross off. It makes me feel accomplished...and I like accomplishing things.

This morning my devotion focused on Enoch, a man who was commended in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11 as one who pleased God (Hebrews 11:5). However, as you look into his life, not much of it is mentioned in the Bible. There are a few verses in Genesis 5 about him, but all it really tells us is that he was a man who "walked with God". I've been thinking today how often I am tempted to do things for God. It seems easier than walking with Him...allowing Him to guide me each step of the way. I've been thinking today that what God really wants from me is not a bunch of "good works", but He wants my heart, my time, my energy. How often do I run around like crazy trying to accomplish things (for His glory, even), when what He really desires is for me to find that quiet time to be with Him, to lavish His love on me, and to teach me to be more like Him.

This is a hard balance in a world that is so focused on doing. However, this message is especially meaningful for me right now, as there are so many needs surrounding me here in Ghana-- so many ways to reach out. At times it's discouraging, because I can never really do enough. At times the thought of "Where to start?" is paralyzing. There will still always be hunger, physical ailments, and emotional and spiritual brokenness. I'm not trying to shrug off our responsibility as Christians to care for people, I'm just encouraged by the fact that if we walk with God, HE will make clear to us who to help, teach, pray for, and minister to. We don't do it alone.

On a separate note, I'm contemplating and praying about what's next. Pray with me that among the fifteen things I'd love to do with my life (starting this summer), I would keep my eyes focused on what God has for me and trust Him to provide along the way. It's hard to think about job applications, interviews, paperwork, etc. from half-way across the world, but I'm confident that He will provide whatever's needed. I just need to "walk with Him"...not ahead or behind, but right beside.

Now that's a new one...

2010-03-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before, I've been getting pretty use to my new African lifestyle. Electricity for just a couple of hours at night is manageable. Having a cooler for a refrigerator and buying ice every few days has become pretty normal...as has dealing with the disappointment of water-logged food! :( However, this afternoon something happened that was not normal and I hope I will never become accustomed to it!

I opened my cooler and was getting ready to put some water bags in it, when I noticed my hand brushed something blackish on the cooler. I dismissed it at first, as I thought it was just a piece of plastic from the black plastic bags that I had some of the food in. Well, on second glance, I realized that was not the case. What was staring back at me was not a piece of plastic, but an itsy bitsy tiny lizard that had scurried its way between my cooler and the lid the last time I had closed it. It's tail was bleeding and it was not moving...ick ick ick! Needless to say, after immediately washing my hands with soap and water, I had to call in the troops (aka the 10 and 11 year old boys!) to take care of this for me. :)

2010-03-07T00:15:00.000-08:00

TED's Great African Adventure

2010-02-28T10:35:00.001-08:00

What an amazing time I had with Tracy and Ellen (college roommate) here last week. We kept very busy and they loved meeting the kids and exploring life in Ghana. We had lots of laughs and lots of adventures. It was an unforgettable week! Here's a couple of pictures:

The last night they were here we had a girl's night/sleepover in the library. We focused on pursuing Godly relationships and dating/marriage for the older girls. We just really wanted to encourage these girls (many of who come from broken homes/families) that they are made in the image of Christ and were fearfully and wonderfully made and deserve to be loved and cherished as such. We started the night with all the girls and had a movie with popcorn, soda, and brownies. Then we had a discussion, and after that just the oldest 5 girls stayed to sleep over. We had a very fun time with facials, painting nails, foot scrubs, talking, and taking pictures!

We made some more progress in the library...it's getting close to opening day! :) Yippee!

Reading to the kids in the village is so much fun! I just love these kids!

Eating waakye with the kids in the dining hall. This is my "best" (as they say) African food. It's beans and rice with a spicy stew and some noodles. Yum!

We had a great week and I miss them already, but I was so thankful they were able to come. :)

I wanna I declama-tome-a!

