School Events

Our volunteer, Ben hiding underneath the box. Read below to find out why he is doing this,

Mr. Crosby our director being scared by finding something unusual underneath the last box!

Mr. Crosby getting ready to play a "fun" game.

All the students in the pavilion watching the "box game." It will be explained below.

All the kids playing at field game. Look how much fun they are having!

A big game of spud with water ballons. Where is waldo or where is Christy? Can you find me? Hint: I am not in the foreground and I am still very white

Okay, so I am a little late in getting this out since I missed my usual Sunday but I guess it is better now than never!
A week ago Friday, we had Field Day at School. All the students were broken up into 16 teams and we played random games against other teams. I was the leader of team of South Africa. We did pretty well but didn’t win overall, that isn’t the most important part anyways. We played games like spud(throwing waterballoons over a volleyball net and trying to catch them), snowball fight in the classroom, battleship, sumo wrestling, steal the bacon, and water relays. It was a great atmosphere for the students and teachers as we didn’t have to be teachers but more coaches and encourages. The kids were split somewhat evenly by grade level so I got to know some of the older kids which I never see. Everyone was very encouraging through it all and it was great morale for our school since everyone knows everyone anyways. The kids favorite activity was a surprise game where one person a time had to come up to some boxes, lift up each one to see what kind of ball was underneath it and then run to the next one. This was easy except for the fact that under the last box was one of our volunteers who screamed when they picked up the box. The rest of the school watched and fell out of their seats laughing as each victim was tormented by the surprise of their life. They even got Mr. Crosby our director to do it! Great fun in Ghana!
Last week since it was Thanksgiving, I had to teach Thanksgiving in the classroom. Of course they don’t have Thanksgiving in Ghana since it is an American Holiday but it was still important to teach it with the biblical background. The first day we made a thankful tree on a bulletin board where we put up leaves that had things we were thankful for on it. They loved it and had really good things that they were thankful for. On Tuesday, we pretended to be the pilgrims and walked(sailed around the school) looking for new land. They were really cute pretending. One boy laid on the ground pretending to die and another student pretending to give pump his stomach for CPR. Oh what creative minds second graders have! When we got back to the room, they had to be the Pilgrims setting up their new land in America and they all went to work establishing their new lives. I love that they are still able to be creative in though and have fun out of nothing!
We also made Indian headdresses on Tuesday and put feathers on it of things we should thank God for. On Wednesday, we put on our hats and headed to the kindergarten room where we helped the kindergarteners make Pilgrim hats. We brought popcorn because they really did have popcorn at the first Thanksgiving(that’s what they say) and we had a feast to thank God for all of his blessings. They were all so cute! I wish I could show you there picture but I can’t because of privacy. Trust me though, they are adorable.
One more school related thing, we are having our Christmas Musical this Saturday(tomorrow). It is a full blown musical like a church would do and the whole school is involved(high schoolers aren’t too excited about this but they half smile and suffer through it.) During the practice the kids did a great job, especially my second graders. They were the best behave of everyone and I am not being biased. After practice I had to go outside to talk to a parent. He spoke in twih so I had to have a translator with me. He explained that he is a Muslim so he doesn’t want his daughter participating in the school program because she would be worshipping two gods and she can only worship Allah. I wanted to tell him that she already worships the real God at school but I was good and kept my mouth closed. I told him that she had been working very hard and it would be nice for her to be able to participate with her friends and have her feel a part of the school. Again, I really wanted to say, we want you there so you will hear the truth and believe but don’t worry I was praying during the conversation so God was keeping me calm. It is so hard to have these conversations because I just want to share the truth with the lost people in the world but it has to be done in a certain way. He told me at the end of the conversation that he would think about Saturday so please pray that she comes! It would be such a blessing to have her there! Also just pray that if there are people there that don’t know your name, they will understand you in a new way as the gospel is presented clearly.

