Campaigning in Africa

I’ve been sitting down in the office for the last 4 hours waiting to hear the news from the District Attorney race that my brother in law Christian Coomer is running in. I brainwashed my housemate Rebecca into wearing a Christian Coomer tshirt and sitting down in the office with me while everyone else at the lake has been asleep for hours. Lol. I have been calling and getting the updates and have been anxiously awaiting the results.

Christian didn't win but I am confident that God has a plan and a purpose through all of this and I know that the better man for the job was not selected. We never know what God's divine will is we just have to rest assured that God knows and we just have to put our lives into step with His plan. I know many people helped by giving time, money, and much of themselves for something they believed in. The results can be discouraging but I am proud that my family and my church took the time to stand up for something they believed in and desired to see a change not only in the church but in our community as well. This is not a failure but a success in my eyes and I am thankful to be part of this body. It is time we took a stand and this is only the beginning!

Visit from Efrea

These last couple of days have been absolutely amazing. On my way from the north through Kumasi I picked up a dear friend that I met in Accra at the very beginning of my journey and she came to the lake with me.

We caught the boat over with the team on Sunday morning and went straight to church. She has been such a blessing and the last few days have been blessed because of her. Sunday I was itching for some fried yam and pepe which we didn’t have any of the ingredients for and so our first adventure was searching through the streets of the villages to find tomatoes, red pepper and yam. We found the onion but nothing else lol. We had a change in plans. Rebecca ended up making French toast and Efrea made fried eggs with the onion. It was very good. We were soon tired though because of the long day and went to sleep. The next morning I was on a mission to get some of my cloth sewn and Efrea helped me find the seamstress that we talked to at church on Sunday and try to explain what I wanted. We walked all over Amakom looking for different things that she needed. After lunch I was determined to take Efrea down to the lake and boy did we have some fun. She quickly realized why I love the villages and the lake so much. We talked to many fishermen and ended up buying plenty plenty fish most of which to give Efrea to take home with her to her family.

Some of the boys at the lake cleaned the fish for us thank God since I’m not too good at that and we were so thankful.


We played ludo and mancala and took some pics.


We came home very tired and on the way up the hill Efrea informed me that the hill to the clinic was much easier to climb down than up. Lol. I think the city girl got a run for her money on all the hills around here. She was such a help though…she fried the fish for us and made some rice. It was a very good meal. We had a very fun girls night with a small visit from the guys and turned in.

This morning Efrea was at it again making eggs with tomato and onion. We travelled down into the villages again to find water and talk to some people. I enjoyed using my small small Twi and learning more from Efrea. I introduced her to the chief of Amakom and also YaYa. We then travelled to Ancasse to go to the salon so I could get some braids. On our way the rain came and the chief of Atafram's wife saw us and begged us to sit on her porch while it rained. We had good fellowship with her.

After the rain we continued on to Ancasse. It was a lot of fun sitting and talking to the ladies there and seeing what it is like to hang out in an African salon.

I finally got my wish and Efrea made fried yam and pepe before she left. It was so hot but so good. I was so very sad to see her go and I begged her to stay longer but she doesn’t have much time left in Kumasi before she heads back to Accra and she has a funeral this week. We had such a blast though and it was a God thing that she was able to come. I know I will be asked where my friend is many times in the days to come. I walked her to the lake for her to catch a ride over on the boat and the rain came hard. She said later that the boat almost sank. lol I grabbed a plantain leaf and started walking but was soon surrounded by obibinis who thought I should not get wet at all. Rebecca of course somehow saw me walking past the office up to the house and was camera ready. I thought the shot was so cute and an amazing photo op!