2010-02-12T01:33:00.000-08:00

On the way back from my jog last night, I was noticing the clouds were super dark, so I started to pick up the pace a bit—hoping to beat the rain. Along the way I just had to stop and say hello to the cutest kids ever that always shout, “Miss Dana! Miss Dana!” when I go by. So, I stopped and gave them hugs and talked to them for a bit, when Michael, who’s in kindergarten says, “Miss Dana, I wanna I declama-tome-a”….to which I responded, “I don’t know what I ‘declama-tome-a’ is”. So, of course, he repeated it, but this time added a thumb motion out in front, and added, “1, 2, 3, 4…:” “OH!” I said… “1, 2, 3, 4…I declare a thumb war!” So cute! Of course I couldn’t turn that down… after a few rounds, I was on my way—and still beat the rain. The rain was amazing, though…it was so cool last night that I got to sleep under my sheet…glorious! (I think it got down to 75, and 73 is the lowest it’s been since I’ve been here.)

Math & Market Adventures

2010-02-07T12:26:00.003-08:00

I have to admit I've been a horrible blogger as of late-- mainly because life seems to be pretty normal right now, so it doesn't seem like there's much to report. However, on a very positive note, I'd like to thank you for your prayers as I work(ed) with the teachers, because we have seemed to reach the first (hopefully of many) breakthroughs in math! One thing the students really struggle with here is the basic facts-- addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It seems like it would be a pretty easy thing to remedy...lots of games, activities, and explanations-- along with some repitition and lots of practice. Ha! Unfortunately, it hasn't been so easy. In fact, when given a timed test for one minute, even many of the 6th graders were only getting one or two correct...yikes! I was feeling very discouraged as I gave the same test as I did 1st term and saw minimal progress (but progress, nonetheless!). So, I felt that something different needed to be done. I broke the subtraction facts down into different sections according to how they're best solved and had the teachers teach the first one last week. One student went from getting 7 correct to 34-- from Monday to Friday!!! Another student completed 60! That was so exciting for me as the highest before was like 22 and that was definitely an outlier! So, I get excited about things like this....I can't help it. :) The good news is that the kids are getting excited and wanting to improve! Praise God!

Besides math, things have been going well. We've been busy beading, walking, making fried rice (yum...a few of the older girls gave me a lesson!), baking cookies, and reading-- among the daily activities.

Tawiah, Abby & Aisha proudly presenting their M&M cookies!

Having the older girls over for dinner club was such a relaxing and fun evening. I'm so thankful that God has changed the hearts of these girls....what a blessing to share this meal (and cooking lesson for me) with them!

Yesterday Carolyn and I woke up at 4:30 am to catch the train into town to do some shopping at the market. We wanted to catch the 6 am train from Kotoku, so we left around 5:15 and walked about 40 minutes to the station. It was kind of a fun adventure since it was completely dark the whole way. I love being able to see the day "come to life"! It all happened so fast. Once at the market, I was on a mission to find white t-shirts to tie-dye with the kids, and let me tell you...as I was walking through the crowded market with heavy bags of t-shirts and shoes, I never longed for Wal-Mart more! The thought of being able to pick up all the shirts in all the sizes you want at one time and then have a CART to put them in and a CAR to then drive them home in blows my mind! You mean you don't have to go wandering around looking for random people who just may be selling t-shirts only to find out they have 2 or 3 and then move on to the next place where they have 2 or 3??? What a concept! All in all, it was a successful run and I was able to have a little R&R in the afternoon which was greatly appreciated! :)

Need a new pair of jeans?

More pictures!

2010-01-25T11:49:00.000-08:00

Here we are in front of the Elmina Slave Castle...we somehow managed to make it through the many vendors alive!
Elmina is a big fishing community. The boats go out each evening with about 10-15 men and/or children aboard and return in the morning with full nets.

Walking across the rainforest canopy...

Reading to some of the kids in the village...

The boys loved learning how to kick & throw an American football with Dad.

Mom & Michael :)

3 "washing machines" in action!

Dad & I taking on some girls in foosball!

Baby on her back, hand and head full of containers to sell...no big deal, just another day in Africa! I can only picture what this scene would look like if her and I traded places...It wouldn't be pretty! :)

Visit with my Parents

2010-01-24T12:12:00.000-08:00

I just saw my parents off to the airportlast night after their 2 week visit, which just flew by! I don’t knowwhere the time went, but it was such a blessing to have them here andbe able to meet the kids and see what my life here is like. The children stole their hearts and they were not ready to leave!