Benefits of Living in Ghana

During this Thanksgiving Time, I think it is important for me to reflect on the benefits, the cons, the positives of being in Ghana rather than in the United States. Don’t get me wrong, I miss everyone back at home but since I am here in Ghana, I need to embrace the many blessings that I have here while they last. Here is the best of the best reasons by it is great to live in Ghana! (they aren’t in any order, just whatever pops in my mind)
1. You can get your shoe fixed for one cedi(less than a dollar) and they come to your house to do it!(let me explain, the sole of my show was flapping and when I was running one morning, I heard the shoe repair guy. He carries around his box and hits it to let everyone know that he is there for business. He just walks around the street waiting for a customer. I don’t think he was expecting me as we met at a corner by the house because I was so happy to hear the box. I told him to meet me at my house as I ran ahead to get my shoe. He came inside the gate and I watched as he took care in fixing my shoe for a cedi, don’t worry I gave him a little extra!

2. You don’t have to wear a seatbelt in a taxi(oops shouldn’t have written that!

3. When you are in traffic in a taxi, you never have to complain of hunger because there are always people at your window selling you things

4. You can get chicken and rice on the street for 1.50.

5. People acknowledge you wherever you go as they call out oh brunei(how nice!) (can you hint the sarcasm?)

6. If you were desperate enough, you find someone to marry you in a heartbeat as long as you take them back to the states! Don’t worry, I’m not desperate

7. As soon as you get out of a taxi, you have instant friends wanting to sell you their product or make you a bracelet with your name on it.

8. You find out about a holiday the week of.(We have known for awhile that the Muslims have a holiday on Friday(now today) but the Ghanaian government was not recognizing it as a National Holiday. On Monday afternoon, we got the call from the American Embassy that the Ghanaian government decided to call it as a national holiday! I guess this happens quite often. It messed up some of the school plans as we have our Christmas Musical on Saturday and we were supposed to have rehearsal at the hotel on Friday during the school day. On Monday, we had to switch everything to Wednesday. Crazy but we are surviving so far.

9. You make a family quickly with the other teachers and bond through the ups and downs.

10. Living here makes you appreciate the consistency of electricity and running water.( The morning of Thanksgiving we didn’t have any water so we were afraid we couldn’t have it here but it came back!

So after this list, I am sure you are all dying to get over here! My house is right under where the airplanes land so feel free to parachute off of the plane into my courtyard. The more the merrier. Enjoy the extending weekend!
School Events:

