May Day plus hard work equals Joy Day!

This should have been sent a week ago but I had internet problems and lost half of the post. 

I have a question that I have been wondering for 3 years and I still do not have the answer to it.  Why do we get May Day off in Ghana?  I think it is linked with a British holiday but nonetheless we celebrate by taking the day off and rejoicing that we are in a our last month of school.  Can this be correct?  Yikes!  Anyways, on our day off, we took 20 middle school and high school students to City of Refuge which I have talked about in earlier blogs.  I was in charge of a construction group which meant carrying cement blocks from the ground into the unfinished school buildings for 2 hours; talk about some real genuine fun!  I did quite enjoy myelf although the kids were not used to caloused hands or tedious work.  However, some of them put on the smile, and did the job, knowing they were able to serve others by doing this menial work.  The best part was stamping the kids with Joy all over their faces and arms whenever they had a hard time finding JOY in the situation!  There were other groups who painted a building where young women will be able to make water sachets to provide for their family.  The kids had never painted before and it was quite a sight to see them attempt to put paint on the wall as the majority landed on them.  It was such a blessed day to be able to help build the school and paint for people who are impacting the community only an hour away from us.  Our students' eyes were opened to the term "real work" and they were able to share with each other highlights and areas of encouragement throughout the day.  We know this partnership will continue and we look forward to helping our students see the importance of giving ourselves even when it pains!

I continued the week of fun by taking my students on a field trip on Thursday.  I don't have any pictures yet but hopefully soon I can show you!  We went to a place where they make glass beads.  Each student got to paint three beads and then watch the workers put them into the clay oven to set.  This was a process none of them had seen before so it was such a joy to watch their eyes light up with this new experience.  The lady ran the workshop very efficiently as the kids learned how they grind up the glass into a powder, put it into the molds, make the holes, and put it in the fire to create beautiful necklaces.  They behaved well and really worked well as a group to make the time enjoyable for all.  Whenever they were working or waiting, they would pass the time by singing praise songs that we have learned in class.  What a joy they all are!  As they were working or observing, they would point out other little tidbits that we have been learning like similes or vocab words.  I love this age because they are sponges and soak everything up!  The time is fleeting quickly, thus I must enjoy every moment I have with them!  I realized how protective I am of them when a policeman got onto our bus at a check point.  When he turned around, I saw his long, enormous gun and freaked out that it was so close to my kids.  Of course the boys thought that it was awesome but I was not amused.  I mean, all the policemen carry guns that size but it seems more real when they are close to kids you care about!  Oh the days in Ghana!

The girls' soccer team had their first match on Friday.  They were quite nervous and weren't sure what to expect but they played well.  I am very proud of all of them for their hard work.  We ended up losing the game but nonetheless we are learning and that is all that matters.  Of course you know you are playing in Ghana, when chickens are continuously on the field or there is no real out of bounds. It just makes the fun more real and genuine!  We have another game coming up so we will keep working hard for that. 

On Saturday, we took our weekly trek to the onion boys and sat underneath the trees with them.  We had some ABC books that included pictures of Ghana which they thoroughly enjoyed since these were familiar items to them.  One of them asked us if we had fufu, banku, kenkey, etc.  We kept saying no and then they asked, "well what do you eat?"  ha, good question!  A lot of we eat would be so unusual to them!  At the other tree, we pulled out Chicka Chicka Boom Boom which is about the alphabet going up  a coconut tree.  They loved the words Chicka Chicka Boom Boom; I guess because it seemed more familiar for them to say.  We just laughed each time we found it on a page.  Of course they have no idea what it means since it really doesnt mean anything.  I tried to explain this in French but I am not sure if I got the job done.  I laughed internally even more as this was a book that was read to me in kindergarten.  In all of my wildest dreams, did I ever picture myself reading this book to young men from Niger underneath a large shade tree on the side of a busy road?  God is full of surprises and I enjoy each one he sends my way!

Enjoy the weekend!