It’s 10am Ghana Time November 30, 2006. I am in Kirk and Nicole’s office sitting at the desk, which looks out the front window. There’s a GREAT breeze today, which is nice. It’s saving me from being drenched in sweat as I work inside. My plan today is to work on some video projects and my mind seems to be preoccupied and I kept thinking about blogging…so here it is. It’s like and after school special since I don’t usually blog in the middle of the week! J ha.
I’m spending some God time this morning reflecting on some things and reading Psalm 126 and 127. This morning I have thought of the joys of singleness but honestly I am also bordering on dwelling about, “Will I ever get married?” Now honestly I don’t usually dwell on this. But it seems lately these thoughts of marriage have started coming up more frequently.
I almost got married once. I was 23 when we broke up. It was hard for me because he essentially was my best friend and I put him on a pedestal that he would surely fall from because he is human and if you can believe this…I’m not perfect as much as I thought I was! I didn’t know the first thing about marriage for a lifetime or about marriage with God in the center so it was good we broke up. However at the time the break up hit me hard. Sometimes it stills hits me.
It wasn’t until we broke up that I really started following the Lord. We broke up on a Thursday and that next Sunday alone and weeping I begged God to show me Himself and teach me about him because I knew life wasn’t over… there had to be more.
So for the past four years God has taught me about Himself through the Spirit and what it means to believe in Jesus. I have loved, truly loved, being single, as I had found my identity in boys since I was sixteen. For the past four years it has been God showing, teaching, guiding me into the person He created me to be…come. I say become because I don’t think it ever stops…growing in Him that is.
But this morning I am thinking about marriage again. I still struggle with being attracted to someone and then dwelling on the possibility that ‘he’ might be the one I marry.
And this is what I want to talk about. I am the only one who does this? I mean is this the devils’ attempt to get you off course for the day and start letting your mind sort through all the possibilities? Just as I typed that I think the Holy Spirit just talked to me…that’s exactly what the devil wants to do…disrupt my course of what Kingdom work could be done today and get me focused about thinking of myself. Hum…. This is precisely the reason I love God. I love how we can be in prayer for ANY and EVERYthing. So today right now I’m ending this blog on the note of prayer. For all girls who want to sit and daydream about that future ‘guy’ they might marry. That God continues to give us peace in the fact He’s got this under control. I pray for myself that I would pray for my future husband and not dwell on the fact that I don’t have one and don’t know who it might be. But I pray that if I’m to marry then God’s working on his heart as He is working on mine. Jesus- give us strength in the battle of the mind! You might be thinking I’m crazy right about now…which could be entirely true! Oh and if you’re a boy…don’t worry most women are crazy….it’s just depends if they’ll admit it or not! Haha kidding…sort of!
Have a GREAT DAY! Hey Jesus’ birthday is next month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!
11.30.2006
11.27.2006
november 27-thanksgiving abroad
It’s the Monday after my first Thanksgiving abroad. Everything was almost like being at home. We cooked all day and had way too much food considering there are tons of starving people…and some not too far from where I live.
It was fun though. We had about 30 people at Claire and Michaels house. In my family tradition we eat the Thanksgiving meal at lunch and then have leftovers for dinner. But we actually met at the Mozley’s at 5pm., which worked out good because it took us all day to prepare what we brought.
I’ve gotten into cooking which in itself is ironic. I cook more and eat better in Africa than I did in the States? I don’t know why I’ve developed a desire for cooking. It could be that going to the grocery store here is such a task at the end you feel accomplished so making something out of what you purchased, which took all day, gives you a sense of joy…. especially when people like it. So for this thanksgiving celebration I made green bean casserole, with fresh not canned green beans and apple crisp desert. Our total family, the Sims, made more than that…if you want to take a look at the fact that I didn’t starve in Africa for Thanksgiving check out the pictures on flickr. This was all on Saturday.
On actual Thanksgiving Day the Sims family, Nicole’s Mom and Dad, which are here visiting, Gifty and I went to Champs Restaurant and enjoyed traditional Thanksgiving nachos!
Even though the food was plentiful Thursday and Saturday and I was with my African missionary family I was probably more thankful this year than in years past. I am always thankful for God, but this year I’m even more thankful for the relationship with Him because I would not make it here without His constant love and companionship. Then thinking about my relationship with God makes me think about Jesus and the fact that we even have a relationship with God. Huge mind boggling God. And then the Spirit starts showing me parts of me and parts of God in me and in others…it’s AWESOME!
Of course I also mentioned some other pretty big things like family … my family here and my mom, dad, sister and nephew back home and all my extended family and Kingdom family and friends…. And then this year I’m really thankful for…. Skype and mail and email J !
You know my dad and I am reading the Psalms together and on Thanksgiving Day was Psalm 121…a song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem, NLT. So then I thought about how Big God is and wondered what He looked like to people who were pilgrims back in the day.