We sure kept them busy while they were here….or did they keep me busy??? Not sure…all I know is I needed my first nap in 2 weeks this afternoon! Dad was able to assemble their foosball tables which they received for Christmas the first day he was here, so he quickly became their best bud. He also did some yard work and organizing around the home throughout the week. Mom and I took on the project of the school’s library. There are tons of great donated books, but up until this point they were not organized enough to be used. We spent quite afew of the days "Lysol-ing" the books, then organizing and shelving them. We ran out of shelf space, so hopefully once the rest of theshelves are up, the library will be in service. I can’t wait…and the kids are even more excited!

We also spent lots of time playing games outside with the kids. During recess we attempted to teach the kids kickball. If you don’t think that’s one of the more challenging things to do in life, come to Africa and give it a try! Ha! :) Oh well, the kids had fun anyways, and I just laughed and was not-so-secretly pleased that alas my parents can now understand the chaos that is so often a part of living here!

Mid-way through the trip we took a few days to head to the beach where we thoroughly enjoyed playing in the ocean, picking up seashells,visiting with a village chief, walking through the rainforest on acanopy walk, and touring a slave castle which housed slaves for theTrans-Atlantic Slave trade before shipping them off.

Finally, I just want to thank all of you who donated either money or items for them to bring over. They came with 6 suitcases packed with goodies for both the kids and I…it was like Christmas! I The kids were thrilled to get either a new item of clothing or a pair of shoes or sandals, along with some socks and “docodoco” (candy—a word my mom and dad got accustomed to hearing!). I am just continually overwhelmed by your generosity and love. Thank you!

It’s back to school for me tomorrow! It may be a bit of a shock after taking a few weeks away, but those weeks came at just the right time and really re-energized and refreshed me to work with the kids again. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for me as I continue to work with the teachers and students. Pray for patience and love, along with a humble servant’s heart. Let me know how I can be praying for you too.

Love,
Oburoni
Handing out candy in the village is among the easiest ways in life to make friends! :)

Trying my hand at pumping water in the village...just another reminder of how blessed I am.

The slave castle we visited in Elmina...what a sad history.

We visited with Chief Nana (and the kids).

Mom spent some time reading in the younger classes, which they loved.

Dad with a couple of his best buds-- Comfort & Moses.

This is me cleaning books in the soon-to-be library. I wish I would have gotten a better "before shot" as many hours had already been spent back in December sorting books at this point. They were in general categories, so our mission was to sort them more specifically, clean them, and put them on the shelves...

...voila! Thanks to my parents' servant hearts and strong work ethic, we were able to get a great start! We're about halfway done, but got as far as we could with the shelves we had. The kids can't wait to get in there! :)

2010-01-18T13:58:00.001-08:00

Hello there! I've been having a great time with my parents so far...the time is flying by so fast, but we are all enjoying their visit. I'll have much to catch you all up on after they leave, but for now I just wanted to share a quick story from today....what a day it has been!

It started at 3:12 a.m. as I looked at my watch when I heard Mama Carolyn talking outside. "Did I hear that right?" I thought. Sure enough...it was confirmed when she knocked on my door next, telling me to come outside as Ghana was expecting an earthquake to hit within the next 30 minutes. The strangest thing was that on Tuesday of this week many of my students in HK facebooked me over their concern that I was safe from the earthquake that hit Africa. Well, since it's difficult to keep up with the news here, I did a little quick search on the internet and found out that the earthquake actually hit Haiti, not Africa. So, I assured them that I was okay...Haiti and Africa are pretty far apart. :)

We all came out of our apartments, and all the kids were out of their dorms. We could hear people out and about in the village talking, as we congregated on the steps outside of our apartments-- trying to tune in to a radio station to hear the news. Before we had any luck with that, Pastor Sammy came over and said that the radio station said that the earthquake was no longer expected to happen. Whether or not earthquakes can actually be predicted that closely, I'm not even sure. In fact, I don't think they can. So, we're not sure how the rumor got started but it was on the radios and seemed to spread pretty far, as even our teachers who live 2 hours away were talking about being outside in the middle of the night.