Deep Roots

Yesterday marked another groundbreaking day (literally) in the clearing of the land in Katasie where Auntie Jean has Children of the Light. First of all, I need to tell you a miracle to just remind us how God does work in our lives even when we doubt. Auntie Jean is originally from New Zealand but married a Ghanaian. She loves her ministry and it has grown so much as this vision to have its own place seems to take place. However, she has been feeling guilty for having her children here and has wondered if they would be better off in New Zealand. She prayed that if she was to stay, that someone would donate to the land so she could pay it off. She prayed for just 5 cedis, just to show her something. Of course God didn’t provide 5 cedis. He always goes above and beyond and we forget that every time. The next day at school she received enough money to pay off the land in full, it can now be entirely Children of the Light’s land! Praise the Lord as He always Reigns and continues to show his mercies each new day!
So, now back to yesterday. I want to describe to you in detail the process of getting to her house and just what it entails in Ghana. I will take you on a picture walk and throw in some smells and sounds along the way. You might want to cover your nostrils when I take you through the smells, just a little warning. We left our house at 6:30, walked down the street to catch the next trotro and made it to the next stop where we waited for some friends. The Ghanaians always laugh at us for riding in trotros as they don’t think it is a safe thing to do but it is cheap! A taxi ride for 4 cedis will only 35 pesowas(cents). Can’t pass that up! Unfortunately, a trotro never came or when it did, everyone pushed their way on it first that we didn’t get a chance. We finally decided to take a shared taxi which just means you can ride in a taxi with other people and play a lower price but we knew all the people we were riding with! I got the privilege of sitting on my friends lap so four of us could sit in the back. Don’t worry, perfectly safe! When we arrived in Medina, we were greeted with the usual sights, sounds, and smells. Saturday is Market Day so everyone comes to sell their goods or buy some for their shop. You name it, and you can find it in the market. Dead fish, snails, every vegetable, knock off shoes, fake cleats, jerseys, and second hand clothes. Something interesting about second hand clothes; the word they call them in twih means dead white man’s clothing because they figure someone has to be dead to give up their clothes. Don’t they realize how our materialistic society works? Anyways, this market is how people survive but I think it would be hard to make a living because there are at least 10 other people selling the same thing. They love to see white people as they think we will buy more so they shove products in our faces and try to make us stop at their shop. They haven’t caught on yet that forcing us to buy something doesn’t work. When we get to Medina, we have to push and maneuver our way around the market to get to the next trotro station. It isn’t easy to maneuver around as you have to watch out for cars, wagons pulling goods, other people walking and the sewer. Oh yes, the lovely open sewer; my biggest nightmare! I have this fear that I will fall in it one day and then just go home then. The sewers don’t smell pretty or look nice, don’t worry I won’t go into detail but I will say that when it gets hot out, the sewers become more noticeable.
Once at the next station, you have to ask around to find the right trotro as they are all lined up. Usually we have to wait in line while all the ladies come around with the baskets on their heads trying to sell products. We then push our way to get on the next trotro and away we go up the mountain or hill. There is usually traffic but the trotros are good at off roading it and finding the bumpy, sandy back ways to go until we reached the open road. The road up the mountain is nice since the president has a home at the top. When we finally reach Katasie, we then hike down past people carrying sticks on their heads or getting water at the local water pump. Definitely a more simple life than what you find in the city. Oh the land is so gorgeous and there is now more grass planted. We worked on clearing a new area so they can hopefully plant there this week. There is nothing like good physical labor to get your heart pumping! One of the jobs of the guys was to get all the stumps up. As they were removing them, we realized how deep the roots system were as they all were interconnected. This reminded me of how I should be especially here. If I don’t have good strong, deep roots in what I believe in Christ than it is easier for me to get attacked by the opposition or metaphorically speaking, to get chopped down. Satan uses lies to get to us and to stop the truth from being known but I and other believers must be constantly in the word so we can fight evil with the truth. Here there is a lot of prosperity gospel being given or prophesying. You have to be very careful of what you hear, even in good churches. I am also surrounded by 10 inquisitive minds at school who always have questions. If I am not ready or do not know the answers to their questions(well some of their questions no one has the answers) than they could be missing out on the redeeming message of Christ. I want to have strong, deep roots, that are being nourished by the uplifting message of Christ. I want to be filled with the living water where I will thirst no more. Good News! We can be through a trust in the Lord Savior. I will be honest, I am not always good at having quiet times where I am all the way awake or focused the whole time, so I am working on this. I am not always good at praying all the time but prayer is important as we are trusting that the Lord will work in our lives. However, I want to become better at spending more quality time with the Lord as this is how my deeps will keep planted and never uprooted. Oh what great promise we have in the Lord that He won’t leave us on this earth but instead offers us eternal life!
After we worked for two hours and the sun made its presence known, we stopped for a lunch break. Auntie Jean and the kids cooked lunch over the open fire in a pot. We had rice and cabbage stew which was very good and impressive that they did it over the fire. We always had to do this at camp at the beginning of the year and it never turned out well. Anyways, on the way back we were having a hard time catching a trotro so they taught us the symbol for hitchhiking was is to put one hand on top of the other palms up while you say (Mao Poucho; please) The guys tried this and right away we got two flatbed trucks! We really wanted to ride in them but they said they were afraid of the police. It was worth a try! We settled on taking a shared taxi again so I found myself squashed up in the back seat for a 45 minute ride. At the bottom of the hill, there is a toll booth where you must pay. Our driver got out before that and went to talk to the police. This is never a good sign. He went across the road to the other police and then got back in the car. He told us that on the way up the hill, he was stopped by the police and they made him dash them(give him money). Unfortunately this happens often and the taxi drivers have to give it to them or the drivers will get arrested! Yes a little corrupted but things like this probably happen in America too if we want to be honest. So, the police on the other side made the taxi driver give them money also, I guess they didn’t want to feel left out. Just different than what we are use to!So you can see the ordeal it takes to get up to Auntie Jeans but it is so worth it to see the Lord working in this Ministry and in our own hearts. Please pray for the Christmas program that Auntie Jean puts on every year with the children. Cathy and I will be there to help out, I can’t wait! Also pray for safety as we are on the land(found to scorpions last week), for the grass to grow, and for the plans to come together for the pavilion. Thank you for your prayers and I will pray for all of you. Please let me know what I can pray for. Keep in touch!