Now before the holidays I had a meeting with the Director of Communication/Publication for Methodist Church Ghana on Wednesday. We met for about four hours and they want to start a new program via satellite targeting current Methodist members and unreached peoples. So I asked some questions about usefulness and tried to ask some of the hard questions that we sometimes loose sight of once we’ve been ‘doing’ church for a long time. You know how sometimes we compare other people’s ministries in a bad way we want to “do” what they’re doing? Hopefully you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Anyway it’s in the starting stages and I’m honored they want to include me in some of the decision-making process… and I’m sure the thoughts that I might have connections to supplies necessary for the production equipment is a bonus. I also got to take a look at a production studio Ghana style and it’s not quite like what we would have in the States, but they have digital editing bays. In college I trained on analog and digital so there not that far behind. However I don’t know about you but something that I don’t associate with Africa in general is the fact that they have TV, cable, Satellite and broadband slow but it’s expanding.
But Ghana is a developing Nation and there are some really rich people here with tons of influence. So then I think this could possibly help people see what needs are here within your own country.
So be in prayer that this 30minute program would be guided effectively and started for the right reasons. Also pray that we would continue think outside of the box and not comparatively to what other people are doing.
Also the Community Bible Club will kick off on December 16th at 10am-12pm. We are finalizing main curriculum points to cover for the year. Please keep the whole club in your prayers.
As for this upcoming week…I’m working on some DVD projects and I have to say thanks to my Aunt Leslie. Her fourth grade class wrote me letters to ask about Ghana and how God is moving over here. Thanks- what a blessing.
Love-
Margaret
It was fun though. We had about 30 people at Claire and Michaels house. In my family tradition we eat the Thanksgiving meal at lunch and then have leftovers for dinner. But we actually met at the Mozley’s at 5pm., which worked out good because it took us all day to prepare what we brought.
I’ve gotten into cooking which in itself is ironic. I cook more and eat better in Africa than I did in the States? I don’t know why I’ve developed a desire for cooking. It could be that going to the grocery store here is such a task at the end you feel accomplished so making something out of what you purchased, which took all day, gives you a sense of joy…. especially when people like it. So for this thanksgiving celebration I made green bean casserole, with fresh not canned green beans and apple crisp desert. Our total family, the Sims, made more than that…if you want to take a look at the fact that I didn’t starve in Africa for Thanksgiving check out the pictures on flickr. This was all on Saturday.
On actual Thanksgiving Day the Sims family, Nicole’s Mom and Dad, which are here visiting, Gifty and I went to Champs Restaurant and enjoyed traditional Thanksgiving nachos!
Even though the food was plentiful Thursday and Saturday and I was with my African missionary family I was probably more thankful this year than in years past. I am always thankful for God, but this year I’m even more thankful for the relationship with Him because I would not make it here without His constant love and companionship. Then thinking about my relationship with God makes me think about Jesus and the fact that we even have a relationship with God. Huge mind boggling God. And then the Spirit starts showing me parts of me and parts of God in me and in others…it’s AWESOME!
Of course I also mentioned some other pretty big things like family … my family here and my mom, dad, sister and nephew back home and all my extended family and Kingdom family and friends…. And then this year I’m really thankful for…. Skype and mail and email J !
You know my dad and I am reading the Psalms together and on Thanksgiving Day was Psalm 121…a song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem, NLT. So then I thought about how Big God is and wondered what He looked like to people who were pilgrims back in the day.
Now before the holidays I had a meeting with the Director of Communication/Publication for Methodist Church Ghana on Wednesday. We met for about four hours and they want to start a new program via satellite targeting current Methodist members and unreached peoples. So I asked some questions about usefulness and tried to ask some of the hard questions that we sometimes loose sight of once we’ve been ‘doing’ church for a long time. You know how sometimes we compare other people’s ministries in a bad way we want to “do” what they’re doing? Hopefully you don’t know what I’m talking about.
Anyway it’s in the starting stages and I’m honored they want to include me in some of the decision-making process… and I’m sure the thoughts that I might have connections to supplies necessary for the production equipment is a bonus. I also got to take a look at a production studio Ghana style and it’s not quite like what we would have in the States, but they have digital editing bays. In college I trained on analog and digital so there not that far behind. However I don’t know about you but something that I don’t associate with Africa in general is the fact that they have TV, cable, Satellite and broadband slow but it’s expanding.
But Ghana is a developing Nation and there are some really rich people here with tons of influence. So then I think this could possibly help people see what needs are here within your own country.
So be in prayer that this 30minute program would be guided effectively and started for the right reasons. Also pray that we would continue think outside of the box and not comparatively to what other people are doing.
Also the Community Bible Club will kick off on December 16th at 10am-12pm. We are finalizing main curriculum points to cover for the year. Please keep the whole club in your prayers.
As for this upcoming week…I’m working on some DVD projects and I have to say thanks to my Aunt Leslie. Her fourth grade class wrote me letters to ask about Ghana and how God is moving over here. Thanks- what a blessing.
Love-
Margaret
11.20.2006
november 20
Gosh…I’m two weeks behind on my blog! Here goes…
Week before last I worked on a couple video projects. Last Friday, November 10, I started taping myself… which was funny, for a four month update video the Orchard showed to Grow Zone…maybe Ri-Zoo? And thankfully it went through over e-mail in a 5mb file. Now for those who don’t get kb’s and mb’s in computer lingo (I say this because in truth I really just learned all this last week as I was trying to send my e-mail) 5mb isn’t a huge file, but it’s not small either. The thing is here in Ghana our cable that runs Internet isn’t very thick so even the fastest Internet service through DSL is SLOW compared to the States. …. What does that mean for video? It means you have to wait until Saturday when virtually no one is online and there’s enough space to send a file J but thankfully it went through. Not only was I working on my video for The Orchard, but also Michael Mozley had a tribute for a funeral we taped and sent via e-mail for a friend who died. So it was a HUGE praise the Internet worked for those two videos.
