Happy Thanksgiving!

Finally! I have time to update everyone on what I have been up to! What a busy couple of weeks. My October was definitely a whirlwind! Troy and Jammie left for a trip back to the US. This left me to run the clinic by myself for three weeks. In addition to running the clinic, I also taught two health classes on top of my regular botany class. Needless to say, I was very busy! On slow days, life at the clinic can be heavenly. I can prepare my lesson plans for the classes I teach, or study for my Twi class.

I’m trying my best to learn some of the local languages, my main focus is Twi. I sit in on one of the children’s classes for Twi at the school. It is incredibly challenging, but I am managing to get by with it while traveling. I’m doing my best to learn some Dangme also, which is the language spoken in the nearby village, Doryumu. A lot of the new children that recently arrived speak another language called Ewe, so I’m trying to learn some of that as well. So many languages, so little time! It’s quite the struggle to keep them all straight.

   Busy days at the clinic are another story. You can be taking care of one patient, and have several others waiting to be seen. Being the only person to run the clinic for three weeks can be pretty exhausting! At times, It can be a little overwhelming to try and take care of multiple sick children at the same time, especially with illnesses like malaria. We do not have a functioning lab, and are only able to do minimal lab tests at the clinic. This can make diagnosis challenging, and I think it’s something that I definitely take for granted in the US. In the states, I would just order lab work or imaging to help make a conclusion on the diagnosis of a patient. Here, we don’t have a lab. We don’t have imaging. We would have to take a patient to the nearest hospital for both. The road is only paved part of the way and the other part can take some time. This hospital has xray and a lab, but no EKG, no MRI, or CT. Making that trip only happens if it’s absolutely necessary. I am able to use the medical library at the Tompkins house to assist me, and then if I’m really stumped on a patient I can send them a message on Whatsapp. Somehow, I made it through. I was definitely ready for a break by the end of it!

I did have help the last few days of the Tompkins trip, my fiance came to visit me!! He is also a nurse, and works in the ER at a hospital in Colorado. I put him right to work! I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see him. Being apart during our engagement has been more challenging than I could have imagined. The length of this trip, the lack of phone service to be able to have a conversation, it really begins to wear on you. Having him visit for three weeks was absolutely heavenly! It was just what my heart needed. Not only that, but it was amazing to have help, and to show him a bit of my life here in Ghana. It was his first trip to Africa, but it did not show. He did so well the culture, the food, the travel, and meeting a ton of new people. I took him on a camping safari, where we camp in the bush in a regular tent. Camping safaris really save on price, but also allow you to more out in nature, and truly surrounded by all the elements. We spent some time in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and also visited Victoria Falls. The great thing about this area is that three countries meet in one small area, and you can even just walk across the border. Each country has such a beautiful culture and landscape, and are so different from each other.  

During our time in Botswana, an anthrax outbreak occurred in the game park where we camped. It apparently occurs naturally in the animals, but can kill the animals off quite fast. We decided to continue with our safari, and were informed we would be fine as long as we didn’t play with the dead hippos. It was a struggle, but we managed! We saw so many beautiful animals and were lucky to have not seen any poisonous snakes near our campsite! However, we did see many sets of eyes at night around our tents. We were told that if you shine a light in a lion or leopard’s eyes, their reflection will be red. I didn’t see any red eyes, but that still leaves hyenas and wild dogs for predators, so you still want to be careful. For a bathroom, they dig a pit latrine behind the tents. It’s not that bad until you wake up in the middle of the night and have to go! Our guides told us predators are most active after 9:30pm, so it’s best to not leave your tent after that time. They also said to wear close toed shoes around camp because of the snakes and scorpions, and not to leave your shoes outside or the animals will run off with them! It was amazing to be in your tent and hear elephants walking around. There is just something completely different about seeing these amazing animals in their natural habitat. It’s so different than in the zoo. You are in their element. You get a better sense of their power and strength, and gain a lot of respect for how dangerous they can be. It is such a beautiful thing, and I can’t tell you how sad it makes me that the rate of poaching is so high in some of these countries.   

