Project 52: TWENTY-EIGHT

I've been wanting to write and post this for a week now, but I had to get permission to share the pictures of the kids. :)

How was my trip to Ghana, you ask?

Difficult, rewarding, exhausting, fulfilling...

It was difficult. I was away from my boys for too long.

It was rewarding. I loved hearing my name shouted incredulously as I walked up the hill to the school. I loved seeing how "my kids" have all grown up in the past two years! I loved seeing how the teachers have grown in their practices...and how there's still more work to do. I love knowing that we're bringing valuable training to the teachers of the school.

It was exhausting. Four total days of travel for six days of being there is just tiring! God blessed me in so many ways on my journey, though. So many prayers for my physical well-being were answered. Yes, I was sick the day before my trip home and the day I got home, but not on the plane. I was able to wean Garrett and had no problems in Ghana. Praise the Lord.

It was fulfilling. I was able to spend time with my cousin on his birthday. I baked him his traditional birthday cake and carried presents over from his family. I love that my purpose there was not only for the kids and teachers, but for my family as well.

David has established relationships with several of the Ghanaian families. I cherish the memories of these kids flying into David's arms as we walked to the beach.

Any time David brings out his guitar is a treat. He's a talented one, that's for sure!

Sure, it was a "short term mission trip" in a way, but to me, it's a long term/long distance relationship. Eric and I will continue to go and take our family to Ghana to see our brothers and sisters and sons and daughters there.

pretty, right?

As long as I'm still somewhat in tune with teaching, I will continue to help out the Staff Development Training that our group does every year. I will continue to work with amazing teachers like Bridget, whose cabinet wouldn't open when I was observing her math class. She had no manipulatives for the division lesson she had prepared. When she (and the kids) gave up trying to open the lock (that has worked countless times before), her dry erase marker that she borrowed from next door failed as well. Discouraged, but not giving up, she went to get another marker. Meanwhile, this little boy in the front opened up his backpack and pulled out all these bottle caps to use as manipulatives. Every division scenario she wrote on the board (and drew pictures of!), he figured out with his bottle caps. The other kids worked hard to mimic what Bridget was drawing. She never gave up.

I will continue to write to Francis and Bethel who serve the boarders at Hope Academy. They have two precious twin boys who are just over a year old. I would spend time with them when I missed Garrett. I can't wait for Garrett to meet them one day!

I will continue to play ampe with the girls (who are using their t-shirts as pretend hair!). I will continue to laugh and play and enjoy these children, who are just like any other children in the world - curious, entertaining, fun, hard-working, and joyful.

I hope to continue to visit Juliet and Rexford, house parents of the Marita Barnett House, who have recently gone through many changes in their home. 

I will continue to see this young boy grow into a young man. I will continue to encourage him to write to one of my former students, since they share the same unique name.

I will continue to respect and value the chores the kids do at the village. I will teach Garrett that their chores are just like our chores, but they are carried out in different ways. We will not feel sorry for the kids there at all, but we will love them AND their culture. As they strive to make the wonderful country of Ghana a better place, we will strive to make the USA a better place as well.

I will continue to visit and support our "son" in his schooling. He got a late start, but he's working so hard to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity the Village of Hope has given him.

I will continue to talk with my "daughters" and encourage them. I will continue to write to them and save their letters to me.

I went back for them. I don't know when our family will be able to return again, so this year was the best time to make another trip to Ghana to see our beloved family at the Village of Hope.

How was my trip to Ghana, you ask?