The Joy of the Lord

As I walk to school, I ponder over life questions and prepare myself for the day ahead. I always pass by children carry heavy bags on their heads and they ask me if I am tired from carrying my backs. "Sister Christy, are you tired" but picture this in a Ghanaian accent if you know what that is. I will have to do it for you in person sometime, I am learning how to become good at it. Ayways, this process is repeated each day which I enjoy as I love interacting with the children and bringing smiles to their faces. On Tuesday, I was praying for my kids and praying for a good day when it hit me that I have the Joy of the Lord everyday but don't always share it. I have found that it is easier to be negative and share that negativity with others than it is to be positive all the time. I talked to another teacher about this before the day began and we encouraged each other to keep the Joy of the Lord burning high all day long!

Wow! What a difference it made! My kids thought I was crazy as they came in because I wouldn't let them enter the room unless they too had the Joy of the Lord. Some took awhile to get in and I think some took awhile on purpose. It did make a difference in the day as I was energetic and looked at the positive sides instead of focusing on the little things that could get me down. However, I have found that by after lunch, I am begin to lose my Joy so I am working on this but half the day is a start! Right? With the Joy, I am enjoying each moment like when my kids look up every or word in the dictionary since we are learning about or words, or when they are not listening for the thousand time and then wondering what I am talking about. The Joy comes when they are dressing up like animals for the food chain, putting on puppet shows for the kindergartners, or asking my father questions on skype about the Revelations to his favorite soccer team.

I don't want to make the wrong impression, there are hard days here as the electricity goes off like Tuesday night, or the electricity goes off when I am printing a paper. No fun! But having a better aspect on it all has helped me relax and be a better, confident teacher. If I am happy, then chances are, my kids are happier. God has given me this life and eternal life forever so I have to rejoice in His goodness! Do you have the JOy of the Lord? If you don't, get yours at a local drug store as soon as possible(better yet, pray to the Lord for he will provide!)

Different Reasons, Same Purpose

Last Sunday I had the privilege of going to Prom Prom which is a village 45 minutes away near the ocean where they have a children’s home. It was founded by a German lady who was sick so she came to Ghana for some healing herb but then found the Lord through it all. She saw all of the children on the streets and decided to take action by starting a home for the children. When we arrived there late, the children were already under the big hut pavilion worshipping their Lord with their beautiful voices and the beat of a drum. What more do you need? Most of it was in twih so I did not understand it and to be honest even when they sang in English it was hard to make out the words. That didn’t matter as God can hear us all in our own tongue and in our own way. The children moved with the Joy of the Lord as their voices rang out loud to the Lord. Yes, they do have Joy in Jesus even if they have nothing but each other. After the service, the girls showed us to their rooms as they are use to having company. The compound reminded me a lot of Project Mercy in Ethiopia but this one was nicer. There was a girls and boys dormitory, a very nice playground, and an L shape of classrooms. The school is open to children in the area as well but there is only about 10 students per class. This is a little different than Ethiopia as there are up to 80 per class in the lower elementary! It was so peaceful there and it was amazing to see that the vision of one lady could come alive to help so many children. Oh, I just yearn for this someday as my friends and I have a dream to start our own school someday. It is hard waiting but I am constantly reminded that the Lord will provide in His time. After all, He got me this far. Who would have thunk?(alright not correct English but I like to use it!)
Oh yes, so back to the title since I haven’t explained it yet. I left out parts of the story as I never explained how we got there. A family at our school, have lived in Ghana for 15 years. They spent most of their Kumasi which is about 4 hours away but they have lived in Accra for 4 years. They are such a blessing as they always open their home to us and take us to church. For the past 4 years they have been going to Prom Prom on the first Sunday of every month and we are always welcome to comes. They do an object lesson and then a short devotional which I know the children thoroughly enjoy as they know a lot of Twih and they have really built a relationship with them. Through the Mosleys and at church, I have met many missionary families with all unique stories. It is so interesting to hear how the Lord has brought everyone here for a different reason but all for the purpose of proclaiming His name to the people in need. Sometimes I wonder if my job is insignificant since there are a ton of missionaries here but then I see all of the needs that are still not met. So overwhelming! I love hearing the stories of how everyone met or how they got to Ghana. One family that moved here during the summer are working with the orphanage, Beacon House. The husband interned with Mr. Mosley number of years back. After that, he met his wife and he asked her what she wanted to do with her life and she said, “move to Ghana” and then he said “Do you want to get married now?” I hope I find that! Don’t worry I am not in a rush. Anyways, they have really been a blessing here and now the husband has the desire to go get his doctorate degree so they can return and start a school and hospital in the north. Also, before they left, they did a home care study so they could possibly adopt when they were over here. About a month ago, they were asked to foster a cute baby boy which of course they have fallen in love with. Since they did that study, they are now able to adopt if the possibility arises. How amazing is that?
I have so many stories of how the Lord is working here through faithful missionaries who came for one reason or another but are all following God’s call. I know that just doesn’t happen in Ghana but wherever we may be if that is where the Lord has us for the time. Please pray for all the missionaries in Ghana as support can be tight right now and how the need can look overwhelming.