I don’t know if you have been following the news, but it’s lucky that we left Zimbabwe when we did! The state of Zimbabwe was already a difficult one with it’s economy. They currently don’t really have any currency to circulate. The Zimbabwean dollar went under a few years ago as inflation had made it basically worthless. Since then, they have been using foreign currency, including the US Dollar, which has made it very expensive for the people. Lately, they don’t even have that in circulation. We saw people standing in line for hours at the bank, but not able to receive any money because there simply wasn’t any. Mugabe, age 93, is the current president of Zimbabwe and has been since 1980. He has used ruthless tactics to stay in power, even when he lost previous elections. With an election coming up next year, Mugabe intended to run again, and fired his Vice President to set his wife up to be his successor. Last week, the military intervened and forced him into house arrest. He was expected to make a speech to resign yesterday, but refused and said he will remain in power. Needless to say, it’s a good thing we left when we did. The landscape is beautiful, the people are amazing, but it just wasn’t the right time for us to be there.  

Lance left last week, and it’s an adjustment to get used to him being gone again. I’m so thankful for the amazing time we had together though. I have been a little under the weather since he left but am on the mend. I jumped right back into the busy schedule, and am now teaching Biology at the school. This past weekend Jammie and I went back up to Aveyime to facilitate another women’s conference. That was amazing, as always. I think there is a special place in my heart for the people in rural villages. I enjoy my time with them so much. We taught Community Health Evangelism, and focused on laying the groundwork for the women to feel empowered enough to provide change in their communities on the first day of the conference. On the second day, we focused on health topics. I really enjoy teaching about a woman’s worth at these conferences. These women are taught so many things by society and their culture. They are taught it’s more important for boys to go to school, that they must stay home, take care of the children, make money for the family, and do a lot of the work around the house. Men often take multiple wives. It’s amazing to be able to tell these women how precious they are to God. To not listen to what society tells them, they are smart enough and strong enough to do whatever they want, be whatever they want. They are precious and valuable in the eyes of God and do not need a man to have a relationship with Him. When we say those things their eyes light up, and it’s amazing to witness.

The second day of our conference was a little rough. Our translator didn’t show up. I was teaching on reproductive systems and reproductive health, which as you can imagine, can be tricky without accurate translation! Luckily, another woman stepped up and did the best she could. One of the lessons taught on the ovulation cycle, and how this can be used as a form of family planning. In a society where women have a lot of children and often don’t have access to birth control, they found this really interesting! They took out pens and paper and copied down the diagram I drew. They also found the talk on menopause very interesting that Jammie gave. Apparently, in some places in Ghana, they don’t know what menopause is. When women start acting different or “crazy” when they begin to go through menopause, they think she is a witch. Then, they send her to an actual witch camp to live. It’s unbelievable what women have to go through around the world.

I am now back at City of Refuge, and preparing for our Thanksgiving celebration this week! This Thanksgiving, I am very aware of how much I have to be thankful for. First of all, I’m thankful for all of the time I am able to spend with these children! It has been such a huge blessing to be able to be here and help in any way that I can. I definitely am very thankful for the basics, like running water, and electricity, as those things go out frequently here, and I am so thankful for when we have them. I am also really thankful for my family, and the time apart really does make you appreciate the time you have together. I am counting down the days until I can see them again. I am so thankful for a wonderful fiance, who supports me in my work, and would fly half way around the world to spend time with me. I’m also thankful for all of you. I received so many nice messages and prayers when I was sick, it means a lot to me. Thank you all so much, and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Eat some turkey for me!

Adventures in Ghana

Hello everyone! So many things have happened since the last time I wrote, it’s a struggle to know where to begin! School started for Faith Roots Academy. All of the children living at City of Refuge attend that school, in addition to roughly 190 children from the local community.  Surprisingly, I am teaching Botany! I will also be teaching health classes, alternating with Troy and Jammie. It’s been an adjustment to start teaching. Although, when in Africa, you must be flexible and ready to help wherever you are needed. Most of the time, it’s doing things you wouldn’t have pictured yourself doing.  

This week we will be doing health screening for the new students, and also deworming the entire school. (Now there’s a phrase you don’t hear in the US!) It’s recommended that you take a dewormer about every six months. You can get worms from a lot of things here, and I can tell you from experience, they are no fun! I’ve had them on my previous trips, but I’m hoping this trip will be worm free!

