Monday, December 27, 2010

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

The building on the land! This is looking through to the library and resource rooms. The Lord has blessed this ministry so much to have the building built this far in just a year.




Sorry, the picture is blurred but it is of the kids at the end. They did an amazing job.










The kids are getting ready to perform!



Merry Christmas or Afrishipa(spelling?) in twi! This is a little after Christmas but it is still the holiday time so lets continue to celebrate!


After returning from the village, the Volta, and surviving Christmas with all the kids(see below), my next project was the Christmas play at Auntie Jeans. Brittany and I ventured up there on Monday to help out which at that point still needed a lot of work before Friday. The kids were working hard despite the hard rain that postponed a lot of our practice. Since English is not their first language, they have to learn all the pronunciations so they sound clear and we can understand it. Noone expects these village children to be able to speak well in English but they work so hard to prove everyone wrong.


I must give a shoutout to Brittany who unfortunately left on Tuesday, a week ago. I am so thankful she was able to come and bless so many in Ghana. She came in and embraced the culture right away as this helped the people embrace her. The children loved her in the village and were sad to see her go. People were shock that she was able to learn so much Twi in a short span of 2 1/2 weeks! It was so fun to share Ghana with her as we are similar in personality and love to pour out to the children. We were able to see and do a lot in just a short amount of time. Most importantly, we were able to build each other up in the truths of Christ and I really needed that from a sister in Christ. Please pray for Brittany and her adjustment back to America along with processing what she has learned and experienced here.


Alright, so I spent the rest of the week at Auntie Jeans rehearsing for the Christmas Program. The kids were kept until 7:30 at night and by that time you can imagine they were tired, hungry, and done! Oh I love children at this breaking point! They worked extremely hard though and by the time of the program, they were ready.


On Christmas Eve, the day of the program, it was my job to set everything up at the venue before everyone arrived. It rained in the afternoon but this was welcomed as it was early enough in the day and I pretended it was my snow showers. You know, a girl can dream! Anyways, by the time the show, should have started, they were just setting up the sound system and decorating the stage. I read a book once about hot and cold climate cultures. They said in an African village, which is obviously a hot climate culture, if a wedding says it starts at 2, they don't start setting up until 2. Well, I definitely live in a hot climate culture and that is definitely true here. I am starting to embrace it though since their is nothing I can do about it! So if you invite me to something this summer tell me an earlier time or I will be extremely late. Anyways, the program started just an hour late and although it was kind of insane and kind of unorganized, it worked and most importantly the gospel was given.
While rushing around during the program fixing the powerpoint, getting kids on stage, and figuring out who needed the microphones; a realization came to me. All these beautiful children in a village tucked up on a hill, reminded me of the Little Town of Bethlehem where our Savior was born. He was tucked away behind the main crowd of people in a lowly stable. These children are looked down upon by most that they cannot function as well as the rest of the world but yet they have the Love of Christ and live a life trusting in Him. The center where we had the event, overlooked the city with twinkling lights. It really was like our own Bethlethem. Christ came to earth not in a grand entrance but only welcomed by barn animals and shepherds. I love this truth as it shows that God came for all people and not just to royalty. It is the same with these children. They do not have much at all, but Christ loves them and they truly love Christ and truth in Him as they have nothing else. What a blessing it has been to learn from these children and see their JOY for life without much materialistic things. God was definitely present for the Christmas program and the children will have the memories to last a lifetime.
On Christmas day, we made the trek down to the land which looks a lot different than last summer as it now has a partial building in it. Last year we were praying that the building will start and this year we were praising the Lord for answering our prayers. How amazing! There is still a lot of work to be done, but progress is being done and God willing by next August, Children of the Light will be moved in. When looking back in a year, God works wonders in such a short amount of time. At the moment, it is hard to see that but when you look at the big picture, you realize how much obviously the Lord works as He can move Mountains!
I traveled back to Accra on a trotro which is always fascinating on Christmas Day. At home during a typical Christmas, I sit in the comfort of my home with my family, smelling the fresh evergreen and listening to Christmas classics while wearing my pajamas and sipping hot tea. Oh the life. However, this is not the typical scene in Ghana as the people I passed were still chipping away on rocks, selling products in the market, and driving taxis. Life does not stop for a majority of Ghanaians on Christmas because they can't affordto take time off of working as they simplydo not have the means. This is always a real eye opener for me as people here do not have the luxury of taking a rest like we do. Life is about working to supply them for the day and then they must work the next day again to survive that day. It is just a different world. Please pray for the people of Ghana and otheres would by open to helping them
Merry Christmas. and a Happy New Year!

picture from Christmas with Kids Club

I know I look weird but we are praising the Lord through song, I promise!

Once we finally got all the kids to sit, well except for the ones by Brittany jumping on each other, we acted out the Christmas story with some of the kids. With that many, it was hard to get all of them to listen but we did our best. God's message was preached so that is the most important thing.


Look at them all! Aren't they precious? The line just keeps on going. There are still more to the right of this picture and sitting opposite of them. Thank goodness that God provided and we could be in contact with 84 kids. Even though it was a lot, God sent us a blessing and I must be thankful.
All the kids, including myself watched Charlie Brown Christmas that was projected onto the wall. The kids looked pretty entertained, fixiated on it at least as this is a treat for them. I think I will have to have more movie nights. It calmed them down at least.



84 what?

