Ghana Friends

Ok so I thought it would be really fun to fill you in on the people that fill up my days and make me laugh daily here in Ghana. God has blessed me completely in putting all of these people in my life at this time. They are amazing!

First of all I’ll start with my housemates as Louise calls herself. Louise Monroe is a 28 year old student in Northern Ireland. She has a heart for missions and is exploring the possibility of long term missions while here in Amakom. A group of about 16 people from her church in Northern Ireland will be to the clinic in mid July to help make the renovation of the clinic possible. She has been working hard to tie up loose ends and make sure everything runs smoothly for her team while they are here. She is a die hard Methodist which I razz her about all the time. She is a hoot to be around. The other night the three of us girls were dancing in the living room and she turned on some techno music and was really getting into it lol. We could not stop laughing at ourselves and applauding her dancing abilities. She is used to meat, potatoes and a vegetable for dinner every night she has informed me and does not like to mix them. I, however, continue to mix dinner every night with hamburger pie, chicken and dumplings, tacos, sausage/cabbage. She comes in from the office and just smiles when she seems something that looks strange cooking on the stove. She is a very complimentary eater of the food though so I give her grace when she looks disdainfully on the next meal. She usually comes around.

I often times find her doing funny things behind my back in pictures which the happy photographer Rebecca loves to snap. I love to scare her or do something crazy for her to say she is with crazy Americans. Sometimes she’ll hear me doing something crazy and she’ll say hi Hollie before she even sees me. We have a fun friendship already of sarcasm and hilarious laughter. I love her accent and her love of life. She sometimes has spontaneous bursts of craziness and I am all but willing to jump on board.

My other housemate Rebecca is a joy to be around as well. She is from California and has just finished her training for massage therapy which means she is always itching to give massages. I haven’t ever gotten so many wonderful massages in such a small period of time. It’s so great!!!! She is such a servant. She loves people and performs many acts of service. She helps her parents who are joint pastors at a Methodist church in Houson, California. She is always asking how she can help and anytime I walk to the kitchen or start on any project she is there with hands ready to get busy. It’s not very often where you find such servant-hearted people and she is an inspiration. She is constantly taking pictures and more than once I have been shocked to see what she has photographed or recorded since I had no idea she had the camera out at the time. Rebecca and I have had many adventures since arriving in Ghana.

On our way to Amakom we were tightly squeezed in on a huge bus that would pass two semis at the same time on a curvy road. Us, along with every other passenger, were very concerned during these times and would raise up in our chairs to see if we were gonna make it. When we arrived in Amakom we walked for the first time together down into the village and have often taken adventures going to see the people in villages or taking late night drives to Biposo to pick up our friend James while scrambling around to find change to buy into our Coca-Cola cravings. She is the ultimate driver of the Patrol and we have had some Mudin trips that any country boy in America would envy. When I try to get her to do crazy things involving other people she always reminds me that I’m the extrovert and she’ll just watch, always with her camera of course. She did dance with me and Louise the other day in the living room but informed us that she has no rhythm which I have to admit is true but she’s a blast anyways and doesn’t mind cracking us up. She has a deep love for the Lord and more than once I have heard her say let’s pray about it before we make any ministry decision or any decision at all for that matter.

The three of us recognize how different we are but that it is such a God thing that we have been brought together for such a time as this.

Michael is the ultimate go to guy and most of the day consists of hearing people call out ‘MICHAEL’ and him saying ‘YES’ and running to fix the problem no matter what it may be. He is licensed in electrical work and is the project manager for the construction on the clinic. When he is gone from the village you can feel the absence of his presence because he is always smiling and you can hear him singing very loudly on his porch which is a stones throw above our house. One night we heard him singing for literally 3 or 4 hours and would occasionally stop to laugh at his persistence and his absolute love for the Lord. He is sold out. He is a Ghanaian missionary to villages and has a love for people that is contagious. He has often led crusades where he translates for hours the Jesus film and hundreds have gotten saved through his ministry.

We have also followed him to churches on Sunday mornings where he preaches with anointing, humor and love. He is often at our house and most people come to our place to find him these days. He has been known to pick one of us girls off the couch and go dancing around the living room singing off key to who knows what. He has us laughing all the time and is our built in food disposal. Many times he has been the one to go with me into the villages just because and stops to talk to everyone. He is very faithful and committed to the Lord, his work and the Jernigans and would do anything for them. God truly has His hand on Michael’s life and I know he will do great things.

