Saturday, August 25, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
One Day More...
we visited the Village of Hope Orphanage today, and it was a different experience than I, at least, anticipated it would be. The orphange is 90% funded by the Church of Christ, and its a really nice facility. There are 160 kids that live at the orphange, and they range in ages from nursery to 25 (25 is the age that they shoot for to have the "kids" be independent by). They are broken down into 7 different "families" who live in different homes on the orphanage.
We got to talk to the directors of the orphange, as well as a few of the house parents. Then we took a tour (Ama went with us, and was a tad jealous of the supplies available to the students... they had quiet a few). After the tour we just hung out with the kiddos for a bit. We played a bit more soccer, a little basketball, but no slide. :)
Coming home from the orphange, it really started to hit me that we're leaving tomorrow, and just how much I'm going to miss it here. Our hosts gave us gifts tonight, they're all so super sweet!
so... I suppose this is my last Ghana-blog. Sorry it's so incoherent, I'm so tired and my brain has stopped working!
See you soon!
We got to talk to the directors of the orphange, as well as a few of the house parents. Then we took a tour (Ama went with us, and was a tad jealous of the supplies available to the students... they had quiet a few). After the tour we just hung out with the kiddos for a bit. We played a bit more soccer, a little basketball, but no slide. :)
Coming home from the orphange, it really started to hit me that we're leaving tomorrow, and just how much I'm going to miss it here. Our hosts gave us gifts tonight, they're all so super sweet!
so... I suppose this is my last Ghana-blog. Sorry it's so incoherent, I'm so tired and my brain has stopped working!
See you soon!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
CELEBRATE
Dave gave a great sermon today and we celebrated communion with our African friends. It is a great spiritual experience. In addition, due to another black out, we moved to outside tonight at 6:45 pm for an unplanned candlelight worship time. We soon realized that all of you were in church at the Flipside at the same time for the morning service. It made us feel like we were all worshiping together. Another 6 kids accepted Christ today. They were from the neighborhood and participated in a little football tournament that we put on. We used some Gatorade water bottles for prizes and presented the gospel after the "awards ceremony." It was another great way to seek God work when we just are faithful.
All of us went out for Loretta's (the house cook) birthday. It was a great celebration and a nice way to say thanks for all she has done to make us more than well taken care of.
We are scheduled to visit the Village of Hope Orphanage on Monday (as seen on Oprah's child fishing slavery special). It should be a heart tugging time. Pray for God's guidance.
Time is running out on the trip and my internet minutes...so take care.
All of us went out for Loretta's (the house cook) birthday. It was a great celebration and a nice way to say thanks for all she has done to make us more than well taken care of.
We are scheduled to visit the Village of Hope Orphanage on Monday (as seen on Oprah's child fishing slavery special). It should be a heart tugging time. Pray for God's guidance.
Time is running out on the trip and my internet minutes...so take care.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
a day of rest and relaxtion... mostly!
Last night we had a ton of fun dancing and playing pool. It's been so neat to see different sides of Ghana! However, we didn't get back home till after 1:00am, so our 5:30 wake-up call bird didn't even phase me this morning!
Once everyone was up and about and ready to go (which didn't really happen till almost 11:00) the team went back to the Faith Community Baptist Church campus and painted the Junior School (our Junior High) building. I'm not the greatest painter, but it was great to look at when we were all finished! I've loved participating in the wide variety of ways God has been using us to bless that school.
After we finished painting, we went home for lunch, and then most of the team went into town to visit this resort where you can swim for 3 Ghana Cedis (around $3). I didn't go (I opted for sleep and some down time instead), but everyone said they had a great time. (I heard many rave reviews for the strawberry ice cream the resort served).
The house was definetely quieter tonight. A lot of us have gotten used to our mid-afternoon naps, and you could tell energy was lagging with out them. However, we're all excited to go to church tomorrow. Dave is speaking (we've all been urging him to keep it "short and sweet") and their having a communion service. I'm so excited to take part in that aspect of our Christian walk with the people here. After church, we're taking out a few of our Ghanian friends who have been such a great help (Loretta, Ama, Kate, Moses and Simpson, a teacher at the school who helped us get hundreds of kids quiet every day!).
I've said it before, I know I'll say it again, and I'm sure you're all tired of hearing it, but I'm still amazed by how quickly this trip has gone by. Tomorrow is church, Monday we're visiting the orphanage, and Tuesday night we'll be flying home. See y'all soon!!
Once everyone was up and about and ready to go (which didn't really happen till almost 11:00) the team went back to the Faith Community Baptist Church campus and painted the Junior School (our Junior High) building. I'm not the greatest painter, but it was great to look at when we were all finished! I've loved participating in the wide variety of ways God has been using us to bless that school.
After we finished painting, we went home for lunch, and then most of the team went into town to visit this resort where you can swim for 3 Ghana Cedis (around $3). I didn't go (I opted for sleep and some down time instead), but everyone said they had a great time. (I heard many rave reviews for the strawberry ice cream the resort served).
The house was definetely quieter tonight. A lot of us have gotten used to our mid-afternoon naps, and you could tell energy was lagging with out them. However, we're all excited to go to church tomorrow. Dave is speaking (we've all been urging him to keep it "short and sweet") and their having a communion service. I'm so excited to take part in that aspect of our Christian walk with the people here. After church, we're taking out a few of our Ghanian friends who have been such a great help (Loretta, Ama, Kate, Moses and Simpson, a teacher at the school who helped us get hundreds of kids quiet every day!).
I've said it before, I know I'll say it again, and I'm sure you're all tired of hearing it, but I'm still amazed by how quickly this trip has gone by. Tomorrow is church, Monday we're visiting the orphanage, and Tuesday night we'll be flying home. See y'all soon!!
Friday, August 10, 2007
God Continues to Bless!