North to Lawra

I have just arrived back home at the Lake and am so excited to be back. We caught the boat on the other side of the lake this morning because there is a team staying there taking a boat over every day and it saved us about an hour thank God! When I saw Betrum and Isaac on the boat I could not hold back my excitement. And they were so excited too! I loved it. I brought a friend with me for a couple of days and already today we have had so much fun. We got here just in time for church. I decided to go to Amakom Assembly since that is where I feel most at home. We had so much fun! At one point they motioned for my friend Christiana to come forward in the middle of someone singing and she was like ‘they are calling me’ and I said ‘ok go’. They asked her to ask me to sing again and this time I sang a song that I have grown to love and I knew they would know as well. It starts by saying ‘All other gods, they are the works of man…’ and then the drums started and everyone started singing. They motioned for me to get the dancing started and me and Christiana started to dance. I motioned for everyone to come up and we soon had the whole church on their feet at the front doing their traditional dance. It was a sight to see. After lunch Christiana, James and I went on a mad hunt for tomatoes and some yam all over the villages. I was in desperate need of my new favorite food fried yam and pepe, but we were unsuccessful. It was fun adventures though and we got to talk to lots of people. One lady said she had sent me over some bananas last week as a gift and people told her I had gone to Kumasi. I thought that was so sweet. People were calling out Akua and it made me feel at home again. The language up north is so much harder than Twi and even though I have complained about Twi being difficult I told my Twi teacher today that I was so thankful to come back to the land of Twi because it truly is easier than other languages here in Ghana. Which brings me to the main point of this blog, my trip north to Lawra. I have journaled while away this week and just thought I’d share some of those entries with you.

Ok so today I began my big journey up north. We loaded up at about 7:30 and put 10 people in the tro-tro with us, which made it very packed. I was sick almost the whole time due to my wonderful disease of car sickness. The scenery was beautiful. It looked like an African movie. It was so typical of how everyone views how Africa might look. We made a few stops along the way to meet a Methodist Bishop and to buy groceries. The road was much better than I thought but much longer as well. We had really good conversation in the car and I was wishing I wasn’t so sick so that I could enjoy it more. When we got here (Lawra) the orphans were out singing and John was playing the drum. It was the warmest welcome I have ever received. The Esofu Mami actually picked me up off the ground when she greeted me. I was so surprised lol but turned right around and tried to pick her up and to my embarrassment did not succeed. We did all the formal greetings then went over to view the nutrition center where the children usually hang out and they followed us as they continued to sing. They were precious. On our way to eat I strapped a baby to my back for the first time and started walking.

I was a little scared to drop him and I noticed he didn’t have a diaper on so I was a little anxious about how that all worked since the kid was only a few months old. He started crying some and we were about to eat so I moved him to my front and tried to comfort him.

He rewarded my efforts by urinating all over my lap. It was amazing! Lol I just kept right on going like nothing had happened. It was completely hilarious. We ate some white hard pasty substance in some kind of leafy stew with guinea fowl and mango. It was interesting. After dinner we went to a church service where they do a dance that I don’t know if I could ever get. You have to move your bottom and top in different ways and it was a little too complicated for me but of course I tried it and probably looked silly but as I sat down kids followed me and sat on my lap.

I love it! We sang and danced often and children held onto our hands desperate for attention and love and we were more than willing to give it. We came to our guest house which is quite nice and are settling in for the night. I cannot wait to play and minister with the children tomorrow.

Today has started out interesting. This morning after breakfast we went over to the Aids part of the compound where any child or adult that has aids lives. They wanted us to speak to them and some of them had travelled far to come and have us pray for them believing in faith that they would be healed. It was amazing to see their faith. Esofu Nicole, one of the missionaries to Ghana, spoke very well about how Jesus does not hold people’s sins over their heads to punish them but that He loves everyone and is a very forgiving God. When she went around touching the ‘untouchables’ I was shaken to the core at the power of that and the imagery of Jesus she was showing and the Agape love she was representing. After this very special time together the rest of the team left to get passport stuff done across the border and only Courtney and I stayed behind. We hung out with some of the kids at the orphanage and tried to feed a very young child peanut butter and water. It was very difficult with no bottle or baby spoon but we made it work. I met two boys named Sam and Nad who petted my hair and touched my skin.

We read books to them and they loved the pictures. We even got someone to interpret them into Degardi, the Northern language (which is extremely difficult by the way) and that was very cute to see. We saw a boy who has TB of the bones. He was 8 years old and looked like a 3-4 year old. He was very small and his face was a sad one. I wondered if he was in a lot of pain.