After such a tragic and catastrophic event like the earthquake in Haiti, when a warning like this comes so unexpectantly, it really makes you realize how much we are not in control. Each day is a gift from God and we must live that way, because we never know what the next day will bring. I had all kinds of thoughts running through my mind. I even went back into the apartment to grab a big bag of water, thinking, "What if all the buildings collapsed and our food and water supply was covered? What if we became one of the millions of people focrced to wait in long lines to get relief food and water to survive? What if I had to go days without water?" All kinds of things run through your mind in moments like this, and it really makes you sympathize on a different level with the people in Haiti right now who are struggling to survive, fighting for their lives, and suffering from this terrible tragedy. So, although nothing came of it in Ghana (Praise God!), perhaps He used it to quicken our hearts to have compassion and understanding for the people who were not so blessed. Please join me in praying for the people of Haiti.

Immigration Irritation

2010-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

First of all, I can’t take credit for the title of this blog. That was Papa Jim’s doing, although unfortunately I’ve found it to be all too true for me as well. Today I went for the third time now to work on getting my work permit, which is necessary in order to apply for a resident visa, which I must get even though I’m only staying like 5 more months. Ridiculous? Yes, yes, and YES! Every time I go in that immigration office I walk out 100 times more frustrated and always tempted to save myself the trouble and get on the next plane out. Ugh! …then I remember the kids and how much I really do love them and somehow manage to calm myself down.

The last two times I’ve gone there I’ve come out in tears—today being one of those days. I’m so tired of jumping through all of their hoops just to be able to stay here and help the people in their country. Now that I’ve applied for a work permit, my visa will expire before I get that, so I will probably need to apply for yet another extension on my visa, just because they’re so slow in processing the applications and I can’t apply for a resident permit before I have a work permit. Do they do that on purpose?! My theory is that it’s all about how much money they can get. What a hassle! If their past reputation holds to be true, I’ll be lucky to even have my resident visa by the time I leave!

Hello 2010!

2010-01-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! Does anyone else feel like the song, "Party Like It's 1999" came out last year?!?! I'm still in shock that it's been 10 years-- a whole decade-- since Y2K. I still remember walking around ShopKo with my cousin around Christmas-time and seeing all the countdown clocks to the new millenium. Ironically, since the world didn't collaspe at midnight of Jan. 1, 2000, I'm now in Africa--of all places-- eating canned goods that were donated here from people who over-stocked for Y2K! :) Funny how things work out! :)

Last night I didn't exactly ring in the New Year in style...in fact I was soundly sleeping by 11 pm! haha...sad, but true. However, I celebrated (in my brain) the Hong Kong New Year and just happened to wake up at 5:55 a.m. this morning-- just in time to lay there for a few minutes, count down...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...think "Oh, now it's 2010 at home", and go back to sleep...for at least 15 more minutes! :) So, that's gotta count for something.

Tonight I think I was able to partially redeem myself as I went into the village to read to some kids. After sitting down in front of one of the houses where some kids and women were gathered preparing dinner and attempting to learn some Ewe (the language that most of the people in the village speak)-- which consisted of a lot of laughing, I ventured over and read a story and played with the kids.

Then, one of the girls wanted me to walk through the village with her, which I was kind of excited about since there was lots going on. It seems to me that New Year's Day (night) is the bigger celebration...last night many people went to church from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m...wow! So, tonight many of the kids were dressed in new clothes; men were playing football (aka soccer), while a group of people were gathered around some drums nearby--singing and dancing. That's when it got interesting...someone told me that a lady wanted to talk to me, so I went to see what this lady I didn't even know wanted and was told they wanted me to dance! ha! So I did...one of their most popular dance moves is very similar to the chicken dance, so even with my questionable dancing abilities, I could manage that! (Dad, you'd be great at it...only a few days and you can try it out for yourself! ;)) They were pretty excited to see an "oburoni" busting the moves! haha...Needless to say, I didn't last much longer than a couple of minutes, because for some reason, I felt like everyone was staring at me...I can't imagine why!