Last Sunday we worshiped at Medina West. The church close to my house. I know there are people, Christians, there who love the Lord. But again this Sunday challenged me so much in the judgment department.
This past Sunday during the worship service we broke for five minutes to talk about giving money. The church broke into ‘classes’ so they could write down how much money you were giving to Annual Harvest. Annual Harvest is a time where the church here focuses on giving money for future “projects.” We brought a guest, non-churchgoer, that morning. One of the reason’s he doesn’t go to church is because he feels they always talk about money. What happened that Sunday? We had four offerings, broke to meet in small groups to talk about money, talked about money in the sermon and then broke for five more minutes at the end to talk more about money. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Bible is clear that we are to have giving hearts and are blessed from giving. I also think there’s more to giving than money, and when we talk about the financial side of giving once the Spirit is moving in us we continue to ask for His guidance and there becomes an overflow that we want to give. It’s not something we do as a check mark… and hey I’ve given my 10% and I’m a good Christian. It’s the heart of realizing EVERYTHING is God’s and we’re to be faithful stewards. Anyway. I prayed the whole church service that if I was to say something to leadership about how confusing breaking in the middle of the service was to someone who was new. And what if it was their first time to church was this the best way to operate? I didn’t want to come across as just a white person trying to change things, but I think this is biblical and felt on my heart this was something worth talking about. After church I got to talk with the Assistant Preacher. Through some great conversation I learned they have small groups at the church that meet on Friday and Saturday, but the attendance isn’t up to par. The most people show up on Sunday, hence the reason to stop service and collect money. However the guy, David, and I had about a 15-minute conversation in which I learned cultural lessons and I think he started to understand how confusing it was for a first timer.
Anyway- I could go on forever about how there’s a whole lot of hierarchy in the Methodist Church here…so be in prayer that God continues to shape my heart and give me direction of where I’m supposed to go with the conviction and feelings inside my heart.
Now fast forward to this past week.
I’m reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. It’s GREAT.
I received a phone call Monday night around 7:30pm. Monday day was a great day. I was with Nicole and Kirk running errands and we rode the trotro home. My first trotro experience. There are about 15 people at any given time on the trotro. To catch it you stand at a bus stop and wait to hear the trotro mate screaming through the window from behind the passenger seat “Medina, Medina, Medina” or wherever the destination is of that particular trotro. It’s quite interesting and extremely cheap. So we waited at the stop and heard our destination route. Culturally you don’t talk on the trotro, but I didn’t really blend in that much anyway, so you know I had to ask some questions. I was dropped off at my language class at the University of Legon stop. The person I was asking questions to ended up being a student on campus and he and I walked together until we parted ways. The people here really are nice and help you whenever you need anything. I didn’t know what to do since it was my fist time and he took my under his wing.
Then I had language and I’m starting to hear more and more. Kirk, Eli, Aidian and Gifty came and picked me up from class and we went home and ate dinner.
I was reading Velvet Elvis when Lauri Korum called. She’s a nurse at the US Embassy. She is the one who helped me when I had that sinus infection for a month when I first moved here. She received a call from the Peace Corps and she called me. They needed someone to come and sit with a girl who they said was suicidal. When Laurie called me I agreed without thinking about it, hung up the phone and then thought to myself. Oh my gosh what did I just get myself into? I don’t know anything about suicidal people or how to be with them. Then I started praying Lord if you want me to do this then you’ll have to guide me. I of course can’t put into words the feeling of comfort and peace that came over me. Then Laurie called back around 10 minutes later. They wanted someone with medical experience. Whew! Off the hook. I figured God just wanted me to say yes even if He didn’t need me. But then at 9:30pm they called back and were coming to pick me up at 10:30pm. I called Marley, the prayer leader back home, and she sent e-mail to the prayer team and called my mom. My mom got some of the best prayer warriors in my family to start praying and I didn’t even know all of this until the next day. That night though I didn’t get too sleepy and stayed awake just incase “the girl” needed or wanted to talk. I only saw her once at midnight and then at 6am when she woke up to shower. She seemed to be really nice and I don’t know everything she’s going or has been through. I just told her I didn’t know and that I had been praying all night. We had some other conversations but besides that that was it.
The awesome part is that she had probably around 50+ people praying for her because God has set up a prayer team back home for events and reasons just like this. I left the Peace Corps office around 7:30am Tuesday heading home. I thought about a lot of things like what a great organization it is for humanitarian efforts. I actually once looked into the Peace Corps but it didn’t work out. That was really before I was following the Lord. I thought about how amazing it is to me that some volunteers don’t know Jesus and make it in terribly hard and depressing situations. I don’t know how they do it. I do remember what it feels like to think you can do things on your own and feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Sometimes I still feel like that, but now I have Someone who knows more than I, who takes on my burdens, carries them and gives me peace. I got home around 8:45am because traffic was terrible and took my car straight to the mechanic shop. I was supposed to be there at 7am so I was two hours late. Thankfully he understood. I went with him to the “shop” to get my car’s a.c. fixed. This is funny because we met a man under a tree next to a gas station…that was the shop! My mechanic friend Kwasi, needed to keep the car so I took the trotro home…by myself this time.