I finally had a night off, so I decided to make the most of it! Another volunteer and I took tro tro’s to a nearby city called Akosombo. It sits along the Volta River, and is absolutely beautiful. Between the stillness of the water and not having anything scheduled for 24 hours, it felt wonderful! We took a kayak out on the river. We passed many huts where children ran out to greet us, yelling, “ Obruni, I love you!” It was quite adorable. (Obruni in the local language means white person) Many children were playing in the river, or bathing, and some were going to the bathroom. The river serves many purposes for the communities it surrounds. Many villages don’t have a water supply, so that also comes from the river. We were very careful to not tip the kayak over, because it’s definitely not water that you want to fall into. There are certain parasites that are very common in the Volta River because of it’s multipurpose use.

The next morning, we woke up early to go see Boti Falls. We took a tro tro to Kpong, and then another to Koforidua, and then another to Agogo. We hopped out early at the falls entrance. You walk down roughly 300 steps to this beautiful pair of waterfalls surrounded by lush, green vegetation. They said the water was safe to swim in, but we decided not to risk it. I’m glad we didn’t because a snake passed pretty close to us and went swimming in the pool beneath the falls! The locals told us that snakes in the water wouldn’t bite you, unless you were cursed. I didn’t feel like taking my chances! It felt so amazing to go exploring for a day. I came back feeling refreshed, and ready to work hard.

This past weekend, Jammie and I went up to Aveyime. We were asked to teach CHE ( Community Health Evangelism) to a group of women. It was such a wonderful experience. It was a two day seminar, and an estimated 22 women came from six different villages. On the first day, we taught more about mental and emotional health, and the second day we taught on physical health. On the first day I taught about a woman’s worth, through God’s eyes. It broke my heart to hear these women’s stories about how their culture views women. They said that in their villages, it’s not important for women to go to school. It’s thought that women should be at home, taking care of children. They said that men frequently practice polygamy, and take many wives. It was such a blessing to be able to share with these women how much God loves them, and how valuable they are in His eyes. We talked about how even if their culture doesn’t value them, God does, and that’s who’s opinion matters.

The second day of the seminar focused on physical health. The first lesson I taught was on hand hygiene and sanitation, and the second was on HIV. It was so interesting to learn the different beliefs about how HIV is spread. People told me it was spread by sharing eating utensils, sleeping next to someone in a bed, shaking hands, mosquito bites, talking to them, and sharing clothing. They said that people with HIV are sometimes rejected in their communities. This was heartbreaking. I told them now that they have had this education, they can return to their communities and spread awareness about how HIV is actually spread. They can help dissolve some of the fear surrounding the diagnosis, and work to love and care for these people.

Probably the most entertaining moments of the seminar were when the women tried to teach us how to dance and sing songs in their local language of Ewe. Let’s just say I need practice before I’m willing to try it in public. During the night, I heard loud drumming nearby. It continued passed 1am, and had me curious as to what it was. The next morning I asked someone who lives in the area. They told me that on Fridays they have funerals, and will drum late into the night. They also told me that sometimes they will make sacrifices to gods during this time. They said that human sacrifices used to be performed when a chief of a village died, but that’s now out of practice. They said that people in a nearby village tried to do a human sacrifice recently and they were arrested. Needless to say, it’s a very different culture than the one I grew up in.  

During the mornings, I go on runs to the local village named Doryumu. I meet so many people who are curious as to why there is this random white woman running around. On one of these runs, I came across a little girl that I had met during a training we had done at her church. She wants to be a nurse when she grows up, and we became instant friends. She lives several kilometers away from me, but she brought her siblings to visit me. I have also been going to her house to visit her and her family. It’s the most amazing experience. I walk on paths through tall grass to get to where she lives. They pull out a nice chair from their house, dust it off, and offer me a place to sit. They cook me fufu ( pounded yam or cassava) over a fire, with okra stew, and some kind of meat that I’m afraid to ask questions about. The idea of hospitality is something that is lost in our culture compared to here. I know that this family doesn’t have that much extra money, but they don’t hesitate to feed me, and offer me what they do have.