So, that's how I rang in 2010...it's a little scary to think about how fast the last 10 years went and then realize that in another 10 years I'll be in my mid-thirties...yikes!!! Slow motion, please... :)

An African Christmas

2009-12-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Carolyn and I went to town to finish up our Christmas shopping. Being 3 days away from Christmas meant the markets were packed! Here's a picture of Christmas shopping Ghanaian-style...and this wasn't even in the busiest part! Yikes...let's just say, we were glad to be done by the end of the day! On the 23rd and 24th, I spent almost all day baking and decorating Christmas cookies. On Wednesday I baked for 10 hours! The kids and I made over 1,000 cutout cookies! It was lots of fun as the kids loved it, but extremely tiring too. I went to bed at 8:30 that night and slept like a baby! Here are some pictures:

The next day, Christmas Eve, we decorated the cookies and then that night after a “lantern-lit” Christmas Eve service, we went caroling in the village and passed out the cookies. It was interesting to say the least…a bit difficult to keep track of 50 kids in the dark and have them pass out cookies while singing…but it was a neat experience, nonetheless.

Bequin and Bismarck by the Christmas treeAfter caroling, we came back to enjoy some punch and cookies!

Christmas morning! The girls and boys each got a foosball table to put in their dorms.

Then, each child got a "Ghana-go-bag" full of both fun and practical goodies. Each child got a special gift, in addition to socks, underwear, a handkerchief, pillow, candy, cookies, etc. It was fun to be able to be a part of spreading that joy...to see the excitement on their faces over their gift was priceless! Thank you to those of you have have supported me financially and have allowed these children to be blessed this Christmas! We appreciate you and thank God so much for you!!!

Abby & I

I couldn’t help but think this Christmas season that although it didn’t “feel” like the kind of Christmas that I’m use to…snowy and cold, full of Christmas goodies, church Christmas programs, parties with friends and family gatherings…it was probably a much more accurate Christmas in terms of what it was like when Jesus was born. As we walked through the village and saw goats and chickens running around under the starry sky, while families were huddled around a small lantern outside their thatched roof mud huts, I wondered if this is what Bethlehem was like. We even had to take the kids for a census during the first week of December! So, although it was hard to be away from my family, knowing my parents will be on African soil in just 12 days made it a little easier!!!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-12-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

Fauzia and I

Today was such a fun day! :) Because of the generosity of one of my supporters (Thank You!), we were able to take the girls swimming today to the pool at a hotel in town, as an early Christmas present. To say they enjoyed themselves would be an understatement. It was an afternoon of constant, "Miss Dana...watch this!", "Miss Dana, should I come?", etc. Whether they were 2, 12, 14, or 16, they were so excited to be held and bounced around in the water. Their excitement just made for such a fun, enjoyable day...can't wait to take the boys next week!

MaaAbena, the bathing beauty...what a cutie!

The "baby pool" was a hit for young and old kids alike!

Comfort and I

And my favorite quote of the day came at lunch-time...very sincerely, Georgina asked, "Miss Dana, if you eat plenty, will you sink?" :)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-20T14:23:00.000-08:00

Life lately has been full of buying, sorting, planning, and organizing Christmas presents and festivities, which is no easy task when you're buying for 50 kids! However, we're coming along and enjoying ourselves along the way. Today we took most of our kids from the home to the street ministry in Nsawam that Pastor Sammy leads every Sunday afternoon. He had a great message today that I'd like to share with you-- hoping it will cause you to think about the true meaning of Christmas. I know it made me think. He made up a song (It's sung to the tune of "Angels We Have Heard on High".), which goes like this:

"Have you ever had a birthday,

Where all of the friends you know,
Just gave presents to each other,
But they brought not one for you?

This is what we do to Jesus,

Sent to save us from our sins.

As we celebrate this Christmas,

Don't forget to give to Him!"

So true...it's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas...buying gifts, making cookies, singing songs, having parties, etc. that we forget that we're actually celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What could be more wonderful or more important than this? It's often said that the true meaning of the holiday is giving selflessly to others. While this is good and modeled after God's selfless act of giving us His Son, it's still not really the true meaning of Christmas. The pure purpose of Christmas is to celebrate our Savior, who came and lived a flawless, selfless life, suffered, died, and rose again because He loves US! That's the true meaning of Christmas and something worth celebrating! :)

So, as you finish up your Christmas shopping and holiday parties, baking, and celebrating, what will you give to Jesus for his 2009th birthday?!