James is our other friend who is constantly at our house. He followed a little after Michael started coming and always enters our house with a song on his lips.

He has taught me all my Twi songs and has sang with me once in a church and then I heard him sing a solo later at another church and it was truly anointed. He is a talented painter and has been hired to stay here at the clinic to help with the construction. He is a hard worker. The first night that he and Michael were over together, he stood up before they were to go and started singing and praying and it became something very special that we still do together whenever we have spent the evening together playing games or just talking. It is a great comfort and we have experienced fellowship in the true sense of the word with him taking the lead. His love for the Lord is very good to see in a community where many people are only Christians in title and not in life.
Ebenezer is the chaplain at the clinic, leader of morning devotions and our Twi teacher. He is such a fun older man and I love to chat with him on a little bench out next to the road. He knows English very well and often interprets for me when I don’t understand.

Isaac is the boat driver at the clinic and I hear him saying out loud ‘Aquia’, which is my African name, more often than I can count. I visited him at his home one night and he teased me about my Twi and refuses to talk to me in English because he says I need to learn Twi. He is always smiling and I love to chat with him.
YaYa is the bread lady. Can I just say I LOVE HER!!! She brings the best fresh bread, which we always buy, and I have sat there with her many times laughing and trying to communicate when neither of us can speak the others language. We sang Twi songs today and somehow I figured out how to say I love her and she is my friend. She has a two hour walk from her village to come here with her bread and I always tell her she is sooo strong. She is always calling out ‘Aquia’ as well.

Then there are the workers that travel from various villages to work on the clinic. I have developed a friendship with them and have often bought them lunch from ladies that travel by selling things. Either kikii or bread are the favorites. I can feed 20 men on less than $10. The other day when I got stuck in Kumasi (which you can read about on my housemates blogs) I came back the next day and the guys were telling me how much they missed me. Rebecca says they don’t know her and Louise because the girls are too afraid to talk to the men. Sounds like a future embarrassing moment to me.
The chief of Atafram is quickly becoming a great friend and he brought the youth from his village to a fellowship the other day. I have visited him often to sit on his front lawn and he has visited me wearing his entoma which is a very formal outfit. I was so honored! He has asked me to be his wife twice and anytime that I see him during the night he has been drinking which makes for very funny conversations.

Hubert and Seth, along with Yow and Betrum, are the guys that I have picked to be my gophers. Haha. Hubert and Seth helped me plan our weekly fellowships/competitions with the youth and have run many errands for me in regards to these programs.

They are a joy to be around and Rebecca was teasing me about how I look like I am always sandwiched between the two of them and she heard me constantly calling them the other day for one of our first outreaches.

We had around 100 young people from a village called Atafram come and play table tennis(ping pong), draft(checkers) and Ludo(Parchesi) as well as a dance competition. We awarded prizes and everybody seemed to have a blast!!! I know I did. Betrum runs sound and set it up for us the other day as well as the times that we go out on crusades. They are all great guys and I love working with them.

A little funny thing was the other day when I handed Hubert and Seth some food to eat thinking they would eat it in a hurry because it was getting time for the program and they disappeared for like 30 minutes. Haha I learned not to hand our food till the job is done.

There are others but these seem to be the ones that stand out the most to me right now and they all bring me joy each and every day.

Village Life

As I gaze out at the glorious sunset over Lake Bosumtwe I am amazed at how beautiful it can be once again. I don’t think you could ever get tired of the change in the sky over the mountains and the lake. Every day it is different and even more gorgeous than the day before it seems.

I have just finished dinner which was very American lol and am now itching to walk into one of the villages. It’s my favorite thing to do in the evenings and this time I have forgotten my torch (flashlight) and stepped into a big mud puddle. I just smile and someone says ‘oh this is just another story that you can write about’. I laugh because everyone notices that I am always writing things down but it’s only because I don’t want to forget a minute of the time that I am here.