Courtney and I walked off to the market at Lawra to check it out since most of the kids were in school. There was a ton of campaigning going on since the Ghana election is upcoming and I got a picture with some of the campaigners for proof that I can’t get away from those kind of crazy people.

I got distracted by a daycare with many kids out front and went over to greet and hang out with the children who were out playing.

Courtney got held up with a mental person who ended up on her knees a couple of times to pray and every time Courtney would tell her that she had a friend named Hollie that she needed to catch up with the lady would either break out into a ‘Hallelujah’ or a ‘Holy’ song most of which seemed to be written on the spot.I could not stop laughing at the situation at the time but felt a little disturbed and a little bit like the disciples that were being followed around by someone claiming to serve Christ and be doing a good thing but really being possessed and causing a great distraction. We headed back to the orphanage as the kids were being let out of school and we played with the children, read more books and made all the girls necklaces and the boys bracelets.

I thought it was so cute how all the girls ears were pierced. It was very helpful though because everyone, boy and girl, had short hair cuts and wore a variety of clothing that was not necessarily gender matching. It was a very special time together and I was shocked just by the way they slept and what they called a kitchen and play area. It was so completely and utterly heart wrenching. I am blessed by these children however because their joy is so much in the middle of so little and they are intensely happy at just standing or sitting close to us. The ones that made me the saddest were the ones I didn’t see smile once the whole time I was there. What have they gone through in their short little lives? What have they already faced? What does their future look like? Will they ever have a reason to smile again? These questions flow through my head and I am begging God to take care of them. Give them a comfort only He can give and send someone to love and care for them in a tangible way.

I preached tonight. We had a little acting involved and it went very well. I talked about David and Goliath and how all of us have Goliaths in our lives. Be it sickness, disease, lack of food, financial difficulties… I talked about David’s faith and the power of our testimony. I talked about relying on God’s strength to overcome our giants and we prayed over many people. It was very good to hear testimonies at the end of how God had worked in people’s lives and I think it made everyone’s faith grow. After the service we went out the back of the church to pray over an area that sees a lot of demon activity in this village. The story was that a fetish priest or witch had sent a curse to this place and the demon would manifest himself in many different ways tormenting the people of this village and late at night a demonic crying would occur. We prayed against this and it was a very powerful time of casting this demon away and shutting up whoever sent the curse. I have been involved in much spiritual warfare since arriving in Ghana. Ghanaians are very open and aware of the spiritual realm and what is going on it. Many times I have felt the services were over the top and there was a lot of showing out and drama. This night however was very different. They were very serious about it and knew the power they had in the name of Jesus. There was no playing around and many prayed very powerful prayers and they sang very anointed and powerful songs. My faith was increased and I believe that this village is free of whatever curse has been placed on it and this spirit of Python has been cast out.

Once again today we have visited with the Aids patients and gone to speak at the house that many of them live.

A few of us bought strips of woven cloth from them, which they weave to make money for their livelihood and I even tried to use the machine they use to make the cloth.

I wasn’t very good at it. Again it was a very special time and we prayed for healing and protection for these people. As we were leaving they draped a piece of their cloth over us and it was a very special gift that we all loved.

We left part of the group behind which was hard and got on the road today. The children were there to see us off and I noticed the 5 year old little boy who danced at church in just a t shirt and underwear in a way of worship to God that would put most people to shame. I looked at the little boy with TB of the bones and wondered how long he would live and once again thought about his pain. I saw the little girl who never smiles and wondered what would happen with her and I looked at Sam…so full of life and energy and I hope that he stays like that forever and that nothing takes that away from him.

I am being touched and changed…seeing things I never imagined I’d see and going places I never thought I would ever be able to experience. Boy is it a bumpy ride!

P.S. I didn’t get sick on the way back! God is so good!

WEEKLY NEWS!!!