It’s neat how God let me ride the first time on Monday because He knew the next day I would need to have transport and this way I wasn’t nervous at all. I love the steps He gives us at our needed pace of grace.
The trotro drop off point is about 1/2 mile from my house so I walked home. By this time I hadn’t slept in 28 hours so I was pretty tired. I stopped by a neighbors orange stand and bought an orange. As I walked down the road, tired, sweaty with orange in hand looking back at the night and morning I felt great. It was a moment I think I will remember forever. The feeling that I’m right where God wants me to be. Hard as it is especially with holidays coming up. And I walked a thankful thankful walk home. It was nice to be able to get around a place by yourself; feel needed and like you understood a little bit about the culture. I cherish that moment.
I slept from about 11am-4pm and got ready for our bible club meeting Tuesday night. There are five/six Ghanaian leaders, Nicole and me that meet once a week. We’re working on developing the club and last week Claire Mozley came and talked about ways to engage the kids and gave us tips from the collection of information she has from Ghanaians and having lived here 7 years. It was great…there’s some pics of the team doing activities!!!! We were trying them out for the kids’ sake J
Wednesday was language training and running errands. Thursday night Nicole’s family arrived for their three-week visit. So we went to the airport and picked them up around 7:30pm! It was so much fun to see grandchildren running to their grandparents! They have been so much fun since they’ve been here. Nicole’s mom has fibromyalgia the same thing my mom has. So be in prayer that this intense heat doesn’t get her down. It’s been EXTREMELY hot lately…we’re definitely in the dry hot season.
Saturday morning I went to my first Ghanaian funeral. It’s a very sad story. Foxy was 24 and died about a week ago after a tragic accident very close to his home. He was on a motorbike when someone clipped the back of him and slung him and his friend into a parked 18wheeler full of logs. He hit the logs with his head…head on. He worked with Sammy our electrician and has done a lot to our house. Pray for the guy who was on the back of the bike and Foxy’s family. It’s so hard to loose someone so young and to have seen the whole thing.
So then Saturday afternoon we celebrated Jimmy’s birthday with a game of bowling. Yes…I didn’t even know they had a bowling place here…seems non-African doesn’t it?
It was great fellowship and we were the only ones in the place so the Ghanaian guys were yelling with us and cheering us on!
Saturday was a day about life and death. Kind of surreal.
Sunday was another amazing day. We went to the Ga rural mission. That is an area where the people speak Ga. I am learning Twi, but there are I think like 50 something languages just in Ghana? I just asked Gifty and she couldn’t remember…but she said it’s probably more than that. Anyway- these are churches out in the bush. Jacob, who works with the Methodist church, took us to about five churches in the area. So we went to encourage them. It was a great experience to see the joy on these people’s faces, since there are not a whole lot of visitors. Quite inspiring. We left the house around 7:30am and got back around 4pm. It was a long day, but awesome…we only got to talk with really one church. After driving all the way out there, there was a funeral in the village so everyone was at the burial. But the fellowship was still great. I ate some sugar cane off the side of the road, like I used to behind my grandmothers house. Good memories.
That kind of brings things up to speed.
I still need y’all to pray for Gifty and her family. Lots of things going on there. Pray for Nicole’s parents…this heat is really bad right now. Pray for guidance I have a meeting with the Director of Communication for the Methodist Church this Wednesday to talk about videography. Pray for the holidays and my heart being away from family…selfish prayer, but I know I’ll need them cause It’s going to be hard…although…praise the Lord, my video camera is serving as a web cam and I can see my family!!!! So I’ll be able to see Brogan open presents on Christmas morn!!!!!
Love to all-
Margaret
Week before last I worked on a couple video projects. Last Friday, November 10, I started taping myself… which was funny, for a four month update video the Orchard showed to Grow Zone…maybe Ri-Zoo? And thankfully it went through over e-mail in a 5mb file. Now for those who don’t get kb’s and mb’s in computer lingo (I say this because in truth I really just learned all this last week as I was trying to send my e-mail) 5mb isn’t a huge file, but it’s not small either. The thing is here in Ghana our cable that runs Internet isn’t very thick so even the fastest Internet service through DSL is SLOW compared to the States. …. What does that mean for video? It means you have to wait until Saturday when virtually no one is online and there’s enough space to send a file J but thankfully it went through. Not only was I working on my video for The Orchard, but also Michael Mozley had a tribute for a funeral we taped and sent via e-mail for a friend who died. So it was a HUGE praise the Internet worked for those two videos.
Last Sunday we worshiped at Medina West. The church close to my house. I know there are people, Christians, there who love the Lord. But again this Sunday challenged me so much in the judgment department.