What a week it has been. The football tournament was a huge success. We expected 200 and ended with well over 250. For most of the team (or at least those of us addicted to soccer/football) perhaps the closest thing to nirvana was experienced with a 15-20 minute parade thru the slums of Medina with drums beating as loud as possible and a mass of jerseys and LA Galaxy TShirts strung as far as you could see. With support staff we were closing in the range of 275 strong. Considering we were walking thru a Muslim neighborhood created an even greater feeling as everyone would come out to get a feel for what was going on. The tournament was a success and we squeezed the finals into the 2nd day due to a conflict with summer school classes starting on Wednesday. The awards ceremony was rocking as it was a combination worship service / awards ceremony. The guest speaker was one of the premier sports broadcasters/tv personalities/newspaper writers in Ghana who is also a Christian. He delivered an excellent message. God almost stretched our prizes to cover the troops, but we will have to follow up with a small second order. Galaxy stuff is everywhere as well as Flipside stickers. We had NO idea how big a deal a ball was (even a small size 1 juggler). It equates to power in the neighborhood because the one with the ball gets to call the shots for who is playing and what the rules are. They liked the ribbons, bags, shirts, jerseys, and water bottles...BUT craved a ball!
VBS was also a huge success but it presented a chance to put into action the "flexibility" we talked about. There was a power struggle between some of the teachers that wanted to start summer school this week and the acting principal (Pastor John's Daughter) who wanted to the kids to be at VBS. In a way they both won and lost but in the end, the kids that missed VBS were the ones that lost out. There were 51 children out of about 250 on Friday that accepted Christ for the first time. In addition, they all had a blast. We tried to be as loud a possible so that the teachers that insisted on trying to have class rather than send them to VBS would have second thoughts next time. I'm sure Betsy will give more VBS details in her blog.
As far as Ghana goes, my one word is CONTRAST. The list could go on forever as it relates to the contrast. The bottom line is that inner city poverty/slums sit next to well equiped and large homes. Nice businesses are not that far from 5x5 shacks that are supporting a family. You can tell there is a state of growth here...but most of the people are not benefitting. One thing is consistent...the people are incredibly nice! More than anywhere I have ever been! Fortunately, most of the people seem to have access to minimal, basic food and water. After that, the rest is a wide range of contrast. My time is up but keep praying for our last few days and events.
VBS was also a huge success but it presented a chance to put into action the "flexibility" we talked about. There was a power struggle between some of the teachers that wanted to start summer school this week and the acting principal (Pastor John's Daughter) who wanted to the kids to be at VBS. In a way they both won and lost but in the end, the kids that missed VBS were the ones that lost out. There were 51 children out of about 250 on Friday that accepted Christ for the first time. In addition, they all had a blast. We tried to be as loud a possible so that the teachers that insisted on trying to have class rather than send them to VBS would have second thoughts next time. I'm sure Betsy will give more VBS details in her blog.
As far as Ghana goes, my one word is CONTRAST. The list could go on forever as it relates to the contrast. The bottom line is that inner city poverty/slums sit next to well equiped and large homes. Nice businesses are not that far from 5x5 shacks that are supporting a family. You can tell there is a state of growth here...but most of the people are not benefitting. One thing is consistent...the people are incredibly nice! More than anywhere I have ever been! Fortunately, most of the people seem to have access to minimal, basic food and water. After that, the rest is a wide range of contrast. My time is up but keep praying for our last few days and events.
Chillin' Out Max and Relaxin' All Cool...
We love hanging out with all the kiddos here in Ghana... From sharing testimonies during craft today, to playing Red Light, Green Light, to numerous football matches, it's been a blast!
Today was the last day of VBS. we ended up with over 250 kids (100 of them were in our 11+ group and 50 in our 5-6 group... although that ranged from 2-6!). It was amazing. Chris shared the bridge diagram, which helps explain how salvation works and FIFTY-ONE 7+ year olds raised their hands and said they prayed the prayer for the first time. YAY! :)
We had to day good bye to a lot of kiddos after VBS... Charise was really bummin' about is (as we all were), but about 45 minutes after we arrived back at the house, 8 girls from the school came to see her! They had seen she was sad, and they knew the way to where we were, so the hiked the mile from the school to see her one last time! :)
Once again, Ian, Joel, Chris and Aaron played football with the neighborhood boys... I even played with the older ones for like 10 minutes... but it was too intense for me! (those guys are, as I've been saying all trip, hardcore!)
Tonight, Ama is taking us out dancing to celebrate the end of VBS and the football tournament! (YAY for their sucess!) I'm really excited to show off my uber-white dance moves!!
Tomorrow we're going to be painting a building at the school and rehearsing to sing a couple of songs in Twi, the language spoken in this area of Ghana (I finally asked Ama today, and it's prononuced "ch" (as in church) "we" (but not a harsh e, it's kinda soft... I'm not explaning it well. My grammar teacher from APU who taught me Phonetics would be appalled).
Hope you're all having a fabulous Friday!
Today was the last day of VBS. we ended up with over 250 kids (100 of them were in our 11+ group and 50 in our 5-6 group... although that ranged from 2-6!). It was amazing. Chris shared the bridge diagram, which helps explain how salvation works and FIFTY-ONE 7+ year olds raised their hands and said they prayed the prayer for the first time. YAY! :)
We had to day good bye to a lot of kiddos after VBS... Charise was really bummin' about is (as we all were), but about 45 minutes after we arrived back at the house, 8 girls from the school came to see her! They had seen she was sad, and they knew the way to where we were, so the hiked the mile from the school to see her one last time! :)
Once again, Ian, Joel, Chris and Aaron played football with the neighborhood boys... I even played with the older ones for like 10 minutes... but it was too intense for me! (those guys are, as I've been saying all trip, hardcore!)
Tonight, Ama is taking us out dancing to celebrate the end of VBS and the football tournament! (YAY for their sucess!) I'm really excited to show off my uber-white dance moves!!
Tomorrow we're going to be painting a building at the school and rehearsing to sing a couple of songs in Twi, the language spoken in this area of Ghana (I finally asked Ama today, and it's prononuced "ch" (as in church) "we" (but not a harsh e, it's kinda soft... I'm not explaning it well. My grammar teacher from APU who taught me Phonetics would be appalled).