Here's a few pictures from our time at the street ministry today. We had about 30 kids gathered at the train station praising God and listening to the Christmas message. At the end we gave them each a bag of goodies-- candies, a pencil, eraser, whistle, and cookies-- and a beanie baby. It brought tears to my eyes to see them so excited over this gift. There smiles were wide and there was lots of laughing and jumping...to God be the glory!

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas, filled with all the best things of the Christmas season (including fudge!)! May His love, joy, and peace be yours this Christmas and always!

Water Bag Update

2009-12-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

We're over 1/2 way to our goal, and that calls for a WATER PARTY! :) (Pictures coming soon...after the event, that is!) :)

...to be Jolly...

2009-12-16T08:11:00.000-08:00

I think I've mentioned before my tendency to save EVERYTHING since I've been here in Africa. I'm always trying to think of uses for things that would normally be thrown away...plastic bottles, tin cans, toilet paper rolls, shoe boxes, etc...I was starting to feel like a junk collector, when viola...I found a fun use for something! The kids have been enjoying making Christmas tree decorations out of the toilet paper rolls...here are some pictures:

Even the little ones had fun coloring! Here's Victoria, who's now home with her mother.

And...the lights went out while we were working!!!

Here's the decorated (and very tipsy) Christmas tree! :)

'Tis the Season...

2009-12-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day of school before Christmas, so we celebrated with the kids, as we won't see the village kids until after the New Year. Each class sang a song or recited a poem, and we celebrated with meat pies and chicken with our rice for lunch! :) Then, we were able to give a small gift to each of the kids in the village...wow, were they excited when they saw us carrying the boxes!

Snow Day, African Style

2009-12-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe it gets that cold in Africa, huh? haha...JUST kidding! However, on a side note to the actual story, it did get cold last night...and it was wonderful! I woke up very cold, and tried to go back to sleep, but finally forced myself to get up and get a blanket! I couldn't believe it, and then when I looked at the thermometer, I really couldn't believe it...it was 73 degrees! What's happening to my thick, Wisconsin blood?!? I think I'll turn into a permanent icicle when I go back! :) I was ashamed of myself, but I'll tell ya, it was a glorious feeling to be cold! :)

Ok, back to the story...it's funny because with all this talk of snow back home, a friend from home had just e-mailed last night about the fact that they may have a snow day this week. I got to thinking that there's no way that school could be cancelled here. We don't have snow like at home, and we don't have typhoons like in HK, so what else could there be? The kids all live within walking distance, and I guess if the teachers were prevented from coming in from town, that would be the only thing that could do it. Well, I guess I was wrong.

The very next day (today) I got ready for school and headed down toward school only to have Papa Jim call me up and tell me that we weren't having school today, because all three generators were down and we didn't have any water! We couldn't flush the toilets and just didn't have enough extra water to have 60 more kids around. I thought that was ironic, since the village kids don't even have flush toilets EVER, but apparently the health department wouldn't approve.
So, that definitely changed the direction of my day. This morning we stencilled Christmas cards with GLITTER! (As you can see from the picture of beautiful Regina, they had more fun getting it on their faces than their cards, but what's the fun in glitter if you don't make a MESS!?!) :) haha...It was one of those moments I wished I could've been a kid and "played" myself! Then, this afternoon I worked on the Christmas baggies we're putting together for the village kids...hard to believe there's only 2 school days left until Christmas break!

Never a Dull Moment...

2009-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days that turned out way differently than expected...it was a "normal" day in the fact that I didn't have any special plans...so here's what one "normal" day looks like:

I slept in until 7:20, which is super late for me here...half the day is pretty much gone by that time! :) We had no water last night or this morning as all of our generators are broken. Thankfully, we were able to rent one for the day today, so we were able to pump some water again!