***Happy 4th of July***
We had such a good week this week. Michael, Rebecca and I got back from Kumasi on Monday evening (You can read about our adventures on Rebecca’s blog). On Tuesday the Ghanaians celebrated a holiday and many people were down at the lakeside and just having a nice relaxing day. We have travelled into many villages this week and opened up our hearts to the people and shared the love of Jesus. Many times I have found myself talking to people that have had a little too much to drink and just hugging them and sharing with them the adverse affects of what they are doing. They have been amazed that someone cares enough about them to do that and I am privileged to be Christ’s hands and feet to them. There is a local HOT drink that many people drink and is by far a leading killer here. It is different than drinks you might find in the states and its potency kills people quickly. Please pray that God will give these people hope beyond this drink.
On July 4th the only Americans on the compound, since the Jernigans are away, were Rebecca and I and we wanted to have a celebration picnic. Our housemate Louise has never celebrated 4th of July before since she does live in Northern Ireland but we quickly got her into the party spirit and made her join along.

Later I asked her what her favorite 4th of July was and she said uh…this one.

I thought that was so sweet. There were 30 workers working on the clinic in the heat and fierce sun so I thought it would be a special treat to have a feast with them. I walked into the villages the night before and ordered coca colas for everyone and gari and beans along with bread so that we could have a special lunch together.

The next day I prepared in the morning for our lunch and when it was time for break we carried our treasures up the hill to serve and eat with the guys.

When we told them what we were celebrating they lifted their drinks and food and clapped and celebrated with us.

It was one of the most special times we have had here and to see their excitement that we would want to share this with them and would offer such a big treat for them was very good to see.

They thanked us profusely and every time I go into a village I have heard people talking about it or thanking us once again for the blessing it was to them.
Yesterday I went to my first funeral.

I have heard how big it is in the Ghanaian culture to attend funerals but what I encountered was more than I ever imagined. Everyone wears black except those in high positions or those close to the family who are also allowed to wear red. I had seen people walking past the clinic grounds all day but when I arrived in my black skirt and top with my black sandals I was overwhelmed to see over 1,000 people lingering about, sitting and greeting the necessary people.

I of course stuck out like a sore thumb being the ONLY obruni in the midst of all these obibinis. I was surprised at how many people I recognized from all the surrounding villages and went around making my greetings to these people in the midst of what seemed to be a massive party unlike I had ever been before. I went through the line to say hi to Georgina, who is a nurse at the clinic and now a widow thanks to the local hot drink I have been told. I greeted my friends the chiefs of Atafram and Ancaase. I stuck around the clinic group of about 15 and we were escorted to Georgina’s house to have minerals(coca cola). When we returned to the funeral, a song that the clinic people had chosen to have dedicated to Georgina came on over the loudspeakers and all the workers stood to go dance in mourning with Georgina. Of course I was more than willing to go with the crowd and dance my sandals off. After this, my friend Ebenezer went and asked the chiefs if I could have my picture taken with them knowing that would be something I would want and they of course obliged me once again. Oh yes, my friend the chief of Atafram informed me today as I passed his house that his present wife was fine with him marrying an Obruni because she might come with money for the family. I wonder if I should tell him about my student loans.
Well I wanted to give you guys an update on this week and let you know that God is working and He is actually using me as a tool! How awesome is that!

Pray for me this week! I travel tomorrow to Kumasi to meet up with the rest of the team that came with us from the U.S. and then we travel north to an orphanage in Lawra. I will stay there this week to work in this orphanage and plan to have a baby strapped to my back and a baby in my arms most of the time since I’ve heard they mostly just lay on the ground due to the lack of staff. I’m nervous about going and the feelings I will feel but I just want to show God’s love and do the best I can. I will bring plenty of pictures and news on this next week. I wanted to let you know that I will not be able to have access to internet at this time but I will update you when I get back.
Thank you for your prayers and emails of support. God is working through you and into me to do the work here and I am truly blessed to have people like you in my life.
Still living TheAfricanDream!