Hope you're all having a fabulous Friday!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
And the days go flying by...
Day two of vbs is over... we were talking tonight as a team about the rest of our trip... tomorrow is the last day of VBS, Saturday we're doing a painting project at the church, Sunday is church and a thank you luncheon, Monday we're visiting the orphange, and Tuesday we have to be at the airport by 6:00... we we're all shocked at how quickly the time has flown, and saddened by the realization that tomorrow is our last day with so many of the kiddos we have come to know and love (many of the don't attend the church, so we won't see them Sunday)
VBS was rockin' today. We had a few less kiddos (the summer session of the school started today), but the ones we had were so much fun! I've continued to be amazed by the other members of our team, their flexibility and their willingness to do whatever is needed to serve this kids. They're all pretty awesome!
Tomorrow at VBS we're extending an invitation to all the different age groups to accept Christ as their personal savior... so if you could be praying for them and us, that'd be awesome (we'll be starting VBS at 9:30am... which is like 2:30am in California... so maybe shoot up a quick one tonight before you head off to bed :))
sorry this post is so short, I just wanted to let everyone know we're all still alive (and feeling a lot better... Becky is all better, and Cristabel is singing the praises of benadryl!)
have a blessed friday!
VBS was rockin' today. We had a few less kiddos (the summer session of the school started today), but the ones we had were so much fun! I've continued to be amazed by the other members of our team, their flexibility and their willingness to do whatever is needed to serve this kids. They're all pretty awesome!
Tomorrow at VBS we're extending an invitation to all the different age groups to accept Christ as their personal savior... so if you could be praying for them and us, that'd be awesome (we'll be starting VBS at 9:30am... which is like 2:30am in California... so maybe shoot up a quick one tonight before you head off to bed :))
sorry this post is so short, I just wanted to let everyone know we're all still alive (and feeling a lot better... Becky is all better, and Cristabel is singing the praises of benadryl!)
have a blessed friday!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
You are the most High God, Jehovah
(That's a line from one of the songs they sing at the school. The kiddos sang it for us today, it was so beautiful!)
This morning was the "closing ceremonies" of our football tournament. It started out with a time of praise and worship, and the team agreed that dancing with the kids through the sanctuary while praising God has been one of the definite highlights of the trip. We were able to give each player something, either a water bottle, a cleat bag or a soccer ball (We ended up being a little short on some of the items for the older players, but we gave them water bottles with the promise of something else later). We also had a speaker from a local sports radio broadcast. He took some pictures, and apparently we'll be in a local paper on Monday! :)
After the soccer tournament reached its official conclusion at 10:30, we geared up for VBS, which was starting up at 12:30. We ran to the house and ate lunch and returned immediately to the school. We ended up having around 200 kiddos, less than we'd originally anticipated, but still a good number! True to VBS form, the biggest group was the Blue Group (the 11+ kids), with over 75 kids the first day. (the age range is pretty big though, Ian, the leader, said one student was 19!)The afternoon went well. We talked about the story of Baby Moses and how God's people care for others.
Tomorrow we're having VBS again, from 9:00-12:00, and we're all really excited. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!
(no pictures tonight, sorry... every 48 hours the city block loses power for 12 hours, and the internet cafe runs off a generator, so the connection is really slow!)
This morning was the "closing ceremonies" of our football tournament. It started out with a time of praise and worship, and the team agreed that dancing with the kids through the sanctuary while praising God has been one of the definite highlights of the trip. We were able to give each player something, either a water bottle, a cleat bag or a soccer ball (We ended up being a little short on some of the items for the older players, but we gave them water bottles with the promise of something else later). We also had a speaker from a local sports radio broadcast. He took some pictures, and apparently we'll be in a local paper on Monday! :)
After the soccer tournament reached its official conclusion at 10:30, we geared up for VBS, which was starting up at 12:30. We ran to the house and ate lunch and returned immediately to the school. We ended up having around 200 kiddos, less than we'd originally anticipated, but still a good number! True to VBS form, the biggest group was the Blue Group (the 11+ kids), with over 75 kids the first day. (the age range is pretty big though, Ian, the leader, said one student was 19!)The afternoon went well. We talked about the story of Baby Moses and how God's people care for others.
Tomorrow we're having VBS again, from 9:00-12:00, and we're all really excited. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!
(no pictures tonight, sorry... every 48 hours the city block loses power for 12 hours, and the internet cafe runs off a generator, so the connection is really slow!)
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
GOAL!!!!!!!!
Day two of the football tournament went way smoother than day one. We learned a valuable lesson yesterday: let the little kids play first, they aren't the best wait-ers. So when we arrived at the pitch this morning, the first thing we did was have the primary classes 1-3 (1st-3rd graders) play their two games first. After they finished, we started the rest of the kiddos playing, first the Jr. schoolers, then the 4-6 boys and girls classes.
We ended up finishing the tournament today, because registration starts tomorrow for Summer Classes at the school, so we weren't sure if all the students would be able to attend. This means that tomorrow we only have to worry about the awards ceremony. We're all really excited to hand out all the prizes we brought from America: Footballs for the winners, ribbons for everyone, as well as assorted water bottles and shoe bags (Chris was still deciding how to distribute those the last I heard).
We came back to the house and ate lunch (this spicy chicken, a rice and bean dish and the best salad!), and then most everyone crashed for a nap. When I woke up, I learned that Ian, Aaron and Chris had found another bunch of neighborhood kids to play football with... on a larger pitch that doesn't have an open sewer line running alongside it as a boundry line. the level of skill of so many of the Ghanian youth continues to amaze me... they're incredible!
Tomorrow marks the first day of VBS and, miraculously, I'm not too worried or nervous about it. God has been blessing us and multiplying our resources throughout this trip, and i have no doubts that he will continue to do so... :)
continue to keep us in your prayers, please. Cristabel hasn't been feeling very well, and Becky started feeling the effects of the heat, so please be praying that they will feel 100% tomorrow, and that the rest of us will remain healthy. Also, be praying for the kiddos who attend VBS. They've really been promoting it within the community, so this is our biggest outreach opportunity... we're really excited about it!
hope you're all having a wonderful tuesday!!! (it's hard to believe that it's only 3:30 in California...)