This past Sunday during the worship service we broke for five minutes to talk about giving money. The church broke into ‘classes’ so they could write down how much money you were giving to Annual Harvest. Annual Harvest is a time where the church here focuses on giving money for future “projects.” We brought a guest, non-churchgoer, that morning. One of the reason’s he doesn’t go to church is because he feels they always talk about money. What happened that Sunday? We had four offerings, broke to meet in small groups to talk about money, talked about money in the sermon and then broke for five more minutes at the end to talk more about money. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Bible is clear that we are to have giving hearts and are blessed from giving. I also think there’s more to giving than money, and when we talk about the financial side of giving once the Spirit is moving in us we continue to ask for His guidance and there becomes an overflow that we want to give. It’s not something we do as a check mark… and hey I’ve given my 10% and I’m a good Christian. It’s the heart of realizing EVERYTHING is God’s and we’re to be faithful stewards. Anyway. I prayed the whole church service that if I was to say something to leadership about how confusing breaking in the middle of the service was to someone who was new. And what if it was their first time to church was this the best way to operate? I didn’t want to come across as just a white person trying to change things, but I think this is biblical and felt on my heart this was something worth talking about. After church I got to talk with the Assistant Preacher. Through some great conversation I learned they have small groups at the church that meet on Friday and Saturday, but the attendance isn’t up to par. The most people show up on Sunday, hence the reason to stop service and collect money. However the guy, David, and I had about a 15-minute conversation in which I learned cultural lessons and I think he started to understand how confusing it was for a first timer.
Anyway- I could go on forever about how there’s a whole lot of hierarchy in the Methodist Church here…so be in prayer that God continues to shape my heart and give me direction of where I’m supposed to go with the conviction and feelings inside my heart.
Now fast forward to this past week.
I’m reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. It’s GREAT.
I received a phone call Monday night around 7:30pm. Monday day was a great day. I was with Nicole and Kirk running errands and we rode the trotro home. My first trotro experience. There are about 15 people at any given time on the trotro. To catch it you stand at a bus stop and wait to hear the trotro mate screaming through the window from behind the passenger seat “Medina, Medina, Medina” or wherever the destination is of that particular trotro. It’s quite interesting and extremely cheap. So we waited at the stop and heard our destination route. Culturally you don’t talk on the trotro, but I didn’t really blend in that much anyway, so you know I had to ask some questions. I was dropped off at my language class at the University of Legon stop. The person I was asking questions to ended up being a student on campus and he and I walked together until we parted ways. The people here really are nice and help you whenever you need anything. I didn’t know what to do since it was my fist time and he took my under his wing.
Then I had language and I’m starting to hear more and more. Kirk, Eli, Aidian and Gifty came and picked me up from class and we went home and ate dinner.
I was reading Velvet Elvis when Lauri Korum called. She’s a nurse at the US Embassy. She is the one who helped me when I had that sinus infection for a month when I first moved here. She received a call from the Peace Corps and she called me. They needed someone to come and sit with a girl who they said was suicidal. When Laurie called me I agreed without thinking about it, hung up the phone and then thought to myself. Oh my gosh what did I just get myself into? I don’t know anything about suicidal people or how to be with them. Then I started praying Lord if you want me to do this then you’ll have to guide me. I of course can’t put into words the feeling of comfort and peace that came over me. Then Laurie called back around 10 minutes later. They wanted someone with medical experience. Whew! Off the hook. I figured God just wanted me to say yes even if He didn’t need me. But then at 9:30pm they called back and were coming to pick me up at 10:30pm. I called Marley, the prayer leader back home, and she sent e-mail to the prayer team and called my mom. My mom got some of the best prayer warriors in my family to start praying and I didn’t even know all of this until the next day. That night though I didn’t get too sleepy and stayed awake just incase “the girl” needed or wanted to talk. I only saw her once at midnight and then at 6am when she woke up to shower. She seemed to be really nice and I don’t know everything she’s going or has been through. I just told her I didn’t know and that I had been praying all night. We had some other conversations but besides that that was it.
The awesome part is that she had probably around 50+ people praying for her because God has set up a prayer team back home for events and reasons just like this. I left the Peace Corps office around 7:30am Tuesday heading home. I thought about a lot of things like what a great organization it is for humanitarian efforts. I actually once looked into the Peace Corps but it didn’t work out. That was really before I was following the Lord. I thought about how amazing it is to me that some volunteers don’t know Jesus and make it in terribly hard and depressing situations. I don’t know how they do it. I do remember what it feels like to think you can do things on your own and feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Sometimes I still feel like that, but now I have Someone who knows more than I, who takes on my burdens, carries them and gives me peace. I got home around 8:45am because traffic was terrible and took my car straight to the mechanic shop. I was supposed to be there at 7am so I was two hours late. Thankfully he understood. I went with him to the “shop” to get my car’s a.c. fixed. This is funny because we met a man under a tree next to a gas station…that was the shop! My mechanic friend Kwasi, needed to keep the car so I took the trotro home…by myself this time.
It’s neat how God let me ride the first time on Monday because He knew the next day I would need to have transport and this way I wasn’t nervous at all. I love the steps He gives us at our needed pace of grace.
The trotro drop off point is about 1/2 mile from my house so I walked home. By this time I hadn’t slept in 28 hours so I was pretty tired. I stopped by a neighbors orange stand and bought an orange. As I walked down the road, tired, sweaty with orange in hand looking back at the night and morning I felt great. It was a moment I think I will remember forever. The feeling that I’m right where God wants me to be. Hard as it is especially with holidays coming up. And I walked a thankful thankful walk home. It was nice to be able to get around a place by yourself; feel needed and like you understood a little bit about the culture. I cherish that moment.