This family also helps me learn the local language of Dangme. It’s difficult because depending on where you go in the country, you will run into various local languages. Right now, I am trying to learn Ewe, Twi, and Dangme. Keeping them all straight is quite the challenge! All the help I can get is very much appreciated. They actually wanted to learn Spanish, so I get to teach them something too! People here are so amazing with the amount of languages they speak. There are children at CORM who can speak six languages. It makes me feel lazy for only speaking English.

Thank you all for your continued love and support that you are sending my way. Please keep praying that God would grant us favor with obtaining our medical licenses here, as it is proving to be a lengthy process. Also, that God would continue to refresh us every morning, and to pull closer to Him instead of being consumed by the amount of work to do. Thank you and I love you all!

A Trip of Firsts

It has been a busy few weeks here at the Children’s Village! My time this week has been mainly focused on the twelve boys that were recently rescued from human trafficking on the Volta River. The government requires them to get medical screening after they have been rescued. Many children endure physical, psychological, and sexual abuse while they are working on the Volta. Sometimes, they only receive one meal a day. No medical care is given, and they are exposed to parasites that live in the water. These children have been through so much, and it has been awful to learn some of their stories. They are so young have endured some of the worst of humanity. My heart hurts for the pain that they have been through.

Taking the children for the medical screening means driving to the capital city of Accra. Our days start out very early to get a head start on the horrible traffic that surrounds the city. Once we finally arrive, we take the children for check ups at the government hospital. I wish I could show you the look of amazement on their faces as they saw a big city for the first time. Most of these children have only been in rural villages their entire lives. They have never been to a city. Their eyes were wide as they leaned forward in their seats toward the window, absorbing all the sights and sounds.

Traffic takes about two hours to go a very short distance. Vendors walk up and down in between vehicles, selling various objects from soap, to fruit, to sachets of water. Cars use their horn very frequently, sometimes as a warning for their crazy driving. I’ve seen many cars drive down the center of a two lane highway, honking their horn and flashing their lights, so they don’t have to wait in the line of traffic. Buses speed on side streets down rocky, dirt roads to try and avoid sections of cars parked bumper to bumper. It seems like they will take any crazy route to keep moving and avoid standing still. It was during this time we discovered that one of the boys gets car sick, which made for a long rest of the journey.

We arrived to the hospital and were placed in a room to wait for lab work to be performed. Business today was much like any other day, running on Africa time. This means several hours late. I heard this saying the other day here. They said, “ Americans have all the clocks, but us Africans have all the time.” It’s an adjustment to go from American expectations of time, to the expectations in a different culture.

As we waited in the room, about 20 other children arrived that were rescued from the same location as our boys. Smiles grew on their faces as they recognized the familiar children, and chatter grew loud in their local languages. As we waited, an intense game of Uno began. This proved to be very difficult because very few of the children speak English, and very few knew how to actually play Uno. They began to throw down any card they wanted at random times and draw as many cards as they wanted from the stack. It took a long time, but we finally were able to play a few successful rounds.

Finally, it was the children’s turn to get lab work drawn and see a doctor. When we were finished, we decided to take the boys for a treat. We planned on taking them to the mall for their first experience of eating pizza! The Accra mall is very much like a mall you would see in America. Fancy stores, expensive price tags, air conditioning, and a wide selection of restaurants. These boys walked around the mall, overwhelmed by the wealth. These boys came from very impoverished situations, but there is large discrepancy between the classes in Ghana. There are people that are extremely wealthy, but more frequently are the cases of poverty.

 We ordered a few different selections of pizza for the kids to try to make sure they all found something to enjoy. However, they did not enjoy the pizza at all! They stared at it, not really knowing what to think. Meanwhile, it was the first time I had eaten pizza in a while, so I was scarfing it down. They picked at it, trying random toppings off of the top, but none of them even finished one piece! They said they would rather have rice! I never thought I would meet a child that didn’t like pizza, but these children had probably never eaten anything besides traditional Ghanaian food. We tried to convince them it was good by naming off other children from CORM who love pizza, but there was no convincing. We ended up taking the pizza home and buying them joloff(a traditional rice dish) instead.

We returned home after the long grueling days thinking that the children probably didn’t have that great of a time. Blood draws, the pizza fiasco, long car rides, and car sickness made us think that the days didn’t go that well. We had split the new boys into two groups to take to Accra. The first group came home and shared stories of their experiences to the other group, and they were actually jealous! They couldn’t wait for their turn to go to the city.