So a week ago from Sunday, we had our second annual Christmas Party for the kids on the street. I told the kids we would have a Christmas Party so they were expecting something. I decided to play it calmer this year and only serve them cake and popcorn. I tried to make extras but that obviously wasn't enough as Brittany and I had 84 kids at the house. I am not sure where they all came from, from the cracks in the sand or something. When Brittany told me that number, I said, 84 what? I don't get it because I didn't believe that could be the number of kids. So, we were running out of things to give them as you can imagine but God provided. Brittany said afterwards that we should have prayed over it like the fish and bread, God does work miracles. The younger kids just didn't get as much as the older ones but they survived. We sang songs, tried to give the Christmas story while acting it out and then watched a Charlie Brown Christmas which does tell the true meaning of Christmas which was projected on the wall in my compound. The kids didn't understand the movie as well but they enjoyed watching something. Even though the evening was crazy, the kids behaved themselves pretty well and seemed appreciative of what we could give. For days later, they would come out of their houses shouting, "Sister Christy, hello." Daniel said the parents appreciate our efforts but they would never come and tell me that. That is just part of the culture. It is funny that they would just allow their kids to come to an obruni house without even knowing us but they figure we can't be too bad if we are singing Hallelu, Hallelu, at the top of our lungs and reading God's word. Please pray for these kids as they try to learn in the public school district which isn't easy to do here. Pray that I can help teach some of them their alphabet and the letter sounds as they just rote memorize it at school. These children are precious and deserve the best.



Thank you to those who donated money for kids club or just the general fund so it was possible for me to buy the needed supplies to make this event happen. I guess I will have to plan for 150 next time! God is good and sovereign and as it says in the Bible, let the little children come unto me. I pray I never turn down a child or never get irritated to not spend time with them because they are truly precious in his sight.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Have a Seat, Connect the Mosquito Bites, and Laughter equals beautiful smiles

This picture is out of order but this is in the village which I have visited before. The kids just found out that they were receiving cups and candy from us and this was their reaction. Isn't beautiful? I wish all kids were as satisfied as these. The whole classroom erupted in cheering. These children do not receive much being so far away from the town so this was a huge surprise for them.




This is Brittany in the village(explain below) looking a little knife happy! The kids were teaching her how to make a broom. You would all be so proud of me! A lady in the village invited us over for dinner consisting of fufu(pound of casava and plantain) which you dip in soup with your fingers and swallow it without chewing. This was a challenge for me but I did it. You can tell we are all enjoying ourselves with the kids, goats, dogs, and chickens running around somewhere.





This is probably my favorite picture as the kid holding the knife is 1. We were sitting where the picture was taken above and just watching him with the knife as the mom and all the kids were just watching from afar and laughing. Just a different world!







We made crowns on the last day for baby Jesus with the little ones who learned how to use scissors for the first time. Brittany was wondering how the kids would keep the crowns on their head since they were too small but then we remembered that we are in Africa and they can keep things on their heads without any problem!







We made nativity scenes out of triangles with the older kids. They turned out cute and the kids were happy to make a craft.

















These are kind of out of order but this is in village that I went to last year as well, Apeboso. We helped the older kids learn an easy Christmas program in 2 days! God does work miracles! You will see in the pictures below that we used parts of the palm tree for angel leaves and head bands. There are so many uses for the palm tree and these people are so resourceful in knowing how to make the most of what they have instead of the American culture where we throw away everything.










This is Praise, Christine's little boy with his angel wings. He is full of energy but has a great heart.
Brittany is busy tying on angel wings and making sheep ears while everyone else wants to join in also. These children have not been exposed to a lot but they have sweet spirits and love experiencing new things.











Oops, the picture is sideways but this is Christine and I in the Rainforest! Yes, a genuine rainforest which is right next to the village. I hope you can tell that they are leaves shaped in the form of heart sto represent our heart for Africa!













Oops, sideways again. When we were in town with Christine, we put up Christmas decorations which was a blast since I haven't done that in awhile. These are all the kids that Christine and Kirk are taking care of in the town so they can have a better education. If you can't tell, we are pretending to be cold although we are really sweating! I feel like part of the family here!













Brittany had already been here a week when we took our first adventerous trip to Christine's house about 5 hours away. We were suppose to leave the house at 4:15 a.m. but I mistakenly woke up at 4:30 in a panic! Fortunately when we arrived, the bud had not left yet and in fact it was only 1/3 of the way full. This game of waiting lasted 3 hours with 5 hours of driving time on top of that! Oh happy day in Ghana! A saying I have noticed is applicable to most situtations in Ghana is have a seat. They are always telling me to have a seat when I am waiting for someone even though I prefer to stand. this says a lot about the culture as they want you to be comfortable but also because they know it will take awhile for anything to happen. I will say that God is teaching me a lot of patience! While we were waiting, I entertained the other passengers on the bus but exhausint my repertoire of twi phrases. When every least seat was taken the passengers yelled, "Acuia, pray for us." Acuia mean Wednesday born as this is important in the Ghanaian culture. I was a little confused at first but Brittany told me that they really wanted me to pray for their trip. I then went on to pray for Ghana and safe traveling which we don't take lightly here! The Ghanaians all in unison shouted amen and we were officially on our way! Brittany and I pretty much dozed in and out of consciousness the grueling 5 hour but ride. Thankfully, the light at the end of the tunnel came and it was worth the hassle as I was able to spend time with Brittnay in village life and hear sound advice from Christine, who has been a missionary in Ghana with her hustband for 16 years. We spent the rest of the evening playing uno with Christine's girls and listening to many of Christine's stories. This is how life should be, relaxed and not gated in seclusively but among the Ghanaian people.




Sundays are typically hard days for me in Ghana as it reminds me of missing home. This happened today especially as Christmas is approaching. However, God is sovereign and decreases my fears and insecurities. One of the songs we sang talked about, "It's you I live for Everyday" This was a great reminder as it is Christ and Christ and alone that I want to live for everyday. I must make it a priority to think of Him first everyday and devote my daily life to taking up my cross and following Him. After church we spent the afternoon "making Christmas." I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this as I haven't decorated in two years. I made cookies with one of the girls from the villlage who now goes to school in town. We even wore aprons and hats although mine was too small. Ophelia is quite the Betty Crocker. During this ime, we put out a small Christmas tree with ornaments and taught the girls how to make snowflaks while tryin to explain to them that a snowflake was. Brittany had betterluck than I did. We spent the rest of the evening playing games while Praise and the girls decorate cookies while we played games. love life here bcause we just live for how it is and give the children they care for the dearest, the best experience possible I a not stck in my nice home with four walls and a guard. This is whee I feel at homeand in my comfort zone. I did hve a choice to come next year to stay with Christine bt I feel that I am not finised at AIS yet. However, it s so har being here knowing I can't do anyhing long term to help these chldren at the moment. Some of the teachers are not even teachers while others have over fifty kids in a room. How will they ever learn in this type of environment? God will bing me to the next step of my journey i due time and I mut b faithful to His timing.