I slept from about 11am-4pm and got ready for our bible club meeting Tuesday night. There are five/six Ghanaian leaders, Nicole and me that meet once a week. We’re working on developing the club and last week Claire Mozley came and talked about ways to engage the kids and gave us tips from the collection of information she has from Ghanaians and having lived here 7 years. It was great…there’s some pics of the team doing activities!!!! We were trying them out for the kids’ sake J
Wednesday was language training and running errands. Thursday night Nicole’s family arrived for their three-week visit. So we went to the airport and picked them up around 7:30pm! It was so much fun to see grandchildren running to their grandparents! They have been so much fun since they’ve been here. Nicole’s mom has fibromyalgia the same thing my mom has. So be in prayer that this intense heat doesn’t get her down. It’s been EXTREMELY hot lately…we’re definitely in the dry hot season.
Saturday morning I went to my first Ghanaian funeral. It’s a very sad story. Foxy was 24 and died about a week ago after a tragic accident very close to his home. He was on a motorbike when someone clipped the back of him and slung him and his friend into a parked 18wheeler full of logs. He hit the logs with his head…head on. He worked with Sammy our electrician and has done a lot to our house. Pray for the guy who was on the back of the bike and Foxy’s family. It’s so hard to loose someone so young and to have seen the whole thing.
So then Saturday afternoon we celebrated Jimmy’s birthday with a game of bowling. Yes…I didn’t even know they had a bowling place here…seems non-African doesn’t it?
It was great fellowship and we were the only ones in the place so the Ghanaian guys were yelling with us and cheering us on!
Saturday was a day about life and death. Kind of surreal.
Sunday was another amazing day. We went to the Ga rural mission. That is an area where the people speak Ga. I am learning Twi, but there are I think like 50 something languages just in Ghana? I just asked Gifty and she couldn’t remember…but she said it’s probably more than that. Anyway- these are churches out in the bush. Jacob, who works with the Methodist church, took us to about five churches in the area. So we went to encourage them. It was a great experience to see the joy on these people’s faces, since there are not a whole lot of visitors. Quite inspiring. We left the house around 7:30am and got back around 4pm. It was a long day, but awesome…we only got to talk with really one church. After driving all the way out there, there was a funeral in the village so everyone was at the burial. But the fellowship was still great. I ate some sugar cane off the side of the road, like I used to behind my grandmothers house. Good memories.
That kind of brings things up to speed.
I still need y’all to pray for Gifty and her family. Lots of things going on there. Pray for Nicole’s parents…this heat is really bad right now. Pray for guidance I have a meeting with the Director of Communication for the Methodist Church this Wednesday to talk about videography. Pray for the holidays and my heart being away from family…selfish prayer, but I know I’ll need them cause It’s going to be hard…although…praise the Lord, my video camera is serving as a web cam and I can see my family!!!! So I’ll be able to see Brogan open presents on Christmas morn!!!!!
Love to all-
Margaret
11.07.2006
november 7- presence.
If I had to say in one word what God is teaching me right now I would say presence. Opening my senses to see His omnipotent presence. (big word…you like that J)
Ok- this week was great. Monday we got back from Cape Coast. I went with Tatum, Stephanie and Jimmy to the beach for the weekend. It was a nice getaway after spending three weeks traveling. We did nothing but lay on the beach, sit by the swimming pool and read books. Well we did eat and watch two movies on my computer too! It’s funny because as you read this I wonder if the thought, wow spending time on the beach…hard missionary life? I think that’s a natural question, but in reality it was great Sabbath time. All four of us talked about how God’s moving in our lives, what He’s teaching us and Sunday morning Jimmy had a message that he shared! It was one of those moments where you’re thankful for authentic friends who are on This journey.
We left and visited the Kakum Rainforest. It has elephants there, however you don’t usually see them during the day. But we went for the canopy walk. It says in their little guidebook there are five in the whole world, Ghana being one of them. It’s a swinging rope bridge about 120ft. in the air attached to trees. It’s beautiful. I honestly wish I could stop in the middle of the bridge and take in the scenery, however I was focused on making it to the next tree, then once on the tree landing I would soak it in. And the funny part is I did it the week before when we took the North Georgia team, so I should have been a little more relaxed.
We left there and then had the African experience. We were headed home on what was supposed to be a three-hour drive and came to a place where because of the rains the night before a truck had gotten stuck. It was blocking the road, the main road, and no one could pass. After waiting in the line for an hour we found a man who had found someone that we could follow, on back roads (remember back roads have a different meaning in Africa) to Accra. So we set off. I was driving and they pretty much went about 120 km an hour the whole time. That’s oh about 80 mph or so maybe a little less. Factor in lots of potholes and people and it makes for an interestingly fast driving experience. It was then I realized why God put a passion inside me for driving and when I was young some of my favorite Nintendo games were the racecar ones!
So we made it home in a total of 6 hours! We were exhausted from the drive, but the vacation was nice!
