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!