It has been such a blessing to get to know these boys and spend time with them. They each have such unique personalities, and even though they may fight and bicker like brothers, they also take care of each other and watch out for each other. These boys are so strong to have experienced what they have been through.

This coming week, a group of counselors from the states will be arriving to give training with the City of Refuge staff. We will be splitting up all of the children up into small groups for bible studies.  These counselors will be training us in basic techniques to care for children who have been through such horrible trauma. They will also be training the staff in self care. Hearing the traumatic stories of these children can take a toll on us too, so it’s important that we also take care of ourselves.

I feel so blessed to be part of such an amazing organization, and work with such wonderful staff who give their all in caring for these children. This place really does go by the philosophy that it takes a village to raise a child, and we all use our individual strengths to help the children in any way we can. It’s an amazing feeling to be a part of something making such a positive impact. Thank you all for your well wishes! Please pray for the success of our small groups, as we keep America, and the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey lifted up in prayer.

Aveyime

Greetings from Ghana! I have been so busy here, time is really flying by! Last week, I was able to catch a tro tro into Accra to use the internet and the power turned off! Every day is an interesting one here in Africa. A couple things have happened since my last blog. Three of the boys that were rescued from the Volta River ran away. It breaks my heart that they are no longer here for CORM to help. An investigation is being done to see where they went. Hopefully they will be found safely. It’s terrifying to think about such young children being out there on their own. Please keep them in your prayers.

We found the culprit of my hives! What happened was, I actually moved in to a room with bed bugs. I can’t say it’s been the funnest experience, but people go through far worse around here. I am blessed that it was a simple solution. It has been quite the process to try to get back to bug free. I have been sleeping in another location while they fumigate the place. I placed all of my stuff in bags to kill the bugs living in them. I’m hoping they won’t find a way back in!

This week, I was able to go north to complete a medical screening in a village near Aveyime. Dr. Troy and I went along with a team in Ghana volunteering from Las Vegas and Idaho. Some of the team put on a vacation bible school for the children in the community. A few of the volunteers joined the team that put on a medical screening. We drove to this village right along the Volta River. We thought that we would be having the screening in a school, but this community doesn’t have one, so we had the screening under a tree. It was a lot of improvising, but we made it work. The village is composed of mud huts, dirt roads, and the most amazing people. It was such a joy to be able to spend time with them.

The village does not have any running water. They get their water from the river, which has parasites in it, and is not safe to drink. They also bathe in the river, and go to the bathroom in the river. It really makes me think about how blessed I am to be able to turn on a faucet at home and have clean drinking water any time I want. I am constantly reminded of the things I take for granted back home. We have so much in the US, so many material possessions, but it’s not often I see joy like I see here. I think a lot of times, the more we have the more we are consumed by it. I am as guilty as the next person of this, but it has been such a good reminder that my happiness should never lie in what I have but who’s I am.

We set up chairs in the dirt for the screening. We worked with local nurses to see patients and be able to communicate with them in their local language, mostly Ewe. We sat a scale in the dirt to weigh patients, set up a tape measure along a wood pole to measure height. We had a station to check blood pressure, and three of us to see patients. We performed a medical screening for the community, which means we did an evaluation to see what the community’s biggest needs were. From that information, follow up would be provided by a few of our team that live in the community. They would be able to return and provide education through the CHE(Community Health Evangelism) program. CHE is a program that provides health education to communities, spreads the gospel, and  empowers members of the community to instill change.

As we did the medical screening and collected this information, many of these people were suffering from various diagnoses. So in addition to the medical screen, the team worked together to provide medical advice to the members of the community. We also did vision screens, provided deworming medication, and provided glasses. It was an amazing couple of days in the town of Aveyime, and I hope to do more work there before I return home.

The volunteer team we joined was able to visit a village while we were up north. I thought I would share with you what they told me because I found it very interesting. In this village, they worship the god of the river. According to this village, their god manifests itself in a clay pot. They have this pot on a pedestal and they worship it. About 40% of the men in the village worship this pot, but the percentage is lower for the women. They make animal sacrifices to the pot. They bring conflicts to the pot for it to figure out. It’s not uncommon for people to worship various idols in the more rural villages.

