volta trip.

The Volta Region is gorgeous and our time traveling was interesting, exhausting and exhilarating! Leigh and I made really good travel partners as we had a skeleton plan and were both not taken a back when the plans changed due to waiting for trotro’s or anything that would make the trip’s timeline go out of whack…it was nice.

Probably my favorite part of the whole trip was riding public transport the entire time. You just meet so many interesting people. Well and some who like to drool on you…that’s actually not so much fun! You’re asking, “so did that really happen?” oh yes.

On our leg coming home Leigh was sitting by an incredibly drunk man who wouldn’t stop asking her to marry him. She’s very polite and kept saying “you don’t know me,” but he wasn’t getting the picture. At that time there were three people sitting on the back row of the trotro including drunk guy, Leigh and another small boy. There really wasn’t a lot of room, but then we picked up five more passengers to make an 11-passenger van actually seat 20 however, that’s normal here. So I scooted on back and plopped myself between Leigh and said guy. I wasn’t very nice because he was being so crude to my friend and then he started spitting out the window and I was just praying God please don’t let him throw up on me. I actually prayed that when he missed the window and spat on his arm. So I’m riding along and about 10 minutes later with guys’ head bobbling up and down at every bump because he’s apparently passed out I have a wad of saliva hit my arm. I’m talking about enough to fill a cup. Sorry I know that’s gross, but imagine it on your arm! As I’m wiping it off I made a very Ghanaian grunt, it sounds like this (eeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy) short and loud. When all 20 people in our 11 seater van turned around to see the obroni freaking out over some spit I decided maybe I should laugh, but not without telling the young man he needed to stop drinking so much because he didn’t even know what he was doing. And then honestly God softened my heart towards this guy. For some really sad reason he was drunk that early in the day. I don’t know why but even having him spit on my made me more compassionate for him somehow. Don’t ask it’s just one of those God things… Anyway all this to say it was an interesting ride.

I would say throughout this trip God strategically put people in our paths to help guide us around, give us great information of what trotro to take where and most of all interesting people hiking and budget traveling like us. We met several people doing great work in Ghana either via ngo’s or volunteer programs. We met several people that asked us what we ‘are doing’ in Ghana as from the west that’s usually our first question to each other. Once we explained we were here trying to live out a life with Christ in the center and said that stereotype bringing word ‘missionary’ we had responses such as “oh I didn’t know those still existed,” or “yeah I don’t believe in God.” So it was exciting to get to know them better and hear more about their thoughts of this ‘Godless world.’

But I would say above all else seeing the Ghana countryside was amazing. It’s so beautiful in the Volta Region. Green luscious plants everywhere and rolling hills with waterfalls. You just can’t beat being in the majestic mountains seeing so many different shades and echoes of the Most Creative.

week of easter!

This past week leading up to Easter was so much fun. Besides working during the day on the Short Term Team video from a group of people who served up in Lake Bosomtwi with the Jernigans I hung out with some great friends I've made in Ghana! There is a group of us who have started getting together hanging out, playing games and experiencing culture together. This past week we went to this Gospel singing together, played dominos one night and went and watched a movie another night...it was great fun this week to fellowship together!!!

this is a guy named tim. cool God story he's from philadelphia and can sing ghanaian songs in twi and ga...i've been here 9 months and don't know all the words...he's studied the songs for two months and sings them amazingly.

this is a group of friends who all went to see tim lead worship. it was a great time.

rain rain rain! this week we had two days of rain!!! it's been so long since i've played in the rain...so i had to make sure i was still young :)

easter.

Why did Jesus have to come to Earth, be crucified and be raised from the dead? I love Jesus and I am still a question asker to the most central belief as a Christian. I don’t believe this is an easy answer. If so everyone in the world would believe in Jesus.

This past Sunday, Easter Sunday, I was asked to speak at a Children’s Home called Kinder Paradise. It’s an orphanage about an hour from my house. It probably would have been a little closer if I hadn’t had to turn around three times, but that’s a different story.

So Gifty, Francesca and her mother Gabriella (Francesca works with the UN and is an Italian friend I have met through another expat friend here) ventured off never having gone to this orphanage before and honestly I didn’t have any expectations whatsoever.

I spent a great deal of time with the Lord this past week in preparation, which always happens when I’m asked to speak. See I get so nervous to say what God wants me to say and challenged for why I believe what I do, that it makes me spend so much time in prayer and studying. It’s wonderful to teach you learn so much! That’s when God revealed to me that we were going to talk about why He sent his son. Very fitting for this weekend.

Call me a cynical but, in the Christian faith there are a few phrases that repeated several times with no real expression can become ‘insignificant’ particularly during Easter Sunday. Try “He has Risen Praise God He has Risen," “He’s Alive,” or “Jesus’ blood paid the price for our Sins.” I have grown up in church my whole life and sometimes when people would say this, probably me too, I would think yeah yeah yeah I’ve heard that before…But since I’ve given my life back to God to do what He leads me to do, I have prayed that these words would sink down into the depths of my heart. That they wouldn’t be something that I just say but words that are alive and exciting in their truth.