Here is a picture of our team on Saturday, before we went out shopping... we're standing on a hill on the University of Ghana Campus with Moses, our favorite ghanian taxi driver!
href="http://www.slide.com/s/oNK7MEt4nj8Jb7DNoyxZX263WgMGHjI_?referrer=hlnk">
Here is another one, of Joel and Ian petting the crocodile!
href="http://www.slide.com/s/QBjJpPd5lD8G7DUntvsiwvI11beBIG39?referrer=hlnk">
We ended up finishing the tournament today, because registration starts tomorrow for Summer Classes at the school, so we weren't sure if all the students would be able to attend. This means that tomorrow we only have to worry about the awards ceremony. We're all really excited to hand out all the prizes we brought from America: Footballs for the winners, ribbons for everyone, as well as assorted water bottles and shoe bags (Chris was still deciding how to distribute those the last I heard).
We came back to the house and ate lunch (this spicy chicken, a rice and bean dish and the best salad!), and then most everyone crashed for a nap. When I woke up, I learned that Ian, Aaron and Chris had found another bunch of neighborhood kids to play football with... on a larger pitch that doesn't have an open sewer line running alongside it as a boundry line. the level of skill of so many of the Ghanian youth continues to amaze me... they're incredible!
Tomorrow marks the first day of VBS and, miraculously, I'm not too worried or nervous about it. God has been blessing us and multiplying our resources throughout this trip, and i have no doubts that he will continue to do so... :)
continue to keep us in your prayers, please. Cristabel hasn't been feeling very well, and Becky started feeling the effects of the heat, so please be praying that they will feel 100% tomorrow, and that the rest of us will remain healthy. Also, be praying for the kiddos who attend VBS. They've really been promoting it within the community, so this is our biggest outreach opportunity... we're really excited about it!
hope you're all having a wonderful tuesday!!! (it's hard to believe that it's only 3:30 in California...)
Here is a picture of our team on Saturday, before we went out shopping... we're standing on a hill on the University of Ghana Campus with Moses, our favorite ghanian taxi driver!
href="http://www.slide.com/s/oNK7MEt4nj8Jb7DNoyxZX263WgMGHjI_?referrer=hlnk">
Here is another one, of Joel and Ian petting the crocodile!
href="http://www.slide.com/s/QBjJpPd5lD8G7DUntvsiwvI11beBIG39?referrer=hlnk">
Monday, August 6, 2007
Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole....
(for those of you who don't know, that's a popular football [soccer] chant... one of the highlights of my day today was leading a group of 18 6-8 year old girls in that chant as we ran around the pitch together)
Today was the first day of the "One Cup," our football tournament for the students of Faith Community Baptist Church. It was a definite success! We ended up with 243 players on 28 different teams. Walking from the church to the pitch was the coolest experience. To see all these kids in their multicolored jerseys, dancing and singing (we even had our own little drum line keeping time for us)... it was amazing. We had to walk through some of the poorest areas of Medina, and by the time we reached the fields, we had our own little following of children, who ended up being avid spectators of all the games.
after the tournament we came back to the house, ate lunch and rested (I had the best nap ever!) Then we went out and hung with our neighborhood buddies. Aaron and Ian played football with the older kids, while Chris organized some play time for the younger kids. We've already had multiple requests for their own tournament, we're gonna see what we can do... Joel brought out his guitar and he, Rachel and I sang some worship songs with a group of kiddos. It was so much fun. We sang "Ha-la-la-la-le-lujah" and "the Happy Song," and Amazing Grace/Jesus Loves Me and a whole bunch of others... the kids really got into it, dancing and clapping and trying to sing along.
So tomorrow is the soccer tournament again. 3 hours of games (each one is 25 minutes each... except for the littlest kiddos, theirs are 15 minutes)... and then prep for the finals on Wednesday morning and VBS Wednesday afternoon! We've all acknowledge that this week is going to fly by, we've got soo much going on!
Hope everything is going Fabulously in A-to the-L to the-T-A Loma! Thanks for all your prayers and support!
Today was the first day of the "One Cup," our football tournament for the students of Faith Community Baptist Church. It was a definite success! We ended up with 243 players on 28 different teams. Walking from the church to the pitch was the coolest experience. To see all these kids in their multicolored jerseys, dancing and singing (we even had our own little drum line keeping time for us)... it was amazing. We had to walk through some of the poorest areas of Medina, and by the time we reached the fields, we had our own little following of children, who ended up being avid spectators of all the games.
after the tournament we came back to the house, ate lunch and rested (I had the best nap ever!) Then we went out and hung with our neighborhood buddies. Aaron and Ian played football with the older kids, while Chris organized some play time for the younger kids. We've already had multiple requests for their own tournament, we're gonna see what we can do... Joel brought out his guitar and he, Rachel and I sang some worship songs with a group of kiddos. It was so much fun. We sang "Ha-la-la-la-le-lujah" and "the Happy Song," and Amazing Grace/Jesus Loves Me and a whole bunch of others... the kids really got into it, dancing and clapping and trying to sing along.
So tomorrow is the soccer tournament again. 3 hours of games (each one is 25 minutes each... except for the littlest kiddos, theirs are 15 minutes)... and then prep for the finals on Wednesday morning and VBS Wednesday afternoon! We've all acknowledge that this week is going to fly by, we've got soo much going on!
Hope everything is going Fabulously in A-to the-L to the-T-A Loma! Thanks for all your prayers and support!