As much as I enjoyed the village, it felt good to come home to CORM! I missed seeing the smiling faces of the children. They always provide a warm welcome home with lots of hugs. Next week will be a busy one! Troy and Jamie will be away, leaving me to man the clinic. By clinic, I mean a room that they have opened up in their house for treatment until an actual clinic can be built.
Thank you all for your continued support! I am so blessed by your words of encouragement. I will continue to pour your love onto these children. Love you all!

Figuring Ghanaian life out

Hello again! Thank you all for the love and support from my last blog post. It is proving quite the struggle to find reliable internet! I managed to figure out the public transportation to the capital city of Accra. There, I am able access a slow wifi at a coffee shop. The things we take for granted! The public transportation system is like a minibus, called a tro tro. To catch one, I stand out at the main road until a tro tro picks me up going to Ashaman. This costs about a dollar. Then we head to Ashaman; this chaotic, very bus market. There, I get and manage to find another tro tro heading to Accra. This costs about another 70 cents. The process takes about 2-3 hours, depending on traffic from Accra, which is normally awful!! It’s quite the process to find internet! I take so many things for granted in the US.

 During these few hours, I see and hear a lot of interesting things. During my last tro tro trip back to CORM, a man stood up and spoke for about 30 minutes trying to get passengers to buy a bottle of something with the word BLOOD written on it.  I’m not sure what it was, and I was almost afraid to ask! Going out into the city is something I have really enjoyed. There is just something so amazing about being completely surrounded by unfamiliar things.

It’s been a busy few days at the clinic. Lots of wounds being dressed, the kids are always hurting something! Kids will be kids, no matter where the location. Lots of malaria tests, and malaria medications administered. We have also been providing HIV education and medications to those who need it. When Dr. Troy and NP Jamie are gone, I man the clinic, which can be very busy!  It’s a lot of work for one person! I feel like I am learning so much from Troy and Jamie, its been such a blessing to work with them.  

This last week has been exciting. Fifteen new children arrived from Lake Volta! CORM partnered with the police department and IJM to rescue a total of 45 kids along Lake Volta. In Ghana, a lot of children are trafficked here to work on the river. These children end up working long hard days catching fish. They experience traumas, and things children should never have to go through. City of Refuge, the nonprofit I am working with, works to provide a better life for these children. Once they are rescued, they come here. A plot of land with a boys and girls dormitory, a cafeteria, a school, a church, a playground, a basketball and soccer field( which is a favorite!) and a place where kids can just be kids.  They experience God’s love, they get to have a childhood again. They also get the opportunity to go to school. It’s such a beautiful program, and I am so blessed to be a part of it!  

The new children arrived pretty withdrawn, understandably so with all that they have been through. Almost none of them speak English, so it is hard to communicate. The few that do end up translating for us into their local language. Slowly, you start to see them open up. It’s absolutely amazing to see. They are given a period of time to adjust to their new surroundings, and then they will start school. How lucky I am to get to experience this! God is truly blessing me through being able to care for these children.

This week, I was also able to visit another organization located closer to the Volta River called Baptist Vocational Training Center. This broke my heart. I learned about a practice in some of the communities here. When a family has something bad happen to them, like a death, it sometimes is presumed that this happened because of a curse that is on the family. The family must then do something to lift the curse, so more people don’t continue to die. To remove the curse, the family must offer a virgin girl between the ages of 4-12 to the fetish priests. She will never return to her family, she is now taken on as a wife of the idols. From my understanding, the fetish priests are not actually priests at a church, but it’s more of a tribal religion. These fetish priests impregnate these girls at very young ages. They give birth there, and then their children also live there. The things that these poor girls go through is absolutely heartbreaking.

This organization goes in with bribes for the fetish priests, and is able to remove the girls to live at their organization. They stay there for three years and learn a trade. They are also given equipment at the end to continue their trade in the community and start a business. Through these three years, they are also given education and taught about Christ’s love. My heart breaks for these young girls. Please keep this ministry lifted up in your prayers.