One of my favorite things about the Ghanaian culture is the depth of community that they have. Everyone that knows me knows that I talk a lot on the phone but it is not something I like to do. I would much rather sit face to face with you and talk that way. Because of the lack of phones or service around the lake, it is often a necessity to go to find someone to tell them your message or send someone with your message. Oftentimes I have gone on these visits with people because of my love for the village and the friendships they share. I just want to be a part of it while I’m here. Tonight I walked to Adjimim on beaten paths of soft mud and rocks. In the distance I hear many families pounding fufu, the most popular local food which I have helped prepare and have tasted. It is not my favorite but it was definitely fun to make and we invited everyone we saw to come and eat it with us. I think they got a kick out of our reactions and our desire to share the experience with them. Everyone stops to greet you in the village which takes any errand twice as long but also makes it twice the fun! I get to practice my Twi greetings which I am becoming quite a pro at and the people love to hear you say anything in their native language. All around me I hear children yelling and running to me crying out ‘Obruni’ which I don’t think I could ever get tired of hearing. I will miss that when I am gone.


Bugs are flying all around me and it becomes pitch black. People are walking like they can see through the dark and I am stumbling all over myself which just makes people laugh at me all the more. Am I miserable or scared? No way! I am more content that ever before. Why is that? I can become so antsy in other situations but in this village at this moment I am at peace and my heart cannot stop smiling.

I saw some of the workers that have been hired daily to work on the clinic addition and they smiled and came up to me to thank me for buying the group of them bread yesterday. It cost me $3.80 to buy 20 men some bread while they were working and it made a difference in their lives, in addition to the fact that I bought out the bread lady and her work all the sudden was done for the day. Something as small as that speaks to people in a way my words cannot. How amazing, once again, that God has given me this opportunity!

For the last few nights we have been travelling to a village called Ancase to show the Jesus video. We set up out in the midst of dirt and rocks and everyone sits on the ground to watch this 4x4 screen with a projector and an English movie about Jesus. Michael translates every word into Twi. The first night we stepped out of the car, children came running from everywhere and I ran up to them and started singing Twi songs and doing hand motions and hugging children and teaching them how to give high-fives! I CANNOT BELIEVE I AM IN AFRICA!!!!! We finally got the system working through the sound problems (yes they happen all over the world I have realized) and started the movie. At one point a little girl started crying and no one went to get her so I stood up and brought her to where I was sitting and just a few minutes later she was fast asleep. The next night we played some games with the children and I found myself stumbling over rocks and falling on my tail trying to keep up with these kids that can run on rocks barefooted better than I can walk on pavement. This night I sat in the middle of all these black little faces who every other minute glance over to smile at me and I have 10 little hands touching my shoulder or leg or holding my hand. There is a little girl in front of me who continues to tap me on the leg and point to children that are falling asleep. She must remember how I held the girl the night before. Someone takes her up on her offer of my lap and a little girl falls into my lap and is asleep almost immediately. Now I must be dreaming. Michael, who leads the program, calls to those who want to give their lives to Christ and many hands go up. He then asks the people if they want to be healed of any sicknesses and the same amount of hands go up. As he and the girls are praying for these people I start singing There is Healing in this place, Nothing but the blood of Jesus and We are standing on Holy Ground. A sweet presence of the Lord is there and in the dark, with only the light of the moon, people are turning their hearts over to Jesus and then being healed. It is miraculous and powerful.

I know I say this a lot but I cannot believe God has given me this opportunity to live a dream. I have to pinch myself oftentimes and thank God that He has called me for this time, in this season and this place and that other people gave to this dream spiritually, physically and financially. I will be forever indebted to all of you!

I will close with the biggest news on the compound this week. Dr. Juliana Jernigan gave birth to Lucas Jernigan on Saturday. He weighed a little over 8 pounds. Dr. Ju went into labor at about 2pm and we saw her walk across to the clinic. We knew that she would have no pain medication and the closest hospital is about 2 hours away so if there were any complications it was going to be very serious. We saw some of their closest loved ones pacing outside the room praying with all earnestness and we could hear the pain of the Dr. along with the praise and worship music they had playing. Wanting to stay out of the way, the three of us girls sat on our porch waiting to hear the news, praying and seeking God for the Dr. After only three hours we saw our friend Michael run out into the rain pumping his arms and we thought what in the world is he doing. There is no way the baby is already here. But only 20 minutes later we see the Dr. and her whole family including the newborn walking across to their house. You could hear our screams a mile away. We sat there for another hour talking about how inspiring this lady is and what a miracle the Lord has performed in her life. God has been so good!

Stay tuned for more testimonies and news from Lake Bosumtwe!!