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Spiritual Experience
I can honestly say that no one should ever claim Flipside is too loud...or at least none of us will. These churches have figured that if people don't come to church...they will take the church to them!!! Faith Community in Medina, Ghana can sing and praise the Lord at the top of their lungs and their speaker systems as well as anyone. Several us had also stopped by an all night Pentecostal service by our house and they took to another level (and until 4:00 am!!). It is amazing how God unites people from half way around the world. I did not know that they were providing an interpreter for the native speakers so the first part of my speech was humorous. After that it went well. Becky performed a beautiful song for the church with Joel and Aaron on guitar, Betsy, Crystabel and Charise provided excellent backup. It was a proud Dad moment! Another great soccer game with the community kids that is opening doors for ministry. Dave sat with a group for over 1.5 hours just talking with them about life. We are looking forward to continuing to build on this relationship. Pray that their hearts and minds will be open to the gospel.
Soccer tournament starts at 8:00 am and we could have 200 or 300 players. It should be interesting and fun!
Soccer tournament starts at 8:00 am and we could have 200 or 300 players. It should be interesting and fun!
The ins and outs of an internet cafe...
I'm learning them all very slowly. I've got 9 minutes left on my 30minute login (which costs 4,000 cedi... about 40 cents if you were curious).
Church today was incredible. Chris, Aaron, Rachel and I went at 9:00 for a Bible study, where they are working through the concept of salvation. Today they discussed the past, present and future implications of the way salavation works. It was pretty intense. They tackled issues about whether or not the soul and the spirit are the same, if emotions are tied to the body or the soul and whether or not "hell" and "a place of torment" refer to the same thing. Listening to people talk about God in a different language was pretty incredible!
The worship was so neat, as well. People danced using handkercheifs and sang at the top of their lungs. Becky, Joel and Aaron, along with Charise, Cristabel and I sang "shout to the Lord" for them, and they clapped really loud. :) then we went and visited the kiddos in their Sunday School class, and were blessed to hear the pre-k/kindergarten class sing "Jesus loves the little children" and to hear the jr. high praise band.
We were able to tour the new university building, that Pastor John is still fundraising for in the states. A lot of us want to try and come back and see it when it's all complete... it's pretty incredible.
after lunch, we joined the neighborhood kids for another football game... this time in the rain! It's been relatively cool here. We were talking today about how it's probably been way hotter in Cali this past week than here... which seems crazy to us!
tomorrow begins the soccer tournament... thanks for continuing to pray for us!!!
sorry this post is so discombobulated and short... and probably filled with typos... i keep getting little pop ups telling me my time is almost up! :)
have a fabulous Monday! we'll see you all in only 10 days... crazy!
Church today was incredible. Chris, Aaron, Rachel and I went at 9:00 for a Bible study, where they are working through the concept of salvation. Today they discussed the past, present and future implications of the way salavation works. It was pretty intense. They tackled issues about whether or not the soul and the spirit are the same, if emotions are tied to the body or the soul and whether or not "hell" and "a place of torment" refer to the same thing. Listening to people talk about God in a different language was pretty incredible!
The worship was so neat, as well. People danced using handkercheifs and sang at the top of their lungs. Becky, Joel and Aaron, along with Charise, Cristabel and I sang "shout to the Lord" for them, and they clapped really loud. :) then we went and visited the kiddos in their Sunday School class, and were blessed to hear the pre-k/kindergarten class sing "Jesus loves the little children" and to hear the jr. high praise band.
We were able to tour the new university building, that Pastor John is still fundraising for in the states. A lot of us want to try and come back and see it when it's all complete... it's pretty incredible.
after lunch, we joined the neighborhood kids for another football game... this time in the rain! It's been relatively cool here. We were talking today about how it's probably been way hotter in Cali this past week than here... which seems crazy to us!
tomorrow begins the soccer tournament... thanks for continuing to pray for us!!!
sorry this post is so discombobulated and short... and probably filled with typos... i keep getting little pop ups telling me my time is almost up! :)
have a fabulous Monday! we'll see you all in only 10 days... crazy!
Saturday, August 4, 2007
10,000 Cedis= 1 Ghana Cedi....say what?!
So, today was market day, when our brave team of 12 ventured into the downtown area of Accra to go shopping, accompanied only by our brave guide, Moses.
as an introduction, you should all know that beginning August 1st, Ghana introduced a new currency, the Ghana Cedi. This New Cedi is worth 10,000 of the old Cedis... and it's about $.93 to a Ghana Cedi. So all day today we're dealing with 3 different currency's in our own minds... it was very confusing!
shopping in Ghana is nothing like shopping in California. Nothing has a price tag and everything is negotiable. We all learned a very valuable trick: walking away. :) After you've offered the price you're willing to pay, if it isn't acceptable, you just turn and start walking away, and suddenly the vendor is more than willing to comply with your pricing. it's definately nothing like Target.
We also were able to get some sight-seeing in today. We went to the University of Ghana, which was HUGE! and beautiful. we took a couple of pictures overlooking the city, it looked pretty incredible. I got totally turned around, but Moses was able to point us in the direction of Medina, where we're staying.
We also drove through the "beverly hills" of accra, by the current president's house (which was guarded by police) and the French embassy. There was one house we were all pretty impressed with, it looked new. We were informed that house (which was two stories and about as big as the houses near Day Creek would only be around $200,000 US dollars... we all contemplated moving to Ghana. :)
Tonight we practiced some songs to sing in the church tomorrow. I'm pretty sure we've settled on "Shout to the Lord" and "Amazing Grace/Jesus Loves Me." We have to get up in front of the congregation tomorrow and introduce ourselves... It feels a little like we're some kids show and tell project.
Tomorrow is all about church. There is a Bible study at 9:00 and service at 10:00. After service, we're going to take Loretta, Ama, Miss Kate (and i hope her kiddos) and Moses out to lunch to celebrate Loretta's birthday. Then we're hoping to shuttle soccer camp supplies over to the school in preparation for Monday (we're expecting kiddos to start showing up around 8:00, so we have to be ready!)
hope you're all having a FABULOUS weekend, and that you enjoy tomorrow's gatherings at Flipside!
as an introduction, you should all know that beginning August 1st, Ghana introduced a new currency, the Ghana Cedi. This New Cedi is worth 10,000 of the old Cedis... and it's about $.93 to a Ghana Cedi. So all day today we're dealing with 3 different currency's in our own minds... it was very confusing!
shopping in Ghana is nothing like shopping in California. Nothing has a price tag and everything is negotiable. We all learned a very valuable trick: walking away. :) After you've offered the price you're willing to pay, if it isn't acceptable, you just turn and start walking away, and suddenly the vendor is more than willing to comply with your pricing. it's definately nothing like Target.