Studying this week helped me remember you can’t talk about Jesus’ death without talking about his resurrection. He is Alive. We have hope in more than just this life there is more to come, but what about living our walk out while we're here...what does that look like? I am now a new person. Five years ago, on the floor of my apartment in Florida, crying uncontrollably after having my heart broken by a human I cried to God if he was real to please let me know Him. My whole life spent ‘saying’ the right things, growing up in church, surrounded by Christianity and I never got It or really wanted It until that night November 27, 2002. So when I say HE IS ALIVE I mean to say, as I look at who I was and the things I did before I knew Jesus I am in awe how God changes self consumed hearts and how what we have done was nailed to the cross with Jesus so that we are new creations. When I say Jesus’ BLOOD PAID THE PRICE I mean for you to hear that yes I believe that Jesus was sent to go through an excruciating and bloody beating and died for reasons I don’t fully understand but can see fruits of the Spirit being produced in my life and lives of others. I want you to hear there’s so much more to being a Christian than growing up in the Bible Belt learning what you should and shouldn’t do to be a ‘good Christian.’ I mean for you to hear that through Jesus’ death and resurrection we have purpose in our lives to live for this ‘invisible Father’ and we can break free from things we don’t want to do anymore. When I say HE HAS RISEN PRAISE GOD HE HAS RISEN I want you to hear WOW there is more in this world than just me. There are other people suffering too and Something…Someone… cares about this and HE is making it right even when it doesn’t look like it. There’s more hope than in what we see and read in the media. There’s beauty that surrounds us everyday if we just open our eyes to see. Science, engineering, humanitarian relief, struggles, addictions, success, death, disease, promotions, relationships………….. He knows EVERYTHING.

Why did Jesus come, die and live? How about... relationship... this is what we talked about at the orphanage yesterday.

There were kids probably from around 2/3 years old up to I think 15/16. I had borrowed a demonstration asking three people questions wherein if they failed one question the forfeited and had to pay a price. But we didn’t tell them what the ‘price’ was until after the questions. The point hopefully got across about someone having to pay a penalty for those who didn’t answer every question right, who didn’t do everything perfect. But in the end the one who took the whip cream to the face gave the three question answers their prizes without taking any prize for himself.

It was a great time hanging out with those beautiful children. Words really can’t explain.

western world. london.

I'm pretty sure all those people you see behind me are doing the exact same thing as me...such good little tourists we are! Oh and yes...i asked some random to take my picture...I don't have shame standing alone :).

I wrote a great blog the day after I returned from London, but mistake number one, I wrote it directly in the stinkin’ blog window instead of Word…. and welcome home to Ghana…the internet went out and erased the post. You know once you’ve had thoughts and penned them, or shall we say, typed them you can’t duplicate it … it just doesn’t ever come out the same!

So instead I will tell you that my trip to London was fantastic. Full of surprises. Just the way God works with me. You never know what’s coming next I LOVE it. I made a friend in the Accra airport heading to London so we chatted and she gave me her number and said if I wanted to go to church, ‘drop me a line.’ (say that in a British accent!)

I don’t know if she thought I would really call, but I did. I arrived in London on Saturday morning the 17th around 7am. Was picked up by a taxi. And this was no Ghanaian taxi…this was setup by a friend and was a Mercedes…yes spoiled I am! I do have to say as he was opening the back right hand side door I said, “oh no…I’ll sit up front with you,” to which he gave me a funny look as I opened the right side front door.

Anyway so I took a nap, woke up and walked around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful day around 70 degrees and sunny. Perfect. After shopping at some second hand stores and scoring a great pair of new blue jeans for 5 pounds…I went to the movie theatre. Oh yes, stadium seating, loud surround sound feature film. It was a taste of heaven. Becoming Jane was my pick; I was in London after all! Then I had dinner with Ama’s boyfriend Daniel. Going to London he was the only person I knew, by the time I left God had put several people in my path that I’m sure I will see again someday!

So then I called Grace, the one I met at the airport. I think she was shocked, but seemed excited so I gave her really terrible directions to where I was staying since I didn’t know it well at all, and she picked me up around 11am Sunday morning. We went to her church, not sure what denomination, but when the preacher said after offering, “you won’t be blessed if you coins in the offering plate, only dollar bills.” It made me want to cry. Some of these people don’t have much, we were in South London, a poorer area, and really are trusting the leadership of this ‘preacher.’ I wondered if he had ever heard of the poor widow who gave out of poverty? Then we went over to Grace’s friends house where I had some great conversations with Ghanaians. I walked up and they were a little confused since Grace said she had met me in the Accra airport so they were expecting a Ghanaian. However when I busted out a little Twi…we were laughing and joking and instant friends. It’s amazing how people warm up to you when you try to speak their language…We talked all day till about 7pm about their struggle of leaving Ghana and living in London trying to make ends meet. It was wonderful. I also met and spent the night the next weekend with John and Dorothy. Friends of a friend in Ghana, she gave me their number. I called them; they invited me to dinner and spend the night as they lived in East London. Sunday morning after stopping off at the local flower market and bread store…we worshiped in a small rec building…it was wonderful! John and Dorothy are in their late 70’s I think, so it was fun being spoiled like a granddaughter!

The whole week was full of God stories and my class was fantastic. I learned TONS of information; I’m hoping I will actually have retained some! I just started on a new documentary of a short-term team that came to Lake Bosomtwi for a short-term trip, so we’ll see how it goes!

On a whole it was marvelous to enjoy 10 full days of uninterrupted power, warm almost boiling hot showers, carpet and fast food. Oh yes, I went to London and ate at every fast food restaurant I came too. Well not actually, but almost. I did intake two different meals of MacDonald’s. Now I haven’t eaten Mky D’s in years in the States? I also enjoyed KFC, Pizza Hut and Burger King! I don’t know why, all I can say is that we always want what we don’t have…right.

more london pics on flckr