Where does my help come from?

Psalm 121A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.



I memorized these verses along with the kids on the street last year and they sure do come in handy especially after last week. I already blogged about the homegoing of my grandfather so please do not think I am insensitive if I do not discuss it more sense I guess I made my family cry enough with the last entry.



Yesterday, (Friday) we had a random day off so a friend of mine and myself took 5 ninth grade students(3 boys and 2 girls) hiking to a waterfall. They were not sure what they were getting themselves into especially since only one of them has ever gone hiking but now that it is over, they can all joyfully exclaim that they had fun. While working out way up the steep incline, one of the girls struggled and tried to give up. I kept teling her to think past her goal and reach one little incline at a time. What a huge difference that made in her energy to pursue her goal. When we finally got to the waterfall, I heard her exclaim, "wow, this is amazing!" and at that point I knew that she realized the worth of the effort. It is so important to instill into these children the essence of working hard to achieve a goal. Anything is possible if you just try. Again, it takes me back to Psalm 121 as we reflect on where our help comes from. I cannot do it alone and I am realizing that more and more each day. Thank goodness I have the maker of Heavan and Earth cheering for me and now allowing my foot to slip even though the path seems to treacherous. The students saw a great glimpse of God's protection and the reason to persevere through all trials as great rewards, like cold rushing waterfalls, await at the end.



Another fun event of the weekend which happened after my grandfather's homegoing was last Sunday night when the Ghanaian soccer team was playing in the quarterfinals in the African Cup. We decided to watch the game in African style by finding a local beauty shop where all eyes were glued on the TV. It was such a communal place as the children sat up front, kneeling on step up to the shop, where the adults watched intently on benches surrrounding the small shop. We were welcomed with approving smiles and dirty hands as all our street kids decided we were a jungle gym for the evening. We didn't watch a lot of the first hand due to the local children but we love any chance we get to bring joy to their lives. It reminded me of the middle of the 20th century(not that I was alive!) where everyone didn't have TV's so they had to gather together to learn the news. I love this concept of coming together for a mutual celebration as it really shows the community aspect of life here. We were just part of the people, watching an important game that represents the culture of Ghana.













This is a huge prayer request. One of the students in my class is going through a family matter right now that is pretty difficult and public. When she talked about it, the rest of the students had already heard about the matter. Please pray for this family as they are going through this time. Please pray that I will comfort this student and help show her that her father will always be there for help. Please also pray that the rest of the student body will not talk about the situation as there are four students in our school related to this issue.













My kids really do say the funniest things and this week were up there as my favorites. Early in the week, the kids had to answer the question if girls would make a good president. One of the girls said yes because they would be kind and give electricity. When I asked about this, she said, "because the boy presidents keep turning off the lights." Oh my, this is true, electricity is bad and it is partially the fault of the administration. If only girls would control the lights for once!













Later on in the week, we were writing facts about Abraham Lincoln. One of my boys wrote that if Abraham Lincoln didn't exit, he would be working in the yard. Meaning, since he was black and was born in American, he would be working in the field as a slave. The way they convey their ideas is hilarious!









Josiah and I spent another Saturday with the boys from Niger who sell onions. We are going to start meeting with them on the side of the road to help them learn English. In exchange, they will teach us Zarma and French. I know it will make them happy to learn Zarma but of course I am more excited to learn French as this will be necessary for next year.



God continues to show his faithfulness and mercies each and everyday! Praise the Lord for his goodness is everlasting