So far, I am adjusting to life in Ghana pretty well.  I even was able to video skype with my fiance and my mom on my trip to Accra! It does my heart good to see their faces! The past few days have been a little difficult physically. I have had some sort of allergic reaction, we aren’t sure to what, and I have been really itchy from hives. I have been taking some antihistamines to help keep the irritation down, which has made me a little sleepy. I also started on an oral steroid and have been using ice to help with the itching. Please pray that we are able to figure out what I am allergic to so I can not be drowsy for the work I need to do while taking antihistamines! This seems so trivial In the grand scheme of things that people are experiencing over here. I just want to be present every moment with these kids, pray that one way or another I am able to do that.

Thank you all for your support since I’ve been here. Your encouraging notes and messages mean the world to me. Hopefully, I can catch a tro tro to Accra to post this soon! Love you all and thank you for your prayers!

Hello from Ghana!  I made it safely, thank you all for you prayers! It’s a very surreal experience to be back.  It’s something that has been on my heart for so long, but leaving this time was a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. It’s never been a challenge for me to go on these trips before, but having been recently engaged has changed things. It’s been an adjustment to be away from him, and I am counting down the days until he visits in October! Being away from family for this length of time is challenging too. My nephews are going to be so big by the time I return! I told them they aren’t allowed to grow until I return, but I doubt they will mind their auntie.

The last couple months before I left were spent maximizing every minute of time. Packing things for the trip, spending time with family and friends, making wedding plans, I was always busy with something! Since my arrival, I have to learn how to be still again. The pace of this place is quite different from the American pace. Things take time to get accomplished, you have to have patience. It has been both difficult and refreshing to adjust to this. I think it’s something it will take me a while to master.

Slowing down has allowed me to get acquainted with Africa again, to take in all the senses. To be honest, a big part of me never feels like it left. I feel right at home. I love the adventure that comes with being here. It continues to surprise me with it’s beauty and mystique. So many things about this place can be dangerous. It’s both intriguing and terrifying. But for some reason that appeals to me. I love being able to immerse myself in another culture and constantly learn new things.

I felt so at home returning to my Ghanaian family. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the children again, they are huge! They have grown so much since the last time I saw them. We were able to skype a few times over the years, but nothing compares to being able to talk with them in person, and to see how each of their personalities are developing. My heart is very full.

While I am here, I will be working with Troy and Jamie Tompkins, a doctor and a nurse practitioner from Arizona. Troy, Jamie, and their 12 year old twins recently moved to City of Refuge and will be staying here for seven years. They will be starting a medical clinic to serve City of Refuge Ministries(CORM) and the local community. Until the clinic is built, they are using their house as a temporary clinic. I could not be more excited to work with these two. Their passion for God and for the people of Africa has been amazing to be around.

We have spent time organizing supplies, medications, administering test, and treating patients. I have also been at the school on site. Faith Roots Academy has about 240 kids from CORM as well as the local community. Needless to say, they keep me busy with a variety of things from skinned knees to tummy aches. Right now is the rainy season, so malaria running rampid around the children. Not much time goes by before we are running another malaria test.

I also have spent time learning the process of CHE(Community Health Evangelism). This is an education model that we will be using to help empower the leaders in the local communities to instill change. Health education will be provided, tied in with spreading the gospel. I am very excited to learn more about this program and to help use it to reach local communities.

During my time here, I will be staying in an apartment with two other rooms for volunteers. It’s quite different from my other volunteer experiences where I am constantly moving. This time I will be stationary, and I have a place to settle into. This weekend, a team of volunteers arrived that are staying in the other two rooms of the apartment. So I’ve also been busy welcoming them, and hearing all about what has called them to missions. It’s amazing to see how God is working in so many lives.

So as you can see, I’ve been busy! It’s been an eventful first couple of days in Ghana, but peaceful. I feel at home, like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and like this is where God wants me. I am so anxious to see how He will use me, and figure out more ways I can help.

If you could pray for God to just open my eyes to opportunities where I can be of service. Also, that Troy and Jamie’s work permits would come through so they can apply for their medical licenses to advance their work. Also, pray that the process of applying for my residents card would be a quick so I can try and get my Ghanaian nursing license. Also, pray my family, Lance and myself to all be at peace with being apart for this length of time.

Thank you everyone for all the love and support you have shown me before my departure. It meant so much to me. I pray all is well in the states and look forward to updating you on new events in the future! Love you all.