We also were able to get some sight-seeing in today. We went to the University of Ghana, which was HUGE! and beautiful. we took a couple of pictures overlooking the city, it looked pretty incredible. I got totally turned around, but Moses was able to point us in the direction of Medina, where we're staying.
We also drove through the "beverly hills" of accra, by the current president's house (which was guarded by police) and the French embassy. There was one house we were all pretty impressed with, it looked new. We were informed that house (which was two stories and about as big as the houses near Day Creek would only be around $200,000 US dollars... we all contemplated moving to Ghana. :)
Tonight we practiced some songs to sing in the church tomorrow. I'm pretty sure we've settled on "Shout to the Lord" and "Amazing Grace/Jesus Loves Me." We have to get up in front of the congregation tomorrow and introduce ourselves... It feels a little like we're some kids show and tell project.
Tomorrow is all about church. There is a Bible study at 9:00 and service at 10:00. After service, we're going to take Loretta, Ama, Miss Kate (and i hope her kiddos) and Moses out to lunch to celebrate Loretta's birthday. Then we're hoping to shuttle soccer camp supplies over to the school in preparation for Monday (we're expecting kiddos to start showing up around 8:00, so we have to be ready!)
hope you're all having a FABULOUS weekend, and that you enjoy tomorrow's gatherings at Flipside!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Rainforests, Crocodiles and Potholes, oh my!
You're all getting like 3 posts for one day! Don't you feel well informed?
Today was amazing, as I'm sure you've already heard (or read). From the historical aspect of the slave castle, to the feelings of accomplishment crossing the suspension bridge, to the bravery of petting a crocodile, it's definetely been a full day of adventure and excitement. It's incredible how much you can cram into a few hours with a great deal of determination and an agressive driver. :)
But really, the most amazing aspect of this trip has been the people we've had the pleasure of getting to know. From Michael, a neighborhood boy who helped lead team USA to victory over Ghana 5-2 (we won't discuss the 2 games we lost before that), to Loretta, the most amazing cook ever (seriously, her french toast is still making my mouth water 2 days later), to Moses, our van driver extrodinare, to all our (I know it should be "the" but I feel ownership already) kiddos over at the school... in so many ways they've blessed me and made me feel so lucky to have the opportunity to come to Ghana... I love 'em all!!!
I just wanted to stop by and say "hi!" and "thanks for all your prayers!" Hope you're all feeling as blessed to be alive today as I am!
Today was amazing, as I'm sure you've already heard (or read). From the historical aspect of the slave castle, to the feelings of accomplishment crossing the suspension bridge, to the bravery of petting a crocodile, it's definetely been a full day of adventure and excitement. It's incredible how much you can cram into a few hours with a great deal of determination and an agressive driver. :)
But really, the most amazing aspect of this trip has been the people we've had the pleasure of getting to know. From Michael, a neighborhood boy who helped lead team USA to victory over Ghana 5-2 (we won't discuss the 2 games we lost before that), to Loretta, the most amazing cook ever (seriously, her french toast is still making my mouth water 2 days later), to Moses, our van driver extrodinare, to all our (I know it should be "the" but I feel ownership already) kiddos over at the school... in so many ways they've blessed me and made me feel so lucky to have the opportunity to come to Ghana... I love 'em all!!!
I just wanted to stop by and say "hi!" and "thanks for all your prayers!" Hope you're all feeling as blessed to be alive today as I am!
Amazing Day
Friday, Aug. 3
This was an amazing day for our team. We were never able to get all 12 of us together at the same time back in the states so any team building was always a little less than complete. However, God provided a great opportunity today. The school year ended yesterday so our host planned a long road trip up the coast to see what the country looks like, visit a major historical landmark, and to visit one of their most prized national parks. The end result was a bonding time for us that could not have been planned better if we tried and a chance to connect even more with our host, Ama Oduro and a member of their church, Moses, who works as a taxi driver by trade but is giving of his time to drive our 15 passenger van (based on the size it should probably fit a few less).
In case you did not know, we are in an urban setting. Accra is the capital and has an estimated 3.5 million people. This is inner city ministry in a third world country for John Oduro and the rest of the Faith Community staff. Once we fought our way thru traffic at 6:30 am. We found a whole other Ghana. There is lush vegetation, ocean coast, and rolling hills that are contrasted by mud and grass homes, small poor suburbs, and occasional wealthy pockets.
After a 3 1/2 hour bus ride that actually covered much less distance than you would expect for that time, we arrived a slave castle that has the dubious distinction of being the world's largest. You can wikipedia the information but in short, it was incredibly moving to see that part of our world's history first hand. Next, we went to the National Park. It is actually a remaining rain forest with incredible suspension bridges and views. We also interacted with a school bus full of Muslim girls during our adventure. They were loving and accepting. The 2 faiths are very intertwined in Ghana. Lastly, we visited a crocodile place that was part tourist attraction, part resort, and part restaurant. There are some great pics of our Flipsidians taking their first touch on a croc.
An encouraging moment came when our host received a phone call that the local soccer boys that play outside our house were waiting for a rematch of yesterdays great matches. We had assembled a team and tried to blend in with the locals. We were well received and made friends instantly. The "field" or "pitch" is actually a narrow road/ally with plenty of obstacles. However, it is a second home for most of the kids in the neighbor hood. It is a great place to show Christ love and connect with the neighbors. Other than having the open sewer trench serve as one out of bounds (and having to reach in to get the ball every time it goes out) it works fine. I guess the WHEN IN ROME...saying applys for the sewer balls. For the record, we did win a match!