Halloween in Ghana

Carving watermelons! What else would you do for Halloween? These pictures are in reverse order and it is better to read the blog first but for some reason, the pictures showed up first. Thanks for reading. You are all in my prayers!

As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans or when in Ghana, do as the Ghanaians do. Yes, this is culturally polite but there is one tradition that we could not leave behind just because we are in Ghana. Yesterday, as I am sure you all know was Halloween. Being here in Ghana has made me realize that I could not explain to someone why we do half of the things we do in America. For example; Halloween. I know that it is the day to get rid of evil spirits before All Saints Day but I am not sure where we started passing out candy and saying Trick or Treat. If someone could shed light on the subject, I would appreciate it but I guess I could google it myself! It would be helpful if I knew the meaning behind everything because I had no idea had to explain to people about the Halloween traditions that we have in the states. We decided we couldn’t skip Halloween so we celebrated it in the best way we could after going swimming on a hot day first!( I know weird right? Swimming on Halloween? Some years it snows!) Faith and I set on a quest to find watermelons. Watermelons you ask? What does that have to do with Halloween? Well, remember this is Ghana and not everything is readily available like pumpkins so we resorted to the next best thing and better tasting, watermelon. We walked all around the neighborhood trying to find watermelon at fruit stands but we were out of luck until we were almost home and saw a lady selling them in a laundry figure. Go figure! Moral of the story; look close to home and in laundry baskets for watermelon before tracking out to Timbuktu! Good moral right?
Anyways, later we made apple crisp, a fallish delight, and then wait for it, the best part of the evening, can you guess??????
We carved the watermelons!!! We were very resourceful with our resources here and decided that we couldn’t just skip out on not carving pumpkins so we carved the watermelon. Faith and I competed against the downstairs girls as we had thirty minutes to carve it. It was very fun and tastier than carving pumpkins! We carved the Ghanaian flag, a soccer ball, and Ghana. They carved black stars(name of soccer team) and a soccer ball. You won’t hurt my feelings, I know theirs is better, we’re over it now. The night got better as we put candles in our pumpkins and ate pumpkin seeds which we were able to find at the store! Then we took them outside on our porch and just sat there talking. We wanted our guard to judge them but he wasn’t home yet from church. We waited in anticipation until her arrived home. I will never forget his reaction as he saw us sitting on the porch next to lit up carved watermelon. As he is a polite young man, he did not pick a winner even though we all know the downstairs pumpkin was better than ours. We then explained to him about Halloween and how we wished we could pass out candy outside to kids. I think we are going to do it next year and just teach them what it is! He then told us he saw a cartoon about a square pumpkin which we never heard before so we even got in a Halloween story! What a complete night. Daniel our guard, who is our age, has much wisdom at a young age and is a hope for Ghana as he talked to us about how children don’t respect their parents and parents don’t require it. He says it stems from the parents but it also comes from the books they read and shows they watch. He also said that the difference between Ghana and the US was we act on our thoughts whereas Ghanaians just talk and don’t do anything about it. It was really interesting to hear that from a Ghanaian but so true at the same time. I don’t think we should take away their African culture but there are ways to help improve it. He encouraged us as teachers to keep on strong because we never know who we will impact as he still remembers his teachers. This is very true especially with the kids we teach as they will be world leaders someday, I can already name which ones. Sometimes teaching can seem like a lesser profession but this is not true as I am proud of what I am instilling in my young students. I am planting seeds for the harvest and creating lifelong learning skills. I love the community that I have made with the girls in my house and even with my guard. He is not just a lowly guard, he is the hope for the future, a young man who has Faith in Christ and a heart for his nation. It takes all types of people from all types of life to create a lasting and meaningful community.