Monday, finally arrived where we were greeted with man smiling faces in the village, Apeboso. It as so amazing to see familiar children who permate he town of Ape. As always, they came running when they hear Christine's car nd as always they bring in the multitude of supplies like little working ants. They love to help and enjoy any interaction we have with them as everything is a new experience for them. You must understand, that a lot of them have not even seen a paved road before or a movie so they take everything with wide eyes and a thankful heart. The kids attached on to Brittay right away as she taught them new songs.


When we arrived at Christine's, she told us that we were going to help the children put on a Christmas play that they would perform in town for her church in town. Most people in town think the kids in the village are backwards so she really wanted the to shine for this Christmas program to show them all that they are capable also. The kids in the village are better off as they are self sufficient with their farms and can take care of themselves unlike the towns people who rely on the goods of the village peope to survive. Anyways, Christine gave us a small children's poem of the birth of Christ so we had one child ead it while he other children acted it out. I will admit it that it was difficult at times to get them to understand our directions but they worked hard and by God's grace produced a fantastic play. It took many rehearsals but the kids enjoyed working hard to accomplish a goal. One day, I told them we would rehearse two more times and then play games. Once we fnished two times, I asked them and they all said they wanted to keep rehearsing! What a differet world we were in as the kids loved to work hard.
On the first day, Brittany surprisingly taught the KG, 1,2, and class 3 class all together where the little ones didn't know any English. They did have a teacher but she didn't teach them anything and just stood there as Brittany scrambled around to figure out what to teach so many children at many different levels. That is teaching on the whim 101.
On the second afternoon, we went into the Rainforest which is in the backyard of the village. Yes, a real, certified Rainforest complete with exotic plants, vines winding around like a jungle gym, and trees you normally make expensive furniture out of. God is so good to produce amazing wonders like the Rainforest which produces so many rich resources for us and is pleasing for our eyes to gaze at.
By Wednesday, the kids had produced an amazing play which they performed for the people of the village. They even got down swaying at the same time during "Joy to the World" which believe me was no small feat. The kids are so resourceful compared to kids in our culture as they made all of their costumes out of palm branches. Who knew there were so many uses for a palm branch? They made angel wings, headbands, you named it and they looked amazing. The kids were so proud of themselves as they accomplished a goal and achieved it. These kids don't have much but they understand the importance of working hard for goals and I am so proud of them for that.
One of my most memorable evenings was when we went to a lady's house in the village and helped her make dinner. Brittany got to pound the fufu, which ends up in a gooey ball like bread dough. Then came the best part, eating it! For those of you who know me, you know that I love eating new and exotic foods! Alright, I am a picky eater and it was difficult for me to do this but it was more important to eat in fellowship than anything else we could do for them. With fufu, you don't chew it, but just swallow it. You put it in soup with fish and other meats. I have been avoiding it since I have been here but I did it and will say that well I really don't want to eat it again. To eat it, you put some in your fingers, dip it in the soup, and anchors away, in the mouth with one large swallow. Yummy! THe fufu doesn't taste like anything, just whatever the soup is. There was fish in the soup and Igues goat meat but I stayed away from the fish. I tried to take small bites but the lady kept saying "didi" which is eat. The other part of eating this is you eat all from the same dish, so Brittany, myself, and the lady with her youngest child all ate together with the rest of the children eating all around us plus the goats, chickens, and dogs. One big old happy family! I even found a gnat in one of my almost bites. but good thing I checked first. This is what life is all about in Ghana, reaching out to people and getting to know them on their level in their setting. Even though I became pretty disgusted, we made her evening and that is what it is all about. Christine and all the kids are like a second family to me. I feel at home there and pray that maybe I will have a place there in God's timing although AIS is home for now.
Oh for the title: One day I am going to write a book about Ghana and it will be called, "Have a Seat" as for some reason the Ghanaian people don't like it when we stand when we are waiting for something. "Have a seat," Have a seat" that is all we hear. For some reason they don't think obrunis can handle standing for a long time. Well, really it just shows how hospitable everyone is and the laid back mentality. You might as well take a seat because you don't know how long it will be until the people show up. You got to love Ghana!
We were in the village, we were eaten alive from mosquito bites. It would have been a fun to connect the bites, make a pretty design! Both of us didn't take malaria pills so pray we don't get anything!
Last one; the kids in the village don't know how to smile for a picture, so when you say 1, 2, 3, they have to laugh. It is hilarious watching them all laugh as you take their picture. I love them so much.
Sorry for reading this super long blog!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Early Christmas Present

Brittany, myself, Faith, and Kim at the beach with the high schoolers after teaching at Pram Pram. Yes, windy but beautiful! My beautiful kids performing at the Christmas concert. I was so poud of them!

Myself and two of the students before the concert. The boy looks thrilled to be in the picture with me right? The girl is to busy coloring! Oh well! They are all so unique and I can't believe a semester has already gone by with them. I miss them already and can't wait to teach again(did I really say that?) as I am forgetting how to teach!


These are all of my kids on the last day before Christmas break with their flat people.



Brittany and I on Brittany's first trotro ride. The first of plenty of other trotro rides!