Then, I started tying some Christmas goodie bags that Carolyn and I had put together last night. Then, since our school doesn't have a copy machine, we pretty much do without, but occasionally I make a few. Well, it turns out today I wanted to make LOTS for next week and some clubs I have planned for Christmas vacation, so I decided to run to Medie quick to make some copies...and there began adventure #1! Medie is just less than 2 miles down the road, so while I knew it would take awhile to run the copies, I wasn't expecting to have to go to 5 copy stores to get 1/2 of them done! :) The one in Medie had a paper jam that they couldn't fix, so that was out of business. So, I hopped into the van and drove to Nsawam (about 10 minutes away). The first place made a few copies, but then it stopped working, so they sent me to another place (shop #3). They wanted to charge me twice what I pay in Medie, so I decided to only make a few. Then, as I was bargaining with him, he said that next time I came back he'd give them to me for the price I wanted. So, I said, "So, if I walk out to the road and come back, will you give them to me for 5 pesewas?" "Yes, yes, madam...whatever you want." I started laughing and then finally persuaded him that that was ridiculous and that he should give me them for that price right now. So, that was a deal...and the power went out! :) On to shop #4 which was down the road only to find out they were out of toner! To give up or not give up? That was the question...Oh, I was close, but figured I'd have to go through the same thing another day if I came again, so why not keep on keepin' on?! 5th time's a charm, I guess! This shop was a good find...everything went smoothly, it just took a couple of hours to make all the copies...and it wasn't THAT many (maybe 500 in all). Three hours later, I was finished...well, actually I gave up halfway, because I was tired of waiting and it was getting a little pricy! Yikes....I'm pretty sure I'll never complain about making copies at a future school!!!

When I got back, I had a little bit of downtime as the kids were in siesta. I had fun stenciling some Christmas cards! Then, the kids really wanted to go for a walk, so we did that and they had fun splashing around in the water again, as you can see in the picture! This time the was a bit too shallow and smelly for me! :) As we were walking through the village on the way home, one of the kids said, "Miss Dana, look there's your name!" I didn't believe it, but sure enough someone had carved my name into their home...the "Boys Ghetto"...no less! haha...that was a surprise and kind of interesting...I must really be working my way into their village with my reading at night. :) That continues to be a highlight of my day to go read to them and then just walk around in the village for a little bit....there's sooo many kids!

Well, we weren't back for long, when one of the village kids came running in Mama Carolyn's apartment crying that her father had dropped something on his eye and couldn't see. Her father is a guard at the home and sent her over for help. We weren't really sure what had happened, but just then Jim had gotten home in the van, so we all piled in and drove over to their home. We found Prince (her father) lying on the floor in his home in severe pain. It turns out that he didn't really drop something ON his eye, but something got IN his eye. He was cutting down a tree in his yard, and some sap from a tree apparently squirted into his eye. We tried to flush it out but that didn't seem to be working....it was hard to feel so powerless when he was in such pain, but we did about all we could and then headed home.

It was store time! We opened the store for the kids to buy whatever goodies they wanted, and by the time that was finished I was so ready to be in my apartment by myself! It was a crazy, full, adventuresome day!

Pictures & Randomness

2009-11-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Here's some of the nursery kids during break time...I just can't get enough of them...as long as I don't have to teach them! :)

A couple of times a week a few men come in to teach the kids Ghanaian cultural dances and drumming. On Sunday they got to perform at a church nearby. I was really looking forward to going to a more rural church, but it definitely didn't turn out as expected. For one, it was a Catholic church, which really surprised me, because there aren't many of those in Ghana. Second, during the second part of the service they had an auction, which I didn't necessarily agree with. They sold everything from pictures to glass dishes to live goats and chickens (in baskets with vegetables). It was very bizarre! Kind of strange to hear a goat during church! The timing of the whole ordeal didn't seem very appropriate, but the kids did a great job, nonetheless. They made me proud! :)

And finally..."The ants go marching 2 (million) by 2 (million)...horrah...horrah...the ants go marching..." As I was walking to the dorms one night recently, I stopped dead in my tracks upon seeing this insane number of ants blocking my view. (The dark lines that look like tree roots are all ants!!!) I could've just stepped over them, but they somehow always seem to find a way onto my skin, and they're the nasty biting kind. And...if you read my previous post about my encounters with the lower forms of creation, you'll know that ants and I don't get along...at all! It was quite a crazy thing to see, though. We got out our RAID spray and had a hay day! :) Ants no more! We definitely didn't want those buggers in our apartments. Speaking of which...I'm proud of myself, as I opened my precious chunk of Velveeta cheese that's left, only to find ants had gotten inside the box and ZipLoc bag. Some were still crawling around, while others had died on the cheese. I decided the cheese was too valuable, cut them off, and away I went! Progress... :)