Overall, we feel blessed to be experiencing this part of the world and are being challenged daily to lay down our pride and American expectations, and just be available to anyone, anywhere so that God's love will be shown.
Keep up the prayers. Our next participation will be Sunday at the church service and Sunday School and then a crazy week of "football" and VBS.
This was an amazing day for our team. We were never able to get all 12 of us together at the same time back in the states so any team building was always a little less than complete. However, God provided a great opportunity today. The school year ended yesterday so our host planned a long road trip up the coast to see what the country looks like, visit a major historical landmark, and to visit one of their most prized national parks. The end result was a bonding time for us that could not have been planned better if we tried and a chance to connect even more with our host, Ama Oduro and a member of their church, Moses, who works as a taxi driver by trade but is giving of his time to drive our 15 passenger van (based on the size it should probably fit a few less).
In case you did not know, we are in an urban setting. Accra is the capital and has an estimated 3.5 million people. This is inner city ministry in a third world country for John Oduro and the rest of the Faith Community staff. Once we fought our way thru traffic at 6:30 am. We found a whole other Ghana. There is lush vegetation, ocean coast, and rolling hills that are contrasted by mud and grass homes, small poor suburbs, and occasional wealthy pockets.
After a 3 1/2 hour bus ride that actually covered much less distance than you would expect for that time, we arrived a slave castle that has the dubious distinction of being the world's largest. You can wikipedia the information but in short, it was incredibly moving to see that part of our world's history first hand. Next, we went to the National Park. It is actually a remaining rain forest with incredible suspension bridges and views. We also interacted with a school bus full of Muslim girls during our adventure. They were loving and accepting. The 2 faiths are very intertwined in Ghana. Lastly, we visited a crocodile place that was part tourist attraction, part resort, and part restaurant. There are some great pics of our Flipsidians taking their first touch on a croc.
An encouraging moment came when our host received a phone call that the local soccer boys that play outside our house were waiting for a rematch of yesterdays great matches. We had assembled a team and tried to blend in with the locals. We were well received and made friends instantly. The "field" or "pitch" is actually a narrow road/ally with plenty of obstacles. However, it is a second home for most of the kids in the neighbor hood. It is a great place to show Christ love and connect with the neighbors. Other than having the open sewer trench serve as one out of bounds (and having to reach in to get the ball every time it goes out) it works fine. I guess the WHEN IN ROME...saying applys for the sewer balls. For the record, we did win a match!
Overall, we feel blessed to be experiencing this part of the world and are being challenged daily to lay down our pride and American expectations, and just be available to anyone, anywhere so that God's love will be shown.
Keep up the prayers. Our next participation will be Sunday at the church service and Sunday School and then a crazy week of "football" and VBS.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Latest Update
It is 9:30 PM Thursday and some of us ventured into town to an internet cafe. Dave is actually still outside doing what he does best...making friends. There are 2 pool tables lined up about 5 feet from the road. He is taking in the atmosphere. I don't think the location of the tables would meet OSHA standards! There is a different rythm to life here! For many, it would appear to be unorganized and chaotic. However, when you meet the people, they are loving life in a simplier way than we could ever imagine. The love of and friendliness of the Ghanians is overwhelming. They are more than open to the Obrunis (White People).
We spent another incredible day at the school. The teacher training was a big success and Becky pulled off a great presentation despite not feeling well. So far, no major sickness but a few people feeling run down. It was the last day of school so there were a lot of parties. Included in that was version of the prom for the senior high students. However, it ran from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm and was more like an after school dance. The thing that is awesome to see is that the school instructors do not need to monitor the activity as the students tend to keep each other in check (although the clothes, music and dance style have been greatly influenced by interent access).
The young children continue to simply love being with us and ask lots of great questions about the US.
Materials for the soccer tournament have been secured as well as 2 fields in the community. The field at the school is not available due to they are trying to plant grass for the first time. NOTE: The crab grass we spend so much time trying to get rid off is a treasured item here!
We will keep you posted as things progress. Thanks for the prayers.
We spent another incredible day at the school. The teacher training was a big success and Becky pulled off a great presentation despite not feeling well. So far, no major sickness but a few people feeling run down. It was the last day of school so there were a lot of parties. Included in that was version of the prom for the senior high students. However, it ran from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm and was more like an after school dance. The thing that is awesome to see is that the school instructors do not need to monitor the activity as the students tend to keep each other in check (although the clothes, music and dance style have been greatly influenced by interent access).
The young children continue to simply love being with us and ask lots of great questions about the US.
Materials for the soccer tournament have been secured as well as 2 fields in the community. The field at the school is not available due to they are trying to plant grass for the first time. NOTE: The crab grass we spend so much time trying to get rid off is a treasured item here!
We will keep you posted as things progress. Thanks for the prayers.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Day Four...
Hello all!!!
Thank you so much for your prayers. They are so much appreciated. It is 3:30 pm here on Wednesdy afternoon. We finished our first day of teacher training. Chris, Becky, and I meet with about 30 teachers from the school and taught them about a program for organizing your whiteboard that helps with classroom management and organization. We have another day of training tomorrow where Becky will share some graphic organizers.
The weather is really nice. It is humid but not hot. We are being very well fed and cared for. Every meal is lovingly prepared for us by our cook, Loretta; she is a really good cook! It has been really nice to be able to get aclimated with the students and staff at the school to prepare for the soccer tournament and VBS next week.
On Friday we are going to do some sight seeing. We will be going to some popular suspension bridges and a castle which was used for the slave trade. It should be very moving. I know everyone on the team is really looking forward to it.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers!!
God's peace,
Aaron
Racel Miller's thoughts:
Its amazing to me how trusting and loving these kids are. They immediately grab your hand and are playing games with you, (espically slide the hand game). Anyways, we'll post more later our time is up @ the internet cafe. Thank you to everyone!