This present wasn't late due to the postal service or Ghana issues. This present arrived on time and couldn't have come a minute sooner. Alright I won't keep you guessing any longer. My friend Brittany from college came to visit and we are enjoying each moment together! She arrived last Saturday in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas program. When I went to pick her up, I got a taxi out of the airport because I knew it would be cheaper. Then I had him wait for us. However, Brittany's plane was a little late and by the time we got outside, the driver was gone. It was definitely not what I needed at the moment as I had to get to the Christmas program but a great welcome of Ghanian culture! The security guard found us one but then a huge argumet broke out which we could not understand. Supposedly our taxi driver was illegal and they would not let him out of the airport. As they continued arguing, I grew impatient as I had somewhere to be and this was not leaving a great impression on Brittany. As always, God answers prayers and takes care of us in stressful situations. As we were arguing with the taxi and the airport security while trying to take our luggage out, a family from the school saw us who were just dropping off a friend at the airport. The girl plays soccer so I know her pretty well. Thankfully, they stopped and offered us a ride home. What a blessing as God is faithful in his timing! How can we never praise God when he makes stressful times disappear in such a huge way as that was certainly not a coincidence. Needless to say, we rushed home and quickly got read so we could leave for the Christmas program. The program was where we normally have it although we couldn't use te larger room so we were crammed into a smaller one. My kids had to sit outside and wait for their turn but luckily I brought papers for them to color! You always have to be one step ahead of them! Despite the crowdedness of the event, God's message of sending his son as a baby to die for our sins was beautifully presented. I just pray that all of the families present thought about this message a little deeper as it is my prayers that everyone will come to the realization that Christ is the true meaning of life and is the only Savior of the World.
Well, I didn't give Brittany anytime to rest as we went to Pram Pram the very next day where we lead Sunday School at the Children's home once a week. I love this place so much as the children are so sweet and they worship the Lord with all their might. Voices are lifted up to the Lord and dance joyfully infront of the Lord. The high schoolers that went with us did a good job presenting the Christmas story to the kids and we spent the rest of the time making a nativity scene. It was fun to watch our high schoolers getting down at the kids level and coloring with him. It is such an unique opportunity for our AIS kids to put theirselves aside and reach out to love on kids who are relly a blessing from God and really need personal love. Brittany of course attached right onto the kids and they loved her right back as they gave her a bracelet they had made. It was so fun having Brittany here as we both have a passion for children and Africa.
Brittany was a real trooper as I had my last week of school. I can't believe the first semester is already finished! I have taught for three semesters and I still have no idea how I know what to teach everyday but I do know that the Lord sustains me and gives me the knowledge and stength to engage these developing minds. Praise the Lord for his direction! It was a fun week with the kids as we did activities geared towards Christmas although I still made them work quite a bit. I know, what a Scrooge I am but I think I blended work and play in together. I had been wanting to read Flat Stanley and do an activity with it but I had to do it in forward motion as it came a week before our break. Flat Stanley is about a boy who gets flattened by his bulletin board and even mails himself to friends house because it is cheaper than a plane ticket. The kids had a good time reading this book and we even made our on Flat People. The students are required to take them on holiday with them and take pictures of all of their travels together. They are also suppose to journal about these times. I pray that the students to this assignment as it will be fun to see the creativity and imagination of what their "flat people" did over Christmas. I loved watching the kids make their flat people as they all showed themselves in different ways. We had very large flat people to very smal and skinny people with extremely long legs. Each one of my kids is very unique and I love them to express their own personality through their work. It was a blessed week especially having Brittany in the classroom as she was such a tremendous help with all the kids. I want to team teach with her! She also reminded me of the patience I need to have for each kid and to take the time to listen to each kid really get to know. It is hard sometimes to meet each kids need during a busy day but she gave me a renewed desire to pour into each child and offer them a listening ear whenever possible. I do love teaching in a Christian school where I can openly share about Christ and celebrate Christmas for the true reason. I got to share with my kids that we celebrate Christmas for God giving us the best gift his son, and the kids openly shared their desire to worship the King. I have kids with extremely strong faith at such an early age and they have remind me each day through their witness of the reason why I live and why I serve the might Savior.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thankul for the Cross

After being disappointed earlier in the day, we finally saw an elephant at Mole National Park. Keep reading to find out more.

An elephant bathing in the hot Africa sun. This is real and not part of Disney animitronics nor are there any fences around.
The town close to the park, Larabanga, supposedly has the oldest mosque and building in West Africa. This is an all Muslim community. I would love to stay and give them the hope of Jesus Christ!


A running bamboon actually in their normal habitat. In this area, there were at least 15 baboons living.



From left to write, Jimmy-HS teacher, Kim-middle school teacher, Meghann-KG teacher, me, and William our driver who got us to Mole in 12 hours. Yes, we were zooming even on the rough roads.




Oh the beauitful African sunset. There has to be a God after looking at this.





A typical mud hut village on the way to Mole. It is a lot more dry up here in the North and more poor as they don't have as many resources.






Happy Thanksgiving! My class, the Native Americans, brought popcorn and supplies to make pilgrim hats to First Grade. There are adorable.







The International Pilgrims.


