Tuesday I had a call from AIS to lead devotional Wednesday morning faithfulness, which was a lot of fun. (read the blog about this one)
Wednesday I ran around town all day and finally got back into language. I wish my keyboard had Twi letters so I could spell some stuff for you guys…but I guess you’ll just have to come over and learn it J
Thursday we had our field team meeting for the Mission Society missionaries. It was great and we talked about our SMART goals. It always helps me to have set goals others can keep you accountable to!
Friday and Saturday were spent getting my house clean, catching up on e-mails, cooking…not too adventuresome. Except Saturday night Ama, my language teacher, called and there was a play going on at Legon, the University.
So Ama, Gifty and I went to the play about a famous figure in Kumasi. I don’t know whether it was sitting in the open air theatre watching Ghanaians play Ghanaians, listening to the AMAZING live African drumming or watching a play which I’m always a fan of, but I felt right at home. I was sitting between my two good Ghanaian friends enjoying something together. We were laughing, they were talking lots of Twi together and I was trying to pick up on at least one word, they were laughing at me trying to speak Twi. It was great. I felt like God was saying this is My presence. This is life. Doing what you love to do together. Now spread it. I felt like He was smiling down on us that night. Three young adults, from extremely different backgrounds, loving on each other. Man God is big.
Sunday we went to an international church and the Spirit was all up in the guy who was preaching. He was talking about being humbled, crying out for God’s presence and through our weaknesses God deals with us. It was great.
I have felt like I’ve been in a dark place for the past four months and I’m starting to come out of that by God’s grace. My friend Anna P. sent an e-mail the other day from My Utmost for My Highest. You know Oswald’s book. And he said in that daily devotional, that sometimes we suffer not for personal reasons but so that we can have more compassion for someone else as they walk through something. I’ve tucked that away in my heart. It’s funny because I know God uses our experiences to walk beside others in love. It’s just neat how He tells you that and reminds you through a friend who e-mails you.
Please continue to pray for Ama and Gifty. And actually all of us as the holiday seasons approach. The Lord revealed to me lately this holiday season is about being family to others. (which is really probably how it should be all the time) But in a very selfish human brokenness way…I wanted to go home for Christmas. I miss my family and before praying about it thought I needed to go home. But thankfully with the prayers of the prayer team back home interceding for me I finally prayed about the situation and know I’m supposed to be here for the Holidays. Neither Gifty or Ama have a whole lot of family support right now, so just be praying that however God’s plan is designed we would see it.
Love to all
m
Ok- this week was great. Monday we got back from Cape Coast. I went with Tatum, Stephanie and Jimmy to the beach for the weekend. It was a nice getaway after spending three weeks traveling. We did nothing but lay on the beach, sit by the swimming pool and read books. Well we did eat and watch two movies on my computer too! It’s funny because as you read this I wonder if the thought, wow spending time on the beach…hard missionary life? I think that’s a natural question, but in reality it was great Sabbath time. All four of us talked about how God’s moving in our lives, what He’s teaching us and Sunday morning Jimmy had a message that he shared! It was one of those moments where you’re thankful for authentic friends who are on This journey.
We left and visited the Kakum Rainforest. It has elephants there, however you don’t usually see them during the day. But we went for the canopy walk. It says in their little guidebook there are five in the whole world, Ghana being one of them. It’s a swinging rope bridge about 120ft. in the air attached to trees. It’s beautiful. I honestly wish I could stop in the middle of the bridge and take in the scenery, however I was focused on making it to the next tree, then once on the tree landing I would soak it in. And the funny part is I did it the week before when we took the North Georgia team, so I should have been a little more relaxed.
We left there and then had the African experience. We were headed home on what was supposed to be a three-hour drive and came to a place where because of the rains the night before a truck had gotten stuck. It was blocking the road, the main road, and no one could pass. After waiting in the line for an hour we found a man who had found someone that we could follow, on back roads (remember back roads have a different meaning in Africa) to Accra. So we set off. I was driving and they pretty much went about 120 km an hour the whole time. That’s oh about 80 mph or so maybe a little less. Factor in lots of potholes and people and it makes for an interestingly fast driving experience. It was then I realized why God put a passion inside me for driving and when I was young some of my favorite Nintendo games were the racecar ones!
So we made it home in a total of 6 hours! We were exhausted from the drive, but the vacation was nice!
Tuesday I had a call from AIS to lead devotional Wednesday morning faithfulness, which was a lot of fun. (read the blog about this one)
Wednesday I ran around town all day and finally got back into language. I wish my keyboard had Twi letters so I could spell some stuff for you guys…but I guess you’ll just have to come over and learn it J
Thursday we had our field team meeting for the Mission Society missionaries. It was great and we talked about our SMART goals. It always helps me to have set goals others can keep you accountable to!
Friday and Saturday were spent getting my house clean, catching up on e-mails, cooking…not too adventuresome. Except Saturday night Ama, my language teacher, called and there was a play going on at Legon, the University.
So Ama, Gifty and I went to the play about a famous figure in Kumasi. I don’t know whether it was sitting in the open air theatre watching Ghanaians play Ghanaians, listening to the AMAZING live African drumming or watching a play which I’m always a fan of, but I felt right at home. I was sitting between my two good Ghanaian friends enjoying something together. We were laughing, they were talking lots of Twi together and I was trying to pick up on at least one word, they were laughing at me trying to speak Twi. It was great. I felt like God was saying this is My presence. This is life. Doing what you love to do together. Now spread it. I felt like He was smiling down on us that night. Three young adults, from extremely different backgrounds, loving on each other. Man God is big.