Thank you so much for your prayers. They are so much appreciated. It is 3:30 pm here on Wednesdy afternoon. We finished our first day of teacher training. Chris, Becky, and I meet with about 30 teachers from the school and taught them about a program for organizing your whiteboard that helps with classroom management and organization. We have another day of training tomorrow where Becky will share some graphic organizers.
The weather is really nice. It is humid but not hot. We are being very well fed and cared for. Every meal is lovingly prepared for us by our cook, Loretta; she is a really good cook! It has been really nice to be able to get aclimated with the students and staff at the school to prepare for the soccer tournament and VBS next week.
On Friday we are going to do some sight seeing. We will be going to some popular suspension bridges and a castle which was used for the slave trade. It should be very moving. I know everyone on the team is really looking forward to it.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers!!
God's peace,
Aaron
Racel Miller's thoughts:
Its amazing to me how trusting and loving these kids are. They immediately grab your hand and are playing games with you, (espically slide the hand game). Anyways, we'll post more later our time is up @ the internet cafe. Thank you to everyone!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Day Three-ish
It's amazing to me that it's already Tuesday!! I'm uber tired today, so this won't be the longest blog ever, but I wanted to leave an update! :)
we made it to Ghana! :) Our flight to Amsterdam was long, but we were all kept entertained with little televisions and video games. A group of us went into the city and took tons of pictures. We made it onto our last plane with time to spare, and were in Ghana at 6:30pm (which is around 11:30am in California, we traveled for about 23 hours).
Our host, Ama, picked us up at the airport with two amazing drivers, Issac and Moses. The house were staying at is really nice, with plenty of beds (but only 2 showers!).
This morning we were able to go to the school and hanging out with the kiddos. We played endless games of slide, learned a new jumping game and watched some intense football (soccer) matches. The school has around 1,500 students, ranging in ages from 7 months to 18. They are definately enthralled with us "obrunis" (their word for white people). Tomorrow we're back over at the school for some teacher training and more fun with the kiddos.
The power gets shut off here at 6:00pm tonight, one hour from now... and will come back on at 6:00am tomorrow (their version of "rolling blackouts"). So, I'm off to use as much electricity as I can beforehand :) Hope to post more tomorrow!
-Betsy
and here is a word from our very own Rachel Miller :):
Wow, the last 72 hours have been an adventure, to say the least. So far what I've experienced here has been amazing for me. Im super tired, so Ill keep it short.
Mom, Dad, & Megan:
Im doing fabulous. I love it here. The flights were good, but long and hard to sit still through. Ill email you later this week when I get a chance. I love you all. Please dont worry. Tell the sisiterhood and my brothers that I love them also.
we made it to Ghana! :) Our flight to Amsterdam was long, but we were all kept entertained with little televisions and video games. A group of us went into the city and took tons of pictures. We made it onto our last plane with time to spare, and were in Ghana at 6:30pm (which is around 11:30am in California, we traveled for about 23 hours).
Our host, Ama, picked us up at the airport with two amazing drivers, Issac and Moses. The house were staying at is really nice, with plenty of beds (but only 2 showers!).
This morning we were able to go to the school and hanging out with the kiddos. We played endless games of slide, learned a new jumping game and watched some intense football (soccer) matches. The school has around 1,500 students, ranging in ages from 7 months to 18. They are definately enthralled with us "obrunis" (their word for white people). Tomorrow we're back over at the school for some teacher training and more fun with the kiddos.
The power gets shut off here at 6:00pm tonight, one hour from now... and will come back on at 6:00am tomorrow (their version of "rolling blackouts"). So, I'm off to use as much electricity as I can beforehand :) Hope to post more tomorrow!
-Betsy
and here is a word from our very own Rachel Miller :):
Wow, the last 72 hours have been an adventure, to say the least. So far what I've experienced here has been amazing for me. Im super tired, so Ill keep it short.
Mom, Dad, & Megan:
Im doing fabulous. I love it here. The flights were good, but long and hard to sit still through. Ill email you later this week when I get a chance. I love you all. Please dont worry. Tell the sisiterhood and my brothers that I love them also.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
LAX adventures
I'm sitting in the terminal at LAX, with the weakest signal ever, but it's doing the job!
Some of you may have heard about the Northwestern flight cancellations that occured yesterday/today. We were affected, our flight to Detroit was cancelled, with 5 of the team members being rebooked on a direct flight from LAX to Amsterdam, with 7 being re-routed to Charlotte, NC to Detroit then on to Amsterdam. Our fearless leader, Chris, spent hours on the phone last night, explaining the need for all 12 of us to be together...
So here we are, waiting patiently for our 10.5 hour non-stop flight to Amsterdam! :) Our flight's been delayed about 30 minutes, but if I look to my right right now, I see the plane sitting on the tarmac, getting ready for us!
thanks for all your prayers (as you can tell, they're already hard at work!). Maybe the next time I post I'll know some new Dutch words!
p.s. everyone says "Hi!"
Some of you may have heard about the Northwestern flight cancellations that occured yesterday/today. We were affected, our flight to Detroit was cancelled, with 5 of the team members being rebooked on a direct flight from LAX to Amsterdam, with 7 being re-routed to Charlotte, NC to Detroit then on to Amsterdam. Our fearless leader, Chris, spent hours on the phone last night, explaining the need for all 12 of us to be together...
So here we are, waiting patiently for our 10.5 hour non-stop flight to Amsterdam! :) Our flight's been delayed about 30 minutes, but if I look to my right right now, I see the plane sitting on the tarmac, getting ready for us!
thanks for all your prayers (as you can tell, they're already hard at work!). Maybe the next time I post I'll know some new Dutch words!
p.s. everyone says "Hi!"
Friday, July 27, 2007
Trial Run
Checking to make sure this works. We will have a final packing meeting Saturday @ 4:00. That should be very exciting!!
coming soon!
Keep checking back here for updates regarding Flipside's Missions team to Ghana. We'll be leaving LAX at 12:00 Sunday morning, and arriving in Accra, Ghana at 6:00 (their time) on Monday, July 30th! :)
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