Africa News

Hello Hello my wonderful friends and family!!!!!

I have so many wonderful things to tell you and I’m sure you’re anxious to hear! I’m sitting here under a helicopter fan trying to get a little cool. Lol. That is very hard around here haha. The electricity went out today for a couple of hours and as soon as it went out we just carried on as normal and turned our flashlights on and our little chargeable lamps beside our beds. No electricity is very common here.

Life is different here but I love Ghana!! We went to a little church today called Amakom Pentecost. We had so much fun! The three of us girls went with two guys that live at the clinic compound. We danced and Michael, the guy we hang out with the most around here, went up front and told one of the elders to get me to sing. So the elder said, “Sister Hollie is going to come up and sing for us”. Lol I was so nervous and I have been learning some Twi songs but I was afraid I would get the words wrong so I didn’t sing them. I sang the song ‘Hallelujah’ and they sang along with me. James, the guy who has been teaching me Twi songs came up and helped me lol but my first experience in an Amakom church was so great. A mom in the church came up and brought her little girl to our aisle and I held out my arms to her and she sat on my lap and then fell asleep throughout the whole service. As you can imagine, my heart was so taken with her. She was adorable. I seriously want to bring a child home. J haha make room ma and dad!
The other day when me and Rebecca, one of my roommates, walked through the village I heard all these children yelling and I was wondering what they were saying. When I stopped to listen I realized they were yelling Obruni, Obruni which means white person in Twi. I looked around and all over the village were little children yelling and waving and smiling and oh my word my heart smiled and I started taking pictures and showing the pictures to the children and they couldn’t get enough of it. I was giving hugs and hand shakes and then adults started coming up and wanting their picture taken lol. They were so cute. I took pictures with some of them. One of them said, ‘When did you get here?’ and me and Rebecca said, ‘Wednesday’. He said, ‘It’s Friday and I am the Assembly Man. Why haven’t you come to see me?’ I almost wanted to laugh because he was so serious but greeting those people in the village that hold a place of authority is very important in Ghanaian culture so we made sure to set up a formal meeting time and I am looking forward to the special time we will have with the Assembly Man and the Chief of Amakom.

Amakom is a village of about 700 people and I have no idea how people make a living. We are at least 40 minutes back into the bush in the middle of mountains next to this big lake. When you come over one of the hills the beauty of the lake and the villages takes your breath away. I was overwhelmed at how beautiful it is here and how nice our house is. We love it! We have mice often times and spiders as well. I let Rebecca sweep the mice out cause I’m not too keen on doing that. Lol. And she says she’s swept the same mouse out five times lol.

It’s the rainy season and when it starts to rain everyone stops what they are doing and goes inside. The rain is so hard and so loud you are just amazed at the splendor of God’s creation all over again. We often just sit on the front porch and look at the lake while it’s raining cause you can’t talk it’s so loud on the metal roof. Yesterday when I went to visit another village on the other side of us to meet with the chief we were on our way back and got caught in the rain. Everybody was running inside but I was already wet and it felt so good I just stayed out in it until it was over. I think the people here thought I was crazy. It’s really big here to get inside and everyone keeps asking me if I got sick though the temperature is so hot even through the rain. They were all covering up with long sleeves. It’s so funny!

We are now sitting here with our new roommate since yesterday Louise. She is from Ireland and has an Irish accent which she just said is actually Ulster but I figured you guys wouldn’t know what that was but only because I don’t lol. I have been mimicking her accent, which throws her into gales of laughter. We have had a good time together so far.

People come in and out of our house all day long. I haven’t figured out how I feel about that. Lol but the people are just so excited that we are here. Our friends Michael and James come over a lot and seem to show up at about dinner time every night. This morning though, I was woke up by a little clanging on a cup because our neighbor Michael had come over and cooked breakfast for us and was waking me up. I started just laughing as I heard my name and came out to a full breakfast on the table. They are such loving, beautiful people here. This week we will start going to the schools and teaching and playing games with the children. We are so excited to get to do that!!

I know this has gotten really long and I could write forever already but I will end with these things. Keep praying because there are not a lot of true believers on the clinic compound. We are striving to be good witnesses and good examples and help the Jernigans and the village as much as possible. Your prayers are greatly appreciated and any emails I love!! It might take me time to respond because my email is kind of slow here and internet is hit or miss.