Today in devotions with the staff of AIS, I was reminded of where my focus should be as I must be most of all thankful for Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. The cross, not just wooden planks nailed together, but the symbol of our freedom in Christ for what we don't deserve. How many times do I actually stop and think about the cross and the pain that Christ endured for me. I mean I think about it but to actually THINK ABOUT IT. Do I live each moment in remembrance of what Jesus Christ did on the cross for me? I must honestly say that I don't. It is easy to take my focus off of him but he is the one that I need to stay focused on constantly. He suffered a horrible death for my personal sins and for that I must put my attention on Him and sing praises to His name by my actions, thoughts and deeds. Wednesday was such a wonderful day as we had Field Day at school. The students were broken up into teams where they competed in different competitions to earn points. I worked the steal the bacon game where students had to take a water balloon in the middle of the playing field without being tagged by the other students. It was fun interacting with students from all age levels and watching them cheer on their teammates ranging from 12th grade to Kindergarden. Who doesn't love a little friendly competition. The highlight of the day for me came at lunch time when we had a soccer match betweent he high school boys and the staff. I got to play against my soccer boys and what a joy that was! I played with the drivers, the PE teacher, and the cleaners at the school which of course are good since they are Ghanaian. Unfortunately, we lost 5-3 but I had the first goal for my team! I was a little disappointed with my soccer boys as they kept the ball up in the air even though it was a small field. However, I received plenty of bruises and even the ballmark on my leg so I was ecstatic. Remember, I haven't played soccer competitively for awhile so a little bit of action and pain makes me happy!
For Thanksgiving as you saw in the pictures, a couple of teachers and I decided to travel to Mole National Park in Northern Ghana to go see the elephants. Yes, wildlife actually exists in Ghana but not in Accra. So we embarked early Thursday morning to travel 12 hours up North. Yes, it was an extremely long day, especially on the rough roads but I was with close friends so the times passed somewhat quickly. Now, Ghana is the size of Oregon and Accra is all the way South but we didn't even travel all the way up to the North which would have been another 6 hours. Of course in America, it would have not taken 12 hours to travel the distance we went but in Ghanaian terms we did not do bad as William our driver was booking it! During the two hour stretch where we were bumping up and down, we started listing everything we were thankful for especially when we found out that we were running out of gas and of course there wasn't any gas stations around. Here are a few things that I am thankful for.
1. A God who loved me enough to have His son die on the cross for my sins. He is gracious and never forsakes me even when I may turn my back on Him. I am so thankful that God loves me even as a sinner but I am thankful for the opportunity to serve Him here in Ghana.
2. A school environment where I can openly express my faith in Christ and a class of crazy 2nd graders who share the love of Christ with their classmates.
3. The opporrtunity to have the Joy of the Lord and share it with all I encounter!
4. The support of my friends and family members back home who pray for me and encourage me. I love and miss you all but am so thankful for the roles you have played in my life to show Christ-like characteristics with me and Godly ways of living. I would not be the woman I am today without your help!
5. My parents who allow me to call them at 1 in the morning to wish them a Happy Day and who are always there during the tough times. They really show me how to live for God and bring my every need to my Creator.
6. The kids on the street who have a desire to learn and read. They really bring Joy to each day!
7. My friends here who allow listen to my woes and help me establish boundaries in my life. I am eternally grateful for them and thankful that they love me for who I am. It is such a blessing to have them in my life.
When you really take the time to think about it, there is so much to be thankful for, for the Lord is good and meets our needs.
On Friday, we went on a safari early in the morning in hopes of seeing an elephant. They hadn't seen an elephant for 5 days even though sometimes they see 30 at a time. We prayed hard so we were hoping today would be our day! Unfortunately, during our two hour walking trip, we didn't see an elephant although we saw baboons, antelopes, warthogs, and crocodiles. This was still amazing to see wild animals in their natural habitats but the main intent of our trip was to see elephants. The land here is very different from the land in Accra or surrounding it as here looks like the African plain/desert that you think of. It was a dry bush area with one main water hole in which the hotel looked down upon. After looking at wild animals and the land, how could be still not believe in God? God is good to create such a contrast in beauty all around the world. After the disappointment of not seeing an elephant, we went to the near by community to see the oldest Mosque and oldest building in West Africa. This was an interesting trip as this is an all Muslim community. When we arrived at the mosque, there were many people there restoring the front of the mosque well in Ghanaian standards. When the man showing us around approached, an uproar broke out as this man supposedly did not show up form communal labour to help with the Mosque. We were thrown into village community 101 but luckily William, the negotiator, helped ease the enrage from the workers at the mosque. It was an experience to be in such a rural community but it was hard standing there as a white person as there was so much need here. Yes, part of me wanted to stay to help in their school and lead them to the one true Savior but I know it wouldn't be safe to stay there on my own. There is so much need all over the place and I pray that the Lord shows me direction when the time comes. All I can do now is pray that the light of Christ begins to shine through this small village.
When we arrived back to the hotel, a park ranger excitedly told us that they had spotted an elephant and were waiting for us to get back here so he could take us down to it. Where else would they wait for you like this? Here was our change to finally see an elephant! We rushed back into the van and drove hurriedly to the watering hole where an elephant was bathing in the water. We were able to watch him spray water on himself and then run out of the water to eat in the trees since we kind of scared him. We then watched him cover himself in dirt as this keeps them cool in the hot midday sun. What a wonderful opportunity to see one of God's larger creations in the wild. Did you know that the elephant is the second fastest land mammal after the cheetah? I never knew! The elephant we saw was a stranger to the park rangers as this one was more timid to most and they did not recognize it. This was definitely God working even though it was just a chance to see an elephant. This situation reminded me again of who is in control of life. We did not see an elephant during the expected time that were were suppose to see an elephant but we eventually did see one. Thus, God's timing is perfect in everything even when seeing elephants. He reminded me that He is in control of every situation and he does answer prayers, even as pity as seeing elephants but in his timing and not our own. What an amazing God that we serve! I have a lot of growing to do to fully trust the perfect plan of Jesus Christ but I am learning to lean more on Him for strength and guidance as I obviously cannot survive on my own.
As we approach this Christmas holiday, I pray that you can take the time to really remember the cross and the sacrifices Christ came to first come as a human baby and then die on the cross for our sins. I will not be home again for Christmas but I will be praying for you this Christmas and please make a snow angel for me! Fortunately, my friend is coming in a week for two weeks and I am so excited to spend time with her as we visit a village and help with ministries. God is Good all the time. Please keep in contact!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Signed and at Peace

Afterward the game against Kinder Paradise, we had a lunch together. Although the meal was an hour late, got to love Ghana, we had a great time fellowshipping together.
Can you tell I am not happy? I am burnt just on the places on my face where I wrinkled it. Kind of funny but I have proof that I was not happy! Oh the joys of the coach.