Lakeside

It didn’t take me long to realize that my favorite place to adventure out into was going to be the lakeside. The first time I saw the lakeside was in Ancase. The lakeside there is spread out and many people go there for washing clothes and dishes and for taking baths. I didn’t stay long that day but not long after decided to travel by myself down to the lakeside in Amakom. The first day that I decided to go I was going for the purpose of getting away with God and writing some and of course checking out the lake. It is quite a hike to get down to the lake. There is a very narrow path through the bush and I have to admit that the first time I went down I was a nervous wreck thinking I was going to run into a python at any minute. When I came out the other side and arrived at the lakeside this is what I saw.
The wind was blowing some, which is always a good thing, and it was so peaceful and serene. I thought wow! This is perfect! I finished my writing and praying and was just sitting on the dock soaking in the privacy and the sun when I see a fisherman coming up on literally half a log and he was paddling with broken bowls. He was smiling and I was like oh my what now lol. He started indicating to me through hand motions and his broken English that he had been out on the water all day and needed some food. I told him I didn’t have any but he was pretty persistent so I went poking through my bag to see if I had anything that I could offer him. I found a beaten up granola bar, probably leftovers from the flight over, and handed it over to him. He was very thankful and showed me the fish that he had caught. He had travelled from Dompa which is a village across the lake and he paddles steady for 45 minutes on this log to get to his nets and fish for the day. After a few minutes of talking to him I saw other fishermen paddling towards us and then rain pouring down. Thankfully there is a boat dock at Amakom lakeside so I sat under the covering of the boat dock and was quickly joined by TEN fishermen. Yes I said TEN! I and my ten new friends sat under the boat dock for over an hour while it poured, talking, or trying to, laughing and having good fellowship. When the rain dissipated I stood up to go with the two fish that I had been given in tow. I didn’t really know what to do with such small fish but I quickly found help and began the process of scaling, gutting and frying up these little fish that are actually very tasty.

I decided to go back to the lake just a day or two later. As I was walking down the hill I saw Obibini’s running up the hill shouting Obruni and I had a little entourage follow me to the lake. About fifteen children were sitting inches from me, jumping and splashing about in the water and loving to try their English out on me and teach me some Twi.

I decided to hike up my skirt and get in the water with them. We splashed around and took funny pictures.

They couldn’t get enough of themselves on the camera and if they thought someone had more pictures than they did they would quickly let me know that was not ok. As we were playing, one of my Dompa friends came up and strung up six fish for me and would not take payment for them.

That is the equivalent of about $1.20 in the US and a very big deal here. Especially since I knew from our previous encounter that this man had two ex-wives and eight children to care for.

Besides the fact that my last encounter cleaning and preparing the fish was not the best experience I’ve ever had.

My roommates of course laughed at me and my antics once again as I walked up with my six fish. I could not for the life of me kill them so I had to leave them in the sink and leave the house for a bit until they died which everyone said was really horrible of me.

Yesterday I took my roommate Rebecca to the lake. The children of course saw us coming down the hill and started running up the hill crying out Obruni! Obruni!

They followed us to the lake and this time we discovered we had about 35 children with us and fortunately I had come a little better prepared. I had brought some yarn and beads to make the girls necklaces! Oh my you should have seen the excitement that it brought.

The boys of course went to great lengths to pretend to be a girl, most of which I cannot divulge here, but I quickly shooed them away to keep swimming so that we could have this precious time with only the girls. They loved their necklaces and made sure to count seven beads on each necklace to make it fair. Here are the girls and their necklaces. So sweet and precious they were. All the children were asking for cash and toffees which have been given to them before but we want to offer them something that is longer lasting and amazingly they are ok with that. On our way to the lake I started hearing some of the children sing some of the songs I had sang with them before and we began singing them at random points throughout the day and telling them Jesus loves them and the importance of the number seven as it relates to Jesus and creation. It became a very precious time with them and it was hard to pull myself away when it was time to go. They grabbed my stuff and walked it all the way back up the hill. Rebecca’s and my hands were grasping little Obibini hands and people just smiled at us as we walked with our little entourage up the hill. As I was walking up to the house I thought about the gift the lake has been. Sitting amongst little children, learning Twi from fishermen and sharing the love of Jesus in a place that is more beautiful than words can explain.

Yes the lakeside is one of my favorite spots.

So last night right after dinner I needed to see the sunset lakeside again, so I travelled the mile to the Ancase lakeside and chatted with people on the way and enjoyed the beauty of the sunset. It was definitely worth it!

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.