Bouncy Castles and Beyond!

Aren't they cute? Read below to find out about our fun Friday! The picture above this shows the teachers that dressed up. The first two show the bouncy castles, popcorn machine, and juice maker. Find out more below!

Bouncy Castles and Beyond!
Yes, I said Bouncy Castles and yes I do live in Ghana. This is what I have been trying to tell you, I live in a different Africa than what you think of due to the students that we teach. This is as you have heard me say before, is somewhat difficult as I have a heart for those with the least but it is my calling right now to reach out to my students. One way this can be done is by the “awe effect” which takes a little more with the students’ standards. This past month has been reading month where I have been recording the number of pages that each student reads every night. We have been competing with the rest of the school to see which class can read the most. My class has read over 20,000 pages which is amazing! To celebrate their hard work, we had parties galore on Friday. So back to the bouncy castles; one family who employs most of Ghana, provided the pre-kindergarten through second grade with a bouncy castle, juice machine, and popcorn maker. I have shown some pictures below but do not want to put too many on of the kids for their safety. I even got to jump with them which was really fun! Yes, this is not typical Ghana but it is the world of our kids. The kids did work hard in reading so it was good we could reward them in such a fun way. We just had to be careful since the electricity went off and the bouncy castle deflated very quickly!
In the afternoon, we continued the party with ice cream and toppings. We had so much of everything and it was a little chaotic for the teachers to get everything together but we figures why not give the kids more sugar!
If this wasn’t enough excitement for one day, we added more by it being character dress up day(aka we can’t celebrate Halloween but we can dress up as a book character.) No, Halloween is not celebrated as much or at all in Ghana as it is in America. Most Americans see it as a fun time to dress up and get free candy but if people in the African culture know what it is, then they usually associate it with evil spirits. My kids didn’t even know what pumpkins were so I had to explain to them which is quite difficult! Anyways, we all came together as a student body at the beginning of the day to look at everyone’s book character which you can also somewhat see in the pictures. I had a Minnie Mouse, two Ben 10’s (not sure?) and others who just wore different clothes so they didn’t have to wear their uniform! I also dressed up which proved to be very fun. I hope you all have read Sideways Story from Wayside School by Louis Sachar as they are hilarious and crazy. My kids are familiar with them as I am already reading to them the second book. At the beginning of the first book, the current teacher, Mrs. Gorf, turns the kids into apples if they misbehave. She wiggles her right pointy ear, then her left, sticks out her tongue, and then they turn into apples. Don’t worry, the kids end up turning her into an apple by making her look in a mirror and then Louis the yard teacher eats her on accident. I promise it is a family friendly book! So, I dressed up as Mrs. Gorf and carried around apples with their names on it. It helped with discipline as I told the kids I would turn them in to apples if they misbehaved! Don’t worry, they knew I was kidding! You can definitely tell that I got a lot of instructional time in today, you should be proud. Okay, so it wasn’t the most productive day but I am learning that each day does not have to be like that. The students do need a break once and a while and we can still learn through different experiences as the students always need help with cooperation, waiting patiently, and being thankful for what they have. You can be guaranteed that I will hit the books hard on Monday so grass can’t grow under our feet!