Here is one of the chances we had of scoring but it never happened. We did play hard in the first half.

The girls got to play a game as well on the smaller field. If you notice closely at the other team(in yellow) soe of the girls are not wearing shoes. They are Ghanaian and tough, what more do you need to know?



These are the girls before the match in my old high school uniforms. They are all beautiful girls in the inside and out. They were excited to play as this was their first game as just a girl's team ever! We are making progress.




Yesterday we had our second soccer game of the season. We played Kinder Paradise which is the children's home we go to in Pram Pram. After a year of trying to set up a game, we finally hosted them at our field. Although the game was at 11 which of course is the heat of the day, noone was injured, just my players pride. We lost 6-0 which I didn't mind losing since they were better, but my kids didn't try at all second half. This did not make me happy as everyone should play the entire game no matter the score. Granite it was hot but that is still no excuse for not trying at all. Tomorrow before practice, I am going to show them all the pictures of them standing, maybe this will get the point across. I love coaching these kids although they need more discipline and need to learn how to work hard. It is hard being a coach as everyone wants to tell you how to play the game and do your job but I guess that is part of the job title. We have a lot to work on but we will keep working hard hopefully and I know make better improvements.
After the game, we all went back to the school for lunch. I had the cleaning ladies cook for me and I told them to have it ready by 12:30. We all came back to the school at 1:30 to find that it was not ready yet. They said it would be finished soon but I told them I needed it now since I had a lot of hungry kids. I became very American on them as I expected them to meet the deadline. However, to them it wasn't a big deal as it is finished when it is finished. However, when I am in charge of a lot of kids, it makes it difficult to go off the schedule. Even when I try to think of everything and plan it out, it still doesn't go according to plan, welcome to Ghana. A quote from a professor at Taylor, "We have the opportunity to be flexible" which is so true here. Getting worked up about situations does not change it so you just have to relax and wait although it is good to push the Ghanaians some and help them understand how importance of staying with a schedule. I see there way of living and I see ours as well. I guess there should be a happy medium somewhere. Despite all this, both teams ended up having a good time together and even played more soccer in our school complex. I don't know how they still had energy but they did. I know this relationship will continue to be strong.
So in random thought, I was on the way to school one morning and I got to the place where usually it is overgrown with weeds. We usually walk on the wall of the gutter which was necessary this day since it was flooded. I hopped on the wall and carefully walked across the crooked uneven bricks hoping not to fall into the open disgusting gutter. I then looked up to see a chicken coming towards me on the wall. The thought then occurred to me that I was playing chicken with a chicken.(just in case you don't know, chicken is a game where you try to push the other person off of a small wall, or into the water, or off of the blob if you are at camp). I don't know why I found this so humorous but at 6 a.m. I guess it doesn't take much. Don't worry, the chicken became a chicken and jumped off first before I had to. So that was a pretty big paragraph to explain something ridiculous but I hope you enjoyed! we must learn to take joy and humor in the little things of life, it definitely helps me let go of the big things and realize it doesn't matter.
Now to the title. A week ago, we received the letter of intent from our director, asking us to decide by December 7th if we were going to stay or leave next year. I knew this time was coming but it became real once I had the paper actually in my possession. I tend to rush into everything so I wanted to make sure I was not jumping into this decision without praying about it and listening to the Lord leading in my life. When thinking of next year, there is no other place I would rather be than here. I love Ghana and would love to be here for a long although not at the school forever. However, at this point, I have not finished my work at AIS, as I want to use the materials I have a little more since I finally have enough to teach with. I also couldn't leave the soccer kids knowing they might not have a coach next year. On Friday, Mr. Crosby reminded me that I still had the letter in my school box and I explained that I didn't want to lose it. I finally realized that I was just putting this decision off and I since I already know where my heart is, I should just making it official. So with that thought, I signed the paper Friday night declaring that I will be coming back to the school next year. I miss people in the states, especially my family and it is hard to be away but I feel that the Lord has me here for a reason and this is where I feel at peace. It is hard knowing what is the Lord's will and what is my own but I have been praying about this and know this is the right choice. Thank you to all those who support me through prayer and financially. With your support, I have been able to feel at home here and know that the Lord has me here for a reason, for such a time as this, just as he has everyone else at a certain place. God is good all the time. So here I will be for another year, one year at a time, as God has given us one day at a time and he never gives us more than we can handle. I will leave you with Psalms 146. I am so thankful that my confidence lies in the Lord and him alone!
Praise the Lord!
Let all that I am praise the Lord. 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. 5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. 7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. 9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem,[b] throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

God keeps his Promises

Last Sunday, we went to Pram Pram as our normal first Sunday of the month tradition. This time was a little different as we took high school students with us who are part of Community Service. This was great because then they planned the lesson and not us on the way there like usual. Actually, I was very proud of the high schoolers as they planned the lesson and the craft. They did the story on Noah and talked about his promise to never flood the earth again with water. This week, I have seen how God does keep his promises and reminds me repeatedly of this. How quickly we forget that He is in control and provides in suitable ways for us when it is His timing. However, back to the conversation of Pram Pram; it is really important for students to be involved in ministry and community service as it teaches them the imortance of sticking with commitments and taking initative. Some of the students jumped in their right away to help while we had to tell others to go help with the craft. As time goes on, I know they will be more comfortable in just taking the responsibility they see a need for and going with it. In addition to a God-centered morning through the joyful worship and then the story, the time with all the high schoolers was entertaining as they all have stories to shae about home life in school. No other school do you have the opportunity to come in contact with the students out of school in a healthy way without it being too weird. It really is a blessing as most of these kids do not have anyone else to talk to at home as their parents work all the time. These students are all so precious and just want a voice to be heard.