Sunday we went to an international church and the Spirit was all up in the guy who was preaching. He was talking about being humbled, crying out for God’s presence and through our weaknesses God deals with us. It was great.
I have felt like I’ve been in a dark place for the past four months and I’m starting to come out of that by God’s grace. My friend Anna P. sent an e-mail the other day from My Utmost for My Highest. You know Oswald’s book. And he said in that daily devotional, that sometimes we suffer not for personal reasons but so that we can have more compassion for someone else as they walk through something. I’ve tucked that away in my heart. It’s funny because I know God uses our experiences to walk beside others in love. It’s just neat how He tells you that and reminds you through a friend who e-mails you.
Please continue to pray for Ama and Gifty. And actually all of us as the holiday seasons approach. The Lord revealed to me lately this holiday season is about being family to others. (which is really probably how it should be all the time) But in a very selfish human brokenness way…I wanted to go home for Christmas. I miss my family and before praying about it thought I needed to go home. But thankfully with the prayers of the prayer team back home interceding for me I finally prayed about the situation and know I’m supposed to be here for the Holidays. Neither Gifty or Ama have a whole lot of family support right now, so just be praying that however God’s plan is designed we would see it.
Love to all
m
11.02.2006
nov. 2- mid week
ok- you know you live in another country when you realize a "traditional" holiday has passed and you didn't even realize it. Halloween was two days ago and I totally forgot until I talked to my nephew tonight and realized he was Noah's ghost. Yes, he had a Noah costume and then apparently decided he wanted to be a ghost. So, therefore the only reasonable thing to do....become Noah's ghost.
So- this week has been good. I love God's unfailing love and faithfulness. Actually for the past week and a half I was not in the Word and kind of in a funk. Then Tuesday morning I got a call from AIS, the new school that Tatum and Steph and Jimmy teach at, and they wanted me to lead devotional. Now I knew I needed to get some God time in even before that phone call, but it's neat how God gave me something to help get me back on track. There's nothing better for me than to have to speak somewhere to be totally immersed in the Word. I spend time in prayer, comb through the Word over and over and try to realize and hear God's leading. And I was doing that all day Tuesday, then I can't remember what I read and boy it convicited me even more. It talked about giving God the glory. Why do you want to do good. For you or for Him. Yikes!!!! So then I take another step back and cry and realize I'm yet again thankful for His unfailing love and faithfulness. The topic for devotion was about the fruit of the Spirit Faithfulness. There were two groups. The older students 6-11 grade and then the younger ones k-5. I love the Spirit's gift of faithfulness. How He gives us what we need to believe in Him more and the trust it allows us to have that He is in total control and we don't have to lean on our own understanding. I know that's one of the major lesson's God is teaching me in this season of my life. I'm goal oriented, which i think with balance is biblical, but I'm learning it's not healthy to get so upset and anxious about wanting to do something good and useful. I have to lean on God to know that I'm wanting to do everything I can and it's at His pace, not mine. I know we talk about this all the time and I've talked about it...but seriously I feel sometimes like I'm not doing enough, scared that i will look back and think "did I do everything I was supposed to in Ghana." And this is where it's hard not to rely in my own understanding.
I thank God today because more and more do I understand how His mercies are new each day. And that He cares so much for little ole me to do it again and again and again.
I love you family and friends. What a great adventure we are on as Christians.
So- this week has been good. I love God's unfailing love and faithfulness. Actually for the past week and a half I was not in the Word and kind of in a funk. Then Tuesday morning I got a call from AIS, the new school that Tatum and Steph and Jimmy teach at, and they wanted me to lead devotional. Now I knew I needed to get some God time in even before that phone call, but it's neat how God gave me something to help get me back on track. There's nothing better for me than to have to speak somewhere to be totally immersed in the Word. I spend time in prayer, comb through the Word over and over and try to realize and hear God's leading. And I was doing that all day Tuesday, then I can't remember what I read and boy it convicited me even more. It talked about giving God the glory. Why do you want to do good. For you or for Him. Yikes!!!! So then I take another step back and cry and realize I'm yet again thankful for His unfailing love and faithfulness. The topic for devotion was about the fruit of the Spirit Faithfulness. There were two groups. The older students 6-11 grade and then the younger ones k-5. I love the Spirit's gift of faithfulness. How He gives us what we need to believe in Him more and the trust it allows us to have that He is in total control and we don't have to lean on our own understanding. I know that's one of the major lesson's God is teaching me in this season of my life. I'm goal oriented, which i think with balance is biblical, but I'm learning it's not healthy to get so upset and anxious about wanting to do something good and useful. I have to lean on God to know that I'm wanting to do everything I can and it's at His pace, not mine. I know we talk about this all the time and I've talked about it...but seriously I feel sometimes like I'm not doing enough, scared that i will look back and think "did I do everything I was supposed to in Ghana." And this is where it's hard not to rely in my own understanding.
I thank God today because more and more do I understand how His mercies are new each day. And that He cares so much for little ole me to do it again and again and again.
I love you family and friends. What a great adventure we are on as Christians.
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