Yesterday(Saturday) we had a joyful occassion at school as we had a party for all of the workers who helped put up the building. Noone can believe that we added another floor to the school in just two months as everything takes forever in Ghana! We had painters sleeping in the school so the work would get finished. It certainly is a miracle but most importantly it is God working in His timing to provide for His children. We had over 30 families there which was really fun to watch the fathers interact with their children. The morning and afternoon were even complete with a bouncy castle, sidewalk chalk, a water fight, bubbles, and a random dance party which I think thrilled the teachers more than the kids but we are allowed to have fun too! These men are proud of their trade and their familiy and it is a privilege to know eaach one of them as they work so hard for this school since they see how God is working here. One of the students had been turned off to the bible and had never set foot in a church. This year he accepted Christ during a chapel and now loves to proclaim Christ's name! He asked Mrs. Crosby one day if it was important to proclaim Jesus' name. She said yes and he told her that he had a conversation with a little boy about God being the only one to constantly remain as everything else will pass away. He was excited that He was proclaiming the name of Jesus. For the first time this year, we have two Chinese students. They explained to the parents that the kids would have bible everyday. The mother said the she didn't believe in God but she didn't care if the child did. God is tugging at these students' hearts and He is winning the battles. It is such a blessing to witness God working in these students' lives but there are many more who are still hurting and don't see the need for Christ. Please pray that the staff will be committed to talking with the students and really taking the time to get to know them on a personal level so they see the need for a personal savior.

In exciting news, Laurie happen to have lunch with someone at the Embassy who gives grants to different American organizations. The administration met with this company on Friday and there is a good chance we will get a lot and I mean a lot of money to so we can actually build a school that actually functions as a school. After reading Esther, I have started to realize how God works for such a time as this and this is true again in this matter. We went from being stuck in this building forever to almost having land and the money to pay for it. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 63: 1-8

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Jesus is our Sheepdog

Team on three! I love our huddle of hands as each hand is unique and diverse. I love these players who come from all different backgrounds.
Half time talk. They look sharp in their uniforms which were my old ones from high school. We need to work on getting East Central off the back but other than that they look great! I had everyone and the guard or driver, literally trying to help with the game.


Well hopefully with my animation, they are getting the point. I don't think they are paying attention but I am trying!

Our lovely field is lined with Charcoal. My two guards did it for me. I am so blessed to have their help.








This is a random picture but it shows in the foreground one of my injured players, Mr Crosby the director who loves soccer and puts in his two thoughts, and one of my players who has a patch on his head because he scraped some of his hair off after falling on the rocks. Alright, it isn't the best playing conditions, I do miss the grass, but it works!






This is a picture of my kids getting ready for a corner kick against them. I like this picture because I ca tell who i marking and who isn't! A coach always has to analyze everything!
Some of you might be wondering about the title of this blog but don't worry I will explain it to you. We have been doing the sh sound in class this past week and one of our words was sheepdog. One of the girls automatically said Jesus is our Sheepdog, well I guess that works instead of Jesus as our Shepherd. I was telling them that a sheepdog protects the flock and rounds them up to take them from one place to another. That is exactly what Jesus does for us which makes sense in a 7 year old mind. Then one of my girls said Jesus takes us from our home here to our heavenly home. Amen! So there you have it, the theology of a second grader; Jesus is our sheepdog who gently keeps us on tract so he can safely lead us from the pasture to our eternal home.
This was an exciting week for soccer as we had our first game of the season. My parents graciously sent us old uniforms from my high school that I wore and even though it was a fiasco to get them out of the post office, we are able to put them to good use. They really feel like an actual team and I like seeing them have pride in themselves. Well, I survived the game even though I was a nervous wreck! As a single coach, the games are nerveracking. Well, at least I wasn't giving directions alone. I had drivers, the cleaning men, my guards, past players, parents, and friends trying to help me out. During the game I could hear English, Twi, Korean, and French. No where else can you experience this! It was getting a little out of control. I do love the diversity of it all as you can tell from the pictures how diverse we are but how we can be united through a great sport like soccer. This is definitely Christ's international community. I love that we can pray before games and even talk about our responsibility to play for Christ and play clean. Although not all of my players are Christians, they know where myself and others stand which is an amazing platform to share Christ. We are a hodge podge of people but we managed to tie 3-3 which was a huge accomplishment for the kids since we had lost the other two last year. One of the new kids said, "Did we win?" We said no but then he asked, "Why are we all celebrating so much?" Well, because we didn't lose! I am excited that my kids were pleased with themselves although we have a lot of work to do before our next game on the 20th.
On Friday night, some of us went to a cafe to play games. We were playing phase ten when all of a sudden the lights went out(nothing new). We automatically got out our cell phones with flashlights on them(best invention ever) and continued to play. We then laughed about it later as the darkness didn't even bother us. I was thinking about this funny event when a realization came to me. This is how I need to be in Christ! When I am walking in Christ's light and all of a sudden I am faced with a difficult situation that leaves me in the dark, I can't allow myself to stay in the dark. I need to without faltering, get out my light and keep going on with God's business. It sounds much easier said than done but God has given us the necessary tools like a flashlight on a phone to help us keep away from the darkness I just have to remember to pull it out right away like pulling out my cellphone from my purse. As we are doing God's work, the devil tries to pull out all of his tricks but I am learning the importance of spending time in the scripture and memorize His Word. I am a work in progress but being here as really helped me rely on God for every aspect of my life. God is amazing and we need to sing His Praises on High continuously!
I was in the market on Saturday morning and mud got splashed on me. Right away everyone said sorry and then offered their towels to clean my foot. It wasn't a big deal but it just shows you the compassion of people here as they are willing to help and be of assistance to make you comfortabe. There are even people who walk around waiting to carry your purchases. We feel bad using them as it looks like a servant following us around but at the same time it gives them an income and don't worry we tip them well. I hate using people to make our lives easier but it is a way to give back to them. Still don't know if it jestifies it but it is food for thought.
Today, Sunday, are taking the high schoolers to Pram Pram for them to lead Sunday School which is great so we don't have to come up with it on the way there! Also, it gives them a chance to be involved and give to others.
I will leave you with some scripture. Thank you for taking the time to read this and God Bless! Keep in touch! I hope you find the connection in it!
Psalm 95 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest






Saturday, October 30, 2010

Power of Prayer

Happy Waterween! Mr. Crosby and I relaxing on the front porch.


Here are the two watermelon lit up. Ghi Nyame means except for God which is next to Mr. Crosby. So much fun!



So we just got our screen fixed from two little boys who went through it and then I totally walked right through the screen even though I was the one who shut the door. Oops! However, it was really funny!

It is the 2nd annual Carving Watermelon Party since we don't have pumpkins. The three of us who live downstairs did Mr. Crosby. Well Faith and I scooped out the middle and Diann the art teacher did the face.




This is the symbol Ghi Nyame whick means "except for Christ. Shari and Kim did this one and it was fabulous!





The beginning stages of cleaning out the watermelon. The best part is that we get to eat it!







We took the high schoolers out to eat as part of Sharpeners. The two on the end are my girls. We were an embarrassment and I am sure the whole restaurant was glad we left but the girls had a good time so I guess it was justifiable.






Faith and I on a trotro ride to the market. This was one pretty nice but you never know what adventures await you on a trotro. Don't worry, I didn't have to hold any doors closed on this one!








This is a random picture of Medina market at the trotro station. We went to get fabric and are now on our way home as way we wait in the queu. This is life, everything just as it is.










We stopped to buy pineapple from this lady who cut them for us. I loved her outfit and she was so enthusiastic to cut pineapple for us.









Character dress up not Halloween. Since witchcraft is real here we can't really celebrate halloween but the kids were able to dress up as book characters. Aren't they cute?











Here is the rest of my kids in their outfits. They look thrilled to be there.












This is the 9th grade dress up. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, and 12th kids in the line are all soccer kids. This lineup is even complete with James Bond and Michael Jackson at the end. It is never a dull moment with this group.













After kids club, some of the kids stayed behind to read books that I finally got from the container. Thank you to those who donated books during the summer to make this possible. The kids were so good and quiet! Unfortunately, a lot of them cannot read well as they don't know their sounds and phonics. I am hoping to work on this with them so they can be better readers. It was truly a blessing to see themlove reading or looking at the books.

































I do not have some new revelation to share with you but just a hodge podge of memories from the week. First of all, last Tuesday we had Kid's Club followed by the first Reading Frenzy as I think I might call it. The kids have been asking for weeks to stay and read books but I haven't had enough. Now with the container arriving, I finally have enough! The kids were so good and quiet as they set there absorbing in the books. Unfortunately, too many of them can't actually read well as they are only taught sight words and not how you actually sound out each sound. I hate these realizations because it makes me want to go in the public schools and show them the right way of doing things. This is my ultimate passion but it is hard right now as I see the struggle but feel as if I can't devote my entire time to this problem as I have my own classroom to run. I know my time will eventually come but I don't want more kids to fall through the cracks. Thank you to all those who donated books! I will start the alphabet with them shortly so they have a foundation to build from.
Friday was character dress up day at school, as the kids could dress as their favorite book character. We cannot celebrate Halloween here as it is seen as a pagan holiday and very dark since witchcraft and all that is a very real thing here. The entire school spent the morning outside presenting their costumes on the stage. I never got a picture of myself but I was Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus. I think these books were more of my time as most of the kids were not familiar with these books. I taped pictures of animals all over my dress as Ms. Frizzle always wore dresses that depicted where they were going on their field trip. I tied a little bus around my neck as the bus transforms into different objects to get them to their destinations. All of my pictures had falled off in minutes but I did put some thought and creativity into it!
Quote of the week so drum roll please............... "Miss Sopcisak, I love Wednesdaybecause it is chapel day and I get to dance with Jesus." This is coming from one of my Muslim girls who is really close to understanding Christ and his saving grace towards all sinners


All of the soccer kids were in a big buzz last week as students from British International School approached me for a soccer match. The plan right now is to play next Thursday. My kids don't feel ready but they never will be until we start playing matches and they realize the necessity to work hard in order to get results. I don't want to be too hard on these kids as I want them to enjoy soccer but at the same time they need to learn discipline and how to work hard which will cary out for their entire life. I do love these kids as I am able to be more of a friend than a teacher to them. Also, I get to be sarcastic which I love! Please pray for my sanity this week as I prepare for the match.
Also on Friday, we took some of the high school kids out for pizza at a nice place with lots of Obruneis as part of the mentoring program. That sentence had too many prepositions, please forgive me. Anyways, we had a great although we were a little loud and obnoxious. Good thing we were sitting in the corner. Lets just say we definitely all had the Joy of the Lord. These girls all come from different cultures and backgrounds but they all have a sweet spirit which yells to feel connected with others and to feel like it belongs somewhere. It is a privilege to be friends with these girls and share some of my struggles or experiences to better benefit them and the problems they are faced with each day. Keep them all in your prayers.
Today in church we talked about the church being honest and sharing with one another. We also talked about the power of prayer. I forget sometimes how powerful prayer can be and how we need to share with one another so we can really see prayer working. Pretty soon I need to make a decision about next year and I have to make sure I am making a decision that will honor God and not just myself. Please pray that I will listen to the Lord talking to me and not my own thoughts. God has a mighty plan for all of us and the only way to stay true to Him is to be open to His calling. Please know that I am praying for all of you and would love to talk sometime if you ever have the chance.










I was glad to have met friends on the way home who were excited enough about the books that they carried them for me. They are so strong. I admit that I tried to carry the box on my head for awhile but couldn't do it for long.


















This is when the boys got the uniforms. They were so excited that they all tried them on right away. They look sharp.